Hello Weight Weenies Forum!

I started a thread in the road section and have already had some very friendly and helpful responses, and I'm very familiar with online forum patronage so I'm excited to see such an educated and enthusiastic lot of members here. It's very impressive! My name's Gregory and I'm a college student in California working on my degree in history. I started cycling two years ago when my uncle introduced me to the sport. I'd been riding low rider bicycles and old mountain bikes to work and school for several months before I got my first road bike (a 1979/'80 Raleigh Carlton Super Course 12 speed) and I got hooked.

About four or five months later my parents sold our ranch and told me and my siblings that we could each have about $2,500 to spend on what we'd like. I decided to invest in a nice road bike and got a 2008 Trek Madone 5.2 with full Ultegra SL and Bontrager X-Lite components. It was a very nice bicycle and took me to a new level of riding. I'm an artist of sorts, especially when it comes to building technical and aesthetic things like bicycle components and automobiles. The Madone just wasn't personal enough for me... So I ripped it apart and sold all of the components hoping to re-build it with Deda accessories and Campagnolo Chorus 11 and Eurus rims. Sadly, I couldn't afford this for several months and then decided just to sell the frame while I hadn't been riding.

That was a mistake, but what ever. I accumulated the money for my build again recently and decided to stick with cycling. It keeps me away from cigarettes and I feel better about my body and mind when I challenge myself daily on my rides. The season I rode hard was probably one of the best years of my life. So, I built a new bike! I stuck with the Campy Chorus/Eurus combo as well as the Deda accessories. I couldn't afford all of these components with a carbon frame, so I picked up another Raleigh. This time it was a 2003 Team frame set, built from Columbus alloy tubing and Columbus Carve carbon fork and seat stays. Beautiful frame set. Total weight with Look Keos pedals and Torelli SS bottle cages is 18.46 pounds. The bicycle was completed this morning by the mechanics at Sierra Bicycle Werks in Visalia, CA and I'm very proud of it! It makes a great belated 21st birthday present to myself.

Here's the component list:

Raleigh Team Frame Set (2003)
Campagnolo Chorus Group Set (2009) Includes:
--Shifters
--Front Derailleur
--Rear Derailleur
--Brake Set
--Crank Set (175mm)
--Cassette (12-25)
Campagnolo Record Cable Housing (2009)
Campagnolo Record Chain (2009)
Campagnolo Eurus Wheel Set (2008)
Continental Duraskin Tires
Deda Elementi Zero100 Alloy Stem (90mm)
Deda Elementi Zero100 Alloy Handlebars (42cm)
Deda Elementi Super Carbon Seat Post (300mm)
Brooks Titanium-Railed Swift Saddle

And I'll finish with some pictures! Hopefully the introduction and the style of my bicycle tells a bit about myself and my personality. I'm really excited to join the forum and look forward to both contributing and getting my questions answered! Cheers, and happy holidays!

-Gregory

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My 2003 Raleigh Team

Gregory,

Great introduction and welcome....

You have joined the finest cycling forum on the web. The combined knowledge of this crew is astounding. I started visiting this site because I wanted to build a weightweenie, but I soon found out that there is much more here than information on lightweight bicycle parts. If I'm going on a cycling vacation, this is the place I turn. If I need a bit of technical assistance on torque specs for a bottom bracket, WW is the place to go. When I have the time to train seriously, I check here for advice on interval training. And, I have had terrific luck buying lightweight parts on the marketplace. When you become proficient with the search engine...you have years of knowledge literally at your fingertips.

I must also warn you, that this site may be more addictive than cigarettes. I visit the site daily and although I don't post as much as I should, I am able to keep up on the latest and greatest in the industry. I was lucky enough to go to interbike in Las Vegas a few years ago and was more informed on the industry than most people running the booths.

Another great forum is the one associated with fairwheelbikes.com out of Tucson AZ. Also, if you are looking for a US dealer of the finest boutique cycling components, Fairwheel is the site to visit....especially when Craig at Sierra Bicycle Werks isn't able to get the part you need....we are lucky to have a local shop like Craig's.

I dig your bike...the Chorus will last for years, and I suspect it will be a part of several framesets before it is all said and done. I'm curious to see how you like the aluminum....

Welcome! I love those Raleighs. Enjoy it!

I had the same frame as a race bike. Very well done! A little late I know.

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-For my next trick I will set myself on fire!
-This board and the world in general would be a much nicer place if everyone could just take themselves a little less seriously.
-Sticky Fingers John Rockefeller
-First one over the cliff wins!

Thanks Juan!

So I've removed the Deda Super RS seat post from this bicycle... It kept slipping backwards when I was putting weight on it and went over bumps, so I overtightened the hell out of it and put it through the last test. I hit the saddle with only my hand and was still able to force it back. I've now read that this problem isn't too uncommon and that there are some weird ways to get rid of the problem, but I'm looking for a lot more reliability than "probable" foolproof riggings... So I purchased a Zero100 alloy post on Ebay this morning. Matches the bars and stem, and I know it's supposedly a very great post.

Other than that, no complaints yet. I'm not well enough to take long rides or ride very fast, but it's proven efficient cruising around thus far! I love the Chorus shifting but really want to say that the brakes are not as powerful as my '08 Ultegra SL brakes were... Good stopping power out of a fast pace but once you're at 10 miles per hour getting down to "stopped" takes some yardage. The Eurus wheels are like rocks. Not sure it's exactly the feel I was looking for but they're certainly durable, which was one of the main points with the build. I look forward to putting it through its paces come spring.

-Gregory

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My 2003 Raleigh Team

Nice bike! We're not too far from each other. I hope to see it at some races this season!

Howdy folks,

So I've got about 750 miles on this bike. I ran into some muscle problems over the summer and was unable to ride for a few months, but now that I'm back at it I am looking forward to taking this bicycle out a lot. In fact, now that I'm living in the San Francisco area I'm considering trying to find some coastal centuries to begin taking part in after I've built myself back up to strength, and am looking to shave some weight and add some performance-oriented components to this build. First off, I plan on replacing the seat post (yes, again!) with a Deda Drittissimo. I've decided that I want a zero-setback because I have short arms and have already sacrificed enough stem length by going with the 90mm piece. To save half a pound off of what I find to be a less than stellar Brooks Team Pro I plan on replacing it with a Fi'zi:k Arione K:1. The Chorus brake set is a bit weighty and squishy to me... So, I'm considering KCNC C7 Ti brakes to replace them - any thoughts on the performance of current KCNC calipers would be appreciated, as I have no experience with them. The Continental Gatorskins may be solid tires, but they are heavy and are nigh impossible to remove and replace on the Campagnolo rims, so I am considering replacing these with Schwalbe Ultremo R1 tires. Any thoughts on those would also be appreciated. I have heard they wear fast, but also that they are fast, and as my riding style typically seems to make tires last forever (it seems) I can't imagine this being a huge issue for me. Finally, some gimmicks like Deda carbon bar tape and KCNC skewers sound like fun, aesthetically and in the weight savings/$$$ ratio.

Beyond that, I don't have many great ideas that won't break the budget - if I get much more creative, I may as well save to build another bicycle! Input on my current thoughts and additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as said. Thank you, ' cheers!

-Gregory

(p.s. Here's the bike currently... I named him Monty.)

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My 2003 Raleigh Team

For pure aesthetics I'd look at ditching the offset seatpost and simply going straight.

Otherwise very solid build there

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I'd like to do a shameless bump in this thread... I'm selling this bicycle in the classifieds, but it's also been updated some and I like the way it looks! Any comments would be welcome. I know there's not a lot special about this bike, but it's extremely solid and I enjoyed it while I could. Financial needs are making me part with it, though!

It now has a Deda Drittissimo seat post and a Selle Flite Carbon Evolution saddle with titanium rails - LOVE this saddle. Friggin' sweet and hovering around 140 grams. I've also chopped a bit of the steer tube off for a more radical stance and have been riding without a computer for a while, which also helps me enjoy my rides a lot more!

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My 2003 Raleigh Team