Trek 1.7

[573]

This is my 2009 Trek 1.7c. It's my first road bike purchased new in late 2008, pictured here in standard form other than having the bartape swapped for red Bontrager stuff, Bontrager carbon bottlecage and M520 SPDs. Standard spec is full 5600 105 and wheels that judging by the weight are made of Plutonium. Weight was probably just under 10kg.



I ran it in a variation of that spec for a while and but loads of miles into it. As more weight came off me and I got fitter and faster I started to consider the weight of the bike more and ended up lurking on here reading lots of interesting builds and tips and tricks to shed weight. As I got fitter my position on the bike changed too. I now run the stem with no spacers and the saddle slightly higher. Here it is with the steerer cut, Planet-X skewers, Look Keo carbons, Michelin ProRace 3s and a stripped Selle Italia SLR. Weight at this point was 8,860g



I then bought a used kinesis KR-810 frame to start to build a more focused build. Unfortunately due to a misunderstanding I bought completely the wrong size frame. At this point I considered just taking the easy option and buying a Supersix with SRAM Red as a much easier basis to start Weenie-ing from. However, I've decided to stick with the alu Trek for now and lighten that a bit more. There's a certain perverse pleasure I get from modifying something mundane to make it perform better. I was also inspired by some of the CAAD10 builds that show how far a bike can go even with a 'humble' alu frame. Trek get bashed, but although this bike is far from being fashionable, my experience of it has proved it to be a dependable and robust entry to road cycling. I actually like how stiff it is too and it fits me really well.

The red tape was due for the annual swap - so I fitted some black Deda stuff. I'm trying to reduce the overly graphic look that Trek favour and can hopefully reduce all the logos etc to make it look a bit more classy.





Next up, and the place I could easily get the biggest gains was the wheels. I wanted to stick with clinchers and really wanted something with a black brake track. Eventually I settled on Mavic R-Sys SLRs. Weight is now 8,070g.



That's it for now. I'm accumulating parts ready to go on though and will update as I fit things. I'm still not ruling out a swap over to a Supersix frame in the future but for now am going to enjoy building this up.

[573]

Forgot to mention - aim is <UCI minimum weight.

[philipBer]

change from Shimano to SRAM Red would look nice I think...

[573]

I'm in a dilemma between Red and DA 7900.

I've got a 2012 XG 1090 cassette on the way which is obviously compatible with both, but have just replaced my bottom bracket with a DA 7900 one (Hollowtech II). I really need to make a decision before I go much further. If I go red I'll need obv need a different BB. As much as red is tempting for the weight I love the functionality of Shimano and worry I won't like the double-tap as much.

[veganeric]

I love projects like this. Your current setup looks great. The wheels really dressed it up (and slimmed it down)!

I'd suggest test riding a bike with SRAM to see how you feel about it. From a budget WW perspective it's nice because it is both lighter and cheaper than 7900.

[fa63]

Looking good. Sram Rival with a Red crankset would be a relatively cheap upgrade, and shave off quite a bit of weight as well.

[573]

I decided to go with a different saddle. I like the shape of the stripped Selle Italia SLR that I was using so went with a Selle Italia SLR Tekno at 85g. It's a useful 26g lost, but the main reason for the swap was that the stripped SLR was causing me pain in my right leg. I'd bought a cheap damaged SLR on eBay and stripped it, but recently I'd noticed it sat lower on one side - I assume it had been crashed and one of the rails had bent. This meant I was over-stretching with my right leg ever so slightly.

Here's a comparison between SLR Tekno and regular SLR with the leather and padding removed:







The problem I now have is that the Tekno's rails aren't round - they are taller than they're wide to add strength when clamped conventionally. However the Bontrager seatpost is a side-clamp so the saddle doesn't fit.



Luckily I've got a new 112g seatpost on the way to me too...

[jmilliron]

Well damn, you've got a Trek 1.7 with Mavic R-Sys SLRs wheels.

I'd toss a set of SRAM Force on there. While doing that, I'd also weigh the bars, stem and post to see what gains can be made there. Probably at least 100g if you're willing to go with carbon bars. Williams has some cheap, light, functional stuff that I've been happy with.

I'm assuming the fork has an aluminum steer tube? That's a lot of weight there.

[573]

I have a new post on the way and bars and stem are on my hit list. I'm still undecided on going full carbon with the bars - I do a fair amount of swimming and my upper body is bigger than a typical cyclist. I'm 170lbs / 77kg and more of a sprinter's build and worried I might snap them.

Group set I've decided will be SRAM Red. I know Rival or Force would fit the budget of the frame more, but I think I'll need all the help I can to get it <6.8kg. I also envisage the parts I fit swapping on to a higher end frame in the future.

I've already got a SRAM Red XG1090 cassette ready to fit once I've decided on a new chain - I haven't decided between SRAM, KCNC or maybe another option - any advice Weenies?

[573]

...and yes the form has an alu steerer tube. It weighs a tonne.

[milkbaby]

Don't crash and don't overtorque the bolts and you shouldn't have to worry about "snapping" your handlebars...

Red over DA is definitely the way to go if weight is of utmost importance. Sharp looking bicycle already!

sent by tapatalk because my computer is a paperweight

[573]

Fitted my new SRAM Red cassette - it's about 140-odd grammes V the 240-odd that the 105 one is. (I weighed them and then forgot the exact weights).



Have breached the 8kg mark.



Still awaiting the arrival of my new post - that with my new saddle should lose another 100g+. Have ordered a KMC X10SL chain too. Should hopefully leave me with circa 1kg to lose to hit target weight.

[Cyco]

At 77kgs you will have no issues with the strength of CF bars.

People well over 100kgs (and not 60% fat) who run them with no issues.

[daj]

You could win much more grams/dollar by replacing the frameset vs. buying carbon handlebars...

[573]

Yeah I get that. I think taking this under UCI will give me a certain perverse pleasure though. I can also swap all of the parts onto a different frameset at some point in the future.

More importantly - my wife still sees the same bike...