Stripped Specialized Toupe Pro

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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

A few weeks back I finally got the nerve to strip my Toupe Pro. The saddle had become a little less comfortable to me and the white didn't go with any of my bikes so I embraced the project.

I apologize for the lack of quality photos. The lighting in my work area is pretty poor.

Not a bad weight to start with
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Less padding
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And after A LOT of elbow grease
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I thought about putting some sort of grip on the saddle but considering the size and shape of it - there's really nowhere to slide. To my delight, the shape is actually a lot more comfortable for me now and there is a good amount of "spring" in it to add a bit of comfort.

odin99
Posts: 157
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:46 pm

by odin99

looks good. and the weight is even better! sub 100g is outstanding. I have pro as well, but the start weight is 10g more! doh.

i recently attacked my beat up toupe ti. in this tread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=110261

still figuring out if i'm going to epoxy the cracks and try using it. i don't have the nerve to strip my toupe pro yet. although sub 100g makes it much more tempting!

by Weenie


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odin99
Posts: 157
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:46 pm

by odin99

how did you get the glue off? it was hard, hu?

HaroldC
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:21 am

by HaroldC

What exactly did the "elbow grease" involve? Did you apply something to the shell to get that finish?


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Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

I repeatedly sprayed the surface with WD-40 and scraped the glue off with my fingernail and a credit card. It was seriously time consuming.

There is nothing applied for a finish - after I was done I washed it with Dawn.

AGW
Posts: 477
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 2:11 pm

by AGW

That looks surprisingly good, better than a stock Toupe to my eye.

HaroldC
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:21 am

by HaroldC

Imaking20 wrote:I repeatedly sprayed the surface with WD-40 and scraped the glue off with my fingernail and a credit card. It was seriously time consuming.

There is nothing applied for a finish - after I was done I washed it with Dawn.


Impressive! Not sure if I have the guts to strip my Romin Pro.


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Peter_E
Posts: 451
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:39 pm

by Peter_E

I thought that Specialized carbon railed saddles didn´t work with Ritcheys isp stubby (I even think I got that reply from Specialized when I mailed them). No issues?

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

Harold - I don't know how comfortable the Romin would be after a strip job considering so much of it's shape seems to come from the padding and not necessarily the plastic. I'll let you know when I pick up another Romin and gut it :)


Peter - Specialized isn't fond of their saddle having any pressure from the sides which this clamp technically does. That said, no carbon-only saddle rails are supposed to be clamped from the side. I have the clamp kit for standard round rails and the oversized for Fizik - the latter is what I'm using for the Toupe. It works. I'm sure it would clamp a little easier with the Selle clamp kit though.

HaroldC
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:21 am

by HaroldC

Imaking20 wrote:Harold - I don't know how comfortable the Romin would be after a strip job considering so much of it's shape seems to come from the padding and not necessarily the plastic. I'll let you know when I pick up another Romin and gut it :)


Thanks. I'll let you gut it first! :wink:

Podunk
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:23 am

by Podunk

Imaking20 wrote:I repeatedly sprayed the surface with WD-40 and scraped the glue off with my fingernail and a credit card. It was seriously time consuming.

There is nothing applied for a finish - after I was done I washed it with Dawn.


Next time try something that will get rid of adhesive.
i.e. nail polish remover (acetone) usually will dissolve adhesives but be careful as it can also denature plastic if left on too long.
Put acetone on a cloth and wipe it on the saddle. It should turn the adhesive to mush which can be scraped off.

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

Acetone nor rubbing alcohol worked worth a damn. Perhaps you've never used WD-40 to remove gunk? You'd be surprised..

Podunk
Posts: 50
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:23 am

by Podunk

Imaking20 wrote:Acetone nor rubbing alcohol worked worth a damn. Perhaps you've never used WD-40 to remove gunk? You'd be surprised..

I have a typical process I go through with solvents.

I usually use: true acetone, nail polish remover (diluted acetone), isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol...then I make my way to random stuff like WD-40, PB Blaster etc.

I guess I should try WD more.

Imaking20
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:19 am

by Imaking20

In fairness, when I say I started with acetone - it was nail polish remover because it was handy. Then came rubbing alcohol and finally WD. Sounds as though we have a similar pecking order though

by Weenie


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MagnusH
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:02 pm

by MagnusH

Anybody tried stripping a Toupe S-Works?

I have one that weighs in at 117 gram (130 mm).
I considered stripping it, but as the padding seems rather minimal, i doubt it would end out weighing less than a stripped Toupe Pro.

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