drill holes in frame!

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

bugmenot
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:51 pm

by bugmenot

Tomorrow I'm going to start drilling holes in my old cromoly commuter frame to get the weight down. Don't worry, I have a helmet. Will let you know how it goes!

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Washdogg
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:10 pm
Location: Bucks, UK

by Washdogg

Surely this will only end in a flobbely frame? I guess if you drill holes at 45 degrees to vertical/horizontal you will retain the most stiffness... Good luck - will be interesting to see how you get on!

dmp
Posts: 422
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: Seattle

by dmp

bugmenot wrote:... Don't worry, I have a helmet.

With ideas like this you probably don't need one...

User avatar
HammerTime2
Posts: 5813
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Wherever there's a mountain beckoning to be climbed

by HammerTime2

I might suggest also drilling holes in your water bottles. It turns out, most of the weight savings is not from the bottle per se, rather from the reduced weight of the water they carry.

MortenE
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:11 pm

by MortenE

Wow! Why haven't I thought of that before! I lost almost a kilo!

bm0p700f
in the industry
Posts: 5777
Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 7:25 pm
Location: Glermsford, Suffolk U.K
Contact:

by bm0p700f

There is a good reason why steel frames do not come with lots of holes drilled in them and why 953 and XCR tubing is now drawn. A very good reason indeed.

User avatar
HammerTime2
Posts: 5813
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Wherever there's a mountain beckoning to be climbed

by HammerTime2

bugmenot, are you a slightly less insane reincarnation of HanSolo?
In Drilling holes in CF frames to save weight, HanSolo wrote:Hi,

I am interested in drilling holes through the seat tube of my Kestrel Evoke to save weight. It looks like a sturdy bike and I feel that the seat tube is not very structural....any thought? How about the top tube?

_________________
Everything can be drilled, except tires.

austke
Posts: 203
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:03 am
Location: Queensland Australia

by austke

Lmao, " Everything can be drilled, except your tyres".
On a more serious note, some things are more suited to tuning than others.
Frame and fork failure are more dangerous than say front or rear mech. Bugemon? Take care which ever way you go.
2013 Giant TCR Advanced SL 0, 6.92kg
2013 Giant Defy Composite 2 M, 8.5kg - Wife's
Azzurro Torino 8.55g
Fuji 650 10.8kg
Miele Lupa Triple Tandem 38,89kg

User avatar
asphaltdude
Posts: 1231
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2003 8:39 pm
Location: Holland
Contact:

by asphaltdude

Don't drill, shave!
Whow! That's a pretty damn nice garage door!

crohnsy
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:43 pm
Location: Canada

by crohnsy

Where's that dude with the Swiss cheese seatpost when you need him???

Phill P
Posts: 1870
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:10 am
Location: Nambucca, NSW, Australia
Contact:

by Phill P

Bah back in the 70s and 80s track riders used to drill out their frames all the time. Yes they lost stiffness but if you get your power from doing 150rpm you wanted to accellerate up to full power as quickly as possible.

Sure there are better places to drill on the frame than others, but if it is a strong frame drilling holes in the middle sections of the tube and leaving plenty of material between each one won't be so bad. Just don't drill 100 holes in your first attempt. See how the frame feels before drilling more (and more).

Also file the holes so there are no rough edges to act as crack propagation points.
Technical Director at www.TUFFcycle.com

Wingnut
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:41 am

by Wingnut

della_santa_ossobuco_chain_stays_600.jpg

Eros
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:33 pm

by Eros

Drilled chainstays do actually look quite good.

User avatar
HammerTime2
Posts: 5813
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Wherever there's a mountain beckoning to be climbed

by HammerTime2

until they break.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



xnavalav8r
Posts: 2594
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:09 pm

by xnavalav8r

Yeah, but those chainstays actually have tubing brazed into them perpendicularly. Those holes are for looks, not weight savings. In fact, the material added probably weighs twice what was removed.

Post Reply