Saturday, May 3, 2014

The start of bike to work week and a very light road bike

 Things are really nuts here-44 frames on order , some going to very far away places. This bike is staying right here as I'll be riding it until either I or the bike has a failure. The tubeset was sent to me years ago for a project that never got initiated. After waiting probably 4-5 years I decided to build up this ultra light Deda 7.9 aluminum tubeset but subbing out the seat tube for a NOS Easton tube long and stout enough to make a seatmast.
At 14 lb. 12 oz. without pedals , this is probably the lightest road bike I have ever built. The Dura Ace 9000 parts ( with the exception of an Ultegra cassette) and the Mavic R-sys SL tubular wheels definitely keep the weight down. I have yet to ride the bike more than around the building but it feels fine-like a bike.I'll be subbing out an Enve fork next week-I didn't order it early enough to get it here for the annual 'Bike week' show downtown. Still, I made this bike the centerpiece of my display, along with the recent article in Road magazine by Andrew Juiliano.
 I'm hoping that the seat mast along with the light tubes will make for a smooth ride. I'll be doing some long rides over the summer and will need a bike that is kind to my aging skeleton.
Here's the room I shared with three other builders at the show before the crowds showed up. The builders were Craig Calfee, Josh Muir ( Frances cycles) and John Caletti. As you can see, I brought the most obnoxious display , complete with Aaron Bradford's national jersey with a hole melted in it from an errant torch on a particularly busy day.

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