dr_lha

After losing 40 lbs riding a cheap cross bike, I decided I wanted to get a "proper" road bike (I'm riding a cross bike right now), the problem was that nothing in the local bike shops really took my fancy, and my heart was harboring a secret yearning for steel. Up until my cross bike (aluminum) all of my bikes had steel frames and I missed the feel, especially after experiencing the harshness of an aluminum frame for the first time. Carbon never really appealed to me either for various reasons.

As I'm a big fan of wrenching, I decided to build my own bike from scratch. First off was selecting the frame. I wanted something sporty but able to take my weight, lightweight but strong (I know: pick one). I had a bit of money burning in my pocket, so I decided my budget for a frame was around $1000, not enough to get a really good custom made frame, but enough to get a quality made one. I had an idea of the geometry I wanted, I've been riding bikes a long time and I know what fits me. After some deliberation, I had come down to two options:

The Wraith Hustle. Pros: American hand made, cool looking, light. Cons: Above my budget, maybe too lightweight.

Ritchey Road Logic: Pros: I love Ritchey stuff and rode a lot of Ritchey back in the day. Light, very well reviewed. Cheaper (~$1000, including fork and headset). Cons: Made in Taiwan.

I decided to try American made first, but I had concerns about the the applicability of the Hustle frame to someone my weight. So I contacted Adam at Wraith Fabrications. First off he responded quickly, saying he had to ask his engineer in Italy. I thought this was a little odd, a frame maker should know the limits of his frame, but was happy for the fast reply. A week passed, no email, I pinged him again with the excuse of asking for advice on fit (I already knew what I wanted). Got an email back with a fitting chart, but still no comment on weight limits. Two weeks passed. Sent a final email saying I was ready to buy but needed an answer. Never heard back. Sorry, but I don't need to do business with someone who isn't interested in doing business with me. That sealed it, the Ritchey was the choice. Now to start sourcing parts.

I bought the Frame from BicycleDoctorUSA: Bicycle Doctor USA Home

Yes their website is horrible, but they are nice guys and they gave me a great deal on the frame, which other retailors could not price match. I decided to go Ultegra for the gears as I've always been a Shimano guy. Yes, 105 is cheaper, but I fancied a bit of bling and the ***-metal grey matches the Ritchey Frame nicely. Groupset bought from Merlin for super cheap. The rest I sourced from various places.

Anyway, finally after months of tinkering in my basement, my new Clyde Ride is ready to roll. Here's a picture:



Ain't she a beaut? Well, not sure about the blue bottle cages, but we'll see how it goes. But luckily this isn't the hot or not thread.

Total cost of the bike was about $2000, not including the Clyde wheels (36h Deep-Vs) which came off my cross bike. As pictured it weighs in at 18.5 lbs.

Now all the snow around here is melting, I'm ready to put some miles on it. First thing, start training for the 68 mile Jamie Bestwick charity ride at the end of May.

Yendor72

Great job, I wish I had the patience to build up a frame set.

dr_lha

Thanks! It was a long cold winter here, which helped. It was nice to have something bike related to do other than just spinning on the trainer.

jjjjjjay

Sweet ride! Good way to kick off the season...

illdrag0n

Keep the blue highlights. Looks good with the grey

mbw

That looks fantastic. Nice Job!

WonderMonkey

The blue bottle cages match your grip tape so all is well there.

dr_lha

Thanks for the positive reinforcement on my bottle cages of choice. If I'll be honest, my wife is the one with doubts. That said, she was fine with me spending $2000 on a new bike, so I'm not complaining too much!

WonderMonkey

Tell her you like the blue bottle cages and need a $3000 bike in a matching or complimentary color.

dr_lha

So the new bike got fully christened today, a 50 mile group ride on a chilly day (started out at 28F and ended around 40F). I was expecting teething problems, I probably should have taken it out for more than a 2 mile test ride before going on a 50 mile ride, but to my amazement it performed beautifully. It was everything that people say about modern steel frames, comfortable, compliant but stiff in the climbs, a joy to ride. Hell I wasn't even last up the hill, and I probably have 50-60 lbs over the 2nd heaviest rider in the group.

So for this 250lb rider, the steel frame was a revelation, and certainly not "noodly" as some naysayers would say for a Clyde. Looking forward to more rides!

dr_lha

A quick update, as I know these threads have a permanence on Google, if not on the front page of this forum. I got an email of apology from Adam at Wraith Fabrications today. He says he was overwhelmed with email, apologized for not responding to my enquiries, and has since hired someone to handle it. I can understand and accept this, and will be willing to do business with him in future.

Wingsprint

Classy move on his part to apologize and also on your part to publically accept it. Great looking bike by the way!

dr_lha

Thanks! I need to take another photo of it. I changed the tires for blue-walled Michelin Pro4 Service Course, and added some Hope Grip Doctor bar plugs (in blue of course).

Thattalldude

Love this build! Great job building such a sturdy and light bike; really impressive!

Specs from Ritchey claims 4lbs for the frameset, but assume that is just for the frame and an additional ~ 1lbs for the fork. Wondering if that sounds right to you?

Also wondering the weight of the wheelset, seems like they would be on the heavy side but with bike's total weight that hardly seems possible...?

Konaflyer

Outstanding job on the bike! Really nice looking!

dr_lha

Hey, thanks a lot, I appreciate it! FYI the weight is about 4lbs for the frame only (57cm version), the fork weighs 0.8 lbs uncut, and is the same fork as this one (except for the paint job):

Pro Carbon Road Fork

I've not weighed the wheels, but they are quoted as being 2.1kg total (4.6 lbs). The rest of the components are higher end, lets see how we get to 18.5lbs:

Wheels 4.6lb
Frame 4lb
Fork 0.8lb
Ultegra Groupset 5lb (2274 g)

So 14.4 lbs so far...

Thomson Elite Seatpost 0.5lb
Ritchey WCS Logic Handlebar 0.5lb
Ritchey WCS C260 Stem: 0.2lb
4ZA Stratos saddle: 0.7lbs
Michelin Pro4 700x 23mm (200g each): 0.9 lbs
Inner Tubes: ~0.4lbs.
Pedals: 0.5 lbs

3.7 lbs = 18.1lbs total now.

Add in the stuff I don't know the weight of (housing, cables, bar tape, spacers etc), and you can see how you get to 18.5 lbs I quoted. Honestly most of the weights I quote above are either for larger versions of the components or rounded up. Also I cut the fork, so that reduces weight.

Thattalldude

So I guess the takeaway is ultegra groupset really helps a lot? Only 5 lbs for:

-shifters/levers, front & rear derailers, brakes calipers/pads, crankset, & cassette....

(not that the other great choices didn't also contribute also; they did, but all that and it only weighs 5 lbs is a big deal)

Thanks for the break down; you rock!!!

dr_lha

Yep, this is why the real weight weenies go with SRAM Red22. That only weighs 3.9lbs for the entire groupset!

You're welcome, it was a fun exercise thinking about it actually. Also I need to remember that people weigh their bikes without pedals!

dodgeboy8888

Nice bike

Jarrett2

First time I've seen this thread for some reason. Very cool looking bike!

My steel roadie weighs about 19.7 with pedals and all. That's with a cheap, heavy saddle. I'm hoping to find a new lighter saddle right now.

So, 18.5 ready to ride sounds great. I'd love to go with a custom steel with Red in the future.

What did the Wraith say about weight after all?

I think more Clydes should go the light steel route like this.

Jarrett2

If those are 105 Deep V 36's, Velomine listed them as:

1015g Front approximate weight
1208g Rear approximate weight

At your weight, you can go with much lighter wheels:

Front Wheel Summary
DT Swiss 350 Front Hub 28 Hole $51.21
DT Swiss RR 440 Rim Black 28 Hole $87.21
DT Swiss Revolution 14/17 Gauge Spokes Black $37.80
DT Swiss 14g Alloy Silver $7.28
Labor $25.00
Total $208.50
Total Weight 708g

Rear Wheel Summary
DT Swiss 350 11 Speed Rear Hub 32 Hole Shimano $160.11
DT Swiss RR 440 Asymmetric Rim Black 32 Hole $87.21
DT Swiss Revolution 14/17 Gauge Spokes Black$21.60
DT Swiss Competition 14/15 Gauge Spokes Black$20.00
DT Swiss 14g Brass$4.48
Labor $25.00
Total $318.40
Total Weight 916g
Grand Total $526.90

Current wheel weight: 2223
DT wheel weight: 1624
Difference: 599
Divded by 454: 1.32 lbs

Could shave another 1.3 lbs off by going with slightly better wheels in the future.

dr_lha

They're 6800 based Deep-V's, this version:

Velocity Deep V Black Shimano 6800 Hubs 7-11S 36h DT Sl Wheelset [72847] - $274.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike

which Velomine list as 972g front and 1140g rear, so about 2.1kg.

Yeah, it's just the money really! The bike is 11 speed and I already had those wheels which were 11 speed compatible that I bought when I was 50 lbs heavier. I plan on getting a new wheelset in the future, when I get wifely approval.

That and I wasn't really planning to build a "light" bike when I built this, just a strong bike with a level of quality I wanted while sticking within my budget. That meant I got Ultegra level components, and Ritchey's WCS level components for the cockpit. Of course it turns out buying good quality stuff gets you lighter!

Jarrett2

Ah, still a lb to drop. But an expensive pound.

I'm learning this too.

dr_lha

I should do a deal with the wife: For every 10lbs I drop, the bike gets to drop 1lb.

Jarrett2

Not a bad idea. I could have dropped 15.2 lbs off my bike so far. Wait...