Fugazi Dave

I'm sitting here looking at a sub-8 pound multi-speed bike online, and I'm wondering how light one could build a fix/track bike. Let's build it on paper. Normal stock components only - no drillium, etc.

Immediate components that come to mind are:
M2Racer saddle - 43 grams
Easton EC90 carbon track drops (weight?)

So....whaddaya got?

bostontrevor

Sub-8 on a multispeed? I've seen sub-10 and that required some super sketchy stuff and things that aren't available on the open market. How sure are you of that? Did they maybe mean sub-8kg? Link?

psn

Probably not a *whole* lot lighter. You'd be surprised how light cassettes, etc. are. You could maybe shave off another 1-2 lbs (yeah, I know, that's a big range)...then again, as you probably know, track components are generally a bit heavier (so as to be stiffer and handle the pounding of monster track sprinters) than these crazy road components.

$0.00/Gal

No, it's sub 8lbs.

$0.00/Gal

https://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery/vicm2.html

7.9lbs

el twe

Lord. Show me this bike you speak of...

EDIT: Nice timing, 0.

bostontrevor

Wow. Ridiculous.

Everytime I see a super light like that, I wonder if anyone actually races that stuff. The carbon drivetrain gives me the jibblies. And a Huret derailleur? Really? I see it features DT shifters, so probably just an old Huret which has the simplest (lightest) mechanism out there.

spider-man

Unicycle frame should save some weight on wheels, stem and bars.

Mouton

The carbon drivetrain is insane, but I like it. I could see the owner of that bike having a box full of cogs and chainrings and replacing them every 2-300 miles.

A

$0.00/Gal

I'm thinking it was built by a weight weenie who has too much money to burn. The Ghiassello frames are known to crack and everything on that bike is probably pretty delicate.

bostontrevor

I looked a bit more. "world's lightest bike"

There you have it. That bike's existence is dedicated to being lighter than thou.

Feh.

2manybikes

Super sketchy is the way I would describe it too it's made by M2 Racer, not for sale. There is an article about it in the September issue of Velonews page 52.

7.91 lbs, It starts with a 770 gram Ghisallo Litespeed frame.

Yes, plenty of one off stuff, including a carbon cassette. I think I read that there are about 700 miles on the cassette. The down tube shift levers are tiny bits of plastic. Nearly everything has been modified.

Here's a link https://www.m2racer.com/info.php?entry=bike

Estimated at about $13,000 to $15,000.

Do I lock this up in Boston and leave it all day? I wonder how it is in the snow?

bostontrevor

It probably does fine in the snow because the carbon and Ti are non-reactive. As for locking it up... well, it'll probably get stolen, but the moment someone cranks hard on it or hits a pothole the damn thing will fall to pieces, ensuring their immediate apprehension.

I guess I have a hard time taking it seriously as any kind of design or performance mark once I read that it's billed as the world's lightest bike. That's a novelty act, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm much more interested (whatever that means) in the sub-UCI bikes that are actually useable.

pwarre20

I guess you could start with that carbon giant track frame from interbike, but I'm sure a custom carbon frame would be lighter.

we need to set some boundries though... what is the intended purpose of this proposed bike, track or street?
some corners could be cut either way.

$0.00/Gal

You're a little late.

2manybikes

I agree, the guy says he rode it, but I don't think I would want to ride it much. I would like to see it, maybe take spin around the block, but I really don't want to own one. Plenty of 15 lb reliable bikes out there.

If you were to make that into a fixie I would be worried that the BB flex might cause the chain to come off. BUT a sub 7 lb fixie ?? might be possible!

zip22

link?

an easy way to get the lightest single speed would be to just take off the shifters, extra gears, shorten the chain, and get rid of the rear brake.

LóFarkas

Boy, that bike is sick. The point of lightness is acceleration, which you lose on such a sketcky machine, 'cos you'll never dare to stand up and hammer. Something will flex like crazy or crack...
BTW, I'm pretty sure the wheels are heavier than Lightweights despite the Ti spokes and carbon nipples. (How the Łł$°ˇ^˘ do you make carbon nipples, for God's sake???) The Ventoux set weighs 950g or so.
The track version of that thing could be 6-7 pouns, I guess. Boy, I'd love to ride that once.

daveIT

I'd be more worried about the wind!

d_D

Looking at the way the load from the saddle goes to the seat post I'm not sure sitting down would be much better. I can't see having carbon rails supported by such thin pieces of metal being a good idea.

https://www.fairwheelbikes.com/galler...s/DSCF0907.JPG

2manybikes

very true.

You need to lock it up to keep it from blowing away.

LóFarkas

Well spotted. That's a really bad seatpost design, esp. for carbon rails.

BostonFixed

What I find interesting is the use of many vintage parts, ex. the rear derailleur, non-aero brake levers, downtube shifters, bar tape, etc.
I guess these old parts are much lighter than today's stuff.

For the lightest fixie, basically covert that bike into a fixie.

Flip/clip the bars, run no bar tape, etc. Aluminum track cog.

I don't know what the lightest track hub is. Probably heavier than the cassette hub on there. Lace it up to that carbon rim.

mcatano

Maybe the promax CF?

BostonFixed

The presence of carbon does not equal lightness.

I have seen "carbon" posts on low end road bikes that are merely an aluminum shaft, with a thin laminate of carbon, ergo a "carbon post".

Purely for looks/ bling / poser points.