mike868y

+1

Greg180

Bump warranted...

queerpunk

I've been riding my new Skeletor for about a week. It's a lot of fun to ride - handles very quick and snappy. It's stiffer than my old frame, a CoMotion Ristretto, for better and for worse. It's livelier when I sprint and, like Mollusk said, wants a bit less PSI in the tires for rough pavement.

It's stiff, bright, handles well, fits me better than my old bike, and is fun to ride. That's what I have to offer on it right now. I'm psyched I have it.

RichinPeoria

Thats great about the sponsorship but...

Im sorry I just do not see what all of the "hub bub" is about here? Can someone explain to me what is the deal with these Spooky frames ?
It looks like an anodized aluminum frame. Thats interesting but ok I think Im missing something. Is there some sort of technical detail in the geometry or materials or or ..that Im not understanding. Seriously Im not seeing it.

grolby

1,000g aluminum frame. Full stop.


Oh, yeah, a really well-designed 1,000g aluminum frame.

ridethecliche

Designed and made stateside by someone who's been in the biz since he could walk, has experience racing, and is an awesome guy to boot. Adds fuel to the 'mass holes' and 'buy local' fires all at once. What's not to like?

Oh, they also have a good crash replacement policy, and he'd make a custom geo frame for you.

It's a race bike, he doesn't race. He won't get 'it'.

Happens. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Hocam

+1 RTC

Also, when you have a soul, there's something really satisfying about actually talking with the person that makes whatever it is you're looking to buy. You know that every dollar you're spending is actually supporting their passion, and that their passion is as genuine as your own.

ridethecliche

Talk to him?

Hell, I bought the man lunch. Lol.

RichinPeoria

Cool 1000g and still stiff enough for racing. I did not get that from their site. I was so distracted with the flashy text logos etc. Too much fluff there for me.
Its good to be able to talk with the builder/designer. I have done that with some of the builders and frames companies I have had an interest in here an other places.

mollusk

And it doesn't ride like an aluminum frame. One of my teammates last year crashed and wrecked his Scott CR1 and his Spooky was literally built up late at night before a weekend omnium. He won it. He said that his Spooky is just as light, stiffer in the bottom bracket, and jsut as comfortable.

I've never owned a carbon frame bike, but I have ridden steel for a long time. The Skeletor rides like a quality steel frame, but way lighter and stiffer.

RichinPeoria

I think if you are paying for it yourself (unsponsored) a good stiff aluminum or Ti frame is the way to go.
Even a lighter steelie would be a good choice if you can get it cheap/used.
Ive raced sports cars and GP race bikes. Its all about track time in the beginning. You need to get out there and finish. You can't do that if every time you crash you have to buy a $2-3k frame + wheels etc.

unterhausen

I'd certainly be happy to see Spooky take over the position the CAAD 9 has as the official bike of BF

literider

I have doubts about the claimed frame weight of 1000 grams. I'd really like to see one on a scale before I purchased one. It definitely on my short list of frames I'd like to buy.

ridethecliche

I'm not sure what size frame that's for, but given that the frame is compact-ish, I don't think 1000 grams is all that difficult to achieve.

mollusk

My 57 or so cm frame was over 1000 g. I think that the 52 cm version probably makes the mark.

jrennie

my 56 came in closer to 1250

mollusk

That's about what mine came in at. Maybe 20 or 30 g heavier.

Added in edit: It could have been lighter, now that I think about it. All I remember was that it was over 1000g. I didn't care. And I didn't expect 1000g because my frame size is far from the smallest size and it is SOP to list weights for the smallest size available. And the only reason it was weighed was because the guys in the shop were all lifting it and guessing to see who could come closest.

Love the bike, BTW.

jrennie

25% over claimed weight seemed a little excessive to me. I'd rather see mfg list a 54 or 56 since it is the most popular sizes and weight. The guy who orders a 52 is going to be stoked and the guy who orders a 56 wont feel jipped.

mickey@spooky

Maybe being a ginormous bike geek for the last 17 years has made me jaded and callous, but I am not all that sympathetic to people who use weight as a primary characteristic for selecting a bike.
It must be because I've been involved with making and and using bikes made out of aluminum since Indurain was winning the Tour, so I'm used to the variability that exists in bikes before the carbon trend. Don't confuse that with an insensitivity to weight, but from Spooky's standpoint we are much more interested in geometry, appropriate flex characteristics and ease of manufacture in the design process than we are in weight. Weight is just about the last thing we consider when we design things. Coming up with sweet model names and fun graphics is more important to me personally.
From my observation our 54's come in within 20 grams or so of a kilo.
As far as I can remember, I've only ever bothered to weigh each "medium size" stock frames we make once, because it's the size I personally ride, and I know we have to list some kind of weight. Yes, I was surprised to see the weight, because frankly, no one here at Spooky really gives much of a hoot about "light stuff". We are into making stuff that is optimized for the real world, and not a spreadsheet. I don't even own a scale!
The amount of weld bead, believe it or not, makes a big difference in weight, there can easily be a 20 gram or so variation in the weight of a frame depending on how much filler rod someone uses. The last batch of frames that SAPA built for us(like Jrennie has) have a bit too much filler in them, it's no structural issue, but more bead adds more weight. A frame that weighs 1200 grams in Solidworks can weigh in at a pretty wide range of weights when it's welded in the real world. Different bikes of the same size will vary as well, as humans weld these together with filler rod in one hand, not spool feeders. Even if we did use spool feeders there will be variability between welders, and variability for the same guy over and between frames. Weldment is far denser than a tube, as well it should be, so it adds a lot of variability in weight.
As you can imagine, when you add more metal to something to make it larger, the increase in metal manages to increase the overall mass, and it scales consistently across sizes. I don't seen much demand to go out and weigh every frame we make. I wish there wasn't a need to weigh anything at all really. Weights for the way we make bikes end up being variable due to the human factors. I assume that most people realize that the generalized weight of the size that best fits 60% of the people who ride bikes is good enough.
Perhaps I should say in large bold letters that the 54 usually weighs close to 1kg, is likely the correct fit for people between 5'8" and 6' if they are of normal proportions and set up their bikes the way that I would recommend, that larger frames are heavier, that paint adds considerable weight over ano, that ano weighs between 7 and 13 grams. I know our customers don't really need all that info, and I would assume that if they were interested they would ask us directly, so from our perspective it's a moot point. Hell, I wish i could just make every single person that is interested in our bikes call me on the phone. We don't make bikes to make money. We make bikes to form connections with the people who use them and to raise consciousness about what a more friendly, more community oriented enterprise can look like.
I just want to make sweet bikes for racing, and try to share what anarchist theory looks like in practice, because after all the dissolution of the factory to the community is our ultimate goal.
What's worth more to you, grams or freedom?

jrennie

Hey Mickey, I don't have any issues with the weight of the frame. It is more a comment of the industry that will cherry pick a selection of frames then blatantly try to fool the consumer with false claims.

I like the stiff, solid feel of my spooky and if that is a by product of the additional weight then so be it. I run a SRM which is heavy and carbones that are also portly. My weight weenie days are over. Reliable, well made products are much more important.

Also, I can attest to the attentiveness of Micky and his company. I had a small issue with my frame and he was quick to get the ball rolling on a solution.

mollusk

I agree.

mmmdonuts

That's a lot of words to say "I will advertise a 1000g frame but won't bother to weigh them to see if it's true".

queerpunk

That doesn't quite seem like an accurate summary.

mike868y

I would assume it is debates such as this one which is the reasoning behind the fact that cannondale doesn't list weights. Too much variability, especially in hand built metal bikes. 200-300g of variability in a frame is really not that bad. If you are building a real weight weenie rig, chances are it won't be based off an aluminum framed race bike anyways.