I've got another lemans my size coming my way... BUT it's one of these (not my bike but same model, and theirs is in better condition.

I've got a full cyclone group with barcons and a set of clip on aerobars.. and I'm tempted to order the nashbar 1" threaded carbon/steel steerer fork...

I know the frameset is very heavy, (couldn't get the exact weight on my other one, it's too heavy for my poor fishing scale even minus wheels/stem/bars/seatpost/seat...

So is this an excercise in stupidity?

Well seeing as their was someone here on the forums who had a bright green Varsity he equipped , at least for a a while, with the new campy 10 speed stuff I say go for it. It will never be a light or high end bike, but if you like the ride why not?

varsity+campy= hipster?!?!?!?!?!

It's a bit ridiculous to attempt to save weight by getting a carbon fork when the frame weighs 1-3lbs more than a nicer vintage one. Not to mention all the other parts on the bike including and especially the wheels are very heavy. If you like it, do whatever you want but if you want a light bike that performs well I wouldn't bother.

yeah it's dressing up a pig and I would probably find a different frame to put that stuff on.

That said, go for it if that's what you really want.

The biggest crime with a bicycle is not riding it. If it means you'll ride it more, I'm all in favour of the suggested changes. The only thing you positively MUST DO, is post the serial number and date codes of the original components, so that I can enter them into my Centurion database. It looks like a mid 1970s model, one of the Raleigh Grand Prix clones.

I think it was Carrol Shelby that said "You can't turn a pig into a racehorse, but you can have a damn fast pig".

I think you'd be more interested in my 72 LeMans that's serial begins with A.

no harm in upgrading varsities or other low end bikes as long as you:

A: Have no hope of increasing its resale value
B: Can withstand people who like to label that which they do not understand as "Hipster"

Here's my massively upgraded Varsity. When I'm done with it I'll take the parts and put em on something else, but I don't see it happening any time soon.

A and B check, and that bike looks a lot nicer then I would have suspected!

I just don't see the point in putting components like that on a frame like that. I don't use the "H" word, but I don't see the point in doing this either.

I think it's time to officially retire the word hipster. No one has used the term "def" since the funeral, and it's time Hipster goes the same way.

No better grocery bike really.

Do you have photos of this bike?

It doesn't seem like people in c&v understand what a hipster is or what they do.

That's what it's for and that's what it does best

not bad for slow cruising through the park either.

Aaron I suppose in my case the point was to build a bike I could thrash while also being capable and enjoyable to ride. I've done all manner of terrible things to this bike and its like the proverbial Timex watch that takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. I didn't want to kill a good bike or even worry about killing a good bike.....so a Varsity picked off the side of the road fit the bill. You know the deal...the only things left after the big bomb goes off are gonna be cockroaches and Varsities (and giant radioactive mutant cockroaches riding varsities!).
Could I have used an old Hardtail MTB? Sure but this was free-er and, IMHO cooler.

I never heard the term Hipster until I started hanging out here. I still don't know what constitutes a hipster. But please, no one try to explain it to me.

+1 Yes, it is dressing up a pig, its your bike and your money. Myself, I save my best components for nicer frames. I find enough nice frames that I don't put good to very good parts on the low end ones.

And I most certainly WOULD NOT let someone on the internet talk me out of doing it. Its really your choice!

Zaphod - apologies, I meant the OP - not your's. Your bike makes perfect sense to me - it's a practical, cool build. The OPs plan doesn't make sense to me because the strengths of a Le Tour are its durability and utlity, which aren;t served by the CF fork or parts.

And he made some damned fast ....pigs. Beautiful pigs though.

No apology necessary dude! I didn't think you were hatin' on my Varsity. I did gloss over the OP's mention of trying a CF fork on his bike though.

Only thing I can say about that is use lots of spacers and leave the steerer tube long so you can put the fork on something else at some point. Do they even make CF forks with Threaded steerers?

Well since the red one is gonna be hear god only knows when, I've started converting my green lemans to this project and will then turn the red one into my dedicated singlespeed when it shows.

Jet: I'll put up some pics once I'm done with mock up.

Wrk: No money invested yet, just parts from a donor bike who's frame is going into storage as insurance against my A bike dying some day...

Kon: It's more of a because I like the bike and can thing...

Zaph: Yes they do and nashbar has one for 75 bucks, probably not gonna get it but it's a fun idea.

edited

Yes it is, hipster scum.......





Mini U-Lock Color Skins, a Hipster Sensation

Or as my friend Mel said at the Bike Kitchen the other day:

"If you are worried that your U-lock color does not match the
color of your sweet deep V fixed gear rims.......you may be a hipster."

I love my purple pig...



And there will be another.




I found this one at a swap meet last month - and I have some Campy parts salvaged from a Paramount that was destroyed in the recent flood.

I don't , and I don't even recall what thread it was in (wasn't the original subject, if I remember it just got brought up ) there was a picture though... anyone else recall this?