jeff williams

T.R welded the frame out of thicker wall tubing......one of the best Tig steel welders of frames. Alu components suffer on this frame, the flex is not 'built' in. Bolts bust.

My frame hasn't bent -tossed me on my @$$ a few.
I did design a guesset design for chromoly steertubes, the gusset plate tube\junctions skips the weld zones. So cool for chromo.
Too hot to bring it up here. I type with 2 fingers....damn these webbed hands!
I hate Tri water events.[/COLOR]

scrublover

i still think you're smoking crack, but whatever makes you happy. it's your bike.

again, you persist in the ridiculous idea that just because something is heavy/steel/thick/unflexy
that it won't break.

i'll stick with my 28# pig that i can easily climb with, and ride ugly stuff back down without worrying about drilled/stupid lite parts breaking.

have fun with it, don't get too crazy, and be sure to post up some pics of the finished product.

edit: and about those ritchey team racing wins....sure, on custom tuned bikes for the racers. that get parts inspected, taken care of, and replaced by a factory mechanic when needed. comparing world cup level racing rigs to real everyday ride rigs in terms of durability is like apples to bowling balls. most pro XC bikes are heavily tweaked by the team mechs. i'd not want to ride many of them on my regular trail rides.

jeff williams

The hole\weight reduction idea is stupid, don't play with stuff you don't know about. Play safe, don't cut pipe or drill it out.

Threadkill? I'm asking Mael.

C4Byke

I'm gonna try to change your mind one more time. First of all you say you're going to cut 4 lbs off the bike weight by drilling, that is impossible to do safely. Second you say the STEEL fork has not been affected by heat before you weld your disc tabs on, well-the fundamental process for making steel is related to high heat. Third, why are you trying to cut this much weight in the first place, you obviously don't race? Do you understand the type of corrosion you are going to get under your grips? Oh and that reminds me, you're going to get a really poor seal between the grips and bars; not to mention having to ride with a flexy noodle handlebar anyway (because its steel and full of holes). As a final comment, say you do get your bike under whatever weight number you're shooting for, do you really think that its going to ride like a lightweight race rig? Its going like a cheap steel bike that is drilled full of holes, Oh well- you know what they say about people that don't heed the past...

free_pizza

im not sure if someone mentioned it or not, and im just too lazy to read all these posts, but have you considered just buying a new lighter stem/bar instead of drilling holes into them? Drilling holes into a handlebar just seems stupid and dangerous.

dminor 

Of course it's insanity, but isn't it kinda fun to watch someone push the envelope (as long as it's not our bikes? ). Rememember the Thunderbolt Fairlanes, the aluminum-everything altered-wheelbase B-body Mopars or the "Swiss Cheese" Pontiacs of the early '60s? (Oops, I'm dating myself )

jeff williams

I think I mis-led on the 4 lbs, that would be the whole reduction including component change and going to a single front ring.
Maybe under 2 lbs from trimming bolts\tube ends.

No quick release junk either.
Done...
Hex seatpost bolt.
Hex cap wheel axles.
Shortened seatpost.
Shortened bars.
Threaded fork -shortened stem adapter and center bolt. (To required length, no spacers).
Brakebooster long bolts shortened (less the spacers).
Grannyring and bolts removed.
Front derailer\shifter\cable removed.
Single pulley only on dual pulley tensioner system.
Seatstay cablestop cut off frame.
Bolt in bar ends replaced with plugs.
Extraneous long bolts shortened or replaced.
All non-essential plastic\fenders\guards\reflectors etc removed.

I have a plastic bottle cage, and a light. My treats for keeping the weight down.

....and the general component replacement\upgrade has got around 4lbs off.

....again...my bars are aluminium...my STEM is chromoly.
Imagine 5mm wall STEEL bars. THAT would be heavy.

As far a s flexy bars...guess why I run a steel stem? Or why the bars are so thick?
Flex is deadly for aluminium.
I'm not drilling the parts of the bars that suffer stress. Under the grips, ending before the lock-collars.
the stress will be at the inside collar of the lock-ons, -the elbow of the bars and where the stem clamps.
Not drilling there.

And as far as you guys know =I'm not drilling anything!
It's just not a smart, I may ask Mael to kill the thread as it may give somebody a stupid idea.

-don't say it.
as far as riding like a lightweight race rig....that what the frame was designed for.
Racing...no frills, butt ugly steel. Awesome handling.

As far as buying lightweight parts...no thanks. Light stuff flexes\breaks.
I have lightweight risers -and don't use them because they flex.
I prefer heavy and strong...to the point of having a bike thats front heavy with the pig bars and stem.
The disc adapter can be welded\brazed on, pretty sure. The welder will know, he is an 'engineer' as well.
-the problem is it has to be steel not aluminium, I might have to fabricate it myself.

Bar end photo -the bar wall is 1mm thicker than the collar.

Bar photos, lightest lower. Nickle chromoly center butted race bars.
Top are 4mm wall 6061 non-butted bmx bars I bent crashing.
The 2 in the middle are garbage.

Damage photo is from running light risers without the brace, the flex had the steel of the clamp cutting lightly into the aluminium.