Bike Forums - Extremely low weight frame options

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndGen (Post 12186334)

Strongest sub-1000 gram frame?

The Wilier Cento1 SL may have a good case with Alexander Petacchi reaming on it in sprints. Plus, his bike is an awesome neon lime color, so that helps too...

So my frame weighs 2.8lbs and I consider that pretty light... is there a point where structural integrity is sacrificed for weight?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terex (Post 12186642)

I had the old CR1 Sl, now have an Addict R3 and a Parlee Z4. The '06 CR1 Sl was absolutely brilliant climbing and descending. I remember several distinct occasions climbing with the CR1 when I just laughed out loud, thinking that this was ridiculously easy. With the massive cross section front fork, it was an equally brilliant descender. Problem was, I wrapped the derailleur around the back end when the chain separated on one side of a link.

My '09 Addict is almost as good a ride, and appears to be a lot sturdier carbon build. The Parlee is even more impressive, in terms of build quality, but doesn't have the vibrancy of the Addict frame. I've ridden a Storck Absolutist 0.9 and I thought that the ride quality was terrible - like a block of wood.

If I was buying a light frame today, I'd like to try a C-Dale Super Six. From discussions with others, the ride quality is close to that of the Addict, and the carbon build quality appears to be much better. But I'd be tempted by an Addict R15, especially the 2010 white/gray model.

Right now, I'm interested in a cyclocross type frame, probably titanium, and I'd prefer to have disc brakes. But that's a different story.

I've got a '10 R3 and I love it. I'm curious as to what you think is wrong with the build quality. Sure, some of the joins in the carbon are quite visible but I took that to mean that Scott hadn't wasted weight on making it cosmetically perfect. After all, what you see on the surface is only the tip of the iceberg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MajorMantra (Post 12187139)

My bike shop guy (BSG) sees lots of bikes. When I killed my CR1, Scott had a dealer cut out the bottom bracket as part of the crash replacement warrantee (or I would have sent it to Calfee for repair). I took it over to my BSG, and we did destructive testing. We stood on the frame until it broke. It didn't take much. The carbon build looked like paper mache.

When I brought in the Addict frame to be built up, a couple of the BSG's rode it. They both said that it was much more confidence inspiring than my old CR1 (which they'd also ridden), but not the same level of build quality as my Parlee or the C-Dales that they sell. I haven't ridden the C-Dale, but I absolutely trust the opinion of these guys. They see LOTS of bikes in their shop, and have the opportunity to do destructive testing on the frames of most manufacturers. A perk of their job.

And by build quality, I'm not talking about cosmetics. I'm talking about the quality of the carbon, the joining techniques, and those things that are usually hidden by a coat of paint. The cosmetic appearance of Scott bikes is good, as are the C-Dales. The cosmetic appearance, and the build quality of Parlee, OTOH, is superb.

All of these are terrific bikes that are reasonably priced. I think that the Addict R3 is one of the biggest performance values in cycling. If you buy a top of the line Parlee, or a Calfee or a Storck, you're talking about some serious money.

I guessing that the quality of carbon and the layup of a Calfee frame makes them pretty much bullet proof. And they do weigh more than a lot of top end bikes. With the lightest Scott, Parlee, Storck and C-Dale (among others), you're probably on the hairy end of structural integrity.

With the relatively low cost of the Scott Addicts, it only seem logical that sacrifices have been made. You know the saying, "Strong, light, cheap - pick two." The Scott is inexpensive and it's light. That's the two.

Bike frames in general are getting lighter and lighter, but is there a resultant decrease in structural integrity - we will only find out in time.

What is amazing, is that there are COMPLETE bikes out there that are coming in at some amazing weights. Two that spring to mind are the Avanti Quantum Silver (http://www.avantibikes.com/race-perf...r.aspx?bid=431) - 5.6kg (12.35 lbs) and the new Focus Izalco Ultimate (http://www.focus-bikes.com/us/en_us/...googlebot=true) - 4.98kg (11 lbs).

I'm sure that there would be rider weight limits set for these bikes......