the sad truth about weightweenies

Many years ago when people rode alu- and steelbikes weightweenies used to drill holes in parts to save weight. Always the easiest and cheapest way to save weight.

Then when modern carbon fibre frames and parts came weightweenies changed parts for carbon, tuning things like derailleurs with dremel and new carbon parts and alu screws. A rear derailleur at 130g and brands like Extralite, Tune, b-t-p, Carbon-Ti, Schmolke and THM Carbones was the thing. AX-Lightness and MCFK came and pushed it further with really light carbon parts and frames.

Then we came to now. When people buying a Tarmac, SuperSIX Evo, R5 or a Colnago C59/60 with Enve wheels, Sram Red groupset but with Clavicula crank and Praxis (!) chainrings. Enve stem, seatpost and bar, or 3T. It all results in a 6kg bike and they call them self Weightweenies. Without change of a single screw or even touched a dremel.

Team Sky talks about this:

What happened to that in cycling. Why are people on Weightweenies using heavy Praxis (I know they are good but anyway) chainrings when Extralite, Carbon-Ti or Tune is so much lighter? Why aren’t people putting a dremel in their Dura-Ace 9000 or Sram Red22 rear derailleur, or even changing pulleys? Why aren’t Extralite bigger and people using Tune U20 QR? Why are people talking about clinchers? Can people even spell to Schmolke?

Wintertime

Not so much riding anymore, will do a break after this week and gather motivation. Seems like a good thing when the weather is just cold and boring. Will do Le Peloton tomorrow as the last hard ride and a beautiful longer ride this weekend I plan. So not so much ride reports here, but probably a bit other things. Inspiration, Project16 and light parts is my plan. Maybe about some weekend plans for next year too. Looking forward to enjoy new places, new roads with awesome people.

For now you can enjoy this beautifully Slovenian Berk bike. Custom high end quality built light:

Engage by AX-Lightness

Sometimes I save some money on bike parts and buy cheaper things. I would have dreamt about a seatpost and stem from AX-Lightness which is my favourite weightweenie brand but it’s too expensive for me. But with same research at a bit lower price I got Engage which was AX-Lightness Asienproduced brand. It’s not existing anymore but still it’s possible to find some parts. Like a Torque stem:

90mm and it came with lighter bolts 🙂

Mounted it together with my new expander. On my Allez I use an Extralite Ultrastar expander and Extralite topcap, probably the lightest combo but it also costs a bit and the top cap isn’t the best looking. So for 2016 I’m using the genius Cannondale expander which is pretty light to be as good as it is 😀

28g lighter than the original one. Great weight saving.

Mounted and set up together with my Engage Revit seatpost from my Allez:

(will change the tires) and will cut the fork a little more as I now know how to set up the bike.

Biggest question is, should I use Specialized S-Works bottle cages or is there something lighter and as good as them? Black or White cages?

Eurobike #3, by R2bike

Bike ahead rims:

Acros Nineteen finally comes, I talked with Acros about them last year at Eurobike. Can be compared to DT 240 in function and Tune King/Kong in weight:

A Wireless dropped post from Magura called Vyron:

Superlight full suspension by Merida and german:A

New wheels from Bike Ahead, Biturbo RS:

860g AX-Lightness Vial Evo XC frame:

Follow R2bike on Facebook for more lightweight pictures.

Swedens XCO Nationals

Some things are more important than others, some mean more than others.

Jenny Rissveds won women elite

Calle Friberg won men elite.

Both very fast riders and good people but even if they rode from everyone else showing how fast it’s possible to ride, even with 27,5″ wheels they aren’t the ones that matters the most today.

Matthias Wengelin who got 3rd place I was more happy about:

And Axel Lindh who came 5th and won U23:

But the best thing today/this weekend is that Alexandra Engen is back:

A person who spreads her joy all over the place and managed to come back after a breakdown. It may be hard to get best in the world but when hitting the wall and have to restart it’s even harder. And still not back, but on a good way. And for this blog it really helps her to have one of the lightest and coolest speced hardtails out there:

This picture by David Söderblom:

Coffeeride

Some days it’s better to ride than rest. Today was such a day. Spinning the legs a bit and get the good feeling after yesterday. Rolled down to Jönköping for a coffee and selling a saddle and it felt great on the way down (30km and 190m down) and even got nice company while drinking coffee 🙂

To Jönköping:

Not so sunny but the sun showed itself a bit later:

Rode to Team Sportia to get some tubular glue but they didn’t have any. Said not so many uses it anymore, boring store.

Back home the average speed went down but the climbs felt better than I thought and was shorter than I remember. Like this World Champion climb:

Took it pretty easy and felt good all the way back home. Except the drops of rain that came a bit before Mullsjö. Cruised in my Warsaw Floral Kit today, really nice with good quality by Bioracer:

Map and stats: Strava

When the flow left me

Got this in the mail yesterday:

a Tune Schwarzes Stück to get my Camber in racemode instead of my Specialized Command Post.

Today the plan was to get a pair of Specialized S-Works Fast Trak 2,2″ tires for it too but out of stock at the moment. Thought of Renegade 2,3″ but ended with a set of Fast Trak 2″:

Mounted my AX-Lightness Leaf Plus saddle on the seatpost and changed my left MixxMaster brakelever clamp to a carbon one from b-t-p.

Ended with a Camber at 9,8kg 😀

9,8kg and still ways to make it lighter without loosing performance. Weight is without bottle but including the multi tool.

After I ended work I aimed to try it, feel if there was any difference. Pumped the tires to 1,7bar and went out to ride the SCS Breakfast Club route. Was flying in the beginning and the bike felt a lot faster. Dropping 389g on just the tires explain a lot and so dry outside now I got all the grip I need. And with 116/110mm suspension I don’t need the extra height of a big tire.

It was awesome, sure my shape and the weather was better than last time too. Then in the south end of the route it happened again. Same thing as last time! I rode the wrong way, changed way and wrong again, and didn’t find the right one. My flow was gone and my thoughts of a Strava KOM was blown away. It sucked and I just rode on the gravel road back to civilisation and back to my neighbourhood. But remembered meeting a customer at my local food store a while ago who talked about some trails in Majroskogen which is a forest just behind my house.

Tried it a bit and ende with some slickrock riding:

Many small tracks and some better than others. But finding the flow going over rocks and roots was great 🙂 My bike is like I want too and I have sometimes thought about that I maybe should have got an Epic instead but my Camber got it all. It’s fast but fun and playful. A bike to enjoy and to get better together with. Even missing a Liteville 301 this Specialized Camber is the bike of my dreams now. 😀

Map and stats, now with heart rate too: Movescount

Le Peloton #20

The misery. When motivation and feelings doesn’t work together it can be a hard time. This morning I was motivated to ride as it’s the last training this week and I like riding with others. 2° and boring weather when I looked out at 5.15 this morning. When I got dressed and came out the door it was raining.

With waterproof Café du Cyciste Jeanne bibs and Loulou legwarmers it felt pretty good anyway, and new gloves from Oakley. The only thing I missed was my Assaver that was at work.

Not so many riders today:

Rode in one group today. But after a short sleep my legs wasn’t on top and I got dropped pretty fast. Turned left in Saltsjö-Duvnäs and rode the 2nd group ride. Thought of taking the shortcut in Älta too but the Stravatime motivated me and then it wasn’t raining any more. Ended coming first to Le Mond and sat alone in the beginning eating breakfast:

After around 10min 2 more riders came. They got dropped on the Fisksätraloop and rode alone. But no sign of the 7 others that should be there earlier. 1 more rider came, said that the group took a strange way, shortcut in one place and a longer way in one place.

That’s how it can be, but we got a nice breakfast 😉

Tried my new saddle for the first time today. slipped a bit backwards but felt pretty good, made the bike weigh 6,48kg. Not completely sure on that it’s better than the Romin but not bad.

The tires are great and thought of it on the way home. Second or third time not pumping the tires that use a latex inner tube before I go home. Pump them in the morning to 6,5bar in front and 6,8bar rear. Checked the pressure in the fronttire when I came home after work. 5bar 😉 5bar and was feeling great, that’s nice. Vittoria Corsa SC 25mm 🙂

Map and stats of today, 30km/h on the Le Peloton 2nd group: Movescount

my new saddle, AX-Lightness Leaf

My roadsaddle, a Specialized Romin Comp got Cr-Mo rails and weights 224g. Really heavy but feels good. When I found a ”used” AX-Lightness Leaf Plus saddle on Happy I couldn’t resist make him an offer. He took it and I got a new saddle, it was new but half price 🙂

87g instead of 224g. Good weightsaving 🙂

AX-Lightness Vial Evo Ultra

under 600g for the frame, 4,4kg for the complete bike. Impressive:

If you like heavier bikes it seems like UCI is permitting disc brakes for road racing for the season 2017. Great news both for us riders and good time for all bike brands to come up with good disc brake bikes and Campagnolo to develop the worlds best disc brake 🙂

More about it here: Road.cc