In a message dated 12/4/02 3:06:31 PM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
<< Greg "Superleicht" Parker Ultra-light A2 MI USA
P.S. Here's my "off the cuff" list of favorite light and stupid-light stuff:
OMAS Ti / Al BB Arnold or equivalent aluminum BB spindle bolts OMAS or equivalent aluminum chainring fasteners Campagnolo SR pedals with aluminum toeclips Stronglight A9 headset Campagnolo SR one-bolt seatpost (hard to beat overall IMO) Concor superleggera saddle Maillard or Campagnolo freewheel Regina Ti chain (anyone have a lead on one?) Pino Ti / Al hub skewers Fiamme Ergal rims As few 15-gauge SS spokes as possible - like 24 or 28 per wheel! CLB brake housing OMAS Ti / Al brake hardware
(All of this is bolt-on stuff - no drilling required)
What are other folks' favorites...? >>
Well, I had a real fondess for Weyless hubs... lighter than anything else around, one of the earliest sealed hubs, and a cool looking (hollow tubed) skewer with a looped lever. Lots of folks complained that they had a lot of slop but mine were pretty solid... they were still rolling well when I sold the PX-10 they were on last year.
Also loved my Phil Woods bottom bracket... No fixed cup, so the whole thing floated, allowing me to change chainrings from double to triple and back on a whim.
And let's see, there was the Blackburn hollow-tube aluminum water bottle cage... I've still got it and it's only a gram or two heavier than the $50 titanium cage that seems to be the rage now.
And lets not forget the Bullseye pulleys. I guess they didn't really save weight, but didn't we all buy into the ad's claim of energy saved? I know I did... who wouldn't jump at the chance to replace bronze bushings with ball bearings and get some flashy red anodizing thrown in?
What was the stupidest thing I ever did to save weight? We rear brake I had a single cable stop brazed on the top tube 2 inches behind the head lug and ran bare cable from there right thru the two seatpost holes to the brake (an inch or so of housing in the seatpost holes to round the curve and cut friction. Yep, you had to readjust the brakes if you moved the seatpost, but hey I got rid of the hangar and almost a foot and a half of brake housing, right?. And that hole I drilled in the stem to hang the front brake cable seems pretty dumb too... It never broke, but I sometimes get a little shiver down my spine when I think of some of the high speed descents I did in the Adirondacks on that thing.
Bob Hovey
Columbus GA