George Hollander asked:
> I need help with a period "weight-weenie" project.
> I have a Vitus frameset ( mid 1980's), and would like to outfit it with
> the appropriate lightest weight French parts possible, from shifters, to
> rims, tires, etc.
> Can members provide me with this information, or make reference to period
> catalogues?
George, Here's what I would use from that era to build an all-French, weight-weenie Vitus (remember, some of this will seriously lack durability, and other parts will be phenominally expensive) Bar & Stem: Bellri made a pretty light stem and bar set that was stock on a lot of nice French bikes of that era (besides, stem and bars is not a place to cut weight to the limit) Headset: Nylfor nylon. Lighter than air, and I think Yellow Jersey has them cheap in French thread. Buy a couple. Crankset: Stronglight 105 BIS ... factory drillium and classic French styling Shift set: Huret Jubile. Lightest ever made, and the stuff actually works. Wheels: Maillard 700 pro hubs with Maillard alloy freewheel, and MAVIC OR-7 rims (200 grams!?!), mounted with Clement black label Criterium Seta Extra (and some other superlative after that, which I forget now) 195-gram silks. Brakes: Weinmann 500 sidepulls with drillium levers. Or Mafac 2000. The Weinmann's are lighter, but not strictly French. Benotto tape Simplex alloy seat post and the lightest saddle you are comfortable on.
You can probably build this out at under 15 pounds, but one good pothole would destroy most of it. I really like the idea of a French weight-weenie bike because the French did make some ridiculously light stuff, rather than have medium weight stuff drilled, milled and shaved the way Italian stuff is done.
Earle Young, Madison, Wisc. Offering expert wheelbuilding service for classic and modern bikes. http://www.earleyoung.com