Wildwood 

If/when I move to a flatter area (likely next year) I want a very light bike to 'just get around town'. The beater bike concept with tubular wheels, skinny tires. The lightest bikes I have ever owned are just under 20#.


What have you built that comes in close to 12 pounds? Fixie is probably not a good idea for an old guy with 40 years of experience enjoying coasting.


edit: the move is not this year, but the bike build could be. Boy Scouts learned to Be Prepared.

Whit51 

Could you live with 13? But no, I've yet to break the 20 pound barrier.

randyjawa 

Why? The lightest vintage bike ever to come my way was a tad under the twenty pound mark. That was an ALAN as I recall. At the moment, this Trek 2200 SL is probably the lightest bike I own. I have not ridden it yet, nor have I finished making it road worthy and safe to ride, but it is pretty darn light. Of course, the frame set is aluminum, not steel and that, usually, makes a big difference...

Wildwood 

Why? Because....

seagrade 

Now we’re talking!

Must you have a steel frame or would you consider (classic/vintage) bonded aluminium or carbon?

Would you use a repurposed road frame (the dreaded fixification)? Plenty more around and already drilled for brakes in the right place.

Start reverse engineering backwards I think from the lightest tubulars and rims and spoke count you’d consider…

75lechamp 

I have a Raleigh Team 753 that I tried to make as light as possible, got down to 17 lbs 15 oz...... used some titanium (e.g. Super Record bb, Super Record pedals) and trick bits like Jim Merz built alloy derailleur bolts, titanium brake center bolts, etc. and a Suntour Microlite freewheel....

79pmooney

There's a 12 pound fix gear (1972 Colnogo) that's still around though I don't think it's for sale. If you did get them to sell, backing off the cog and screwing on a single FW would be easy (but be careful, I'm guessing it has Italian threads). And yes, tubular wheels and very skinny (and light) tires. Barely used. Probably less than 100 km. And only on perfect "roads". No brakes and almost certainly no drillings for them so you might consider keeping it fixed. Eddy Merckx's Hour Record bike. Some even say it's fast.

AdventureManCO 

Not built anything that light, but have done a lot of research.

CLB (front brake only), Stronglight 106 cranks, Weltmeister wooden-reinforced rims, Stronglight/B10 Hinault composite headset, 145g ti BB, SR ESL stem, 40g ti skewers. Then going though and replacing a ton of hardware w/ ti or alloy. A lot is going to depend on the frame, and what materials you are okay using.

Chombi1 

If you will be building it out with a steel frameset, 12 pounds is really pushing it, even with SS.
I got my Vitus Carbone 7 (12 speed) down to only the 16's and that's with a Ti railed saddle, tubular wheelset, a modern carbon Look pedalset and an all aluminum freewheel. Doing the same with most steel framesets can only get you down to the 17's at best, as noted by a previous poster with his SBDU 753 Raleigh.....
Even if you drillium away lots of mater8al from your components, it will be very hard to even lose a pound from the bike.
The lightest, exotic builds I had seen in the 80's were at around the high 14's at best. And some of those were questionable, in terms of actual rideability.....

PhilFo 

I reached under 20# back in 2009 with a Vitus 979, Flite Ti saddle, American Classic shortened post, 40cm Cinelli bar, Cinelli tape, Modolo aero levers, Modolo calipers, Campy Record (post C-Record) crankset, titanium spindle cartridge BB, Time Magnesium pedals, Campy Victory downtube shifters, Victory derailleurs. I forgot the hub make but could have been Superbe though probably Campy with the axles replaced with titanium, with Ti bolt on skewers. Front wheel was radial laced to a GEL280, rear laced radial NDS/ 3x DS to a GEL330. Spokes were 15/16 DB Sapim. Tires were my usual hand-me-downs from time trial racers who would "tip" me their once-ridden tubulars in exchange for my work on their wheels. The heaviest component of the bike was a Regina 6 speed freewheel. That bike was incredibly light and a bit whippy. Sold it not long after I was doored and was in physical therapy for months.
Phil

squirtdad

look for a used Rodriguez???
from Rodrigues site
We've built ultra-light frames all the way down to 2.2 pounds! Wow! That's a light frame. I've yet to weigh another frame on our digital scale that is that light, and I've had manufacturer reps bring in some very expensive European racing frames. The look on their face is priceless when they find out that our $2,000 frame is lighter than their $6,000 frame.

Anyway, in a medium size (5L) you can expect a Rodrigez ultra-light frame to weigh in around 3.1 pounds (2.6 with the Outlaw upgrade). That's an extremely light weight considering the fact that it's a verified weight (not just telling you what you want to hear). Rodriguez ultra-light steel blend is probably the most remarkable frame material for making a bicycle that has been developed.

Challenge gugie to build a full light weight frame/fork?? good starting point rene herse tubeset

under 12 could be doable, if they can build 13.5 lb race bikes but probably not cheap

abdon 

From a practical sense I should shed about 30 pounds off my bike. But when I mean off my bike, I mean off my fat ass. That way my bike won't have to carry the dead weight. :-\

Were I going ultralight I would stick to the tour de France requirement where bike must be at least 15 pounds. With that, I would have enough leeway to make some interesting choices as to where to best deploy my ounces.

steelbikeguy

Back in 1975, Bicycling magazine reviewed a handful of track bikes. Among them was a Panasonic that had received the full weight weenie treatment. The result was a (small) bike that weighed 10 1/2 pounds. This wasn't just a matter of throwing a few titanium bolts at the parts... they did some significant milling and modification. Very interesting to read about, and possibly the limit to what can be done to a steel bike of that era.
Here's the article...


high resolution


high resolution

Steve in Peoria

3speedslow

Even at my 130# weight, I would be afraid to ride a SS in a real world setting.

Wildwood 

The main object is a vintage (?) look. Think round, straight tubes.

Absolutely consider aluminum, carbon would have to be selective.

As to potential candidates in my current group = always 531 steel, the Al Fisher mtb is overbuilt heavy, then the CF Calfee (3.0 lb frame).
46 tooth VO crank is in the bin. I know I have a couple of handlebars worth cutting. I have a silver front wheel super light, 2 actually.

Maybe 14 pounds is lightweight. Certainly cheaper.

Wildwood 

@squirtdad - If I were to choose a new build custom frame, I would forego the vintage look.. Or just buy an affordable chinese cf frame. But we are C&V here and that is the cult need of the build. Segue to thanks to mods for not moving this thread. It's about the vintage as well as SS.

Maybe the Calfee needs a new life.

Velo Mule

I picked up a Trek 1000 aluminum frame a while back. I don't know what the weight was, but it was beautifully made. It rode nicely with only slightly oversized main tubes, but it didn't have much room for larger tires though. If you going to use tubulars, a Trek 1000 series could work out.

PromptCritical 

Beautiful!

PromptCritical 

LOL, I did that. Much more cost effective than carbon or titanium!

Wildwood 

Some existing candidates for conversion to SS: AustroDaimler, Calfee, Bianchi
I don't know the weight but this one has minimal braze-ons. 531 f+f. Big frame not good.

No fenders, of course.

Or the Calfee which offers lowest starting weight but doesn't really look vintage. Just oldie and unusual


or it could be Columbus "Bianchi FormulaOne" tubing which feels very SL like. But the color doesn't signal beater. However, it does ride light.

billytwosheds 

Running the numbers, it might be possible.

At the same time, a sturdily built SS with all vintage (80's or earlier) parts at 15lbs or less would be great and much more attainable.

You can always whittle away (shave?) grams from the bike or your arse, but make it reliable and fun and then go from there.

$.02 free as always

seagrade 

On that basis this for me would bring into consideration a Vitus Carbone 3 or, better still, Carbone 9 or an Alan Record Carbonio, frames I ruled out as too light and flexible in my younger racing days.

Either I think would go some way towards the 12lb target, although they and the components would not be an inexpensive undertaking…

Wildwood 

A good candidate for crank = 46/30 GrandCru from VO in 170. Has to lose the inner ring before I weigh.
Have not looked at what's out there in silver cranks. Got to be silver, period.



Remember, .... build is still theoretical.......at this point. I got no flat today.

Wildwood 

100% agree. Already conceded to maybe 14.
Carbon seatposts are cheaper these days. Didn't vintage have black posts late '80s?

Duragrouch

Vintage will be difficult for frame weight, but will ride better. But if you can do stiffer and racier...
- 1989 or later Cannondale road racer frame (3.0 lbs without fork, later 2.8 and others); drawback is horizontal droputs so need rear derailleur
- brand-x 50/34 hollow spindle crank off amazon or ebay, look for low (road) q-factor and aluminum rings, $75 including external BB bearings
- whatever cassette you want, and if really weight-weinie, can remove high and low cogs in place of spacers, but that's now where the big weight is.

I think with typical spoked wheels, rim brakes, shifters, I think it's still gonna be close to 17 lbs depending on handlebar, stem, saddle, pedal, seatpost choices.