Procured some NOS Onza Porcipaws in clear. Bar-end plugs are not needed as these grips come pre-plugged as part of the grip its self. These are not THE lightest grips from 1994...but they were one of the lighter sets available (I think). Know of lighter ones that don't look like ass? Lemme know! Gonna look funky fresh, me thinks.
Procured some NOS Onza Porcipaws in clear. Bar-end plugs are not needed as these grips come pre-plugged as part of the grip its self. These are not THE lightest grips from 1994...but they were one of the lighter sets available (I think). Know of lighter ones that don't look like ass? Lemme know! Gonna look funky fresh, me thinks.
How rideable are we talking? Physically rideable? No. In-my-head rideable? Yes.
There is still a bit to get sorted:
-rims, spokes, tires and tubes (locating IRC Geo Claw Lite 1.9's and period-correct Ti spokes is proving difficult)
-cranks, brakes and rear hub mailed from relatives in the US to me
-seat and seat post (may pick up a NOS Schmolke post and ideally a Flite Evolution 1 carbon saddle)
-pedals
-front derailleur (may swap the m900 unit I have for a Campy Record OR (if I can locate one with a 34.9 collar))
-bottom bracket (the Grafton Speedstix require a wide spindle)
-cables
-DIY anodizing certain parts
If I stuck with the original XTR m900 program in the first post, this would have been done in a few hours. What fun is that though?
Shrinkwrap (and a little bit of electrical tape)...that's a good idea.
Yes, those Dyna Tech stems are over looked. They are straight forward, no fuss, very light. Nice find.
How rideable are we talking? Physically rideable? No. In-my-head rideable? Yes.
There is still a bit to get sorted:
-rims, spokes, tires and tubes (locating IRC Geo Claw Lite 1.9's and period-correct Ti spokes is proving difficult)
-cranks, brakes and rear hub mailed from relatives in the US to me
-seat and seat post (may pick up a NOS Schmolke post and ideally a Flite Evolution 1 carbon saddle)
-pedals
-front derailleur (may swap the m900 unit I have for a Campy Record OR (if I can locate one with a 34.9 collar))
-bottom bracket (the Grafton Speedstix require a wide spindle)
-cables
-DIY anodizing certain parts
If I stuck with the original XTR m900 program in the first post, this would have been done in a few hours. What fun is that though?
I did wonder if the stem might be a bit flexy but not so. Like pennies; all the grams add up and i shed a tad over 200grams by replacing the stem, top cap, brake lever bar clamps and i did away with the extra layers of cotton bar tape to make the bars fatter for my hands. Like you say; they are overlooked and i am going to leave mine raw with all the colours at the welds.
Your bike is not so boutique lightweight that it will fall apart if ridden hard on light xc/fireroad/gravel etc but it would be a shame to damage, or wear out, some of the parts. It is a difficult call. Maybe the odd gentle ride for smiles and a show, or two?
Hello? 110 bcd? Hello… 74 bcd? Where are you? I am checking NIGHTLY for light weight chain rings in 110/74. There is a wanted thread for Action-Tec titanium rings floating around here somewhere but I have all but abandoned that because I think that is an impossible wish.
I have expanded that to NOS/VGC aluminum chainrings from the early 90’s which also seems to be tough to fulfill too (or without the possibility of spending 100€ or more for one ring - which I rather not do). Perhaps my naive and somewhat inexperienced expectations are too high? A possibility has presented itself while searching last night.
A set of blue ano Kooka cranks complete with two mysterious rings and one heavy shimano ring. At the very least I have alternatives to the Grafton cranks even though these are a completely different bcd. Further, I am looking for lightweight titanium OR lightweight aluminum rings from anyone who was producing during the early to mid 90’s. Heck, the brand doesn’t even need to match and the color doesn’t matter. They can be booby nipple pink for all I care.
Also, the long wait for a period correct saddle has come to a close and the seller finally dropped his price. NOS mk.1 Flite Evolution 1. I *think around 100 grams.
Seatposts. With my limited knowledge, finding a sub 170 gram piece at 27.2 mm seems to be a tall order, with something from 1994 or earlier. There are some totally rad posts but are disregarded due to weight. My two ideas are either:
Schmolke carbon. 300 mm at 90 - 100 grams
Syncros Ti (from their road bike division). 230 mm at 168 - 170 grams
Schmolke swore to me in person his post wont snap and destroy my sensative bits. But buying NOS from him is on the cost prohibitive side.
To summarize what I can use help searching for:
Chainrings
-color can mismatch
-finish can mismatch
-brand can mismatch
-titanium and aluminum, light weight units
-1994 or earlier
-road bike ok too
-110/74 and 94/58
Seatposts
-aluminum, ti or carbon
-at least 230 mm
-27.2
-color doesn't matter
-sub 170 grams
Chainrings. Still looking for titanium chain rings. Just discovered that Cook Bros made them in the early 90's in 94/58 bcd. But, I bet those are as rare as ever too. In the mean time I picked up two sets of aluminum rings locally.
Syncros 110/74 bcd in 46, 36, 24
weight: 130.02 grams
NOS Real Racing 110/74 bcd in 48, 34, 24
weight: 155.38 grams