Pasteys Cube Litening Super HPT Titanium.WIP.

13jonny

very nice i'm building up a matt silver frame and was thinking blue bar tape etc just to get away from the silver black but as much as your build with blue was nice the black is deff best i think

pastey_boy

13jonny wrote:

very nice i'm building up a matt silver frame and was thinking blue bar tape etc just to get away from the silver black but as much as your build with blue was nice the black is deff best i think

Through personal experience I think the best colours to compliment Ti or similar coloured frames are black, gunmetal grey and silver although I've just had a look back through this thread and I still like the look of the bike as I first did it. Also just managed to get a pair of the new 9000 series dura-ace wheel skewers which are a nice gunmetal colour, so they are going on the bike.

pastey_boy

Here's a pic of the new skewers, pretty chuffed to get a new set of these as they are not available separately without the wheels or hubs at the moment. Also fitted the 100mm titanium stem a I had fitted originally along with trimming a bit off the steerer and dropping the stem height by 5mm, and the carbon spacer has been replaced with a titanium one, position wise I think I have it spot on now. I've taken the Sram red chainset , ceramic bb and kmc chain off the bike and will be replacing it with a FSA K-Force Light mega-exo compact chainset with matching ceramic BB although I will swap the FSA chainrings for a set of 50/36 Easton/stronglight ceramic ,teflon coated rings, according to the images of the product I have ordered I should be getting the Ti axle version which inc BB is a staggering 170 grams lighter than the Sram Red set up. Also fitted a set of Cnc ti brake calipers, I did originally have a silver version fitted before the Sram Reds but I struggled for power, I have since found the problem was the Brake pads I fitted were too wide so the brakes cam didn't activate properly, also the new aztec pads for ceramic rims are much better than the old pads so the brakes now stop me well and they are 70grams lighter than the Red's. I also treated myself to a pair of Bebop stainless pedals to replace the blue Speedplay X5's, with some aftermarket Ti spindles fitted the Bebops will weigh 140 grams !!!! Pics of the finished article when I manage to get outside in some daylight.

pastey_boy

Here is my new Fsa K-Force titanium chainset and ceramic bb. Weight is 652grams for the complete set inc chainset,bb and all bolts which is higher than the claimed 605grams but still very light for a chainset with a conventional 24mm axle. Looks like a solid well mde bit of kit , only cost me £179 which is a huge reduction on the near £700 rrp. All the new bits are now fitted and the bike is weighing in at 16.5lbs and thats with its heavy winter wheels and tyres , bottle cages, pedals and computer. With my planned summer wheels the basic bike with pedals fitted should weigh close to 15lbs without making any real sacrifices to strength and durability.

pastey_boy

Here are the latest pics with all the new additions. I love the new chainset but I'm not too keen on the aesthetics of the chainrings even though they shift superbly so I have replaced them with a set of machined Kcnc rings I had knocking about. Not only do they look superb but they shift nice and seem stiff enough and a bonus is they bring the total weight of the chainset and bb down to 638 grams complete.

johnnymcg259

.....could be wrong here ....... but you're defo on the 'ocd spectrum' arent you?!

Been following this build (for the majority of my life it'd seem) and will miss it when it's 'done' (if ever?)

pastey_boy

I have just become the owner of a pair of American classic road hubs f/28 r/32 so I am going to build a pair of wheels around them. I'm going to use No-tubes Alpha 400 rims,Black Dt Swiss revolution spokes and silver alu dt nipples . Total weight will be 1419 ish grams. I am going to fit ceramic bearings to the hubs so when built I should have a pretty sturdy (for their weight) pair of wheels which will be easy to look after also. Made some other changes too, swapped the Charge Knife saddle to try out a 140 gram Tioga spyder twintail saddle, I am over the recommended weight limit for this saddle but seeing as it can be used in off road applications I reckon it should be ok for road use . Also put the Kcnc rd2 chainset back on but this time it has some Easton ct2 coated 50/36 chainrings and a ceramic bottom bracket, 10 grams heavier than the FSA's but look so much better. I don't think the red and white details of the FSA's suited the bike at all. Just ordered a full set of ceramic bearings for the hubs for the grand total of £21 !!!!! And I have just ordered the Stans Alpha 400 rims from the states for £53 each and £34 for postage. total £140, cheapest I could find over here was £175.40 posted. spokes are coming from Germany , Dt swiss revolutions inc alloy nipples £49 posted. Total cost of the wheels comes to £210 with the ceramic upgrade !!!!!! I basically got the hubs for an hour of my time and I am building them myself, not bad for a near 1400g wheelset. I look forward to trying road tubeless for the first time, Bontragers R3 tlr tyre looks promising if it weighs 265g as quoted and not to badly priced at £45. I will also be fitting some custom silver/black rim decals to the Alpha 400's.

pastey_boy

I have just got hold of a pair of old but brand new Dura Ace WH 8701 wheels. Although a 2004 model they are still relevant today. They have a 10 speed freehub body and the usual superb Dura Ace hubs. They weigh in at 1650 grams and seem pretty solid for their weight. The greyish anodised finish of the rims seems to go nicely with the rest of the bike. I reckon they will make a good all round wheel for general use. To them I have fitted a pair of Conti 4000's tyres and a pair of lightweight Foss inner tubes, the skewers are PZ racing bolt ons which at 60 grams a pair with a chromo axle are much more solid when compared to lightweight ti skewers of a similar weight. Also fitted a set of Uberbike triple compound brake cartidges which seem to have added lots of power to the brakes. The spokes have turned up for my superlight tubeless wheels I'm building, just waiting for the rims which are on their way from the states as I type this. I have found a shop in Japan that stocks the IRD range of road tubeless tyres, the lightest of which weighs in at verified 240 grams so I will be mounting a set of those to the Alpha 400's. With the Stans wheelset, IRD tyres , Bebop ti axles and Sram red cassette I will be fitting the bike will weigh approx 6.7kg inc pedals, cages and computer. After careful consideration I have decided to use brass DT nipples instead of the alu ones, this will add 37 grams to the overall weight which is a small price to pay for long term ease of service and durability. The ceramic bearings are now fitted to the American classic hubs which saves a few grams so the wheels should still be (just) under 1450grams, not bad for a full spoke count, brass nipples and tubeless compatibility. Also just ordered some ceramic ball bearings to upgrade the Dura Ace wheelset, for a full set inc a fair few spare bearings left over, the total cost was £28 inc postage.

nathancom

Not sure on that saddle and the peddles. Are the peddles part of a clipless system or something else special about them that you avoided looks/speedplay etc?

KCNC chainset looks great compared to the FSA you had on earlier.

You should get white components and paint the forks white, would be awesome!

I reckon the AC hubs would look great with a deep carbon rim and those kind of wheels always look great on a Ti frame.

You should also try and get the seatpost sand blasted to match the frame. That would be real dedication. I imagine it wouldn't be hard to find someone or expensive either on such a small piece of tubing.

declan1

Surely your next buy should be a Cervelo R5 frame? You seem awfully addicted to weight-saving.

pastey_boy

nathancom wrote:

Not sure on that saddle and the peddles. Are the peddles part of a clipless system or something else special about them that you avoided looks/speedplay etc?

KCNC chainset looks great compared to the FSA you had on earlier.

You should get white components and paint the forks white, would be awesome!

I reckon the AC hubs would look great with a deep carbon rim and those kind of wheels always look great on a Ti frame.

You should also try and get the seatpost sand blasted to match the frame. That would be real dedication. I imagine it wouldn't be hard to find someone or expensive either on such a small piece of tubing.

Believe it or not the saddle is extremely comfy, and the amount of rectal ventilation on offer is not to be sniffed at. The pedals are Bebops, they have been out a long time and are similar to Speedplays but I would say the cleats are harder wearing and cheaper to replace. With a £45 Ti spindle upgade the Bebops will weigh approx 145 grams which make them lighter than the hyper expensive Speedplay Nanograms. Re the seatpost I like the contrast between it and the frame.

pastey_boy

declan1 wrote:

Surely your next buy should be a Cervelo R5 frame? You seem awfully addicted to weight-saving.

I like the challenge of trying to create a light bike without spending silly amounts,I know it looks like I waste a lot of money chopping and changing things but in fact I lose very little money if any as I source my parts cheaply and sell at a profit.

pastey_boy

The Stans Alpha 400 rims arrived from the states today, One weighs 413 grams and the other 432 although not as bad as a pair of Mavic Open Pro's I had that had a 45 gram difference. Now I have all the components for the wheels I know the final weight will be 1448 grams. With the ceramic bearings fitted to the American Classic hubs the difference is noticeable even before they have been built into wheels. I'm hoping to get the wheels built this weekend if I get some spare time. I was going to send off to Japan for some very lightweight IRC Tubeless road tyres but with postage the bill comes to just over £150 for the pair, so instead I'm going to try Bontrager R3 tubeless ready tyres, a few grams heavier but only £45 each.

imposter2.0

Just seen the pic of those AC hubs - assuming you got them secondhand. Are you aware the rear hub (large flange type, same as in the pic) was the subject of a safety recall a few years ago ? Something to do with the freehub seal, I think. Might be worth checking out before you build it up.

pastey_boy

Imposter wrote:

Just seen the pic of those AC hubs - assuming you got them secondhand. Are you aware the rear hub (large flange type, same as in the pic) was the subject of a safety recall a few years ago ? Something to do with the freehub seal, I think. Might be worth checking out before you build it up.

The recall was for hubs from 2005, mine are the later hubs with the 17mm axle, my serial number seems to indicate they were manufactured in 2008.

pastey_boy

pastey_boy wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Just seen the pic of those AC hubs - assuming you got them secondhand. Are you aware the rear hub (large flange type, same as in the pic) was the subject of a safety recall a few years ago ? Something to do with the freehub seal, I think. Might be worth checking out before you build it up.

The recall was for hubs from 2005, mine are the later hubs with the 17mm axle, my serial number seems to indicate they were manufactured in 2008.

The hubs were part of a virtually unused Sprint 350 wheelset, the rims were written off in an altercation with a van driver and the owner kindly let me have the undamaged hubs in exchange for a few little jobs on his bike.

imposter2.0

pastey_boy wrote:

The recall was for hubs from 2005, mine are the later hubs with the 17mm axle, my serial number seems to indicate they were manufactured in 2008.

Probably fine in that case. I only mentioned it because I have one of the hubs affected by the recall (wth an 'S' prefix serial no) sitting in my spares box.

pastey_boy

Here are the finished wheels. All the components went together ok although the rear was a bit feisty. I have built them nice and tight and they spin very nicely. The weight was bang on 1448 grams as predicted. UntilI find some reasonably priced lightweight tubeless road tyre I will fit a pair of Conti 4000s tyres along with a pair of Maxxis Flyweight tubes, this will take three quarters of a pound off the current set up Leaving me within touching distance of my sub 7Kg limit. I'm also waiting for a custom silver decal set for the rims so I can get rid of the red and yellow monstrosities . For all those people wanting custom coloured Stans rims decals, check these guys out. I have used them before for Mtb rims and they are good quality . http://www.jpracingbike1.com/2011-ZTR-s ... aaafoa.asp

pastey_boy

Here is a current list of what I have will have spent to get a sub 7Kg Ti road bike. Also component weights
Frame: Cube Super Litening HPT £800 new 1250 grams
Forks: Controltech Lightening £149 new 318 grams
Bars: Planet X Nano carbon compact £75 new 210 grams
Stem: J&L SL Ti forged stem £95 new 103 grams
Headset: Hope 1-1/8 Free 98 grams
Top cap: Controltech carbon £14 new 28 grams
Bar Tape: Lizard skins 2.5 DSP £22 new 53 grams

Brake calipers: Planet X cnc Ti £40 s/h 204 grams pair
Shifters: Sram Force Doubletap From old bike 302 grams
Cables: Jagwire/Fibrax/Kcnc combo £25 new 160grams approx
Front Mech: Sram Force £25 new 88 grams
Rear Mech: Sram Force £25 s/h 178 grams

Seat: Tioga Spyder £36 new 141 grams
Seat Post: J&L Ti £48 new 165 grams
Seat Post Clamp: Token Ti bolt £15 new 12 grams

Cranks: Kcnc RD2 Compact £120 new 658 grams complete inc BB
Chainring(s): Stronglight/Easton CT2 Off old chainset but new
Chain: Clarks Prelube sl £10 new 248 grams
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 6700 11/28 £49 new 230 grams
Pedals: Bebop Stainless £79 new 193 grams
Bottom Bracket: Wheels manufacturing ceramic £25 new

Front Wheel:
Rim:Stans Alpha 400 28h £70 new 413 grams
Spokes: Dt Swiss Revolution £41 new full set 360 grams fullset inc Brass Dt nipples
Hub: American Classic Micro 58 inc ceramic bearings Hubs free, bearings £10 56 grams
Tube: Maxxis Flyweight £8.49 new 50 grams
Tire: Continental 4000s 23c £27 new 202 grams

Back Wheel:
Rim: Stans Alpha 400 32h £70 new 432 grams
Spokes:DT Swiss Revolution
Hub: American Classic 205 inc ceramic bearings Hub free, bearings £20 206 grams
Tube: Maxxis Flyweight £8.49 new 50 grams
Tire: Continental 4000s £27 new 202 grams
Skewers: PZ racing £10 new 60grams

Accessories: 2X Ti Bottle cages £17.50 each new. Smart 9.0 Computer £18.99 new

Total cost for full bike and accessories as seen above £1997.00.
I don't think I have done too badly for the money spent and had lots of fun hunting parts down, I also got some very good bargains along the way which reduced the cost greatly.

Weight: TBC (just waiting for tubes and ti pedal spindles)

Other info:

pastey_boy

The Maxxis 50 gram flyweight tubes I ordered were an utter waste of time, fitted them to my new light wheels and one off them suddenly deflated before I even had a chance to put the wheels on the bike. I did spot some very cheap Tubeless Hutchinson Fusions on Wiggle, £59 a pair posted with a discount code so they should be here tomorrow so I can try my wheels tubeless, I was going to go for the slightly lighter Atoms but the are closer to a 21 than the advertised 23. The Fusions should be a lot comfier and longer lasting.

Markjaspi

Pastey_boy how do yo find those brakes? I was thinking of upgrading mine from 5700 105 to Dura ace 7900, but at that price and weight, I may give them a go. My Scott is currently at 7.7kg, trying to hit just below 7.3kg.

pastey_boy

I will be honest, they are not as powerful as dura-ace, ultegras, or red and force but I fitted some softer compound pads and it improved them immensely. They have a very positive feel at the lever if set up right and they haul my 17 stone ass to a stop no problem. Changing over to these brakes will knock a quarter of a pound off your bike. The pads I fitted were from uberbike, a tenner for 4 pairs and they work great http://www.uberbikecomponents.com/view- ... e-Compound

ricky1980

that is a good looking frame, the gunmetal grey is SHEXY!

out of curiosity how much did you pay for it?

pastey_boy

Got it brand new for £800 from a retailer in Germany.Originally the frameset retailed for close to £4000 back in 2009 so it's a pretty good deal.

Markjaspi

pastey_boy wrote:

I will be honest, they are not as powerful as dura-ace, ultegras, or red and force but I fitted some softer compound pads and it improved them immensely. They have a very positive feel at the lever if set up right and they haul my 17 stone ass to a stop no problem. Changing over to these brakes will knock a quarter of a pound off your bike. The pads I fitted were from uberbike, a tenner for 4 pairs and they work great http://www.uberbikecomponents.com/view- ... e-Compound

That's really useful thanks, I quiet fancy these for the cost to save 150g, especially as I should get a decent price for my 105s.

Love the bike by the way.

ricky1980

pastey_boy wrote:

Got it brand new for £800 from a retailer in Germany.Originally the frameset retailed for close to £4000 back in 2009 so it's a pretty good deal.

:shock: that is awesome!

pastey_boy

Here she is with the new tubeless set up fitted, the weight savings at the moment are small , the wheels are 258 grams lighter but the tubeless tyres, tape, valve and sealant are 142 heavier than the Conti 4000s and conventional tubes, still 1/4 of a pound lighter but the Fusions weigh 310 grams each. Only when I buy some superlight tubeless tyres such as the IRC formula pro tubeless light will I have more of an advantage. The main thing for me though is the puncture protection and ride feel. A quick blast up the road and the wheels feel pretty stiff and I didn't detect and brake rub, I will take them out for a decent run then stick them back in the jig for a fettle . Also I am still waiting on the custom silver rim decals.

pastey_boy

I took a punt on the wheels on sale for £349 at Superstar, they are 42mm deep carbon/scandium rims built on to Superstar hubs with Sapim straight pull butted spokes. They weigh 1890 grams, not superlight by any means but they seem solid and as the have a scandium alloy braking surface the braking is superb. I bought them to try deeper section wheels and will use them on flat runs. I have fitted them with Conti 4000s tyres and Michelin superlight tubes. The wheels have added exactly a pound to the bike but 16.5lbs aint too shabby and the bike should carry speed better. Also added a carbon Bontrager XXXlite stem purely for position, its the exact same stem as the Zipp 145sl and it feels very solid although it is heavier than the previous ti stem.

pastey_boy

I have added a Stronglight Fission chainset for a bit more stiffness over the Kcnc set up, also changed the ratio to 52/36.

RideOnTime

I think the wheels work well.
Good job.