On One Whippet rigid build (formally lightweight rigid build
burglarboycie
Posts: 200
Hi all
I am working on a little lightweight rigid build to get into some xc riding and training. It started with a nice condition Carrera Kraken frame (don't laugh) from eBay for £20!! Did some research before going for it and understand its pretty light and stiff (certainly feels light for a 20" frame) I figure it will do until I can afford something carbon! Anyway, stripped it and roughly polished it up to a 'brushed' finish. Can't decide if I should get it painted gloss white now though or leave it as is?! What do you guys reckon?
Got some lovely Exotic carbon forks for my 30th off my better half, she's a good 'un. I like these forks a lot and think they are a good buy. Got a great deal on a pair of Hope PRO3 SP-XC3 complete with brand new tubeless Schwalbe Rocket Ron's!!
I'm impressed with these too, feel pretty light and I've always been a big fan of Hope hubs.
Also have a set of Hope Mono Mini brakes, Bontrager xxx carbon lite bars and a whole heap of titanium bolts (caliper bolts, bottle cage and lever clamp) for it so far. In the process of securing a deal on a Ritchey wcs stem too.
Any criticism or advice greatly appreciated and opinions on whether or not to paint the frame.
I am working on a little lightweight rigid build to get into some xc riding and training. It started with a nice condition Carrera Kraken frame (don't laugh) from eBay for £20!! Did some research before going for it and understand its pretty light and stiff (certainly feels light for a 20" frame) I figure it will do until I can afford something carbon! Anyway, stripped it and roughly polished it up to a 'brushed' finish. Can't decide if I should get it painted gloss white now though or leave it as is?! What do you guys reckon?
Got some lovely Exotic carbon forks for my 30th off my better half, she's a good 'un. I like these forks a lot and think they are a good buy. Got a great deal on a pair of Hope PRO3 SP-XC3 complete with brand new tubeless Schwalbe Rocket Ron's!!
I'm impressed with these too, feel pretty light and I've always been a big fan of Hope hubs.
Also have a set of Hope Mono Mini brakes, Bontrager xxx carbon lite bars and a whole heap of titanium bolts (caliper bolts, bottle cage and lever clamp) for it so far. In the process of securing a deal on a Ritchey wcs stem too.
Any criticism or advice greatly appreciated and opinions on whether or not to paint the frame.
0
Comments
-
-
nice frame
me, I'd powder coat it, but clear lacquer would keep it neat0 -
Cheers guys
I'd heard that lacquer wouldn't adhere to polished aluminium too well?
James0 -
Frame looks great, Thinking of re-painting my Bokor but not sure what finish.0
-
Thanks. It was pretty straightforward getting mine to look like this (more time consuming than anything else) if you fancied going for polished yourself. Works out cheaper than having it painted or powder coated.
James0 -
Ti bolts are a waste of money, stop there. You'll save more weight fitting alu bolts in a few places than doing everything with ti. Only worth it if the build is top spec everywhere else.0
-
Potential n00b question here. How did you remove the paint? Was it just a matter of going to town with some sandpaper, or did you use chemicals of some kind? I'm seriously considering redecorating one of my bikes in the near future, but I'm not sure what the best/safest way of doing it is.0
-
Going to keep 'wasting my money' on ti bolts because I like them and don't see it as a waste of money at all.
Anyway, when it came to stripping the frame I used a paint/varnish remover called NitroMors, paint it on with an old paint brush, leave a while and paint and lacquer etc should blister up. Use wire wool or scouring pad to remove all the flakey paint. Then repeat if necessary. I then went over the whole frame with 0000 grade steel wool. The steel wool stage was pretty time consuming. Some people would then attack it with gradually lower grades of wet and dry sand paper but I didn't bother as I wanted more of a 'brushed' look rather than polished. Hope that helps.
James.0 -
Ok, as long as you know you'll save 5 times as much weight elsewhere for the same cash. Like I say, alu in your bottle cage, mechs, headset, chainrings, levers and shifters will save more weight than doing the whole bike in ti, and cost less than £5. Pretty colours too.0
-
I like to use titanium, have used it on all my old trials and dh bikes. I have only spent £25 on bolts so far so don't see it as a huge expenditure. It's never going to be the lightest build going whilst I'm using this frame so not being too strict at the moment. May use alu bolts as, when and if I go for a carbon (or better aluminium) frame.0
-
Been thinking . . . . Should I continue this build with the Carrera frame or buy a new Merlin Malt 2 frame? Not sure the exact weight of my Carrera so don't know if the Merlin will be lighter but I'm sure it will have better geometry etc. The £135 I could get the Merlin for would get me some decent parts for the current build but not sure which direction to go in!! What do you guys think?
James0 -
No, don't bother. Stick with what you have and save for something that's a significant improvement, a Whippet or sommat.0
-
Nice build, the malt frames is no better than what you have, like njee I wouldn't be using Ti bolts, but each to their own, if the bottle cage bolts aren't holding anything, nylon is lighter still.
Please add your build to the Carrera HT thread (link in my sig), you can also see my Kraken for ideas if you like.
Paint will add about 250g to the weight, my 16" frame was 1485g bare before painting, so would guess yours is probably about 1600g.
A friend has a raw frame, he just uses car polish to keep it fresh, no lacquer.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
Thanks for the replies guys.
The frame is now for sale in the Sales section.
James0 -
sell the tubeless rocket rons and get the tubless ready ones, should save you about 250g per tyre IIRC0
-
if the bottle cage bolts aren't holding anything, nylon is lighter still.
True - or a small piece of electrical tape covering the hole! Must say I've just got a load of holes in my frame from front mech and remote lockout internal cable guides I'm not using, and the frame doesn't fill with mud and water as one may expect!0 -
Indeed, I just like it looking neat......Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
-
Frame now reduced in price to £30 posted If anyone is interested.0
-
What size is it?Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
-
It's a 20"0
-
Ordered an On One Whippet frame tonight so the build continues but now with a considerably better frame!!! Sold my Mono Minis to help fund the frame, reckon I will go for XT or Formula RX when the time comes. Went for a gloss black Whippet frame and ordered a red decal sheet to put on it. Got a headset on its way too.
Will post pics once it arrives.0 -
Thought I would post a picture of the new frame with the forks in it. I'm really happy with the way it looks.
Feels nice and light too. Think I'm going to leave the frame without any decals.0 -
Did you buy that new? Looks quite scratched unless it's just a trick of the light?
Nice looking frame though.0 -
Yeah it's brand spanking new!! That's just the weave of the carbon and the lacquer, it doesn't photograph as good as it looks!!0
-
Yum yum.....I'd really like a whippet frame next......Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
