Review of Sub-8-pound bike? (Customized Litespeed Ghisallo)

[email hidden said:

"]Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

fairwheelbikes.comgallery.htmlOpen ↗

--JP

Wouldn't it be such a warm and comfortable feeling just whistling down some twisty mountain road on such a marvel of technology and reliability?

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

--JP

There is a point beyond which a bike becomes too ugly to look at. All
those ultralight bikes are butt ugly IMO. Yuk.

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

Quoted message said:

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

Let's see, 3 lbs for the frame/fork, 3 lbs for the wheels/tires, that
leaves 1.9 lbs for the drivetrain, braking, steering, and saddle.
No Quick Releases! Hey, they cheated !!

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

--JP

You wouldn't get up a steep hill; that bottom gear is too high. Our
5-time national hill climb champion rides a bike with only one gear
and one brake and it weights about 12lb

http://website.lineone.net/~jim.henderson/cycling/bikes/antigra.html

Anything lighter than that needs to be ridden to at least a national
championship medal before we can consider it ready for anything more
than posing

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

--JP

You wouldn't get up a steep hill; that bottom gear is too high. Our
5-time national hill climb champion rides a bike with only one gear
and one brake and it weights about 12lb

http://website.lineone.net/~jim.henderson/cycling/bikes/antigra.html

Anything lighter than that needs to be ridden to at least a national
championship medal before we can consider it ready for anything more
than posing

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a 2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that feels
like it's missing the wheels.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:dh__e.123114$Ep.67394@lakeread02...

Quoted message said:

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

--JP

You wouldn't get up a steep hill; that bottom gear is too high. Our
5-time national hill climb champion rides a bike with only one gear
and one brake and it weights about 12lb

http://website.lineone.net/~jim.henderson/cycling/bikes/antigra.html

Anything lighter than that needs to be ridden to at least a national
championship medal before we can consider it ready for anything more
than posing

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a 2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that
feels like it's missing the wheels.

I forgot to mention that it's a Campy Record 10 drivetrain.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

It's owned by M2Racer. Have you seen their stuff? 82-gram seatposts?
99-gram pedals (with 65-gram cleats)?

A buddy of mine had the seatpost, but it kept slipping. He's definitely not
a heavy rider, but his carbon frame didn't seem to want to keep the seatpost
in place.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Phil said:

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:dh__e.123114$Ep.67394@lakeread02...

Quoted message said:

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 29 Sep 2005 11:00:42 -0700, [email hidden] wrote:

>Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
>ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?
>
>I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
>website.
>
>Whoa!
>
>You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.
>
>http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html
>
>--JP

You wouldn't get up a steep hill; that bottom gear is too high. Our
5-time national hill climb champion rides a bike with only one gear
and one brake and it weights about 12lb

http://website.lineone.net/~jim.henderson/cycling/bikes/antigra.html

Anything lighter than that needs to be ridden to at least a national
championship medal before we can consider it ready for anything more
than posing

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a 2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that
feels like it's missing the wheels.

I forgot to mention that it's a Campy Record 10 drivetrain.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Sorry Phil - I'm not buying. 14lbs maybe, but 12lbs is crazy light.
What are the off the shelf wheels on that bike - I thought it was the
1550g Ksyriums?

"Andrew F Martin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Phil said:

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:dh__e.123114$Ep.67394@lakeread02...

Quoted message said:

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> On 29 Sep 2005 11:00:42 -0700, [email hidden] wrote:
>
>>Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
>>ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?
>>
>>I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
>>website.
>>
>>Whoa!
>>
>>You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.
>>
>>http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html
>>
>>--JP
>
> You wouldn't get up a steep hill; that bottom gear is too high. Our
> 5-time national hill climb champion rides a bike with only one gear
> and one brake and it weights about 12lb
>
> http://website.lineone.net/~jim.henderson/cycling/bikes/antigra.html
>
> Anything lighter than that needs to be ridden to at least a national
> championship medal before we can consider it ready for anything more
> than posing

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a
2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that
feels like it's missing the wheels.

I forgot to mention that it's a Campy Record 10 drivetrain.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Sorry Phil - I'm not buying. 14lbs maybe, but 12lbs is crazy light.
What are the off the shelf wheels on that bike - I thought it was the
1550g Ksyriums?

Off-the-shelf aftermarket parts... my apologies. In other words, he didn't
buy too much stuff from Germany. (Tune, Schmolke, Storck, Corima, etc.)

He used to work for American Classic. He has a pair of CR-420s on them now.
Probably an aluminum cassette, AmClassic BB, CF saddle... WCS stem and even
has bar tape!

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Squid-in-Training said:

Quoted message said:

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a 2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that
feels like it's missing the wheels.

Have you actually weighed it? Record 10 groupset plus Hyperon
wheels/light tyres plus light bar/stem/saddle/seatpost comes to about
11lb. A TCR frame with fork is about 3lb. Hard to see where you'd drop
2lb.

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

Squid-in-Training said:

Off-the-shelf aftermarket parts... my apologies. In other words, he didn't
buy too much stuff from Germany. (Tune, Schmolke, Storck, Corima, etc.)

He used to work for American Classic. He has a pair of CR-420s on them now.
Probably an aluminum cassette, AmClassic BB, CF saddle... WCS stem and even
has bar tape!

I'd love to ride it. But then, he'd be a fool to let me. At +/- 200 lbs,
I'm afraid I'd shred the darn thing.

Aluminum cassette? There's something practical.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It is probably that television drama of high caliber and
_`\(,_ | produced by first-rate artists will materially raise the level
(_)/ (_) | of dramatic taste in the nation. -- David Sarnoff, 1939

waxbytes said:

Wouldn't it be such a warm and comfortable feeling just whistling down
some twisty mountain road on such a marvel of technology and
reliability?

Reliability???? I have no fear of that, though, since no 12-lb, much less
8-lb, bike would take me up the mountain to begin with.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass.
_`\(,_ | What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong
(_)/ (_) |

I had a similar problem with a EC90 seatpost on a Scott CR1. I didn't want
to torque the seatclamp too much and ended up spraying the seatpost with 3M
photo adhesive. I think the stuff is similar to rubber cement. That solved
the slipping seatpost problem. Others have resorted to sanding the clearcoat
off the seatpost.

cel

"Phil, Squid-in-Training" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:ck__e.123116$Ep.29784@lakeread02...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

It's owned by M2Racer. Have you seen their stuff? 82-gram seatposts?
99-gram pedals (with 65-gram cleats)?

A buddy of mine had the seatpost, but it kept slipping. He's definitely

not

Quoted message said:

a heavy rider, but his carbon frame didn't seem to want to keep the

seatpost

Quoted message said:

in place.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Squid-in-Training said:

Quoted message said:

Interesting. A guy on our fast club ride (over bumpy roads) owns a 2003
TCR0 with off-the-shelf stuff, except for the cranks and saddle, and it
weighs in at 12 lbs. It's the weirdest thing picking a full bike that
feels like it's missing the wheels.

Have you actually weighed it? Record 10 groupset plus Hyperon
wheels/light tyres plus light bar/stem/saddle/seatpost comes to about
11lb. A TCR frame with fork is about 3lb. Hard to see where you'd drop
2lb.

Okay let me see if I can recount everything.

-Med Frame/fork 1350g
-Campy Rec10 shifters (325g)
-drilled-out front record derailleur (~50g)
-record rear derailleur (probably had something done to these too) (180g)
-Storck powerarms crankset (~420 grams)
-American Classic wheels (he might have had some special stuff done to
these, I dunno... these could be tubies. He said he tried the prototype set
of magnesium wheels American Classic made and they sucked, ride-wise. But
let's guess ~1800g for the wheelset, inc tires)
-AmClassic BB (140g)
-Tufo (again, not sure if these were tubs or not)
-CF bar (180g)
-WCS stem (100g)
-Speedneedle-like saddle (80g)
-M2Racer seatpost (82g)
-pedals, dunno what they were (150g)
-cassette (127g)
-chain KMC (250g)
-headset(50g)
-brakes zerog (185g)

Add bar tape, cables and housing, headset spacers, skewers (ti Salsas
maybe), and it definitely fits within 12.9lbs (I don't know if it was the
high or low end of 12lb)

He's no poser... he rides fast and he talks in a funny Australian accent.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Squid-in-Training said:

Off-the-shelf aftermarket parts... my apologies. In other words, he
didn't
buy too much stuff from Germany. (Tune, Schmolke, Storck, Corima, etc.)

He used to work for American Classic. He has a pair of CR-420s on them
now.
Probably an aluminum cassette, AmClassic BB, CF saddle... WCS stem and
even
has bar tape!

I'd love to ride it. But then, he'd be a fool to let me. At +/- 200 lbs,
I'm afraid I'd shred the darn thing.

He rides the [censored] out of it on our 26mph avg club rides here in flat
Florida...

He probably weighs ~165 and isn't scared to sprint on the bike.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

In article <[email hidden]>, Lou Holtman

Quoted message said:

There is a point beyond which a bike becomes too ugly to look at. All
those ultralight bikes are butt ugly IMO. Yuk.

Lou

Seconded. Perusing through velonews.com's latest Interbike report, the
chief impression of the future of cycling is exotic, carbon fibered,
featherweight and UGLY. Judge of yourself:
http://velonews.com/tech/report/articles/8980.0.html

Winner of the 'Pimp My Ride' award: 'Diamond Fetish' from Fetish Cycles.

Luke

Quoted message said:

Has anyone reported on what it's like to ride some of these crazy new
ultralight bikes that shops are building up for people?

I see a 7.9-lb modified Litespeed Ghisallo at the top of this shop
website.

Whoa!

You'd want to test this puppy going up the steepest hill you can find.

http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/gallery.html

--JP

i see litespeed still haven't bothered to check into the benefits of
tapered chain stay tubes. but what do i care - i just won't buy one
until they get that clue.

Donald Gillies said:

Let's see, 3 lbs for the frame/fork, 3 lbs for the wheels/tires, that
leaves 1.9 lbs for the drivetrain, braking, steering, and saddle.
No Quick Releases! Hey, they cheated !!

Your calculations are off. The Ghisallo frame with the THM fork are
about 1.0 kg or 2,2 lbs. Wheels plus lightweight tubulars should be
around 2,5 lbs.

-as

That makes more sense. Still not sure I'd want to ride it for long
with a CF saddle, but it sounds svelte within the limits of road-sanity
(nothing "scary" light).