Hello CTC! DIY titanium allen key project :).

[TonyR]

.....and different water bottles...seriously...(£2.60 saved 52g)

Just make sure there's no heavy water contamination when you fill them.

[ljamesbee]

What I'm trying to say is I'd much rather bear the burden of carrying enough do a solid repair/adjustment rather than flying by the seat of my pants and ending up out of action because I wanted to save 50 odd grams.

I definitely agree with that, but what I've found is that for vast majority of things I've switched out, there has been no need to compromise in any way. I've pretty much switched all the parts for things which are better, but are also much lighter.

One exception is tyres, which I'm still testing out. I had used marathon plus tyres for a long time (870g/tyre). At some point ages ago I switched to folding Marathon Racers (These are just awesome), and never got a puncture (390g/tyre). Very recently I've switched to some continental grand prix tyres (247g/tyre). Not got a puncture yet, but it's only been 2 weeks with them. Not sure if I would take these touring.

TBH,if I were as concerned about lightness as the OP, I'd start with myself by trimming as much fat off as is safe and healthy by strict diet.
Perhaps the OP has already done so and found it wasn't enough.

Good point. That could definitely save more weight for many people I'm sure.

I'm fairly slim though at about 10.5 stone and 5'10". I usually lose weight when I go touring or travelling so it would probably be a bad idea to do it on purpose.

Become that credit card tourer (in-fact, credit cards can make remarkably good screwdrivers and a small hexagon slot cut in the bottom - hey presto, a spanner....)

I hope Barclays and Natwest are reading this. Next time they send me a new card, I expect it to come with a 10mm hex slot!

Now whether you wouldn't be better off trying to save weight some other way (on the bike, or bodily, or buying better touring kit) is quite another matter.... but each to his own, eh...

AGREED! See my earlier post . I've counted everything I would be carrying, riding or wearing to be just as important as each other. Only things which I think are more important are rotating masses. Things like tyres, tubes and rims etc.

Just make sure there's no heavy water contamination when you fill them. :wwink:

Now that's just silly .

I bring a lightweight electrolysis kit with me, collect the hydrogen and then fill the little air gap at the top of my bottles with it. Works like a charm.

[Brucey]

re the tyres; at some point if you run very lightweight tyres, it starts to become more appealing to carry a spare tyre where otherwise you mightn't bother. This can make the whole calculation even more complicated!

cheers

[cycle tramp]

Anyways, my thinking is basically that the less that my bike, clothes, equipment etc. (everything) weighs:

1) The more fun I have while cycling, because the faster I can go, and the easier it is (I'm lazy)
2) The more comfort/enjoyment inducing stuff I can justify bring with me (beer, massive luxurious sleeping mats, good cooking equipment etc.)

Thanks for sharing your project! i really enjoyed reading about it. But from the point of view of physics, weight is not the biggest factor that limit your speed, its wind resistance! In 1992 i had a lighter bicycle than my bother, by a considerable amount, yet he was able to storm past me, especially into head winds and especially down hill. i had a 6 speed racer, and my brother rode a peer gynt, long wheel base recumbent.

Bicycle weight only becomes an issue when you speed up (all other things being equal, heavier bicycle takes longer) slow down (again, it takes longer) or when you climb. Indeed, down hill, its worth remembering that the weight of the bicycle is actually a positive thing! But, its aerodynamics and the power that the rider produces that determine the bicycle's speed.

Weight of a bicycle is not a simple thing - there is also rotating mass and non rotating mass to consider. Bicycle A may weight more than bicycle B, but if bicycle A's wheels are lighter (perhaps due to being a smaller size) then bicycle A will accelerate faster than bicycle B. An ounce of the wheel is equal to a pound off the frame, i believe is the old saying.

Weight of the bicycle itself is also subjective - the easiest way to make your sunday best bike feel lighter, and faster is to ride a heavier bicycle the rest of the week. i'm sure this training has some sort of name (resistance training ?) but its true. By using a heavier bicycle your muscles will become more powerful.

Its important to remember this. At the moment, many cycle manufacturers use weight to attract customers. Unless you happen to be a racer, i don't believe that this is a good thing. There are more relevant factors when purchasing a bicycle, including 'how long will the thing last?'. Hence this rather tedious post. To remember that its areodynamics that hold back the cyclist. And perhaps when cycle manufacturers realise that we the purchasing public have understood this, we may see some stunningly fast bicycles brought out by mainstream bicycle companies.

[Brucey]

he's right you know. But....

1) most people (partly through familiarity, partly for other reasons) seem to prefer the handling of an upright bike
2) recumbents are not that great on the climbs
3) riding a lightweight upright bike can be a real joy, a visceral 'man-and-machine-as one' type pleasure, even if it isn't as efficient vs a recumbent.

on a camping trip, if I have a chance to do an unladen loop ride for a day, my touring bike (no matter how lumpen it might be in absolute terms) feels like the most exotic lightweight imaginable; it is all relative!

cheers

[TonyR]

I hope Barclays and Natwest are reading this. Next time they send me a new card, I expect it to come with a 10mm hex slot!

Amex do a credit card made out of anodised titanium which would do a much better job.

I bring a lightweight electrolysis kit with me, collect the hydrogen and then fill the little air gap at the top of my bottles with it. Works like a charm.

Have you tried filling your tyres and frame tubes with it to make them lighter?

[Manc33]

I have tried drop bars at various points in my life, spread out over probably 25 years, giving them "another chance" but always end up back on a flat bar again not really caring about the wind. What I can't get on with on drops is doing down shifts on the drops, contorting my fingers to do it. What bugs me is its only going downhill (thus I would be on the drops) when I need to shift down through multiple sprockets, it just annoys me and I like having everything at my fingertips, but you can't get the same leverage on brake hoods as you can pulling a flat bar brake lever anyway, for me it always stacks up on the side of flat bars.

I can only see one purpose for drops and that's if you have to do the bike ride in a set time, ergo racing. I mean you could rip out the back seats on your car to make it go faster and be more economical but you're ruining it.

[Brucey]

and that has what to do with lightweight tools exactly?

cheers

[andrewjoseph]

I have tried drop bars at various points in my life, spread out over probably 25 years, giving them "another chance" but always end up back on a flat bar again not really caring about the wind. What I can't get on with on drops is doing down shifts on the drops, contorting my fingers to do it. What bugs me is its only going downhill (thus I would be on the drops) when I need to shift down through multiple sprockets, it just annoys me and I like having everything at my fingertips, but you can't get the same leverage on brake hoods as you can pulling a flat bar brake lever anyway, for me it always stacks up on the side of flat bars.

I can only see one purpose for drops and that's if you have to do the bike ride in a set time, ergo racing. I mean you could rip out the back seats on your car to make it go faster and be more economical but you're ruining it.

off topic i know, but if you can't shift gears on the drops, you've got your setup wrong.

[reohn2]

I have tried drop bars at various points in my life, spread out over probably 25 years, giving them "another chance" but always end up back on a flat bar again not really caring about the wind. What I can't get on with on drops is doing down shifts on the drops, contorting my fingers to do it. What bugs me is its only going downhill (thus I would be on the drops) when I need to shift down through multiple sprockets, it just annoys me and I like having everything at my fingertips, but you can't get the same leverage on brake hoods as you can pulling a flat bar brake lever anyway, for me it always stacks up on the side of flat bars.

I can only see one purpose for drops and that's if you have to do the bike ride in a set time, ergo racing. I mean you could rip out the back seats on your car to make it go faster and be more economical but you're ruining it.

off topic i know, but if you can't shift gears on the drops, you've got your setup wrong.

Not to mention if the tops are set too low and the reach to the hoods too far,the drops with STI's or Kelly's will be too low/far away to be comfortable.TBH I see so many people riding drops who've no hope of riding on the drops because of this.

FWIW,I find FSA Vero compact drops set high(with the tops 35 to 40mm higher than the saddle,Planet X also have a very similar pattern h/bar even cheaper),the default position is then drops and hoods 50/50 which is ideal and very comfortable,with the tops only used for noseying over hedges and peering over traffic jams in front or very steep descents off road where the crosstop brake levers are also to hand.
Kelly's and STI's are very ergonomic from hoods or drops with the h/bars set right.Changing gear with Kelly's is also second nature from the tops without moving my hands.
Another thing I like about Kelly's is that I can tell which gear I'm in by touch from any hand position,useful if I've stopped at say a TL in too big a gear,which occasionally happens if I forget to change down,it's then just a matter of flicking the lever and lifting the rear wheel whilst I spin it to change.

I found Sora STI's(the one's with the little pegs)not very ergonomic from the drops even with a decent h/bar position though better than double paddle levers from the hoods.

[elPedro666]

I love that you've bothered to do this, and that you take the same approach to ALL your kit, but obviously without getting overly serious (dull!) about it, very refreshing

However (you knew that was coming, right?), I can't help but think that a small socket set (perhaps with one Ti handle) would be significantly lighter than individual keys?

Perhaps someone knows better - I am only surmising after all - but with a Ti handle and proper tool quality steel bits, it strikes me as the best of both worlds...

[reohn2]

I love that you've bothered to do this, and that you take the same approach to ALL your kit, but obviously without getting overly serious (dull!) about it, very refreshing

However (you knew that was coming, right?), I can't help but think that a small socket set (perhaps with one Ti handle) would be significantly lighter than individual keys?

Perhaps someone knows better - I am only surmising after all - but with a Ti handle and proper tool quality steel bits, it strikes me as the best of both worlds...

Like these with a lightweight Ti 'L' shaped handle:-

[elPedro666]

Exactly like those, YES! [emoji7]

I want them...

[ljamesbee]

Exactly like those, YES!

I want them...

.Not titanium, but you could take just the L-shaped part, bits and bit holder from this multitool .



Will upload some more photos if I ever get round to bending and shaping the other end of the key. Haven't had much time unfortunately.

I ordered a 'zanzi tool' on Tonyf33's recommendation. Not received it yet, but It was pretty much just what I needed.

[elPedro666]

Sorry, I had ti on the brain (and the sun on my screen) and just got carried away there...

Think I've got one of those Jobsworth tools, not used it yet though. A few essential bits and a ti handle is what I was picturing.

Another thing to consider is consolidating the fittings on your bike to a standard size, as far as possible. In the past I seem to remember getting down to just 4mm bolt heads for everything except cranks & pedals...