700c Wheel and Rim Actual Weights - Mavic, Shimano etc.

These figures are from actual weigh ins off of a digital scale from new stock from an authorised Mavic and Shimano dealers  (Chain Reaction and Duke's Cycle both in Toronto, Canada):
2014:
RS 21 rear rim weight alone: 506g ! Heavy! But strong, solid and asymmetrical w a generous brake track.

2013:
Dura Ace 9000 C24 (WH-9000?) f/r: 620/840g

Ultegra 6700 Alloy f/r: 740/971g

RS80/C50 f/r: 835/1060g

Older Mavic Aksium Race Rear Rim, silver 20h eyeleted and heavily USED/worn: 493g

2013 Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11 speed Ribbed Polymer Cables to 2012 Dura Ace 7900 10 speed Shifters

At last, we can make our 10 speed Dura Ace 7900 shifters work as good as it should...thanks to the newer Dura Ace 9000 polymer coated and ribbed cables, right??Theortetically, yes. But, what about the extra clamping force that Shimano says is needed for these cables because they are sooo slippery?

Well, let's find out....when I install em later this month....possibly tomorrow Tuesday 16th...

You know these cables are good when they're packed like this.

Be back in a bit...

We're back!

Yes, they worked as expected. Marked improvement over stock 7900 setup to the point where it's excellent. 

What I did:

Used new Dura Ace 9000 polymer, ribbed cables with my stock new average housings on 7900 shifter + 6700 r.d. + 11-32 XT cassette on Rocky Mountain Prestige carbon road bike (typical external cable routing).

 

Friggin awesome!  Of course, not as quick/shorter-throwing or light as the current 9000 shifters BUT, pretty darn close and way better than any stock 7900 setup due to the 9000 cables alone.  They do make that much of a difference just as Shimano claimed (20-27%? reduction in friction). So far no issues with the cable clamping but if so, I figure one could simply remove the coating by abrading it off.

Also, big money saved as I avoided approx. $800 to fully upgrade to 9000. While I got the biggest benefit of the 9000 group (super slick shifting via polymer cables) for about $20. But, I got em by getting the complete pair of 9000 shifters.  I still do not know if these cables are available for sale alone. I know they are not available through any of our suppliers. However, I have not checked Shimano Canada...

$157 Full Carbon Rim Tubular 700C Wheel - 530g

  Third wheel I've purchased direct from an Asian manufacturer/seller.  This one was from Shanghai via eBay.com. 

So far, so good. The first wheelset I never rode because it was for a special fundraising build but, I did receive and install them on the bike with no problems. They were fully and professionally well-packed and sealed. Nothing fishy. Just as you would get it if ordered new from a local supplier like Live to Play, OGC, etc. 

  As was this front, 700c carbon rim tubular wheel. Full UD carbon matte finish. Aero/bladed spokes, Novatec sealed bearing hubs with minimal shell and flanges. All black. Claimed 530g w/o skewers. $157.25 + 50.00 shipping CAD.  Received it in about 9 days! Very impressive. Unbeatable price, even for the most killer deal from a used equivalent and even compared to my inside bike employee discount...you cannot get a better deal than this. Period.

Here it is, straight outta the box:

Conti Sprinters to be mounted and I'll b be back later this July with a follow up & test and hopefully actual weights...

Ultimate Affordable 4-Season Hybrid City Road Bike: My 2007 Norco VFR!

A 700c city bike with super short 16.5" chainstays, extra long 22.75" top tube, and clearance for fat tires and fenders AND racks? With aerodynamic hydroformed double-butted aluminum, tall head tube, shaped stays for comfort, 27.2 seatpost, V and disc brake compatible AND it even looks good?? Only in the 2007 Norco VFR series. 

That's why I searched extensively to finally find one from Bikes on Wheels Toronto back in 2008 on sale for a paltry $450!

Here it is BEFORE:

And now, AFTER:

Only original elements left: Frameset and rear brake calipers.

Sooo, what did I do?? And why?

From top to bottom:

A way more comfortable saddle: WTB Speed She. That's right it's a women's saddle. And it's the most comfortable saddle of the plethora I've tried. 

The lightest true suspension seatpost in the world: USE XCR Carbon Alien! Designed - and made? - in the U.K. Approx. 2.5" of controlled travel via coil and urethane springs. Approx. 420g 

 

A compact drop bar setup for optimum ergonomics and comfort. 3T Ergonova aluminum with flat/ovalized top section for more comfort and better aerodynamics.

Wrapped with Specialized Roubaix vibration damping gel bartape with Bar Phat gel under pads on top section only as I almost never use the drops

And here comes my piece de resistance:

A road 1 x 10 speed drivetrain. All the gears I'll ever need using one, single chainring. Yes!

Dura Ace 7800 STI shifters 

Ultegra 6600 Hollowtech II Triple crankset chosen because a triple's chainline is perfect for a 1x10 because you can have a chainring exactly in the middle. $30 on eBay!

105 5700 black left crank arm. Yup I got two different crank arms, one silver, one black....just for fun...and I wanted to see if it worked and it does perfectly ;)

42 tooth chainring

Blackspire Cyclogod outer chainring guard in place of outer chainring. Saves weight, serves as a chainguard and looks darn good!

Stock front derailleur kept on and adjusted to keep chain on, thus serving as a chain keeper. $0!

 

 

11-36 10 speed XT CS-M771 Dyna Sys Hyperglide cassette 
XTR hollow pin, assymetrical, mud-shedding chain...why? Why Not! haha! Well, I know that I can get away with one chain and cassette lasting for at least 1 year so why not get one that's lighter? And it's affordable with my bike shop employee discount, heheh. Thank you Chain Reaction Toronto and Shimano S-TEC program!

 And this was an interesting spec: the rear derailleur had to be a mountain one with 34-36t max. AND NON Dyna-Sys/not a Shimano 10 speed mountain because the cable pull is not compatible with non Dyna-Sys shifters which is what I had (7800's) even if they are Shimano 10 speed shifters! Dogs! I found out the hard way by ordering a super sweet 2013 all black XT Dyna-Sys med. cage shadow r.d. and discovering that my 7800 shifters didnt pull enough cable to even shift to all cogs no matter what I did.
SO, luckily, I happened to have an older 9 speed Deore MTB r. derailleur that's all black! Thanks G! It was from my other VFR ;)
Works perfectly and quietly.

 And what would a bike be without some light wheels!
REAR is a "Speed Dream" 28 spoke, custom hand-built affair by Dave's Wheels in U.S.A.
White Industries H2 road hub with a titanium freehub body.
Driveside: 2-cross, DT Revolution 17/15/17ga butted round spokes
Non-driveside: radial, DT Aerolite spokes, elbows out for max. stiffness.
Rim: Velocity Aerohead OCR.

 

 FRONT is a fairly aerodynamic, shock absorbing, light Spinergy XAERO Lite with PBO fiber spokes that take care of the shock absorbing way better than any steel spoked one.

*Check the cheeky monkeys at Wellgo, sneaking in this lil message on their pedals:

 CANADA BABY!

11 Speed Cross Compatibilities: Shimano Dura Ace 9000, Sram XX1, Campagnolo, Alfine.

I will be trying these combos, esp. 9000 shifters with Srams XX1 11speed 10-42 cassette and Shimano or compatible rear derailleur. Why? Because its bloody desirable as heaven thats why!!! As my Polish boss, Radek frm Wheels of Bloor the largest Cervelo dealer inthe world in Toronto would say: "KOURVA MACH! R u kidding me??!"

Srams widEST 10-42 range superlight external 11spd cassette/gearing now allows a justified use of just 1 chainring thus no front shifting/shiftr/derailleur/2nd chainrng/clearances/xtra weight/cabling etc needed at all! It wld b by nature and simplicity, Lighter, Easier, Smoother, and potentially a stiffer frame due to more room for frame material in tht area.

LET THE TESTING BEGIN AND VIDEOS BEGIN!.... STAY TUNED TO BIKEFX FOR UPDATES.

My Shimano rep didnt evennknow if we cld use non 9000 rd with 9000 shifters :P. Shame!  I bet you can. We must in order to work w 42t cog we need an mtb rd with 42t compatibility. So far, Sram's XX1 is the only one, officially. Unofficially? Any rd with a max. cog tooth of close to 42 will work...just not as smoothly as the XX1's - RD's pulley wheel with less than 42t max may touch the 42t cassette cog in that 42t gear only. That'd be the biggest issue. Next would be tht its shifting path may not match the 9-42 cassette shape but, that is likely a non-issue.

Crap ths is gonna b expen$ive...900$ shiftrs...who knws how much xx1 cass gona cost... Gotta borrow... ;)

STAY TUNED TO BIKEFX FOR THE LATEST TECHNICAL/MECHANICAL STUFF.

NB  An 11+ speed internally geared hub is also worth noting here for non-racers aka, 'US" the people, the rest of the millions of people on earth that bike daily for fun up to multiple times a day all year round for transportation etc. ;)
WHY? Forgetting the additional 100's of grams of weight in the rear and limits against super light wheel choices because only many metal spokes can be built with these IGH hubs....ugh....you DO get a smoother and thus longer lasting chain, super smooth and ultra wide gearing all with little to no maintenance compared to regular/monthly maintenance with external gears. 


***My greatest apologies. My connection did not come through with providing the XX1 parts for testing, therefore, cant test!  Don't we hate it when people don't keep their word folks?

... DT 2012