BikeMech

I googled and cannot find detailed info on the frame. I found barely any on the whole bike. I don't know the exact year as it was given to me but it's around the 90's. Anybody know the weight of the frame? It's carbon with aluminum joints.

Edit: Before someone replies and says "weigh it" or something similar,it's a complete bike and i don't feel compelled to take it completely apart just to weigh the frame. I would just weigh it IF it was only a frame.

Menel

Those are likely 'lugs', as hopefully they're quite rigid and don't move.

umd

DannoXYZ has one, he might know. You can PM him and ask.

And yes, they are lugs.

shuffles

I also have one, and built up with 7800 Dura Ace drivetrain, Ritchey Comp bars. Easton EA 70 stem, generic carbon fork, Toupe saddle, low end SPD pedals, and Open Pros with DA 7400 hubs it's about 19lbs, with cages and bag at 58cm.

BikeMech

Pics?

BikeMech

And any ideas on how to knock off the weight? It's 22lbs 8 ounce right now. The wheels are 2100grams but i have found 1600-1700gram wheelsets for reasonable prices online. Aside from that i can't think of much. I have a carbon/aluminum fork already. As for components it has old 105 8 speed.

umd

Without getting into a discussion of the value of reducing weight on your bike, yourself, the cost of doing so, etc...

1) Replace the heavy-ass wheels
2) There is often a lot of weight in the bars and seatpost
3) old 8 speed 105 is going to be heavy, especially the bottom bracket & crank.

urbanknight

I almost bought one of those in 1994 with Ultegra STI. Remember that in that time, anything below 20 lb was considered light. Instead of buying that one, I ended up piecing together a Trek 5500 (full carbon) with Ultegra STI and a bunch of super light goodies to get it to 19 lb.

You can probably drop a good pound or more just by swapping to a full carbon fork and a light threadless stem (remember, that bike is 1" and not 1 1/8). You are already dropping a pound with the new wheels and could do another pound if you get some sick light carbon hoops instead. As umd said, cranks are a bulky item, and going to a newer system would probably save you a quarter pound. A light saddle and post would also make a noticeable difference.

mmmdonuts

Not worth it but if you insist then spend the money on parts that can be transferred to a newer and better frame down the road.

umd

Doh, for some reason when I read the OP's post I didn't see the part about the alu on the fork. Only read the carbon part. The fork would be the next thing I would look at after the wheels for sure. Then the bottom bracket and crank. If it's an old square taper BB, you could probably save another pound or nearly so with a lightweight external bearing setup.

BikeMech

I neglected to give full details. This should help you guy get an idea of what i'm working with.



Stuff i have changed:

Seat: San marco blaze
Fork: 1" threadless Carbon with aluminum steerer/dropouts
Headset: 1" threadless (Obviously) Campagnolo chorus
Spacers: Carbon
Stem: Some old 1 1/8" ritchey stem (I run a shim from j&b on the steerer tube)

I am planning to:

Change to 50/34 compact crank
Slightly smaller cassette (Still get the benefit of the compact but without as much lose to max speed)
New 105 or ultegra deraileurs.


The tires weigh 300 grams so i know i can replace them an save a decent bit. I just run them because they're cheap to replace and i get decent mileage. Where would i find a full carbon 1" fork anyway? I looked but this was the only fork i could find.

carpediemracing 

I had one of those briefly. Don't know the weight.

Your post has a lot of weight there, relatively speaking. I bet your bars do too. Cranks. Prob BB.

Tires, rim tape, tubes (get light butyl ones).

Pretty bike. Love the color, esp in bright sunshine.

Watch for milk-colored under-paint discolorations. This indicates galvanic corrosion of the lugs. The lugs, btw, are mainly cosmetic as far as what you see. They extend about three times as far inside the tubes. The outside of the tubes are there to make it look more normal, like a lugged steel frame.

cdr

It may not be cost effective to get it much lighter than about 20 lbs.

abarth

Here is mine. I love the look of the Epic. I got mine down to 19.6 lbs with spare parts I had. I think I can get it down to around 18, but it will cost a lot. The tires, wheelset, seatpost, saddle and the carbon folk made a big different. If you want more info, do a search over in Classic and Vintage. Search under Allez Epic instead of Epic.

topflightpro

My Specialized Epic frame weights about 5 pounds, of course, that includes the rear shock.

(Isn't it great how Specialized just recycled the name on a full suspension mountain bike after using it on its carbon/aluminum frame back in the 90s/)

BikeMech

I'm iffy on the lightweight tubes. I have found some vittoria brand tires that claim 195g and are $51 each. I'm trying to find a fairly lightweight slick that is reasonable price,name brand or not. I mainly do solo or group rides with the occasional charity ride but i plan to try racing this spring and i want a tire i can ride for everything.

I didn't think rim tape was that big of a deal? I'm not sure what kind of tape these have. A friend gave me the wheels and they already had the tape on them. I'll check next time i'm changing a flat.

I'm planning to get a carbon post eventually. My only problem is that the integrated clamp is broken off on the left side. It was like that when the bike was given to me. I just have to fix that first.

I would love to do ultegra crank,deraileurs,and carbon seat post/bars/stem to be honest. I know price-wise i could buy another bike that's lighter but i hate to get another bike and have to get used to the feel of it since i'm already adjusted to this bike.


So far it's been decided that i need for sure:

Wheels
Tires
Seatpost

abarth

That's a common problem with the Epic. Owner over tighten the seat clamp bolt. Welding will not work around the clamp area, it will break again. Only solution that seem to work is to replace the seat post with a quill type seat post.

carpediemracing 

Tubes, not tires. Salsa tubes are about 60g apiece, vs 90 for a regular, and they cost about the same. For tires I like the low-mid 200 gram range, typically Krylion or similar. I stay away from light clinchers.

Rim strips, if you can get the "light" ones (3-4g) versus the Velox (?40g?) it can make the difference like a light butyl tube.

Carbon post isn't necessary. A smart aluminum one works well. I stopped using my carbon posts as well as a super light ti one.

Heat treated alum bar (3ttt made them) are low 200g range. A heavy alum bar may weigh as much as 400+g, and there

Going out for my last solid food for a few days so have to go.

roccobike

Those early Epic CF are really nice bikes and they still bring over $400 on the used market. I ride with two guys who have the exact same model/color as the OPs and both guys love their bikes. One has made changes to lighten it. IMHO your biggest bang for the buck will be new wheels.

Note: Contrary to popular belief these bikes do not "explode" after 10 or 15 years.

shuffles

Here it is before I replaced the fork, seat, bars, crank, drivetrain, and took off the frame pump:



As you can see, I have a different frame than yours, which may account for a weight difference.

Cheers!