3T Strada sub 6kg goal with cable disc and mechanical shifting

[takolino]

No worries gSporco. Besides, you weren't the only person to question 50x32. Gearing was definitely a relevant aspect for this build and I did make compromises with reasons that made sense to me for my riding preferences and locations. It's definitely limiting.

[TobinHatesYou]

A 20min OLH requires 9mph = 73rpm on 50x32 and 28mm tires
A 25min OLH requires 7.2mph = 58rpm on 50x32 and 28mm tires

However, there are hairpins and slightly steeper sections where you will be absolutely grinding...

[janberto]

Nice job Takolino,

Cutting the front brake cable and the spacer tower might get u some grams. Also changing the front wheel for a lighter one on the mountain stages will get u under 6kg!

I'm cracking open a cold one for this build!

[dmetzinger]

Wow, simply amazing Takolino, you are quite an artistic engineer! What a beautiful build, I especially love all the detail and finishing with the Metron bars. I ended up trading in my Strada Due frame for a Factor VAM frame. I do some longer rides wth quite a bit of climbing out here in the Easy Bay (usually with Diablo smack dab in the middle) and so 2x is a necessity and the Due was kind of a boat anchor. I realize low weight was not it's purpose and it definitely hits the mark in both the aero and comfort areas. I bought it with the purpose of stripping it but the comfort and handling almost made me keep it.

I'm 180 (6' 4") and 55 so like you, age has caught up to me so not worried about my climb times either. I'm not sure sub hour Diablo times are ever coming back for me and high 50 minute times up Diablo are not fast at all compared to real climbers anyway. Once we all get vaccinated and it's safer to do group rides we should plan a WW meetup, Tunitas is one of my favorite climbs but haven't done it in years so maybe a Penisula ride. I can't wait for your next project!

[takolino]

A 20min OLH requires 9mph = 73rpm on 50x32 and 28mm tires
A 25min OLH requires 7.2mph = 58rpm on 50x32 and 28mm tires

However, there are hairpins and slightly steeper sections where you will be absolutely grinding...

Ah, the power of math. I need to remember this one to tell my kids why math is important.
The lower cadance forces me to work harder and get out of the saddle more but not for long stretches. The steep sections are pretty short. Net result is it may actually help me improve.

Nice job Takolino,

Cutting the front brake cable and the spacer tower might get u some grams. Also changing the front wheel for a lighter one on the mountain stages will get u under 6kg!

I'm cracking open a cold one for this build!

Thanks! You noticed the uncut cables. Still messing around with it and if I cut the cable, it's next to impossible to rethread the cable through the housing in the fork.

Hey @dmetzinger, Thanks for the compliments. Sounds like you are a an acomplished climber. I've never attempted Diablo but it sounds pretty challenging. Enjoy the VAM. I've been folowing Factor for a few years. They seem to have made a lot of progress in a relatively short amount of time. Would love to see your build if you post it.

[dmetzinger]

Haha Tak I wish that were true so it's my turn to thank you for the compliment. No one will ever mistake me for a climber but I still love climbing despite it. BTW you absolutely have to do Diablo some time. The climb from the South is gorgeous. Sorry for all the off topic rambling, again great work and I may have to reach out if I get serious about a real WW build!

[takolino]

Been a while since I parked the bike because of a warranty issue with the fork. There were some minor visible defects around the fork steerer just above the crown and 3T determined it was worth replacing. So it arrived yesterday and I swapped it last night. Unfortunately, the new fork is about 30 grams heavier. I suppose this is the price for safety sometimes. It was a major pain threading the brake cables through the fork again. Something to consider for integrated internal cabling.

Almost 400 grams after cutting. A gain of about 30 grams.

I also took the opportunity to replace the carbon tube that holds the saddle rail clamping bolts with an updated one because it cracked on my other bike. If you did this mod to lose a few grams, take heed. Don't use the conical or ball head bolts without a washer. It can split the carbon. I hit a small bump on a recent ride and my saddle came off the seat post. Luckily, no injuries and the saddle stayed hanging on the yoke so no damage other than the carbon tube. This mod saves up to 10 grams but if not done correctly, this is the result. I learned the hard way but with minimal consequence. Now adding washers to the bolts for my other bikes.

I'll be riding the Strada up OLH today with my 20 year old son. We'll see if I can keep up with him. Glad to finally get the Strada back on the road.



See below for the updated seat post saddle rail clamping bolt anchor tube (not sure what to call this thing). The one on my Strada was working (only a few rides) but since it was set up the same way as the one that cracked, I decided to replace it. The ball head bored into the hole and split the carbon apart. With a washer, hopefully, this weakness is eliminated. If the washer is slightly oversized, it will still allow for a little tilt.

Ball head split the carbon pulling through the first hole of the tube

Original carbon tube on the modded Charlie seatpost. No washers

Washers added and minimal material removed to increase strength

Washer tilts enough on the ball head to keep full contact with tube.

Happy holidays, everyone!

[hannawald]

These are one of the best mods I have seen here, hats down Takolino!
I wish FSA made some normal weight stem for ACR..

[backdoor]

@takolino - Thanks for this thread. I started reading a couple posts halfway through the thread and it was so good I had to go back and read the whole thing front to back.

Im right behind you in years and got back into cycling about 4 years ago. I bought two bikes as they came and have made part swaps to lighten them up a little but now on my 3rd bike I have decided to build. It's not going to be WW build at all (currently looking at an 8kg "aero" focused Noah SL Disc) but trying to see what I can do to get it to sub 7.5. But where I really appreciated your efforts was tidying the cables up in the headset/stem area.

I'm currently looking at designing an aluminum insert/bung for the headtube to route the cables through the steerer tube down into the fork. I'll post some drawings in my build here once I get to it. Hoping it saves a little weight but will at least clean up the front brake cable.

[easyv]

Been a while since I parked the bike because of a warranty issue with the fork. There were some minor visible defects around the fork steerer just above the crown and 3T determined it was worth replacing. So it arrived yesterday and I swapped it last night. Unfortunately, the new fork is about 30 grams heavier. I suppose this is the price for safety sometimes. It was a major pain threading the brake cables through the fork again. Something to consider for integrated internal cabling.
IMG_8667.jpg

I also took the opportunity to replace the carbon tube that holds the saddle rail clamping bolts with an updated one because it cracked on my other bike. If you did this mod to lose a few grams, take heed. Don't use the conical or ball head bolts without a washer. It can split the carbon. I hit a small bump on a recent ride and my saddle came off the seat post. Luckily, no injuries and the saddle stayed hanging on the yoke so no damage other than the carbon tube. This mod saves up to 10 grams but if not done correctly, this is the result. I learned the hard way but with minimal consequence. Now adding washers to the bolts for my other bikes.

I'll be riding the Strada up OLH today with my 20 year old son. We'll see if I can keep up with him. Glad to finally get the Strada back on the road.



See below for the updated seat post saddle rail clamping bolt anchor tube (not sure what to call this thing). The one on my Strada was working (only a few rides) but since it was set up the same way as the one that cracked, I decided to replace it. The ball head bored into the hole and split the carbon apart. With a washer, hopefully, this weakness is eliminated. If the washer is slightly oversized, it will still allow for a little tilt.
IMG_8670.jpgIMG_8673.jpgIMG_8675.jpgIMG_8677.jpg

Happy holidays, everyone!

Any pics of the defects around the steerer so that other 3T Strada owners like myself know what to potentially look out for?

[takolino]

Any pics of the defects around the steerer so that other 3T Strada owners like myself know what to potentially look out for?

I missed it when I initially built up the frame. Caught it on disassembly as I was wiping grease off the crown. The gouge seems to be about 1 mm deep which could be a stress riser.

[easyv]

Thanks for the pics! Yeah, that definitely looks warranty-worthy...

[takolino]

You are welcome, easyv.
Thanks for the compliments, @backdoor and @hannawald! Hope your mods are going well.

Update on the Strada. I havent been riding it for a while, main reason being the gearing. While I like the tight spacing of the 11-32 cassette, I just don't enjoy grinding up the hills pushing 50/32, especially coming back from the coast after a long ride. (I know, some of you are going "I told you so!") Anyway, I want to ride this bike more so I decided to upgrade the drivetrain to 12 speed with Ratio Technology's 12 speed ratchet for Sram double tap road shifters.



The cool thing about this upgrade is that I don't have to change the rest of the bike except for swapping the cassette with a 12 speed one. This will save both time and $. As far as cassette choices go, I've decided on the Rotor 11-36 for the tight spacing and light weight. The first 7 cogs are exactly the same as the XG cassette. With an extra cog, they just added the 36t at the low end. So the 12th cog will be my bailout. 50-36 is pretty close to 34-25 ratio which is on my 2x road bikes. This should let me get back from the coast a bit more comfortably.

The only other change I may need to make would be the derailleur. Since I'm currently running a wifli derailleur, officially, the max is 32t. I've tried a 36t cassette with wifli on another bike and it was not perfect. With the b-screw adjusted to clear the 36t, shifting isn't that great at the other end. So, my backup plan is to use the lightweight Sram XX mtb derailleur which is only a few grams heavier than the Red Wifli.

I'm still waiting for the Rotor cassette to arrive so in the mean time, I'll get to doing the 12 speed shifter mod. I'll share my experience with that soon.

[Gx3]

I will continue to enjoy following this build thread - lots of great ideas and implemenation.

On a somewhat related note, has anyone heard any updates from Darimo on making their version of the seat post and saddle clamp for the Strada? I used 2 different email addresses to register my interest in the product, for whatever that's worth.

[gSporco]

Oh man I cant wait to see the Ratio installed and your thoughts on the smoothness of shifting.. This seems like an awesome solution for anyone running Apex-Force mechanical