PlanetX Nanolight hillclimb project

[DCLane]

I've had in the back of my mind to build a lightweight hillclimb bike ready for the hillclimb season: my son's got his race bike but that's 6.8kg and turning it into a hillclimb bike wouldn't work when racing's still ongoing and cost to put back (bar tape / shifter hoods / cables / etc.).

The aim; around (or preferably under) 6kg, single chainring, using as many parts as I had in stock but costing under £500.

With a club-mate offering up a PlanetX Nanolight frame that needed a bit of work an idea was formed about 6 weeks ago. Picked up the frameset for £50 and started sourcing parts whilst it was at my LBS having a headset fitted:

Colour scheme is black/silver with a bit of red, although the saddle's black/blue unfortunately.

To date:
- Frame sourced (£50) and new headset (£50 at LBS) (1340g)
- Carbon spacers (25g)
- Zipp stem (my stock and cost £12 weight 110g)
- Specialized Ruby lightweight bars (my stock cost £25 weight 225g)
- Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 rear derailleur (£45 and 160g)

Still to fit:

- Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 bottom bracket (£15)
- Lightweight brake/gear cables from Clarke (£16)
- KMC X11EL chain (£20)
- chainrings as needed for each hillclimb; we've got 40/42/44/46/48/50/52 (from stock)
- 95g Chinese saddle (£27)
- 3T Ionic seatpost (had already, cost £25 and 185g) with shim until the 140g Chinese one (£24) arrives
- Shimano Dura Ace 9000 pedals (cost me £45, 224g)

Still needed:

- Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 RH shifter
- LH brake / broken LH DA9000 or Ultegra shifter to use as a brake
- Lightweight 110bcd 170mm cranks for Shimano BB
- Lightweight DA9000 / similar brakes

We'll use his lightweight road wheels with this as well until something better comes along although we've been offered the loan of some 1kg wheels for a try.

 

[Milkfloat]

Spacers? Slam the stem and get rid of them and the steerer. Whilst you are at it, dump the top cap too.

 

[DCLane]

Spacers? Slam the stem and get rid of them and the steerer. Whilst you are at it, dump the top cap too.

That's the LBS making it look 'nice'. It'll be set up to fit the rider as needed.

 

[Gunk]

Looks interesting, be nice to see how this one turns out

 

[BalkanExpress]

Just in case you have not heard it, here is the "Cycling podcast Service Course" with a piece on hill climbs


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl4gig1r7VY

 

[DCLane]

Thanks @BalkanExpress. Hillclimbing is a wierd and wonderful part of the cycling world.

Progress on the build is a bit delayed, although brakes are on the way. Once I've sourced cranks and shifters it'll get a move on.

 

[DCLane]

I never got round to updating this thread! Having completed the build - it's now had the steerer shortened - the final spec's below and it weight 5.5kg:

- PlanetX Nanolight frame/fork
- 1175g 50mm carbon tubular wheelset with Vittoria Corsa EVO front and Continental Competition rear tubs
- Dura-Ace 9000 right and 9070 left shifters
- Planetx titanium brakes with Clarks blue carbon pads and lightweight titanium holders
- Rotor 3D+ crankset with 42mm carbon chainring (38/40/44/46 tooth options also available)
- Dura-Ace 9000 pedals
- Dura-Ace 9000 rear derailleur
- KMC X11-SL chain
- RSP chain catcher
- Clarks lightweight cables
- lightweight carbon seatpost (95g)
- lightweight aluminium stem (98g)
- 7g integrated stem cap / bolt
- Titanium bolts fitted throughout
- Aerozine seatpost clamp and skewers
- Lightweight bottle cage
- Bits of supacaz bar tape on the saddle / bars

We've still to swap the hoods for heat-shrink tubing and to drill/dismantle electronics from the DA9070 left shifter but that's all. Mechanical issues with his TT bike and a Raleigh road bike build have stopped play so far.

First hillcimb with this bike isn't until the end of August / early September but it'll be used by my son in the Yorkshire hillclimbs Sept/Oct and then the national hillclimb in October. Not bad for a 16 year-old's lockdown project.

 

[Milzy]

Wow. Should be getting VAM like Contador on that. 😎

 

[bikingdad90]

Gonna save some weight and cut the headset down to the stem?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thanks @BalkanExpress. Hillclimbing is a wierd and wonderful part of the cycling world.

Progress on the build is a bit delayed, although brakes are on the way. Once I've sourced cranks and shifters it'll get a move on.

View attachment 523128

Brakes? It’s a hill climb bike not a descender.

 

[Milzy]

Gonna save some weight and cut the headset down to the stem?

Fred Dibnah would have struggled with that chimney.

 

[DCLane]

Brakes? It’s a hill climb bike not a descender.

CTT's regulations state there must be two brakes; a front brake and a rear brake / fixed wheel. We've gone the lightest we can in the budget.

Gonna save some weight and cut the headset down to the stem?

Fred Dibnah would have struggled with that chimney.

Is the 'finished' version with carbon chainring and cut steerer any better?

 

[fossyant]

CTT's regulations state there must be two brakes; a front brake and a rear brake / fixed wheel. We've gone the lightest we can in the budget.




Is the 'finished' version with carbon chainring and cut steerer any better?

View attachment 541294

Looks great. Just in time for the season of feeling very poorly after a 'ride'.

 

[Gunk]

CTT's regulations state there must be two brakes; a front brake and a rear brake / fixed wheel. We've gone the lightest we can in the budget.




Is the 'finished' version with carbon chainring and cut steerer any better?

View attachment 541294

You’ve made a first class job of that, your lad must be chuffed to bits

 

[DCLane]

You’ve made a first class job of that, your lad must be chuffed to bits

Given he did most of it, with my supervision at key points, he is.

It's the 4th bike he's set out a spec for, sourced parts and then put together. This was to keep his mind off missed GCSE's.

Hopefully there'll be some hillclimb wins and a decent result in October's hillclimb national.