80's Lugged Alum Whippet project

[dubrat]

Did some polishing over the weekend... showtime photo tho...



Wheel set turned up...


And they spin forever



And weight with wheels

[dubrat]

Update time...

Got the Mavic bars and the Topline crankset turned up... Also stripped a scuffed flite I had...

[Velo13]

Those Rovals were/are something to lust after. Were they the first "system wheelset"?

[GaryF]

It looks ssooooo good! What a great bike.

[munga]

flite lite seems to be all the rage. can't wait to see how far you can take this without going chequebook crazy

[spirito]

Where they the first "system wheelset"?

Don't know about the nomenclature of system but they were to my mind a major innovator for their time and streets ahead of what everybody else was building. Deep section aero rims, asymmetric spoke counts (rear wheel has 30 spokes, 20 drive-side, 10 non drive-side), combination radial & crossed spoke lacing patterns, straight pull spokes, some hubs were cartridge bearing etc etc ... basically what most wheel manufacturers are touting as innovation and cutting edge now Roval (the original French company, not the brand sold to Specialized) were doing in the late 70's.

Just goes to show the French were always the real innovators. As regards system .. I guess they were only available as complete wheelsets and the didn't offer anything other than wheels. A few years back some vintage parts dealers unearthed a stash of kits (unbuilt spokes, rims and hubs) which meant they surfaced on the radar of vintage-ista's who had forgotten or never heard of them. Some of these still pop up on eBay in the US but good for dubrat as the truly were/are very rare here in Oz.

What else you need? Look forward to seeing this built and ridden

[spirito]

Some more pics of Roval's

http://chuck.kichline.com/bikes/Roval%2 ... efault.htm
http://www.thevintagebikelife.com/#!__85-cinelli-laser
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72881285@N ... 634506374/

[dubrat]

Hey thanks for that Ben

Still chasing CLB levers, light weight alloy 7 speed free hub, huret jubilee or similar front derailleur and tubulars.....

[Velo13]

Where they the first "system wheelset"?

Don't know about the nomenclature of system but they were to my mind a major innovator for their time and streets ahead of what everybody else was building. Deep section aero rims, asymmetric spoke counts (rear wheel has 30 spokes, 20 drive-side, 10 non drive-side), combination radial & crossed spoke lacing patterns, straight pull spokes, some hubs were cartridge bearing etc etc ... basically what most wheel manufacturers are touting as innovation and cutting edge now Roval (the original French company, not the brand sold to Specialized) were doing in the late 70's.

Just goes to show the French were always the real innovators. As regards system .. I guess they were only available as complete wheelsets and the didn't offer anything other than wheels.

I would agree they were an innovator, and I remember being very impressed with the couple of pairs I saw in the flesh, a veeeery long time ago. Even today they are very light.

[dubrat]

Really been struggling to find the CLB levers I wanted so I grabbed these...



210grams

[Dan]

Really been struggling to find the CLB levers I wanted so I grabbed these...



210grams

I almost bought a set of those for the Viner composite ftw! ok plastic.

[dubrat]

At least they will match the shifters

[Dan]

That's it. And when you're trying to save every available gram, its the perfect solution. The bit about plastic was by no means disparaging

[dubrat]

Dudes

This project minus the wheels is now for sale to fund my Colnago and Masi builds... Shoot me a pm if interested

[vaeske]

ahhhhhh. shame dude. I would've loved to help contribute too, i ended up remembering who i gave the clb brake/lever set to as well.

Was really looking forward to seeing it though... whats the masi project you got going on? 3v volumetrica? gran criterium?

[spirito]

Shame ...

But I'll put my hand up for the frameset and wheels if you wish to part it up.

[toolonglegs]

Got a set of orphan CLB levers here ( I think )...