Latest Waterford

[oldpotatoe]

I know this is a discussion group but I wanted to share our latest 'project'. I get tired of the other shops around us(6 w/i 20 blocks) bad mouthing steel frames when somebody talks to one of their sales children, 'boat anchors, wears out, gets soft, old fashioned'..and other such drivel. So, with Richard Schwinn we wanted to build a stock R-33 to see what weight it would come in at.

R-33, Enve fork, Ritchey ALU cockpit, DT rims, SuperRecord group with Record rims, 32 spokes front and back.

Finished it yesterday, nothing exotic. In terms of comparison, our Moots RSL, 7900 mech group, DT rims, is 15 pounds on the dot...this R-33, 15.9..I'm not a weight weenie but when in a bike shop all you can measure is weight and price, I'm impressed with this really nice riding old fashioned steel bicycle.

It can be seen here-

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vecchios-Bicicletteria/37304297033

Nice paint job also..Couldn't get Richard's face into a decal tho.

[phcollard]

Looks like a great bike. And I love your fridge :beer:

I understand you are tired of this unfair competition. Lots of salesmen these days rely on poor research from customers to secure a sale. I heard so many absurd things... but still most LBS customers trust the bulls*** and buy.

[roguedog]

Hey OP! Nice

I think you should just let it hang there in the middle of your store as a display item/conversation piece.

Like the FB page AND!

Congrats on the grandbaby!! :hello: :hello:

[katematt]

And asked...do you have any steel frames?

Answer : No and we don't have any black and white televisions either.....

My Reaction - Haven't been back since.

[bumknees]

Very nice, indeed! Also, congrats on ERR! Is she your first grandchild?

[bobswire]

Cool and I'm not surprised one bit.

[Smiley]

Potatoe,
The other shops are STUPID and should just shut up about bad mouthing steel since those fools have not obviously worked with modern steels made today. Glad your project came out to your liking.

[roguedog]

Nothing makes me smile and sorta chuckle more when:

1. I'm at work and people see my ride and say things like "You only ride heavy bikes"
2. Out on a ride and I hear "Wow. Steel. Old school.. cool"

I dunno. Hard to overcome the image of carbon.. even in the bike shops which I think is the weirdest. I expect them to know better.

Ref'ing the stereo thread.. it's almost like steel has become like vinyl in high end stereo - only for those that get the quality and for those that are handmade steel, the humanness of the process is part of its beauty and depth.

[Joachim]

Awesome! And that with 32 spoke wheels...

[jr59]

VERY ride worthy bike!

I'm sure that Peter could have made it lighter, but why would you need to?

I will give up weight, for a bike that works and is dependable.

It's a VERY NICE bike.



28 carbon rim, funky spokes, :butt: I don't think so.

Give me stuff that will take the miles and come back for more.
32 spokes works great!

[SamIAm]

I usually get "How old is your bike?" They are shocked when the answer is a year or two. I have also had, while riding my Weigle, "Is it hard to turn that thing?"

[mandasol]

A few years ago I went to a local bike shop listed as a dealer on Waterford's website and went in with every intention to order an R-33. The OWNER of the shop did everything but twist my arm behind my back to talk me out of getting a steel road bike. The shop is no longer listed as a dealer.

[biker72]

I know this is a discussion group but I wanted to share our latest 'project'. I get tired of the other shops around us(6 w/i 20 blocks) bad mouthing steel frames when somebody talks to one of their sales children, 'boat anchors, wears out, gets soft, old fashioned'..and other such drivel. So, with Richard Schwinn we wanted to build a stock R-33 to see what weight it would come in at.
I have a co-worker that was born and raised in Boulder. He said there was a bike shop on almost every corner... :D

Incredibly light weight for a steel bike.

[FlashUNC]

Very, very cool.

[rnhood]

Very good job, and a very nice bike. 15 lbs on that Moots is definitely in weight weenie territory. And 15.9 is well within the mainstream carbon offerings today.

You do need to do a better job with picture composition though. You know, a proper background, bike level on the floor, etc. Those bikes deserve it.

[MadRocketSci]

So, with Richard Schwinn we wanted to build a stock R-33 to see what weight it would come in at.

couldn't you have just added the frame weight difference to the moots?

[etu]

couldn't you have just added the frame weight difference to the moots?

You're right about what the actual wt would be, but i think the visual and psychological impact would be different.

My LBS carries the Salsa brand and apparently their steel model road bikes are selling very well. So I would think there is cause for optimism for revival of steel among the general population. :beer:

[d_douglas]

I bought my Speedvagen just before my friend bought a C50. While a seriously experienced cyclist, he has little interest in the technology - he just wanted the same bike as the pros race.

When he saw my bike, he thought it was cool, but asked, 'why pay that much for a steel bike when you can buy a C50 frame for the same amount'?

No real answer for an existential question - I bought it because it is. It is lovely.

[InspectorGadget]

Steel is still real.

The myopic ignorance of the shops around you does create educational and selling opportunities for your shop.

Nice bikes.

[Fixed]

great looking bike
and a great look at a special bike shop ,lots of really cool bikes
cheers

[oldpotatoe]

Hey OP! Nice

I think you should just let it hang there in the middle of your store as a display item/conversation piece.

Like the FB page AND!

Congrats on the grandbaby!! :hello: :hello:

Thanks, she is beautiful.

[oldpotatoe]

Very nice, indeed! Also, congrats on ERR! Is she your first grandchild?

yep...beautiful.

[oldpotatoe]

couldn't you have just added the frame weight difference to the moots?

Moots shimano, Waterford SuperRecord. Different forks as well.

[drewski]

Nothing makes me smile and sorta chuckle more when:

1. I'm at work and people see my ride and say things like "You only ride heavy bikes"
2. Out on a ride and I hear "Wow. Steel. Old school.. cool"

I dunno. Hard to overcome the image of carbon.. even in the bike shops which I think is the weirdest. I expect them to know better.

Ref'ing the stereo thread.. it's almost like steel has become like vinyl in high end stereo - only for those that get the quality and for those that are handmade steel, the humanness of the process is part of its beauty and depth.

One of my dreams is to to get a cambio corsa or paris roubaix derailluer
to put on a old 30's or 40's racing bicycle with wooden rims. That would be really cool to demonstrate how, hough those mechanical technologies are obsolete, they capture the imaginations of those of us who are into cycling history and deserve to be venerated and displayed.

Alex Moulton looked to old steam engines for inspiration when he developed some of his frames. Everything that is old eventually becomes new again.

[Fixed]

dave scott is in one of the photos looks just like he did 20 years ago
cheers

[dixiesdad]

peter and jim have worked on several of my steel bikes over the years and do a wonderful job rehabing and building bikes. My latest was a 1978 raleigh pro, and was told that the bb had never been faced and various other things that i appreciated, that many of the plastic frame shops would not have caught. they are the best!!!!! My only complaint with peter is that he has set of blue campy brakes "colbalto" that he resuses to sell me at a cheap price :) maybe some day.......was in Boulder today picking up my Bolder Boulder running bib...race on Monday.

[dd74]

Good for you, O.P. I think carbon has obscured steel to the point that it's no longer understood. That it can be as competitive as C/F in weight and performance, and probably last much longer as well. It's funny, I was in a LBS near UCLA, which specializes in Trek and Giant. The salesman, who was in his early twenties, pulled me aside and said, "Forget all this! If you want a really good bike frame, get a Gunnar."

BTW, what's the weight of those wheels?

[CNY rider]

Beauty.
I think I would gladly take the extra 1/2 pound going with a matching steel fork.

[oldpotatoe]

Good for you, O.P. I think carbon has obscured steel to the point that it's no longer understood. That it can be as competitive as C/F in weight and performance, and probably last much longer as well. It's funny, I was in a LBS near UCLA, which specializes in Trek and Giant. The salesman, who was in his early twenties, pulled me aside and said, "Forget all this! If you want a really good bike frame, get a Gunnar."

BTW, what's the weight of those wheels?

Didn't really weigh them. Record hubs, DT 415 rims, DT spokes, 32 hole, laced 3 cross, nothing unusual.

[steampunk]

i for one, appreciate the thought and details that go into a bike like this! :beer:

[Hawker]

Love it, thanks for the effort and for sharing. To attain that weight did Richard Schwinn do anything appreciably different than what they normally provide in a lighweight frame?

Maybe this should be a prototype for another model?

[oldpotatoe]

Love it, thanks for the effort and for sharing. To attain that weight did Richard Schwinn do anything appreciably different than what they normally provide in a lighweight frame?

Maybe this should be a prototype for another model?

Nope, just an off the shelf 56cm R-33, our paint scheme tho.

http://waterfordbikes.com/now/models.php?Model=666