Drillium Revival

[fiamme red]

Amazing skill with a drill.

http://www.drilliumrevival.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54616231@N04/

[KVN]

Beautiful!

[blessthismess]

I follow this guy on flickr. Awesome stuff! I always loved the old drillium stuff especially Zeus 2000 since they took it so far This guys goes even beyond that and does it well.

[Louis]

I think those look neat, but as an engineer stuff like that bugs me because for practical applications it implies that either 1) The original item was way, way over-designed, or, 2) The "as drilled" item can't be expected to last very long.

I suppose one can think of it simply as artwork, in which case the modified items have no real-world applications, other than looking pretty.

[slidey]

I gather that this bullet-riddled look has an appeal then.

Here's a Q then for those of you who find it appealing - would you hang the stuff on your bike, and be able to ride as you would a bike with normal componentry?

[toytech]

Originally Posted by slidey

I gather that this bullet-riddled look has an appeal then.

Here's a Q then for those of you who find it appealing - would you hang the stuff on your bike, and be able to ride as you would a bike with normal componentry?

Hell no on the calipers, yes on the others. Drillium was always race day stuff anyway. Tastefully and carefully done on vintage bikes it looks good.
We did way more questionable stuff to our bmx's and we survived.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by slidey

I gather that this bullet-riddled look has an appeal then.

Here's a Q then for those of you who find it appealing - would you hang the stuff on your bike, and be able to ride as you would a bike with normal componentry?

As someone who hit the deck last year when a chain broke I wouldn't want to repeat because another part of the drive system broke.

[11.4]

This kind of drillium is largely ornamental. Drilling holes in a stem, drilling holes in a steer, those are crazy. The worst that happens with most of this kind of drillium if something actually does fail is that a component bends or folds or whatever and your bike won't work. I rode drillium for years and was among countless people who did the same. We usually laughed because the people who snapped NR crank arms had the unmodified ones, the pedals that snapped were usually the all-steel cage Record variety, and so on. There were a few stupid experiments like using narrower gauge brake cables to save a few grams. Drilled out chains were also not pretty, nor were freewheels or cassettes from which pawls were removed to reduce friction and save weight. Anyone can be stupid. This stuff is really more decorative -- if you really want to save weight you change materials or you go to milled designs. The biggest complaint I ever had about drillium was that dirt got in the holes and was a bastard to clean out.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by 11.4

The biggest complaint I ever had about drillium was that dirt got in the holes and was a bastard to clean out.

As long as the dirt is less dense than the AL or steel, you're still saving weight!

[rwsaunders]

When I was cleaning a DA 7700 cassette recently, I was impressed with the machining...it has a "drillium" feel to it.

[Formulasaab]

Originally Posted by Louis

I think those look neat, but as an engineer stuff like that bugs me because for practical applications it implies that either 1) The original item was way, way over-designed, or, 2) The "as drilled" item can't be expected to last very long.

Or, the cost of more complex forging/machining/casting wasn't deemed appropriate/economical for mass production.

[torquer]

Originally Posted by 11.4

This kind of drillium is largely ornamental.

It's taking a generally valid principal (removing material where it provides the least structural benefit) WAY past any objectively defensible point. It's the same way I feel about Hetchins bikes with the rococo-ornate lugwork.

Originally Posted by 11.4

Anyone can be stupid.

True dat, but it takes a special level of stupid to drill out your rims and then go race the Kissena velodrome. (I wasn't there, but it was reliably reported so in the 80's. Dental records may need to be consulted.)

Originally Posted by 11.4

The biggest complaint I ever had about drillium was that dirt got in the holes and was a bastard to clean out.

Folks who got over-enthused with the drillpress probably didn't ride their stuff long enough for it to get dirty before it folded in on itself.

Today's CyclingNews has a story on a 2700 gram bike, that the owner claims to have ridden 20,000 km over two years. Drillium for this millenium?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/...-lightest-bike