# How light can I expect to get a 1985 lugged steel Bridgestone?



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

Probably not the typical bike to get mentioned in this forum... 

I just scored a 1985 Bridgestone model 600 off eBay that I'm going to use as my trainer/commuter bike. 100% original equipment (even the tubes & tires! ...both of which I immediately replaced, along w/ the brakepads). 

57cm triple-butted CroMo frame & fork. It's got SunTour Cyclone front & rear deraillers w/ downtube friction shifters (6-speed). With all the original parts the bike weighs 23.7lbs 

I think I'll keep the drivetrain as is. But everything else is fair game: I could replace wheels, bars, stem, saddle, seatpost, cables, blah blah blah. 

Using this existing frame, fork, & drivetrain, what's a realistic weight I can expect to hit?


----------



## sekaijin (Aug 22, 2006)

Looks really nice on eBay ...

You gonna post it with pictures over in Retro-Classic?


----------



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

sekaijin said:


> Looks really nice on eBay ...
> 
> You gonna post it with pictures over in Retro-Classic?


I suppose...although I should probably post pics over there *before* I go all 21st Century on it! I suspect it's considered blasphemous to stick a carbon seatpost on a 1985 lugged steel road bike.


----------



## homebrew (Oct 28, 2004)

If money is no object and I could replace the fork and drivetrain you could get it down to 15 1/2 lbs IMO but why? I would keep the bike as is, buy some cool retro kit. Much better vibe then trying to make it something its not. FYI the cost would be around $4000 to $5000 retail to get to that weight but you could do it for maybe half on ebay if you have lots of time.


----------



## sekaijin (Aug 22, 2006)

Bob Ross said:


> I suppose...although I should probably post pics over there *before* I go all 21st Century on it! I suspect it's considered blasphemous to stick a carbon seatpost on a 1985 lugged steel road bike.


Maybe by some ... just call it your "retro-modern" build. However I agree with homebrew, this bike has a lot of style all original.


----------



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

homebrew said:


> If money is no object and I could replace the fork and drivetrain you could get it down to 15 1/2 lbs IMO but why? I would keep the bike as is, buy some cool retro kit. Much better vibe then trying to make it something its not. FYI the cost would be around $4000 to $5000 retail to get to that weight but you could do it for maybe half on ebay if you have lots of time.




Right, well, _avoiding_ a cost of $4000 to $5000 is definitely one reason why I said I wanted to keep the fork & the drivetrain! 

But also I agree, I don't want this to turn into a total Frankenbike, just thinking about keeping the basic gist of a 20 year old lugged steel 6-speed but with lightened up extremities. I'd be happy if I could get it down to 20lbs; I think I'd be throwing money away if I tried to get it lighter than that!


btw, pic of the bike is in first post @ this thread 
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=94489


----------



## sekaijin (Aug 22, 2006)

You could save weight without changing much by going tubular ... plus that is spinning weight, which counts for more in terms of lightening up the ride?


----------



## cerveloguy (Jul 26, 2005)

I upgraded an old 80's Miele. Droped from 24 lbs to about 21 lbs


----------



## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

cerveloguy said:


> I upgraded an old 80's Miele. Droped from 24 lbs to about 21 lbs


What changes did you make?


----------



## cerveloguy (Jul 26, 2005)

Wheels, carbon fork, carbon seat post.


----------



## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

Bob:
I've upgraded a few old bikes like your 600 (if it were an RB-1, I'd keep it original) - I find that wheels/rubber and fork/stem/bar are the two areas that can lighten up such a bike. Top end 126mm tubular wheels with a Record or Dura-ace freewheel or a modern sub-1600g setup (with 7sp cassette and spacer) and light clinchers can drop 1-2 lbs. (and maybe even more). A switch to a sub-400g carbon fork (Performance Forte Axis Pro for $100), threadless headset/stem, and sub-260g bars will usually drop another 2+ lbs. A lighter saddle and seatpost will get you another 0.3-0.5 lb. If you go with a carbon seatpost, I think a carbon fork would be OK, too (to balance out the bike).


----------



## refund!? (Oct 16, 2006)

Install lighter tires/tubes, seatpost/saddle, skewers, and pedals and you'll have a nice 22 pound bike.


----------



## akatsuki (Aug 12, 2005)

Yeah, if it is like an XO-1 or RB-1 I would keep it original.

Your 600 is probably not worth putting a lot into. I think the limits on spending should be set by what you could get off of bikesdirect or something for equivalent cash.


----------

