Well another day and another part. This time I have the saddle which I think was one of my best finds. I actually bought a blemished Specialized Toupe 143 off EBay. I knew I was going to modify this piece so the markings and rubs didn't bother me and at the end of the day all it cost was $90 and some labor of love.

There are several posts on Weight Weenies concerning modifications of saddles and the process was relatively easy even for someone as non-mechanically inclined as myself. All I had to do was strip off the padding and sand the saddle a little. I actually went a little further and bought some clear coat in a spray can from an auto shop to give the saddle some added protection and the glossy appearance. I think the project turned out well and took me about 3 hours total (not including drying time).

SO, a Sub 100 gram saddle for less than $100- that can't be beat!

In the future I might upgrade the saddle to the new AX Lightness saddle that has a cut out. I can't convince myself to spend that kind of money yet but who know Christmas may come early and it can save about 30 additional grams (and every gam counts)!

Well continuing to receive parts a little at a time. I can't say enough about the fellow members of Weight Weenies. The stuff on there may be used but most of these guys are as anal as I am about keeping their stuff pristine and you can always get a deal if you wait long enough or get lucky. My motto: Never Pay Retail!

The next parts to arrive actually came from the dreaded EBay...man I love that site I don't know why some people hate it. I have only had one bad experience and for the most part you can't beat the deals. I will say that my local bike shop probably hates me because I spend a lot of time there learning about items to buy them cheaper on EBay. I do try to buy consumable items there like tires, bar tape, etc

Well onto the next parts- I received my front and rear derailleurs.

The font is a SRAM pre-2012 Red and appeared to be in really good condition from the listing and only cost me like $16; yes you read that right $16 with shipping. I was a bit surprised to see it was pretty marred on the attachment portion but I had planned on doing some modifications to reduce the weight and figured I could sand and buff out the scratches with my dremmel. One thing you should know is I'm not really that handy so I actually made the entire thing look worse; Thank GOD for primer and spray paint. I actually like the final look better than the original and will get some more decent shots; right now I am only documenting the build and weight.

 

 

 

The original weight was 68 grams so I did get a 2 gram reduction even with the primer and flat black spray paint which turned out well. I also replaced the bolts with a Far and Near bolt kit.

The rear derailleur was also a pre-2012 SRAM Red and again I got it from EBay but this was actually in great condition and only cost $110 shipped. I had already planned to do modifications to it based on postings from Weight Weenies but on my recent experiences with the dremmel thought better of actually cutting and drilling and decided to just use some after market parts I had already received from other EBay transactions. I had a Far and Near bolt kit, Fiberlyte rear plate, and some custom carbon jockey wheels made by some guy that goes by RothShek. I actually had experience with the RothShek jockey wheels in the past from an old Campy Record build so I trusted the quality.

 



 

I only dropped 17 grams from the original but was fearful of really screwing this thing up. I know I could drop another 4-6 grams by easily replacing the jockey wheels with the ultralight version as well as the swapping the rear plate for the Fiberlyte ultra version but for now I'm okay with the savings.



Just received new (well new to me) custom Parlee Z3 frame and going to venture into the realm of True bicycle weight weenie'ism - as can probably tell grammer isn't my best attribute and I have no idea how this made-up word would/should be spelled. Over the next several days, more likely weeks, I will post more information and pictures about the frame and upcoming build.

As a little bit of a teaser until I can get some better pictures- here is a quick picture of the fork and frame on a scale to document the project from start to finish.

A little disappointed in the overall weight to start the project but the Parlee has been one of my dream bikes. I am definitely going to have to make up this weight with savings in other locations which might push costs higher than expected.

Right now JUST FRAME & FORK sitting at 1352 grams. This doesn't even include headset, seatpost clamp or front derailleur clamp but did include rear derailleur hanger.

The fork is the most disappointing part - I was thinking that the fork was the Enve/Edge 1.0 but it is actually the 2.0 version. This might be one of the items that throws my budget out the window if I decide to replace it with something more suitable for a frame of this quality.

Overall, I would like to thank a fellow weight weenie forum member for this previously owned frame. It was in immaculate condition; THANKS Carbon2329!!