Whereas some hill climb bikes fall into the bizarre class many extra are simply older machines, retired from common use and tailored for a brand new life. A motorbike that may not sustain with the modern and the innovative on the flat can nonetheless serve a function on this very particular enviornment. In truth, among the attributes which make it outdated are useful when considered by way of the prism of going as quick as you possibly can uphill.
Lee Ager’s Canyon CF SLX is a living proof. It began life in 2013 as his first ‘good’ street bike. It served him nicely for nearly a decade earlier than being changed with one thing new and glossy. However due to its light-weight carbon body, slightly than promote it on, he selected to start modifying it forward of the 2022 hill climb season.
The Dura-Ace chainset has been transformed to a 1x utilizing a Wolf Tooth chainring
(Picture credit score: Future / Andy Jones)
Quick ahead one other two years and Ager’s 54cm CF SLX bares little resemblance to its former self. The Shimano Dura-Ace crank arms at the moment are arrange as a 1x, utilizing a Wolf Tooth 36t chainring paired with a 10-speed 11-28 cassette. The matching shifters stay however are connected to a pair of bars which have attained the hallmark of many a hill climb rig.
“My dad had some spare handlebars so I took them and lower the ends off,” says Ager. “And there’s no bar tape.”
Typically it is slightly simple to identify a hill climb bike
(Picture credit score: Future / Andy Jones)
On the time of buy, the CF SLX was a completely trendy street bike, geared up with rim brakes like all of its contemporaries. Whereas it’s their disc equivalents that at the moment are omnipresent, the truth that the rim brake normal makes for a lighter bike means they’re commonplace at a hill race. Ager has opted to interchange the Dura-Ace originals with some ‘web particular’ calipers that he says are round 100g lighter.
Wheels are one other space that profit from being rim slightly than disc; there’s no want for rotors, which provides weight as do the hubs they should connect to. And it’s the wheelset the place Ager has spent large to avoid wasting grams.
The sub 900-gram wheelset is probably the most extravagant buy in an in any other case wallet-friendly construct
(Picture credit score: Future)
“The one big-ticket merchandise of the construct was the ZED HC String Spoke wheels, which are available at 830g a pair,” he says. It’s such a low determine that it leaves you looking for one other superlative apart from featherweight. Ager has shod the hoops with a 23mm tubular Vittoria Corsa pace tyre on the entrance and a 25mm G2.0 on the rear.
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The “100 gram Amazon particular”
(Picture credit score: Future / Andy Jones)
The ending equipment sees the Canyon seat submit fitted to the unique bike nonetheless in play. Nonetheless, it’s now received what Ager describes as a “100g Amazon particular” saddle connected to it. The stem is Ritchey and the pedals are Favero’s energy meter mannequin, Assomia.
It provides as much as a motorbike that weighs simply 5.45kg. It’s a powerful quantity on condition that the UCI restrict for WorldTour bikes is presently 6.8kg. And extra so when you think about that Ager hasn’t spent a fortune to get there both. However the very nature of hill climb occasions and the bikes that assist propel the members up them is you could at all times aspire to be lighter, so anticipate this Canyon CF SLX to proceed its metamorphosis.
“It’s a piece in progress and I’ve nonetheless loads of room to get the grams off,” says Ager. “For 2025 I would get sanding!”
