Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Fourplay

So Standard went and made a custom frame that weighs less than four pounds.

Three pounds, 14.4 ounces, as you can see by the obligatory scale shot.


"Paint it? PAINT IT? Are you kidding? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAINT WEIGHS???"

This is wonderful news, I guess, if you're one of those people who finds a four-pound frame too heavy, or can't quite get your leg over the toptube of a standard (little "S" intended) 250L.

The whole "LTA" thing is annoying, though. "Lighter Than All"? Yeah, until next week, probably.

It's also kind of entirely the opposite of what Standard used to stand for. Which is fine, I guess. Times change. But what was wrong with "Stronger Than All"? Weren't things better when companies weren't proudly displaying the latest and greatest frames on digital scales? Guess it's only right, since everyone's pushing weight these days.

Still, I found the third photo funny.


See that frame in the back? It's an old 125 Motocross. Maybe even a plain old Bicycle Motocross. (Note the loop on the back for the cantis.) It's way heavier than the custom frame, probably even heavier than the 250L. American BB, regular headtube. And of those three frames, that's the one I want.

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34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ugh, how are 4 and a half pound frames not light enough? My current frame is over a pound and a half more than that thing, and I don't feel limited by it. Do not want.

Anonymous said...

Well, it is a custom frame anyways. It's not like they're going to make a production run (I hope).

Anonymous said...

s&m will make custom frame from anyone, depending on size it'll all be under 5. its almost too much. i have an LTF im not sure how much a fuck weighs, but its not claiming that its extremely light.

Anonymous said...

i just saw rick thorne on SPEEDtv's 'livin the low life'. gross

Anonymous said...

I want a custom frame, except I'd get it with dual gussets, thicker tubing, and 1/4" drop outs. Only problem with standard is they'll only use the dropouts on their stock frames, so no beefy cog protecting fame for me...

Josh said...

I do think it is impressive that they were able to make a sub 4 pound frame without toothpick dropouts, swiss cheese tubing (a la Eastern and Volume), without removing the brake mounts or cable guides or having to resort to something that looks like a Killorado. This actually looks like "a man's" 4 pound frame (if there is such a thing).

Also, I too ride a 5 1/2 lb. frame and do not worry about it limiting me in any way.

Anonymous said...

My new 125R frame weighs 3lbs 11.2oz but OF COURSE is my race bike... BUT, how long till someone gets the idea to set one up for street? Without even trying, my race bike is 21.5lbs... hmmm

I see bad things happening.

Anonymous said...

I recently built up a bike and weight was the last thing on my mind. It ended up being 26 lbs (which I don't know nor care how that measures up against all the new shit). I looked into it and my frame is a 5 pounder. So I could shave all of 1 lb with a frame change. I could probably shave 5 lbs elsewhere. I could also adopt a better diet, workout 4 days a week, and lose about 40 lbs.

So my point is, 5 lbs is light enough. The frame has the smallest ROI when we're considering "return" as "loss of mass." My 5 lb frame was $260. I'm guessing a 4 lb or sub 4 lb is going to run me $450 to $500. $190 - $240 for one pound! Fuck that. Don't bike companies have a better way to differentiate? I guess not. I guess that's the big problem. I guess that's why this blog exists.

Never Met The Gooch said...

I remember my buddy having a Motocross with 990 mounts and loving it. Camouflage, Standard 2 Piece Bars, Huge Tioga tire.. that thing was rad.

Stephen said...

shaman ad in the background. sweet!

Russ said...

Yeah, and the framed Trail Boss stickers...

Unknown said...

all i need is a scan of a trail boss sticker and i can hook whomever up.

Unknown said...

hmmmm, the Bullitt was over 5 pounds and you could bend the top/downtube by standing on it, so you know this frame is probably legit. Go buy one and a Fit Shiv, as long as you are riding one of those scales it won't break.

Brandon Sakelarides said...

the song was from the 15 minute prelude/restart of filming for tomorrow we work.

incase anyone forgot the game...



4 pound frames are worse then aids.

Anonymous said...

i have a standard shaman and a motocross with 990s sitting around. what about your trailboss, russ?

Anonymous said...

everybody keeps talking about all these frames they used to have from standard that were super bad ass. it is not 1998 any more. lets just try and get over the fact that bmx is in a rapid "growth spurt" or change or whatever you want to call it. all of those frames could be found if you look around for them. they obviously arent weakening over time, so just put one of those together and be happy with what you ride. if a kid wants to ride a sub 4lbs frame then let it be his funeral. and maybe it wont ever break and the kid will be so stoked on bmx he will ride forever. who really knows.

Anonymous said...

i agree with cru. let it be up to the poeple. stricker changed his up, brian foster keeps it double diamond. without even trying you can make a light bie with all the forks bars and tyres and rims weighing the same industry wide, it most likely won't go back to heavier stuff, with a few exceptions sean burns,

Russ said...

I just think there's a point where making things lighter and lighter is stupid. For starters, everything ends up more expensive (which sucks, given the state of the alleged economy). And the message it sends to would-be riders is that having the lightest bike possible is the most important thing and if you don't have a triple-butted, post-weld heat-treated, sub-five pound frame, you may as well not even bother. LTA, LAF, LAF—I want to see someone come out with a line of straight-gauge frames called the FTW and the WTF. Because it's getting awfully stupid out there.

Russ said...

I'm not demanding a return to American BBs and regular headtubes (God forbid), just to common sense. Which, as many have pointed out, is a misnomer, seeing how uncommon it really is.

Unknown said...

Well if you account for inflation, BMX is the same price (if not cheaper) for MOST parts, and considering a Gack Cannibal was 310 dollars, the weight/price chart seems to definitely be going in the right direction. I just ordered a Ratchet/7ka wheel and it was cheaper than my profile I ordered 4 years ago, and the LHD crank arm I ordered- 0 dollar change since my cranks were new.

Anonymous said...

my arguing point is that its called FREESTYLE. for the most part you bring up really good points russ. and your opinion is your opinion. the kid who is riding that sub 4lbs frame, john rodgers, is your average day to day bmxer of the time. kid does a lot of tailwhips and he likes his bike to be light. i think its awesome for him that he is getting exactly what he wants.

i think the new site shirt should say....

russ is still bitching.

Russ said...

I guess.

Can we at least agree that lighter doesn't always equal better?

Russ said...

Also, it's good to see anonymous is still hating. Some things never change, at least.

Anonymous said...

haha. i wasnt hating. im just joking around. like i said, you make some valid points. but i think you and i are from the same "school" as they say. these damn kids and their light bikes make me roll my eyes every time. but kids are going to ride what they want to ride no matter how stupid we grown ass men think they are. but as long as the technology is there to make a better and lighter weight bike, it will be done.

Russ said...

That's OK, I was joking with the hating thing too, so we're even.

I'm just not sure if it's "better."

Anonymous said...

yeah the thing is light. it's also a CUSTOM. sure, Standard is changing, but what hasn't changed is the emphasis on strength, even in this case. a dangerous frame will never come out of that shop. all the stock frames Standard makes are competitively light but are also strong. besides, what you don't know is that they're going to cover the whole game, something no one else is doing. 3lb "LTA" or whatever all the way up to a NEW STA and flatland frame.

Loop said...

I have no problem with lighter frames (becuase I have weedy arms) but just making new frames lower is just... cheating.

I want to see that prototype frame side by side with the Motocross in the background: lets see how much the frame has changed shape to reduce the weight.

Also, wouldn't it have been better to shave metal off the top of the dropouts than the bottom? They're a little top heavy.

Unknown said...

@loop, think about where force is applied to the dropout. The bottom of the dropout just holds the axle in place, it doesn't support any weight

Anonymous said...

I just read on VintageBMX.com that Kuwahara has gone under and that all bike companies will be doing the same shortly...

Anonymous said...

OH SHIT! Kuwahara is out of business?!?!? That is the harbinger of the collapse of western capitalism. Start stockpiling guns and canned goods NOW.

Russ said...

What Would Elliot Ride?

Loop said...

@Beau Fair point

Anonymous said...

"what would Elliott ride" may be the funniest thing ever typed on this site.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Elliot makes even Cru Jones seem new school.