No faffing this week, I've been desperate to get this one on Race Bike Focus for a while so I'll keep my blurb to a minimum and let it's pure, Yorkshire born beauty do the talking. It's my absolute pleasure to this week bring you the gorgeous steel rig of UKXCNews blogger, Lomas Wefing.
Born and bred within the workshops of Field Cycles in Sheffield, this Reynolds 853 and Columbus Life tubing with Paragon Machine Works dropouts is not what you would usually expect from a XCO racer. The stealth black colouring broken up with the hint Yorkshire emerging from the perfectly formed rear triangle give Lomas one of the most unusual looking and performing bikes within the XC pits of Europe.
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Vee nice![/caption]If you can take your eyes off the steel for just a minute you'll see this Yorkshire rocket is oozing quality. Up front, a set of SR Suntour Axon WERX 29er (Julie Bresset edition) soak up anything the Reynolds misses and makes sure Lomas' Vee tire rubber stays firmly planted. The carbon (tapered) steer, carbon lower and Q-Lock 15mm thru axle keep these world-class XC forks light (1570 grams) and stiff.
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Locked and ready![/caption]A little bit of Lancashire sneaks into the mix with Hope race evo x2 stealth brakes trusted with stopping duties. Lightweight and reliable, these Hope brakes are race proven and keep Lomas firmly in control.
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Yorkshire meets Lancashire via Taiwan[/caption]
It's a Ritchey bar and stem combo when we look at the cockpit area. A negative 25° stem keeps the front end low and mean, allowing Lomas to get down and attack, attack, attack!
A quick look toward the rear shows us the Selle Italia SLR XC saddle sat on top of a Thomson Elite straight seat post.
Shimano XTR front and back keeps the top-end feel going and the chain shifting smoothly. A 10 speed setup (11-34) gives Lomas instant options and a mass of ration choices as the race develops, keeping him ready and free to change tactic mid race. The KMC Gold X10SL chain is a super light option at just 253 grams and stands up to some of the toughest conditions out there, just what you need when you're competeing against the quickest juniors in the world!
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Slip the KMC over the 38 and hit cruise![/caption]Lomas has gone with the Blackspire chainrings on his Shimano XTR double; a 38 big ring should have Lomas hitting warp speed at every opportunity and the option of a 28 small ring should winch this steel rig up and over anything!!
Moving on to the round things... built by Whizz Wheels and Lightwolf of Germany, these ZTR Crest rims on Hope Evo hubs and Ryde Trace XC with DT-Swiss & Sapin spokes are wrapped in some of Vee Tire co.'s quickest rubber. Lomas is able to switch between Vee's grippy Mission and their super versatile Trax XC depending on course conditions, not a bad dilemma come race day.
Riding for Rutland CC, Lomas is racing across Europe, lining up in the Junior UCI XCO series as well as Bundesliga, Swiss Cup, Benelux Cup and the BC National XC Series. Yet no matter where the race takes him Lomas will always have that little bit of Yorkshire right by his side.
So let's get onto the important bit... how much does it weigh!?!
So we have a Reynold 853 steel framed XC machine with light weight, range topping forks and Germany built XC wheelsets. Shimano XTR makes an appearance in the guise of a double 10 speed chainset and a smattering of Ritchey carbon pops up to keep that front end nice and feathery. Add all that together and you get a handy package that comes in at a 'not to shabby' 9.4kg's!
Don't forget you can follow Lomas' season on UKXCNews.com as he blogs his way around Europe, mixing with the great and the swift of Cross-Country Mountain bike racing.
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Ain't that... whats his face?!?[/caption]Check out Lomas' latest blog update here, and why not give him a give him a follow on Twitter - @LomasWefing