Forum | Weight Saving Tips

Hi all,

I have had a Guv’nor for about a year now and he’s running very well. However, I was wondering if there are ways to get the weight down? Surely, back int he day, they were lighter?

My first guesses highlighted the following, just wondered what your thoughts are on changing these bits — will it work…?

1 Wheels!

They must weigh as much as the rest of the bike. Are there any lighter options with built in brakes?

Alternatively, what about going fixed? There are loads of lightweight and very classic looking fixed wheels. Has anyone tried this before? Also, what about 700c as the choice is greater? Surely, the change in geometry is negligible?

If you go fixie, say traditional alloy hubs with plain black 700c rims, I guess that could look great and be super light? Do I need a front brake? 

2 Handlebars?

  Are there any with the same shape that are alloy? Any recommendations? 

3 Chainset

 Perhaps more for authenticity, I was looking at vintage Campagnolo, Stronlight and TA for vintage effect. They are very nice and often come with the same chainring size as standard. Will the alignment work? 

4 Any other ideas? 

I think this is a post for the most discerning Guv’nor owners but I hope someone can help!

Thanks

__

Pashley Guvnor 20.5 / 3 speed / Vintage Weinmann Alloy Brake Levers added, bar end caps removed. 

my two cents’ worth, Westerniser..

I personally think you have got it all wrong.

This is not an attack on you, and in the end it is your bike and you should do want you want.

But the idea of the Guvnor is it is the Guvnor. That is what it is.

Even mudguards and lights detract.

If you want a tourer, or a sports, or a fixie, get one.

But the Guvnor is the Guvnor, and not quite anything else.

It is not an old bike.

It is not a pathracer.

It is not a tourer.

It is a Guvnor.

So to define a Guvnor. Hard. I can’t really . But it is a modern bike built with modern components such as the drivetrain, mixed with new old-fashioned components such as the rims. It doesn’t pretend to be old.

It doesn’t have mudguards or lights or rim brakes or disc brakes. It doesn’t have suspension but doesn’t need it, as slack frame geometry, steel frame and big 1 1/2″ section tyres are far more comfortable than rigid aluminium and suspension forks.

If you want a custom bike, build one, but leave the Guv au natural, then ride the two back-to-back.

I think you will still prefer the Guvnor.

disclaimer:  I do not own a Guvnor, but do own a 20s BSA bicycle with 28″ wheels and one gear. When I restored it 18 months ago I was amazed at the lightness of the frame once back from the spraypainter’s. Then I picked up a fully-assembled tyre and wheel and was equally and oppositely amazed at the weight of that!

I bolted two of these wheels to the frame and added a saddle and some inverted North Road bars and was even more amazed at the weight.

Then I went for a ride and was stunned by the experience. An experience most of you know already, so I will stop wanking on, as my Latin master would have said.

But it is dominated by a sprung cruisiness which puts out of mind the need to go faster, and an inertia to turning imparted both by two large heavy wheels each with their own rotational inertia, and their wide separation because of their own diameters and the slack, long frame geometry.

And therein lies the charm.

And that is a 1900s-1930s lesson relearned in an age of rigid unpleasant frames.

Or maybe I am just growing old.

G’Day Westerniser,

Whilst I would probably not change the Guv’nor to the extent you would, we have most of us made individual changes to the bike so who am I to judge.  :-)

As for your suggestions…

Wheels:  Going fixed would lower the weight of the wheels, but I don’t know that it would make a huge difference as the Westwood rims are already alloy and so the majority of the weight is in the hub where, rotational mass being what it is, you are unlikely to really notice the difference on the road.  700c would probably be do-able without affecting the handling, but to get a proper width tyre to look ‘right’ between the forks you’d be up to a rim width near the Westwood anyway so why go to the expense of changing them?

Bars:  There are plenty of alloy bars in the ‘moustache’ pattern that would look relatively close but they’d change the look of the bike significantly over the North Roads in my opinion.  And you’re not making a significant weight saving for the expense so again, why bother?

Chainset: Be careful changing these unless you can be sure you’ll get the right BB taper.  Velo Orange do a nice ‘Grand Cru’ crankset which is similar to the old TA with a JIS taper (I don’t know what the taper is on the Guv) but it’s a double so you’d have to ditch one of the ‘rings and put up with the look of having the extraneous bolts.  VO also do some nice bars.

Personally I think for the extant of changes you want to make you might be better considering a bike like the Cooper T200 Championship 50 which will give you all of what you want.

Cheers,

Ian