James Coleman's (Rogue Racing) Felt F2. Custom painted by Fat Creations in Chichester, UK. - Simon Bromley
Cannondale Hollowgram carbon cranks and a 44T Spidering SL 1X chainring, with narrow–wide tooth profile for better chain retention. - Simon Bromley
22mm Vittoria Crono CS tubular tyres weigh a feathery 165g per tyre. Recommended pressure 115-200PSI! - Simon Bromley
A single Shimano Ultegra R8060 Di2 STI TT/Tri gear and brake lever is a clean weight weenie solution. - Simon Bromley
Token Accura brakes tick the lightweight box. - Simon Bromley
Stages powermeters are popular on hill climb bikes for their minimal weight. - Simon Bromley
David Janes' Ridley Helium SLX. - Simon Bromley
Vittoria Corsa Speed 25mm tubelees tyres, run tubeless on Hunt 3650 Carbon wide aero wheels. Despite their size, they weigh only a claimed 205g per tyre. - Simon Bromley
A truly custom drivetrain. - Simon Bromley
Power2Max powermeter with Rotor cranks, 1X specific ovalised chainring and waxed chain. - Simon Bromley
Fouriers BR-S003 brakes are a weight weenie staple. Alligatorilink cable housing is a lightweight, compressionless alternative to traditional cable housings. - Simon Bromley
Pro Missile aluminium handlebars with Enve Carbon stem. Di2 sprint shifters are placed underneath the bar tape by the brake levers. A Go-Pro isn't a weight weenie addition, but content is king. - Simon Bromley
A Pro stealth saddle with steel rails isn't the lightest option, but it provides a comfortable postion to put the power out from. - Simon Bromley
Speedplay zero pedals. - Simon Bromley
Charles Coleman's Felt F1. - Simon Bromley
SRAM red brake calipers. Charles forgoes brake cable end caps to save every last gram. - Simon Bromley
A single SRAM bar end shifter, on carbon bull horn handlebars, takes care of shifting. - Simon Bromley
Both the headset top cap and steerer tube plug have been removed to save weight. - Simon Bromley
SRAM Red 10 speed might be a little long in the tooth now, but it's still a high performning, lightweight option. - Simon Bromley
Veteran National Hill Climb Champion, Glyndwr Griffiths' custom painted Ridley Helium SLX. - Simon Bromley
The Prologo C.One30 saddle probably isn't the most comfortable, but it weighs a claimed 131g. - Simon Bromley
Glyndwr runs a 42T single ring on a Rotor Inpower 3D MAS power meter crankset. - Simon Bromley
This full carbon saddle claims to weigh just 76g. - Simon Bromley
Campagnolo Super Record 11 speed. Glyndwr hasn't yet decided to cut his handlebars down, or remove his bar tape. - Simon Bromley
Campagnolo Super Record brakes. - Simon Bromley
Tune Schwarzbrenner tubular wheels. - Simon Bromley
Campagnolo Super Record rear derailleur and waxed chain. - Simon Bromley
Vittoria Corsa Speed 25mm tubular tyres. The tread is incredibly thin. - Simon Bromley
Glyndwr runs a unusually standard Deda Zero1 stem and handlebar set up on his Ridley Helium SLX. - Simon Bromley
No hill climb bike is complete without a set of lightweight skewers. - Simon Bromley
Lucy Lee's Scott Addict R1. Lucy told us this bike weighs around 4.7kg. - Simon Bromley
Lucy Lee runs a SRAM Read eTap 1X setup, with Shimano Dura Ace cranks and a 36T Wolf Tooth 1X specific chainring. - Simon Bromley
SRAM eTap Blip shifter buttons are placed under the minimalist bar tape on each bullhorn. - Simon Bromley
Shimano Dura Ace 9000 brakes aren't the lightest option, but at a claimed 297g for a pair, they're not exactly heavy either. - Simon Bromley
A superglued tyre repair keeps this Veloflex tubular tyre running a little longer. - Simon Bromley
AX Lightness wheels are both incredibly lightweight and expnsive. - Simon Bromley
Shimano Dura Ace 9000 cranks with a 36T Wolf Tooth 1X specific chainring and Speedplay pedals. - Simon Bromley
Jonny Atkins' Cervelo S5. Jonny didn't actually race the hill climb, but this is still a very bling bike. - Simon Bromley
Custom Ultegra R8050 Di2 drivetrain. - Simon Bromley
Enve carbon aero stem and handlebars make for a very aero cockpit, without the hassle of an integrated setup. - Simon Bromley
Ultegra R8000 brakes aren't the most aero option, but they work really well and are easy to service. - Simon Bromley
ENVE SES carbon wheels with Continental GP5000 clincher tyres. - Simon Bromley
Mark Jerzak's Scott Addict. - Simon Bromley
Garmin Vector 3 power meter pedals. - Simon Bromley
Another SRAM Red 10 speed 1X setup. - Simon Bromley
Mark has stripped unessecary parts such as excess bar tape and the gear/brake lever hoods. - Simon Bromley
The left gear/brake shifter has had the gear internals and shifting paddle removed to shave even more grams. - Simon Bromley
Rotor's S3X CNC aluminium stem is discontinued now, but is a lightweight, stiff option. - Simon Bromley
Bottle cages are an unusual sight on dedicated hill climb bikes. - Simon Bromley
Dave Cullen's Cinelli Vigorelli. - Simon Bromley
Dave Cullen runs a standard road chain and chainring as part of his fixed-gear drivetrain. - Simon Bromley
Adjustable rear dropouts enable precise tensioning of the chain, to avoid it dropping off the front chainring on rough roads. - Simon Bromley
Opera carbon saddle appears to be an Aliexpress brand. - Simon Bromley
An aluminium bar and stem makes for a simple, reliable cockpit. - Simon Bromley
Planet X CNC brake calipers a lightweight, but don't have an amazing reputation for stopping power. Dave also forgoes cable end caps to save every gram. - Simon Bromley
Vittoria Corsa Speed 25mm tubulars, and are lightweigt and supple, but don't offer much puncture protection. - Simon Bromley
A minimalist brake lever takes care of braking. Under CTT rules, Dave's Cinelli only needs one brake caliper - the fixed gear rear wheel counts as a second brake. - Simon Bromley
Dave wears his allegiences loud and proud. - Simon Bromley
A Shimano 105 Stages powermeter is a relatively cheap yet lightweight power meter option. - Simon Bromley
Though aero is undoubtedly the buzzword of our times, weight weenie culture remains alive and well on the UK hill climb scene.
Hill climbing is all about your power-to-weight ratio, and while you or I might not have the power of a national champion, the only barriers to a true weight weenie bike are your imagination and suitably deep pockets.
Consequently, a trip down to your local hill climb race almost always presents an opportunity to ogle some truly bonkers custom bike builds.
In the upcoming instalment of our Hill Climb Diaries series, Jack and Joe visit the lovely city of Bath to race the VC Walcot Hill Climb.
And while they were digging deep into their suitcases of courage, I shirked racing to bring you eight of the weirdest, lightweight race bikes from the field (plus a super-bling aero bike that one of the spectators arrived on).
Simon von Bromley is a senior technical writer for BikeRadar.com. Simon joined BikeRadar in 2020, but has been riding bikes all his life, and racing road and time trial bikes for over a decade. As a person of little physical talent, he has a keen interest in any tech which can help him ride faster and is obsessed with the tiniest details. Simon writes reviews and features on power meters, smart trainers, aerodynamic bikes and kit, and nerdy topics like chain lubricants, tyres and pro bike tech. Simon also makes regular appearances on the BikeRadar Podcast and BikeRadar’s YouTube channel. Before joining BikeRadar, Simon was a freelance writer and photographer, with work published on BikeRadar.com, Cyclingnews.com and in CyclingPlus magazine. You can follow Simon on Twitter or Instagram.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
