We’ve had a number of high-res submissions to Readers’ Rides this year, and Conor’s Weis MFG is following suit. This Hammer titanium gravel bike is his sixth Weis MFG frame and is quite the looker. Let’s check it out below with words by Cole Bennett of Weis MFG.
Conor and I worked as messengers in NYC together in the 2010s. Conor has been a friend of the shop since its inception almost 10 years ago, and he has been on the Weis Factory Racing team since 2019. If I can remember correctly, this is the sixth frame I’ve built for him and by far my favorite.
He had been riding an aluminum CX frame that I built for him in the early days (when we still made symmetrical bikes lol!) The time had come for an upgrade.
I told him we were going to build something that suits his style: steady power, high wattage, and mashing in the saddle for miles and miles. He needed a machine that could take some major power and keep him planted in his saddle on rough roads.
We are currently building steel and titanium frames but I am most excited about titanium as a material. You can build some pretty wild stuff with it. It’s crazy light and durable, and the ability to 3D print in Ti allows you to replicate some of the clean lines that make carbon frames so cool.
We built this frame out of seamless Grade 9 titanium tubing with a 3D-printed yoke and dropouts. Everything is 3D modeled on the computer before we build the frame to ensure everything goes together just right. Our integrated bearing head tubes are a welded 3-piece assembly, and even the bottom brackets are made to our spec.
Conor’s Hammer Gravel Ti has a race oriented geo, a good amount of saddle to bar drop but nothing too aggressive for dirt, we kept the wheelbase short and the headtube relatively steep.
We opted for a less compact geometry to make space for frame bags and water bottles but also to create more compliance in the front triangle. The frame has our signature dropped seatstay and oversize chainstay for a stiff rear end which is helpful for a rider like Conor, if you’ve seen his legs you’ll know what im talking about : 0
We decided to leave the frame raw with a ceramic-blasted finish to show off the craftsmanship. We finished the fork and cockpit with Cerakote, using a rich parakeet green that transforms to neon in blacklight and mini logos all over in sea blue.
These are the kind of builds we love to put together- it’s nice to play with components to mix and match things for the perfect setup. 46T chainring up front and the big range of a 9-45 Ethirteen cassette.
We put together a mix of Red, Force, and Eagle for the cranks, shifters, and derailleur. We laced up some of our WEISMFG super wide 45mm carbon rims to our Weis X Raketa collab centerlock disc hubs with Sapim Cx Rays with some Pirelli rubber. To top it all off, a slick Weis Ti seatpost with a matching ceramic blasted finish.
He picked up his bike and a day later was on a flight to Spain, where he raced the Traka.
Here is the full parts breakdown…
Build Spec:
- Weis MFG Hammer Gravel Ti Frame
- Weis Carbon Gravel 45mm Wheels With Sapim CX Ray Spokes
- Weis Ti 27.2 18mm Setback Seatpost
- Enve Gravel 42cm Handlebars
- Zipp 110mm Service Course Stem
- Cane Creek Hellbender 70 T47 Dub Water Sealed Bottom Bracket
- SRAM Force 1x AXS D2 172.5mm Cranks With 46t Chainring
- EThirteen Helix Race 9-45 500% Extended Range Cassette
- Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H Tires, 700x45c
- Red AXS Pre-Waxed Chain
- Rear Derailleur XX1 Eagle AXS
- Red AXS Brake Shifters
- Centerline XR 2-Piece 160mm Rotors
- Weis Signature Bar Tape
Many thanks to Cole from Weis MFG for submitting this!
We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!
