• This topic has 36 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by sv.
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  • fat pitch
  • m4dmatt
    Free Member

    Ok, quandry is I have a pitch and love it to bits. It’s great for down hills and generally ok if I’m just out for a blast but on the longer more xc orientated rides I struggle a bit due to the weight of it. don’t get me wrong its no downhill rig but I would prefer it a bit lighter. Its a 09 comp model and I’m looking for ideas. Would you sell it and buy lighter or just fit some new parts to reduce weight and if so what

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Lighter wheels, floating Hope discs and faster, lighter tyres for longer rides, keep the originals for shorter rides?

    crazymoon
    Free Member

    depends on finances. lighter wheels and tyres, cut down the rolling weight.

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    carbon337
    Free Member

    Ride it more – get fitter. I know a few guys who beast me on 35lb + bikes

    Get out on night rides etc – riding about 3 times a week will sort you out.

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    ok the tyres and wheels make a lot of sense – what sort of things should i be looking at??

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    Fitter sounds good but I currently ride once a week on a night and commute to and from work, odd weekend when circumstances allow, but I’d struggle to get out for longer rides or more hours due to family commitments (i.e. wife would kill me) – I’m just used to riding a lighter hardtail and would like to try get weight down on pitch. I have already thought about some wheels but whats strong AND light? what tyres to choose over originals??

    Northwind
    Full Member

    What’s the hardest use you put it to? A Pitch is capable of some ridiculous stuff, but you could go to, say, Revelations over the Pikes and save a lot of weight right there- it’ll not be as strong but it’ll still be strong enough for the use most Pitches get put to I reckon.

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    based in calderdale and use it mainly for natural stuff, the odd drop off and some rocky descents but not used for jumping or massive drops. front wheel has a kink in it so wheels tie in well but revos are an option – must be a lb lighter than the pikes on it.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    ok the tyres and wheels make a lot of sense – what sort of things should i be looking at??

    Something like Hope Hoops with Flows, maybe Arches – do they do them with Arches? Not sure – and converted Ardent 2.25s run tubeless would be my choice, depends a bit on what sort of longer routes you’re doing. You won’t save that much weight overall, but lighter wheels and faster rolling tyres make a disproportionate difference. You could go for something faster – Geax Saguaro 2.25 or a Schwalbe NN or even RR, but you’re balancing speed and grip/durability.

    What tyres are you running currently? Just swapping to a faster rolling rear might make a big difference depending on what it is.

    GiantJaunt
    Free Member

    I know a few guys who beast me on 35lb + bikes

    Yeah happens to me too and I thought I was fairly fit. I’ve given up trying to make my bike lighter because it’s too expensive and I need beefy wheels for a lot of the riding I do anyway. Maybe you could get some lighter wheels built for xc if you can afford it?

    steve_b77
    Free Member

    I’d go for Hope Hoops with either Stans Flows or DT Swiss 5.1’s or whatever they are now – EX500’s, maybe even Mavic 521’s, they’ll all be lighter & stronger and the rear Shimano hub on the OE comp wheels is heavy and pretty rubbish too.

    The standard finishing kit is pretty light on the bike, so not a lot to save there.

    A nice set of folding tyres would also be handy as the OE Eskars are wire bead AFIAK, they were on mine.

    With the wheels and tyres you’d be saving maybe 1/2 to 3/4lb of rotating weight off each wheel, and more with the hubs which will make it a lot easier on longer days without sacrificing the hooligan side of the bike.

    You could save up to a 1lb swapping the Pikes for air Revs, but they’re not cheap, a better option would be the Sektors as they will still be nigh on a pound lighter than the OE Pikes and with much better damping too.

    There’s weight to be lost from the cassette as it’s just a bogo Shimano steel one, you’b be needing one on a carrier – SLX or XT – if you got the Hopes anyway, thats another 100g’s there 8)

    Changing rotors is a waste of time for the minimal gains v’s the cost.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Trying to lighten a Pitch is wrong IMO. It does what it says on the tin. It’s not an XC bike and it never will be, so you’re barking up the wrong tree trying to lighten it.
    There’s more than one person bought one and sold it when they realised it’s too much bike for them, and is mostly suited to going downwards. Mine hardly gets used, and it’s beefier than standard, but that’s why I bought it.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Changing rotors is a waste of time for the minimal gains v’s the cost.

    Quite true, but in for a penny…

    Trying to lighten a Pitch is wrong IMO. It does what it says on the tin. It’s not an XC bike and it never will be, so you’re barking up the wrong tree trying to lighten it.

    I think that’s maybe a bit harsh. I get the impression that the OP just wants his Pitch to roll a little more easily for longer rides. I don’t think he’s thinking of swapping the forks out for SIDs and running Bontrager Race X-Lites with 1.8 semi-slicks… Seems a not unreasonable question to me.

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    currently got some eskar 2.3 tyres on it (original tyres). will have a look at the hoops and some slightly lighter tyres – something like the ardent may be a bit light for some of the stuff we do. at this time of year theyll be rather slippy, just looking through and the advantages get ok right ups as being fast rolling and not too heavy, might try a pair of those.

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    Pete – I know what youre saying, I did consider a swapping it for a camber or stumpy but then I like the hooligan side of it so don’t want it to be flimsy and bend rims or burst tyres everytime i attack a dowhill (not that a stumpy or camber would but the pitch is designed to be biased towards downhill rather than up). I just want to make it easier going and to be fair its really not too bad. Front wheels looking a bit beat so I’m thinking swap that out for a hope hub and new rim and sticking some different tyres on it would be good. The option of new forks and rear wheel sounds great but a set of hoops and some revo forks youre going to be talking around 700 mark, even sektors are 300ish. right, lets go find a hoop and tyres. cheers for all the advice guys.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Seems a not unreasonable question to me.

    The question is certainly reasonable, and so’s my answer! 🙂

    IMO the build kit on early Pitches was too light and XC-ish in the first place: Rims the same width as a 717, SPDs, triple rings? Naahh, sorry.
    I changed all that and then Spesh did the same and more, adding a chain device on top of beefier rims, flats and double & bash. You go look at a Pitch now, the frame is the same as a 2007 bike, but everything else is different. 150mm Sektors now too. 🙂

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Sorry, to answer the question, I’d sell it and buy lighter if I
    a) wasn’t able to have another bike (Which I have)
    b) didn’t ride in big mountains all the time (Which I don’t, hence mine’s lack of use)

    I’d get a Stumpy FSR instead, a very capable allrounder. I’ve always said if I was to only have one MTB, that’s what I’d have (Again) 🙂

    m4dmatt
    Free Member

    pete, youre probably right but i’m trying to make mine appeal more as the additional outlay on a stumpy could cause me some grief

    GW
    Free Member

    Trying to lighten a Pitch is wrong IMO

    so would trying to lighten a DH bike be wrong too IYO?

    Shandy
    Free Member

    Flows, tubeless, with a Larsen on the back and A High Roller or Advantage on the front. A pound on the forks won’t make much difference compared to lighter faster rolling tyres.

    GW
    Free Member

    unless you ride groomed slopestyle comps, why would you want a larsen on the back of a 6″ travel bike? 😕

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    I’m guessing the Pitch came with coil Pikes…
    I had some on my Ventana. I swapped them for maxle air Revs. They have all the stifness but loads lighter. Bike feels so much more lively with them on.
    717’s on Pro2’s make a nice wheelset. Not to heavy, but can take some rough stuff. I’ve never had an issue with them. As for tyres, when the trails dry stick some 2.1 Kenda SmallBlock 8’s on it. They’ll make a huge difference. They’re quite light tyres though, so run a decent pressure in them. I’ve run them on different types of terain, & unless its very muddy they have more grip than they should for such a fast rolling tyre.
    Other option would be to build up a spare chassis…
    Leave it as built up as you can. Mechs & brakes if possible, all cabled up to a set of bars with grips & a stem. Same headset if possible also. You just have to swap wheels & forks if your out for a long day. I used to do this, took about an hour max to swap between bikes.

    timmys
    Full Member

    Is the new Stumpy EVO lighter than a Pitch? Might be an option.

    Slightly off-topic but it seems to me that Specalized now have three different bikes in their range that are filing the same “one more step up the gnar scale than a 140mm trial bike” slot – the Stumpy EVO, the Pitch and the Enduro. I’m not clear what different roles they are meant to have.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Trying to lighten a Pitch is wrong IMO. It does what it says on the tin. It’s not an XC bike and it never will be, so you’re barking up the wrong tree trying to lighten it.

    The other thing, is that I think you’re confusing making things lighter with making things weaker and less suitable for demanding riding. You can make a bike lighter but still keep it strong, particularly if it’s over-built for your personal riding in the first place – theoretically – though it’ll probably cost more. Viz, a Blue Pig and a Ragley Ti will both do pretty much the same thing, but one is two lb lighter than the other and five times the price. Anyway…

    Shandy
    Free Member

    unless you ride groomed slopestyle comps, why would you want a larsen on the back of a 6″ travel bike?

    They grip surprisingly well in anything short of really muddy conditions, and they roll really well. There were loads of people running 2.35 Larsen or Ignitor rears at the Ae Enduro last year, on similar bikes to the Pitch.

    GW
    Free Member

    ah, the 6″ travel trail centre crowd 💡

    supertacky’s too I presume

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Don’t go as light as mavic 717’s as i think from what i’ve seen in vids of calderdale riding they’ll get a hammering. especially on a pitch too.

    Get a pair of hope hoops and don’t worry about forks for now. I say a pair as your current front is bust and as the rear is where the power is going, a light rear wheel will feel much quicker on acceleration and what not than a front wheel.
    keep an eye out for bargain forks, there are always a pair around for cheap in the sales. merlin often do cheap (although OEM) forks.

    robdob
    Free Member

    IMO the build kit on early Pitches was too light and XC-ish in the first place: Rims the same width as a 717, SPDs, triple rings? Naahh, sorry.

    But if it’s your only bike it actually is quite a good spec. I don’t use the SPD’s as a personal preference, and if the BB was higher I’d put my big ring back on with a big bashguard. Still got the original rims on which are still straight despite several trips to Stainburn and the Peaks. They seem pretty strong to me and suit the tyres well.

    A nice set of lighter but the same strength wheels and maybe tubeless would be great (don’t like tubeless myself). The finishing kit, while good, could be upgraded bit by bit with some choice lighter but same strength parts and the drivetrain can be lightened a fair bit as it wears out. Plenty of scope for some lightening as funds allow but still keeping it strong at the same time.

    I’m not going to change my Pitch, my only bike, for a long time. I love it and it’s my only bike. I’ve no interest in putting freeride weight stuff on it as it’s only going to reduce it’s versatility.

    robdob
    Free Member

    ah, the 6″ travel trail centre crowd
    supertacky’s too I presume

    ah, the moronic know it all forum dweller…..;-)

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    What you need is another hardtail to go with the Crush and the Ragley…?

    poppa
    Free Member

    Maybe the problem is that the Pitch isn’t an XC bike.

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    You can make a bike lighter but still keep it strong, particularly if it’s over-built for your personal riding in the first place

    Oh yes, indeed you can. But then why buy one in the first place? It’s pretty obvious what it’s for, it’s a tuffer then average, slack angled 6in bike….. 🙂

    Actually, my Pitch wasn’t built with particularly heavy parts out of the box. Coil Pikes are certainly weighty and they did switch to air forks later, and Deore hubs and cranks, but the rest of it is not so bad really, although I imagine the frame ain’t light! Standard they are 30.5lb (Pro model) and a switch to air Revs or Sektors would lop a bit off and improve the bike at the same time. But covering a Pitch in expensive lightweight stuff is like buying a Landrover and trying to turn it into a sportscar! 🙂

    xiphon
    Free Member

    My old Pitch, with slightly more beefy parts on it. Ragged it for a year in this setup… regular uplifts/DH days, and some all-day epics.

    Halo Combat rims, hadley/hope bulb hubs, stinger chain guide, short stem.

    Even had a coil shock on it too..

    Shandy
    Free Member

    ah, the 6″ travel trail centre crowd

    supertacky’s too I presume

    Vouilloz was on a Zesty, somebody better let him know he is “overbiked”.

    GW
    Free Member

    It’s pretty obvious what it’s for, it’s a tuffer then average, slack angled 6in bike…..

    So IYO what is it for? (genuinely question)

    Standard they are 30.5lb

    That’s the exact weight of the 100m travel Alloy Hardtail I use for XC, every part was chosen to be light but durable (for me) and any lighter and I’d break parts all the time.

    covering a Pitch in expensive lightweight stuff is like buying a Landrover and trying to turn it into a sportscar!

    I doubt very much that a pitch under about 35lb would be durable for me but why build it heavy if you can get away with light and funds allow?

    GW
    Free Member

    Vouilloz was on a Zesty, somebody better let him know he is “overbiked”.

    “Under terrained” more like 😉
    Vouilloz is a beast.. He was also renowned for riding shorter travel lighter DH race bikes years ahead of anyone else. bearing this in mind I’d also doubt he knew how tame Ae actually is before he travelled there.

    sv
    Full Member

    Definately overbiked/under skilled 😉

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