I didn't believe the manufacturers stated weight on the standard build of 26.5 lbs and I've changed a few things over to my own preference and apparently, it's now half a lb lighter at 26lb. So, how can I lose 2lb from this build?
Cube Ltd Race 18" frame
FSA carbon seatpost
SLR bare carbon saddle
Generic seatpost clamp
Deda Zero 100 110mm stem
Pro carbon riser bars
Specialized ergonomic grips
SLX shifters
Formula K18 brakes
Reba Team 100mm forks (lock off removed)
Formula 160/180 rotors
Mavic Crossmax Enduro UST wheels
Specialized Storm Control 2bliss tyres
Mavic QR's
XT 12-32 cassette
XT Shadow rear mech
SLX front mech
SLX chainset and BB
Sram PC99 chain.
Any ideas how to lose 2lb? The frame is the frame so nothing can be done with that besides, I really like it. It fits me perfectly. I really get on with the forks but if I can get some that work as well or better and have a significant weight loss, that could be doable. The wheels don't feel particularly porkie but I suppose it's going to be an accumolation of marginal gains (look at me getting all Mr Brailsford).
I wouldn't say money is no object but this is my long term ride and race bike so I'm happy to spend quite a bit to get it down to my magical 24lb weight.
Anybody care to suggest some weight saving gains?
Please refrain from the going to the toilet before you ride nonsense and at 12st 8lb myself, I'm happy as I chunky am thank you very much :-}

switch the whole drivetrain to SRAM XX or XTR.

wheels have 'enduro' in the title so will be porky.

how much do you want to spend.

what benefits do you see 2lb less weight giving you?

lighter chainset
smaller rotors

Take a dump.

lighter grips and seat clamp
lighter chainset

I got some XT crank arms might save a bit, but the most will be swapping the wheels out…

how much does 1 of those tyres weigh out of interest?

Grips and seatclamp for cheap gains, then tyres, rotors and seatpost, then wheels.

slx is about 100g heavier than xtr

go double up front, kcnc seat clamp at 12g, lighter tyres spesh are 550gisg, foam grips save 100-200g on those spesh grips and are about 10 quid, ashima air rotors save 80g ish on a pair

The main one wheels, replace with Stans rims on ZTR of Hope hubs.

Replace SLX items with XT or ideally XTR.

Grips, replace with foams.

Deda 100 stem, nice but not the lightest and if you don't mind me saying it belongs on a road bike, get a KCNC SC Wing or Syntace F99.

Reba Team Forks, replace with SID.

180mm rotor – replace with 160mm.

Tyres change to Scwalbe Rocket Rons or Fast Freds or if you don't want to spend that much, WTB Nanoraptors all sub 500g tyres, if you are using tubes then change to Conti supersonic of Maxxis flyweights at around 90g.each.

You could probably shave a 1/2lb off the wheels for not 'ridiculous' money. Your finishing kit is a bit on the porky side too: that seatpost is a brick considering it's carbon but everything else could be dropped by 30-50g too. It's doesn't really look like that bad a build, and like you say at this point it's all accumulative so a lot of weight loss will cost a lot of money.

About £400 to spend so Crank Bros wheels are sadly not an option.
Is there a huge weight saving between SLX and XT and then having got my head around swapiing the chainset and shifters over to XT, is the further upgrade to XTR worth it?
The grips are superb. I couldn't go back to standard cyclinder type grips but alighter version of the paddle design would be ideal if anybody knows of any? It would help if I'd weighed these parts before fititng them wouldn't it? My focus was on multi day rides but now having done a few I'm going to head more toward endurance racing. No podium aspirations by any means but it would be nice to put on a good show for my own vanity.
"Go for a dump" It didn't take long did it? Never mind.
I'd love to get it lighter than 24lb but I assumed that would be unrealistic. My weight saving aspirations are based entirely on having less weight to lug round 24 hour race courses (and the Peak District etc as this bike gets ridden at least three times per week so it needs to function well).
Any weight to cost effective recommendations for the wheels?
Thanks for the input so far.

An ideal candidate for a set of race wheels for race days and run the Mavic's the rest of the time…. reckon njee is the bloke to point you at the lightest wheels and tyre combinations you can get for your money.

Are the superstar Superleggera XC Pro Wheelset at £250 lighter than the Hope builds? at 910g rear and 770g front?

I rekon changing the crankset for anything regardless of weight will just be a waste until its worn out, and if your riding 3 times a week that will happen soon enough, worry about consumables like that then in my opinion… and even then with heavy use running stuff like XTR cranks and rings is a massive investment for everyday use. .

Oooh. more replies.
Arrgh, I can't get my head around chaniging the grips. Round grips hurt after a few hours, these weird shaped things are lovely.
KCNC seat clamp has just purchased via ebay (with ti bolt).
The wheels are about to go on the classifieds, thank you. I think with the sale of the Mavics, my spend on replacement wheels will be about £200 (2nd hand if anybody has anything?)
Ashima Air rotors are about to be googled.
SLX chainset and shifters (about 1000 miles use and cosmetically unmarked) about to go in the classifieds as well.
My Deda 100 Zero stem is 116 grams on my scales and is the perfect ride and length but if I can get the same fit for less weight, I'll have a look.
I'm not mad keen on the performance of the Storm Conrol tyres. They're adequate in all conditions but not great in any so I'm happy to keep them on my training wheels. My new wheels will get something as suggested above.
Thanks for all the replies. This weight loss thing is quite addictive.
Ant reccommendatins for a seatpost? It needs to be at least 360mm length.

Go tubeless! 300-400grams right there. Cost…next to nothing! Woop woop!

ashima air rotors from merlin

I thinkt he sort of bike that is a 'race' bike vs the sort of bike you can ride round the peak(s) 3 times a week are not going to be the same thing.

you're likely to break/wear out lighter stuff far more quickly ridign it day in day out so carrying a few extra grammes to make it last is probably a good trade off.

money might be better spent getting a 'proper' personal trainer to set you a schedule and give trainign advice?

Are the superstar Superleggera XC Pro Wheelset at £250 lighter than the Hope builds? at 910g rear and 770g front?

Nope.

I have Hope DT swiss 4.2d on Hope ProIII SP they come on at 1650g, a good light XC build but not whippet race build you will be looking at 1450g and spend around £300 – £400, if it's your only bike used all year round in all conditions I would opt for a slightly sturdier build than 1450g, but that is just my opinion.

Don not spoil your ride in favour of a few grams on stuff like grips if your happy with what you have then you will be faster because of it.

In my experience the biggest gains you can get in speed will be on having the right tyre on the bike for any given conditions.

KCNC seat clamp has just purchased via ebay (with ti bolt).

Unfortunately the Ti bolt on that clamp is made of cheese, it's a nice clamp and still light even after replacing the bolt with a steel one.

Ant reccommendatins for a seatpost? It needs to be at least 360mm length.

Budget? Alu or carbon?

You want to lose 2lb from your bike but describe yourself as chunky 😯

Go tubeless! 300-400grams right there. Cost…next to nothing! Woop woop!

How on earth do you work that out? by the time you add sealant and a ghetto or rim strip type setup or even heavier, UST tyres, a 90g tube and light tyres has to be lighter?

a 90g tube and light tyres has to be lighter?

It is.

Steve is chunky in the same way someone coming out of belsen was!

reckon njee is the bloke to point you at the lightest wheels and tyre combinations you can get for your money.

Glad my reputation precedes me 🙂

With £400 in total to spend I wouldn't target the wheels. You could blow all that on a set of wheels, but IIRC the Crossmax Enduros are only about 1900g anyway, and you're not gonna get an 1100g set of wheels for £400! If you're really set on it, get some ZTR hubs on Alpine rims, you'll likely get a pound out of those.

Go for some Schwalbe Rocket Rons and run them tubeless.

If it runs a 31.6 seatpost, If you could get away with 350mm I've got a really light New Ultimate aluminium seatpost which will drop 100g over the FSA.

Going 2×9 with a 28/40 or something would be cheaper than a new chainset, although I've got an XTR for sale in the classifieds 🙂

Don't bother with XT, even XTR will give you fairly small gains.

Both the rim and tyres are tubeless ready, so it's only the valve and the sticky white stuff to be added. Most tubes that I've weighed have been about 150-200grams, but I get what you mean by the 90g race light tubes. Do they puncture much? I've never tried them, I've always assumed that someone my weight (13st, similar to OP) would see them bursting pretty sharpish…

You want to lose 2lb from your bike but describe yourself as chunky

People describe me as 'square shaped' I've also heard people refer to me as 'Big Mike', I'm 6'2" and at my worst I'm 14 stone at my best I'm 13.5 stone, genetically I couldn't get any smaller, you don't have to be wafer thin to want a light bike.

Don't bother with XT, even XTR will give you fairly small gains.

Pfft, says the man who out weight weenies the weight weenies on weight weenies.

😉

But I don't have 1900g wheels and 200g grips, and anyway, I've got XX 🙂

I get what you mean by the 90g race light tubes. Do they puncture much?

Yes, avoid.

have Hope DT swiss 4.2d on Hope ProIII SP they come on at 1650g, a good light XC build but not whippet race build you will be looking at 1450g and spend around £300 – £400,

Sounds like a lot of extra £££ for not a lot extra saving of lb's to go race wheel wieght, and he would still possible need a burlier set for everyday use, at the 1650g mark you can use them daily..

How much is the Hope DT4.2 coming in at these days? The Superstar wheels still sound pretty cheap to me at £250 and only 30g heavier.

Thanks again for the replies.
Gutted about the ti bolt on the seat clamp. I was getting giddy about having Ti on my bike :-}
It's already set up tubeless. i wouldn't go back to tubes.
I have a sports science degree so I'm fumbling through a half hearted training plan (Christ it's boring writing it and then doing it is a living death!)
Hmmm, a good point about weight verses use that I hadn't considered. It is my only mountain bike. I have a few road bikes and a commute bike so I might reduce my off road time to preserve any delicate parts that may be bought but I'm mindful if I want to do well, my training needs to be specific. While cycling is cycling and stresses and adaptations from road cycling to off road cycling are hugley similar, there are crucial differences that need to be honed and maintaned by some intense off road training.
Merlin will have some of my cash in the next hour (sorry for going off on one on your thread the other day. I've been an arse to people for a while now, I blame my new pils).

Get 355s over 4.2s every time, lighter, easier to run tubeless and far less prone to denting. Same money too when you get Hope Hoops.

But I don't have 1900g wheels and 200g grips, and anyway, I've got XX

I get what you mean by the 90g race light tubes. Do they puncture much?

Yes, avoid

In your experience njee, in mine they don't puncture any more than normal tubes.

I run the 110g welter weight tubes, use them all the time, zero issues, unless a thorn punctures, but the difference in thickness is about 0.4 of a mm so whatever tubes would get speared in the same manner..

Get 355s over 4.2s every time, lighter, easier to run tubeless and far less prone to denting. Same money too when you get Hope Hoops.

I would agree with that if I had had the choice at the time I would have gone for that unfortunately Stans rims didn't exist then, although 4.2s don't have a rep for denting AFAIK, it was their heavier cousins.

4.2s don't have a rep for denting AFAIK, it was there heavier cousins.

I've always found DT rims to be bad frankly! I've seen some seriously dented 4.2s.

In your experience njee, in mine they don't puncture any more than normal tubes.

Aah, I've not used any tubes for 9 years anyway! Personally it's not a weight saving I'd make based on what I've seen of other peoples experiences, yours excepted. Irrelevant anyway, as he's running tubeless.

Bit of a hijack but still on topic…

Whats the lightest sub £300 tubeless ready wheels?

I've always found DT rims to be bad frankly! I've seen some seriously dented 4.2s.

Quite possibly, I've only seen the heavier ones dented, that said I don't know anyone else with 4.2s!

[willy waving]My cannondale F500 cost me £300 and weighed 24.5lb [/willy waving]

On a serious note………..

160mm rotors weigh significantly less than 180mm ones.

I'd get some 1600g wheels, they'll be a good enough comprimise between racing and everyday use.

Other than that I'd just save weight as and when you change something. No point ditching a perfectly good seatpost if its not disgracefully heavy.

Tubeless debate alert!! Heh heh. 😉