I currently have an all mountain bike which is great but heavy and its getting on a bit. I am looking to get a lightweight carbon full suspension try and get the build weight below 24lb if that’s possible also not fussed about massive travel thinking 140 or less?

Anyone got any frame suggestions/experience

Yes it’s possible, but they will be short travel (e.g. CF Canyon Lux or top end Giant Anthem), and expensive.

Yes but it will cost you.

My Ripley with 140mm Rev’s up front came in at around 25 1/2lb

Spec –
Hope Hoops with Crest rims
XT rear mech/cassette with Hope 40tRex. XTR Shifter
No front mech
Deore cranks with Hope 32t ring.
Basic SPD peddles, 520’s i think.
Thomson Stem. Orange alloy bars, now replaced with Renthal Carbon
Raceface seat post with SDG Falcon saddle
Hope X2 Evo brakes with floating rotors.

The reason the bike is a bit of a mix is I built it up using parts off my Clockwork. As and when funds allow it will be treated to upgrades. But even as it stands there it will set you back a lot!

It now has a Reverb fitted so a bit heavier.

short travel is not a problem as it will be more XC trail centre orientated its just getting the correct frame. I like the look of the Spesh stumpy carbon I had a stumpy years ago so got a bit of a soft spot for them.

njee’s old Top Fuel was more like 22lb so yes, it is feasible. In fact, my old ASR SL was only 24.4lb and that was the alloy main frame version – only 100mm travel (newer ones are 120mm) but I could have gone lighter with a few bits.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but it might be a challenge getting a current Stumpjumper FSR below 24lbs without some fairly expensive exotic parts. Nice bike though.

My Anthem X carbon 26er is around 24lbs running 1X10 and tubeless.

My Anthem X carbon 26er is around 24lbs running 1X10 and tubeless.

Always a little sceptical when people say “around”. I guess it could just about creep under 25 but would be surprised seeing it with Nics, an XT chainset and those heavy bar end plugs.

That Ibis is a long way from 25.5lb – it’s the STW magic scales of make believe at work again.

I sold a frame a while ago that would have been perfect. Pronghorn PR6 XC Carbon frame
I am currently selling a Pivot Mach 5.7 Carbon can run it with 140mm forks upfront & could be built up pretty light

Well, this:

Introducing the Yeti AS-Rc – UPDATED

is supposedly 23.1lbs (presumably without pedals) in it’s cheapest guise so it is possible. Depends how much you want to spend.
What are you hoping to achieve with a lightweight build though?

I’ve got a Stumpjumper FSR carbon that I got after the alloy frame was warrantied. It weighs about 28.5lbs and none of the bits are massively light on it. But it’s fine and rides really well. Not sure it would benefit from losing masses of weight.

I’ve got a stumpy fsr carbon which is pretty well specced and it came in at about 27.5 lb with specialized storm tyres set up tubeless on it. It does have a reverb though.
Can’t see how you could knock another 4lb off.
You might be better off looking at an epic, I know someone who has one sub 23lb but that wasn’t without spending an absolute fortune on it.

Just weighed the Anthem: 23.98lbs. I’m quite please with that! 🙂

Santa Cruz TallboyC in a Medium – with some heavy for a xc bike parts

ENVE AM Front Rim
XTR Trail SPD’s
Tubes – Although weight with Tubeless RaRa would be about the same as tubes/Burts
Could get lighter bars/seatpost easily, plus seat collar is the “heavy” Santa Cruz one,
Rear QR could be lighter,
Heavier X9 Stages Crank Arm
203mm Saint Rotor

could shave 1.5lbs off no issues i reckon

Ah another make believe bike weights thread! Always amazes me some of the claimed weights!

As far as I remember njee’s top fuel was sub 20lbs at it’s lightest…..that one was genuine though!

OP I think you’ll struggle. Are you going to be going for a 29er? Those specialized bikes are all 29 inch now aren’t they? A year back wasn’t Yaroslav Kulhavey’s EPIC just over 22lbs? If the factory specialized team get a bike to that weight, I’d suggest it’ll be a big struggle to get a stumpy within a couple of pounds of that.

My intentions are to use it for a few XC marathons etc also for blasts and good xc days out, just goes to show there are some nice light builds out there which if your building yourself and can afford the bits then why not. Other debate now is to move with the times and go 650b was never a fan of 29, not enough in my leg length.

Should be doable for a 100mm bike with some light and sensible bits. Not sure about anything longer travel though. Talking about 26″ bikes is irelavent though as the wheels alone are 10% lighter, and the frame shorter and doesnt need to be as beefy as a result, etc.

Shouldnt even be that expensive compared to a more normal build if youre happy buying carbon rims and bitex or novatec hubs from the east, carbon post instead of a dropper etc.

Someone on mtbr has a 22lb Santa Cruz Solo C so anything is possible, it even has a dropper post!

my mate’s tallboy LTC with carbon rims is 26.5lbs (genuine weight) with a dropper and pikes.

Should be easily doable IF you’ve got the money

Have built a few set of wheels in the past with my lightest set being stans crests on king hubs, lovely with a bit of bling to add in the mix. The dropper is mighty convienient but yep agreed about the weight issue.

njee’s old Top Fuel was more like 22lb so yes, it is feasible

Wash your mouth out with soap sir!

That was with some 1240g wheels and a few other bits of questionable durability, but I never had a problem with any of it!

Have built a few set of wheels in the past with my lightest set being stans crests on king hubs, lovely with a bit of bling to add in the mix

Nice wheels, but not particularly light.

As said though, it can easily be done, you just need to:

a) be prepared to spend money on it
b) know what you’re spending money on

More expensive isn’t always lighter.

Wow this is getting interesting what were the wheels? 1240g nice. Agreed minimalist is pricey.

Wash your mouth out with soap sir!

Bloody hell, that’s only about 300g heavier than my full carbon rigid. You’re a weight weenie god sir!

Wow this is getting interesting what were the wheels? 1240g nice. Agreed minimalist is pricey.

A2Z hubs, Podium MMX rims, Revolution spokes. 1246g with yellow tape and valves.

You can go lighter – Sapim Superspoke drops you below 1200, and Pillar Xtra Lite Ti would be more like 1150, Extralite hubs get you down to about 1080g. Trouble is you’re then at a £1k wheelset, with alu rims! And so it goes on… 😉

Some chap on Weight Weenies had some 980g clincher wheels – Innolite XCC250 rims on Extralite hubs with Pillar spokes. You can’t get the rims anymore, so it’s a bit of a moot point, but it can be done.

Mcfk finishing kit too – 90g seatposts, 70g stems etc. Not cheap, but very doable.

Bloody hell, that’s only about 300g heavier than my full carbon rigid. You’re a weight weenie god sir!

Haha, cheers! I used it completely in that guise too, and never actually broke anything, which is a test for me – I’ve got to be able to use the bike as I want, not back off because ‘x component may break’.

Whyte 109CS lists @ 12.2 Kg with the carbon wheels and 2×10. Bit of XTR and swapping out bars, stem etc should get it under? Last years model, didn’t weigh it, but it certainly had the ‘wow thats light’ factor picking it up stock.

This is one battle 26″ could win though?

Sub 24lb is certainly doable but depends on lots of things which may or may not detract from the overall ride you are looking for.

For example, working from a Scalpel frame (1621g including BB, headset, shock, seatclamp, etc), using 26 inch wheels (1261g for ~£400), cheating slightly with Thunder Burts (720g), XX1, Lefty XLR Carbon (1260g) and some parts that wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea like a Speedneedle I was sub 18lbs (its on Weightweenies if you want to check)

The hardtail I’m riding now is just under 19.5lbs but in all honesty a much better ride. If you wanted you could be around 6.8kg for the same 26 Scalpel frame and the SWorks Epic World Cup is supposedly just over 21lbs out of the box but getting sub 20 on a 29er full sus is an even more massive expenditure!

Using all that as a guide I’d imagine you can work up to 24lbs for the combo of parts that suit you more- getting it at the price you can live with most likely needs attention to detail and some patience hunting parts

Mmm thanks njee the worlds my oyster assuming i got deep pockets.

Yep! That said, that’s what I was alluding to with knowing where to spend money.

New Ultimate do an aluminium seatpost that’s 130g and c£80, Mt Zoom do loads of really nice lightweight finishing kit that’s reasonably priced – I’m using their 710mm 116g flat bars, as well as some other bits like a 6g seat clamp, 25g ti bottle cage etc. When I had QRs I used their skewers, and they were excellent. Alu bolts are fine in non load-bearing places, weigh half what ti bolts weigh, and cost pence. Quaxar cable outer is half the weight of SP41.

You can make some big gains with intelligent choices of parts, rather than going mental.

Wash your mouth out with soap sir!

Sorry, my bad 🙁

You can make some big gains with intelligent choices of parts, rather than going mental.

So true. BBB Ultraspace headset spacers, Bontrager X-Lite grips, AB spiderless chainrings, 1×10/11, KCNC brake adapters, Hope Tech X2 Race rotors, KCNC stem, Mt Zoom bar, KCNC skewers/ axles, XC Racer Ti bolts, Chinese 130g seatpost (£50!), Xpedo XMF08TT pedals… just some examples of very durable and robust parts that function the same as things twice as expensive and/ or twice as heavy. There are lots of great performing, light and great gems out there if you look around a bit

6lb short travel 29er alloy frame (eg spearfish) will take considerable work and money (XX1 or XTR 1×10 and LB wheels plus light finishing kit and lighter tyres) to get to a true 24lb with pedals. The more travel the harder (money) it gets especialy if you are going to match strength. There’s not much point in having a 140mm frame and forks and putting race Golds on it.

The half pound from 24 to 24.5lb takes quite a lot off effort and cash.

Also there can be a fair bit extra in a ‘proper’ sized frame as opposed to one’s built for pygmies…, eh Nick?

But, it really depends on where/how you use it. My HT has been as low as 22lbs, but now 26lbs as I’ve slowly destroyed all the lightweight components that were perfectly adequate in the South East, now I live in the Scottish Borders – plus added stuff like a dropper etc, better suited to the riding we have.

Chinese 130g seatpost (£50!)

Yours hasn’t cracked or developed any play or creaking yet then?!

Yours hasn’t cracked or developed any play or creaking yet then?!

Nope. Have 2 on 2 bikes and they’ve been great. I don’t ride your miles 10 hours a week most weeks. The Caveats are that the seatpost is advertised for £70 and took some bartering with the seller to get them for £50 and that the brand is “Climax” and the 27.2 one I needed took some searching to get one without the graphics (30.9 and upwards easy to find “nude”)

That Ripley looks fantastic.

Also there can be a fair bit extra in a ‘proper’ sized frame as opposed to one’s built for pygmies…, eh Nick?

No, there isn’t, that’s a red herring, sorry Bruce! You’re perhaps giving away half a pound between an XL and a medium, but that can come out in the wash in variations on other parts. At the end of the day the differences are in the frame, steerer and cables, that’s about it! That doesn’t add 2lbs or anything, despite what anyone who posts on a ‘what does your bike weigh’ thread wants to think! Some years back I weighed several Stumpjumpers at the shop, same model, a couple of mediums, a couple of large. The heaviest one was a medium…

The only thing is that someone riding an XL bike will weigh more than a shorter person of equivalent build, and thus perhaps need stronger components.

6lb short travel 29er alloy frame (eg spearfish) will take considerable work and money (XX1 or XTR 1×10 and LB wheels plus light finishing kit and lighter tyres) to get to a true 24lb with pedals.

See, you’re falling into the trap! LB rims aren’t really any lighter than Crests, you don’t need to spend that lots of money to get a light wheelset (not that LB rims are hugely expensive obviously!). Sub 1400g would be doable on 29″ Crests for <£400 I reckon. XX1 is light, but actually an XT/XTR 1×10 mix (with a T-Rex if you want) and a Next SL chainset would weigh less and cost less than a full XX1 or XTR groupset, if that was primary motivation. Obviously XX1 with a Next SL would be even lighter!

You’ll struggle to get a Stumpjumper FSR 29er below 25lbs if you want to use it properly. Mine is the carbon EVO frame with Pikes and dropper-post, XX1 and ENVE wheels, and comes in at 26.5lbs.

You’ll struggle to get a Stumpjumper FSR 29er below 25lbs if you want to use it properly

1) define properly
2) no you won’t, but it’ll cost money and be about component choice (ie not Enves!)

Tony: Though it may sound excessively geeky, I would recommend a simple spreadsheet to plug all this stuff into. It will give you a really good idea of where weight and wonga are being spent. You’ll also find out where you draw your own line between cost, functionality, comfort and performance…At some point, though (different for each rider) weight-saving crosses the weenie-ism line between simply trying to get a nice light bike that rides well and a disproportionately expensive stat based sport of abstract numbers…

On the FSR, what is the frame and shock weight? I’ve been looking at 29er FS’s (mainly Scalpels and Canyon Lux) and the carbon frames with shock seem to come in at around 2100g – that’s only 1KG / 2lb over a very light HT frame….even if you add a drooper it ought to come in under 25 easy enough…