Obviously, I really can’t work out how it’s possible to loose 5lbs or so.
It’s easy, very very easy in fact… You just need commitment and a fat wallet!
To build a weight weenie bike, you need to think like a weight weenie… No “that’ll do” approach to the spec, otherwise before you know it, it’s 4lb heavier than it could be! It’s comments like this that are the reason I know you don’t have (or want!) any commitment to being a weight weenie… “hope/Crest wheels, tyres arn’t that heavy”
Your tyres are 800g each FFS… Get some 29×2″ Furious Fred’s on there if you’re a real weight weenie, a mere 360g each… Even if you aren’t ready to commit to an inner tube with a bit of tread, then some 29×2.1 Thunder Burts are 430g each and have at least a small amount of tread.
Hope hubs (assuming Pro4’s) are around 500g per pair… A Tune King/Kong pair will save almost 200g here.
Crest rims are light by normal people’s standards at 365g each in 29er version, but there’s carbon 29er rims out there 100g lighter per rim. I’m also willing to bet that your spokes are DT Swiss or Sapim butted 2.0/1.8 spokes… Some DT Revolutions will save another 80-100g per wheel depending on your current ones. Alloy nipples are a pain in the arse, but save another 25-30g per wheel too…
So far we’ve only covered the wheels and tyres, but I’ve saved you around 1500g, or almost 3.5lb!!!
Your Thomson stem and post… There’s another 200g can come off there immediately. Saddle wise, there’s another 150g to come off there by swapping to a Flite SLR, or if you REALLY want to save weight, there’s sub 100g options but they’re a carbon shell with no padding!
If you’re sticking with gears, then you need to go SRAM XX1… Gripshift saves weight over trigger shifts, the rear mech is lighter than any Shimano. A Leonardi Racing 9-36 11spd cassette will save you a further 60g over and above an XX1 cassette too, and allow you to fit a smaller chainring too (which will be lighter again). Cranks need to be junked for Carbon… Raceface Next SL claim to be the lightest production crankset in the world. They are bloody light for sure, just make sure you buy them new with a warranty, as they don’t seem to last very long!
Shimano brakes are heavy for what they are… Formula R1’s are significantly lighter without too much of a power compromise. There’s plenty of lightweight rotors (with questionable performance!) to choose from if you don’t mind sacrificing some performance.
And then there’s the frame and fork… There are sub 800g MTB frames out there! And there’s plenty of lighter forks than the Exotic Carbon one you have fitted!
What you will have, once you have done all of the above… Is an expensive paperweight, cos it will ride horribly, and it will have relieved you of a huge chunk of cash!
Or, if you really just want to lose a little bit of weight off your current bike without spending too much money (which is really what I think you’re getting at)… A pair of 29×2.25″ Racing Ralph/Ray Snakeskin tyres will save you almost 400g without any detriment to performance or reliability and will set you back probably about £80. A decent Carbon seatpost will probably save you about 80-100g and cost you another £80-100, and a lighter saddle need only cost from around £50 too and save you a bit more. For around £200ish, you’ve dropped another 1.5lb off your bike and not compromised on the performance…
If you can be bothered… 😉
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2iLyuZZ]IMG_4493[/url] by Martin Robbo, on Flickr
