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Thread: Lighten up my city ride
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08-10-2015, 10:47 AM #1
Lighten up my city ride
I've got a Giant Seek 2 (2010) that I use as my commuter/city bike. I dig it, but I really wish it was lighter and faster; it feels like a bit of a pig climbing hills. What could I upgrade on it for not too much dough that would make a significant difference? Bars, stem, etc? Wheels seem like an obvious choice, but I have no idea if there are reasonably cheap 700c disc compatible wheels out there that would be good quality and significantly lighter. Not sure if I can use a 29er MTB wheelset instead - I'm told they're the same size but not sure if there are any details that would cause problems.
Here's the bike (this is the 2011 model, but pretty similar). I already replaced the brakes with Avid BB7s, which was a great upgrade. Not looking to spend a ton of dough, but if there are some easy upgrades that would make a difference I'd be stoked. And if anyone has used parts in their garage that they'd like to get rid of and would work as upgrades here, I'm all ears!Last edited by Pegleg; 08-10-2015 at 11:14 AM.
Outlive the bastards - Ed Abbey
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08-10-2015, 11:32 AM #2
ride more
lose weight
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08-10-2015, 11:45 AM #3
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08-10-2015, 12:38 PM #4Registered User
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- Mar 2008
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- northern BC
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IME the fastest cheapest thing you can do is buy some super light skinny road slicks, pay attention to how much they weigh. I have a set of 1.25 tioga city slickers (about 400grams) for my commuter/touring bike which started life as a Kona steel HT and they really make the bike fast IF there will be NO gravel, If there is gravel you probably want a wider tire with tread
I wouldn't bother changing anything elseLee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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08-10-2015, 02:16 PM #5
Are you running your tires at their max rated pressure, which seems to be 100 psi?
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08-10-2015, 02:26 PM #6
Wheels and tires would be a good spot.
You can probably find some good deals on 29er wheels with QRs, as everything is going thru axle.
For tires, I've had great luck with Specialized Armadillo Elite (Elite essentially means kevlar bead folding) on commuter tires. I put at least a thousand miles on a pair without one flat in 3 years of riding/commuting in Denver.
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08-10-2015, 02:59 PM #7
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08-10-2015, 03:17 PM #8
Setting it up 1x would shed a bunch of weight too. Just run the middle ring if you don't have any big hills. You'll drop over a pound.
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08-10-2015, 03:23 PM #9
i've got a steel fixie w/ flipflop hub if you want a lighter rig
soma rush, 60cm
tho you might find something similar cheaper in your own town
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08-10-2015, 04:13 PM #10
Just start drilling holes.
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08-10-2015, 04:46 PM #11"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
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08-10-2015, 05:00 PM #12
I've ridden one of those - nice city bike. I would just keep riding it....
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08-10-2015, 08:44 PM #13
Ah, speed holes! I'm with you.
Outlive the bastards - Ed Abbey
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08-11-2015, 12:28 PM #14
Clearly the only option is to upgrade to Super Record:
http://www.wiggle.com/campagnolo-sup...d|5360680481us
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08-11-2015, 10:19 PM #15
Psshh, it's not even electric. C'mon, man, get with the program.
I'm gonna try to weigh the wheels on the bike currently to see how heavy they are. I have a suspicion that they're really heavy, and if so then I'll keep an eye out for a cheap set of 700c or 29er wheels on Craigslist. Seems like the main place I can make a difference without dropping more than, say, $100.Outlive the bastards - Ed Abbey
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09-01-2015, 01:54 PM #16
Question for the tech knowledgeable: If I only use my middle chainring anyway, can I just remove the other two chainrings and the derailleur from my 3x9 setup in order to have a ghetto 1x9? Or do I need to get a new 1X-specific chainring and/or other bits to make it work without dropping the chain and such? I don't need additional cogs in back, this is just a city bike.
Outlive the bastards - Ed Abbey
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09-01-2015, 01:56 PM #17
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09-01-2015, 02:15 PM #18
If you're just riding around town, it'll likely be fine. On rougher stuff, you'll either want to get a narrow/wide ring, or put some sort of minimalist chain guide on it.
Also keep in mind that your chainring bolts (or more specifically, the nut that the bolt threads into) may be too long to work with a single ring. You'll either need to buy some chainring bolts that are designed for single ring setups, or you'll need to file down the nuts.
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09-01-2015, 02:20 PM #19
Thanks, that's kinda what I figured. Any recommendations for a cheap narrow/wide ring?
Edit: Looks like the Race Face is cheap ($38) and would do the trick. I'll probably try first keeping the existing middle ring and see how it fares, and if I'm tossing chains left and right then I'll get the Race Face.Outlive the bastards - Ed Abbey
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09-02-2015, 09:41 AM #20
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