1x10!!

[sethschmautz]

Instead of cleaning my drivetrain, I just decided to upgrade it. I think I'm going to have 3 drivetrains at all times - one sitting in degreaser, one lubed and ready to go, and another on the bike. I'll switch every 3-5 days.

Okay, not really. My 32T oval chainring and the sunrace 11-42 cassette showed up a few days ago and decided to upgrade last night. Itching to ride it and *really* hoping that I don't miss those extra gears.

Seth

[Skistack]

Which chainring is that?

[radam]

Instead of cleaning my drivetrain, I just decided to upgrade it. I think I'm going to have 3 drivetrains at all times - one sitting in degreaser, one lubed and ready to go, and another on the bike. I'll switch every 3-5 days.

Okay, not really. My 32T oval chainring and the sunrace 11-42 cassette showed up a few days ago and decided to upgrade last night. Itching to ride it and *really* hoping that I don't miss those extra gears.

Seth

Did you get that mud on the seat tube before or after you put the fender on there?

Also, is that just a stock XT derailleur? No goat link or rad cage? How well does it shift with the new cassette?

[sethschmautz]

Which chainring is that?

Absolute black.

[sethschmautz]

Did you get that mud on the seat tube before or after you put the fender on there?

Also, is that just a stock XT derailleur? No goat link or rad cage? How well does it shift with the new cassette?

I just recently added the fender(s). The mud was already on the frame.

No goat link or rad cage. Standard XT clutch derailleur. I read a few posts suggesting that turning the B screw in all the way was sufficient. So far, so good, but I've only ridden it in the driveway. Tomorrow I'll get a mellow singletrack ride in at lunch and report back.

Total cost was ~$120 - $50 for the cassette, $50 for the chainring, and $20 for the chain. I think I'll shave about 3/4 of a pound also, which is nice.

[sethschmautz]

Initial ride was good. . . but it was pretty flat. Oval chainring felt "odd" for a little while, but I quickly forgot about it. Strangely quiet - no rubbing on the front derailleur. Shifting in the rear was great - as good as my 11-36 XT cassette, but I don't think I ever got into the granny on this ride. No big climbs, descents, or pavement today, so not sure whether I'm missing gears yet, but so far, so good.

[Eluder]

No goat link or rad cage. Standard XT clutch derailleur. I read a few posts suggesting that turning the B screw in all the way was sufficient. So far, so good, but I've only ridden it in the driveway. Tomorrow I'll get a mellow singletrack ride in at lunch and report back.

It is sufficient, but a goat link or better yet a Rad or Radr cage work notably better.

[jm2e]

Any backpedaling issues in the 42T?
How heavy is that cassette? I seem to remember availability issues with the "lighter" option last time I was shopping for SR cassettes.

[sethschmautz]

It is sufficient, but a goat link or better yet a Rad or Radr cage work notably better.

How?

[sethschmautz]

Any backpedaling issues in the 42T?
How heavy is that cassette? I seem to remember availability issues with the "lighter" option last time I was shopping for SR cassettes.

Yes. Backpedaling drops the chain onto smaller cogs.

This is the lighter version. Reported at 387g.

[Dee Hubbs]

[QUOTE=sethschmautz;4838018 I think I'll shave about 3/4 of a pound also, which is nice.[/QUOTE]
Thats 340 grams you think you lost....
XT 11-36 cassette weights 323g so your up +64g before you're deleting any weight.
Absolute black is 44g vs 42g big ring + 30g so -29g there
Chain is a wash =0
XT high clamp FD = -153g
XT shifters 248g/pair = -124g
Cable housing and cable approx - 50g.
I have you loosing 292grams or .64 lbs or 10.3oz.
Pretty close to your 3/4lbs (.75lbs) claim.

[sethschmautz]

Pretty close to your 3/4lbs (.75lbs) claim.

Awesome. Thanks for putting numbers to it. I did a little back of the napkin math when considering it earlier, but it's good to see that I wasn't too far off.

I've started another small project called "the game of attrition" where I'm trying to figure out other ways to drop weight. You seem to have a great handle on components weights. Any recommendations on where to start? I'd be happy to send you over the list. I'll be doing these upgrades slowly over time.

Seth

[54-46]

Tires?

[sethschmautz]

I'm thinking that may be a good place to start.

Ardent 2.25 on the front, Ardent race exo 2.2? on the back. They are getting tired (no pun) - might be a good place to start. Set up tubeless.

[jm2e]

Tires?

Possibly the single worst place to drop weight.
It would be like if you could drop weight by getting wheels with under tensioned spokes. Or if you dropped weight by getting a rear shock without a climb switch. Or throwing out your saddle and just standing all day. Or **GASP** going back to a rigid seatpost. Huge performance setbacks in the name of .......... increasing performance (i.e. dropping weight should be helping you)
Get the tires suitable for the kind of riding you're doing. However heavy they are, that's your hit. You drop weight by purchasing stuff that works just as well or better but costs twice as much or more. Or exercise and dieting.

[Lindahl]

Meh, I switch out wheelsets with different tires all the time. Yeah, if you're rallying pointy rock garden, get some thick DH tires (exo only works for the sidewall which is the least of my problems). But a lot of other riding a lighter tire is awesome to have. A nice 600g tire on a narrow carbon wheelset is a fucking blast on rolly and flowy trails. It makes a huge difference in bike performance. A low weight alloy wheelset with some narrower minions is sweet too when you want that extra tread and drift and traction and have rock gardens but still have to pedal. A DH wheelset and DH tires for the real gnarly trails with 1 hr climbs all the way up to bike parks. Thats the ticket. Two bikes, one mini DH 160mm and one poppy playful 120mm. The 3 wheelsets can be transfered between the bikes easily to suit terrain and climbing. Works awesome.

On the cheap? Just swap lighter tires on a lightweight alloy rim with an air compressor. Takes less than 5 minutes.

[sethschmautz]

Possibly the single worst place to drop weight.

That's nothing. I've only been using 1/2 pressure in my shock and fork... :-)

I do hear your arguments, and it's all a compromise, right? I'd really love a carbon hardtail 29er for every climb but I'd be disappointed on the descent. I'm looking for that middle ground where I have a well-performing, but fairly light weight trail bike. For about $120, I replaced a drivetrain that I needed to replace anyway and I dropped almost 3/4 of a pound. I'm just looking for similar upgrades/changes. I know where some of them are, but I'm sure I'm missing some others.

Seth

[54-46]

Meh, I switch out wheelsets with different tires all the time. Yeah, if you're rallying pointy rock garden, get some thick DH tires (exo only works for the sidewall which is the least of my problems). But a lot of other riding a lighter tire is awesome to have. A nice 600g tire on a narrow carbon wheelset is a fucking blast on rolly and flowy trails. It makes a huge difference in bike performance. A low weight alloy wheelset with some narrower minions is sweet too when you want that extra tread and drift and traction and have rock gardens but still have to pedal. A DH wheelset and DH tires for the real gnarly trails with 1 hr climbs all the way up to bike parks. Thats the ticket. Two bikes, one mini DH 160mm and one poppy playful 120mm. The 3 wheelsets can be transfered between the bikes easily to suit terrain and climbing. Works awesome.

On the cheap? Just swap lighter tires on a lightweight alloy rim with an air compressor. Takes less than 5 minutes.

If you can find a tire that works for your purposes at 200g less per tire, then that's 400g of rotating weight or .88 lbs. Or, take a dump before you ride. Or both!

[Lindahl]

If you can find a tire that works for your purposes at 200g less per tire, then that's 400g of rotating weight or .88 lbs. Or, take a dump before you ride. Or both!

Dump schmump. Losing weight from the bike via rims/tires really does dramatically change the ride. Lose 2lbs from the bike frame? Meh. Lose 2lbs from the rims/tires? Holy shit. Theres other benefits as well but the acceleration alone is pretty fucking rad.

[mcski]

Riding holding an unpurged dump is no way to go thru life or a ride. Keep the wheels, lose the dump. 5 pounds

[El Chupacabra]

Fill your tires with helium. And your fork, shock, and insert a helium bladder inside the frame.

[sethschmautz]

Fill your tires with helium. And your fork, shock, and insert a helium bladder inside the frame.

:-) now we're talking.

[Eluder]

How?

When you max out your b-tension screw you are moving your guide pulley back, this causes significantly less chain wrap on the cassette which leads to slower and less precise shifts and possibly increased wear. The two options I stated move the pulleys more down then back to accommodate the larger sprocket cog thus allowing for the same amount of chain wrap as a standard setup.

[sethschmautz]

When you max out your b-tension screw you are moving your guide pulley back, this causes significantly less chain wrap on the cassette which leads to slower and less precise shifts and possibly increased wear. The two options I stated move the pulleys more down then back to accommodate the larger sprocket cog thus allowing for the same amount of chain wrap as a standard setup.

Gotcha. That makes sense. It should be more noticeable in the high gears? So far, great shifting throughout the cassette as far as I can tell.

[sethschmautz]

Third ride today. First two were on mellow singletrack and this last one was one of my local rides - 7.6 miles with about 1200' of climbing. I definitely noticed not having the bailout gear on the low end. The high gearing seems to be fine. When choosing this setup I deliberated between a 30 and 32 tooth chainring knowing I would losing a gear or so on the low end. I ended up choosing to go with the 32 because I felt like it was a good incentive to get stronger. For where I ride, I should be able to push a 32/42 combo.

What I found was that was basically right - I was able to ride everything that I would have ridden normally, but I was noticeably more tired at the end of some of the climbs. I also rode everything faster - likely due to having no bailout. I think that once I get used to the gearing that I won't even remember what I'm missing.

Gears are further apart so I'm getting used to when to shift and how many gears. I read where some have been concerned about losing the ability to dump a bunch of gears by down shifting chainrings. My shifters will allow me to go up 2 gears and down 4 or 5 so I'm really not too concerned about this.

No problems shifting throughout the cassette with only the B screw adjustment. That may change over time.

Lastly, it feels like I have better power transfer to the rear wheel. I'm not sure if this is real or perceived and I'm not sure why that would be. I can't imagine the oval ring be stiffer that the other two rings.

So far, I feel like it was a good upgrade for the cost as I needed needed a new cassette and chain (and possibly rings) anyway.