Thread: thinking of lightening up the ride...

i'm not a weight-weenie, but i do pedal my bike up everything rather than shuttle any runs. my current ride weighs in @ 39 lbs (+/- 1), for rough &" front travel and 6-6.5" rear travel.

i'm thinking of lightening that up. realistically, i probably don't have the $$ to do this over the summer, but maybe i can score some off-season deals and rebuild/swap some parts over the winter.

could i get down to 32-ish pounds and still have a bike i can take anywhere that's a little faster/more fun on the way up? (my bike climbs well as-is, albeit slowly...e.g., a ride i like to do starts out w/ 3k climbing in 6 miles that i try to do (slowly) w/o stopping. something lighter, though, would be more fun.)

here's the current spec, aside from the frame (pretty heavy, overbuilt stays):

drivetrain:

• XT front derailleur
• XT rear
• XT cassette
• SRAM PC59 chain
• 1 SRAM grip shift (front) + 1 XTR trigger (rear)
• FSA V-drive "Xtreme" (ugh) cranks
• Truvativ Gigapine Team DH BB
• 2 RF front rings: 22T & 36T
• E.13 DRS

suspension:

• Sherman breaktout plus (170mm) 1.5 steerer
• Swinger 4-way coil

wheels:

• michelin DH comp 16 2.5" UST w/ Stan's (big opportunity for weight savings)
• mavic xm819 UST
• 14 gauge spokes
• hadley rear hub 12mm thru
• 'zocchi 20mm front hub

other:

• FSA 1.5 Bg fat pig headset
• Diabolus stem
• Azonic 1.5" riser bars
• ODI lock-on grips
• Mono M4 brakes w/ 180mm rotors
• Thomson layback post
• Azonic hot seat

any ideas for opportunities to ditch weight? which would be good bang for the buck?

thanks! just thinking...

ps if this is a stupid idea, too, i'm open to hearing that.

every ounce saved on wheels and tires equals 47 lbs. of frame weight.









or something like that. hope this helps.

Originally Posted by flykdog

every ounce saved on wheels and tires equals 47 lbs. of frame weight.









or something like that. hope this helps.

heh heh... wonder what the conversion for weight at the rim is... where's a US Army study when you need on?

Ditch those dh tires. That will make the biggest difference.

Saddle, BB, cranks, and shock (go air) could all be swapped for something lighter.

Those headsets are heavy but not that much heavier than any other 1.5 headset.

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Ditch those dh tires. That will make the biggest difference.

Saddle, BB, cranks, and shock (go air) could all be swapped for something lighter.

thanks. what's the narrowest tire worth considering for all-around use? is 2.1" too small? i'm guessing i could save 1-2 pounds per wheel, maybe.

i've been outta the shock game for a little bit...have air shocks improved a ton in the past 2 years?

do you think it's unrealistic to shoot for a 32-pound build?

tanks.

go in the order of wheels/tires and then cranks.

then ditch the whole bike for a singlespeed ....

j/k. my SS is prolly around 22 lbs. a custom Independant Fab that i built up 6-7 years ago.... my mostest favorite bike

Originally Posted by onehotchili

go in the order of wheels/tires and then cranks.

then ditch the whole bike for a singlespeed ....

j/k. my SS is prolly around 22 lbs. a custom Independant Fab that i built up 6-7 years ago.... my mostest favorite bike

thanks, ohc. me need gears for biking up teton pass...esp w/ my knee-hab. (but that would be a nice commuter. speaking of which...off to commute/bike to rehab @ the gym. i hate the gym.)

Originally Posted by upallnight

thanks. what's the narrowest tire worth considering for all-around use? is 2.1" too small? i'm guessing i could save 1-2 pounds per wheel, maybe.

i've been outta the shock game for a little bit...have air shocks improved a ton in the past 2 years?

do you think it's unrealistic to shoot for a 32-pound build?

tanks.

I've always had 2.1 - 2.3 tubeless tires on my xc bikes. Your bike is burlier than mine and you may beat on it harder than I do. If I know I'm going to be knocking the crap out of things, I get the big bike.

More important than size though is just the wieght of those dh casings. You've got a lot more rotational mass to accelerate than a same size tire in a single ply casing. Stay with the big volume/width if you want but just get lighter. I know jackson is pretty similar to here (dusty and rough) so it just depends on how hard you want to push it.

Something else to consider which is huge is that the michy dh tires use something like a 50d compound (most tires are around 60d) and they're freakin slow. The point of a light bike is uphill efficiency and acceleration.....those tires are fighting it......especially in the rear where you're putting a lot of effort into deforming those knobs before the power gets to the ground.

Originally Posted by upallnight

thanks, ohc. me need gears for biking up teton pass...esp w/ my knee-hab. (but that would be a nice commuter. speaking of which...off to commute/bike to rehab @ the gym. i hate the gym.)

how's the rehab going? yeah, you definitely want gears for the ride up teton pass. been a long time since i did a ride up the pass (17 years ago?).

Originally Posted by kidwoo

I've always had 2.1 - 2.3 tubeless tires on my xc bikes. Your bike is burlier than mine and you may beat on it harder than I do.

there is NO WAY that that could be true...

Originally Posted by kidwoo

More important than size though is just the wieght of those dh casings. You've got a lot more rotational mass to accelerate than a same size tire in a single ply casing. Stay with the big volume/width if you want but just get lighter. I know jackson is pretty similar to here (dusty and rough) so it just depends on how hard you want to push it.

good point. the tires *have* been bomber for me and the riding i do. it is a UST system...but i haven't had to do more than reset the tire pressure every now and again over a 2-year period...no flats, no punctures, no leaks... crazy.

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Something else to consider which is huge is that the michy dh tires use something like a 50d compound (most tires are around 60d) and they're freakin slow. The point of a light bike is uphill efficiency and acceleration.....those tires are fighting it......especially in the rear where you're putting a lot of effort into deforming those knobs before the power gets to the ground.

yes...i've liked the feel of the softer rubber compound, but accelerating is not something that happens on the uphill...and barely on the DH. the frame is, actually, quite nimble for it's size and burl-factor.

thanks for sharing the insight. tires are something i might could replace this season and start getting some benefits.

Originally Posted by onehotchili

how's the rehab going? yeah, you definitely want gears for the ride up teton pass. been a long time since i did a ride up the pass (17 years ago?).

quite good; thanks for asking. progress has been pretty staggering since the 3-month post-op mark. i'm out pretty much doing all activities, albeit not with the same speed, strength or endurance. it's coming back, though...i'm carrying a bigger pack & riding further & longer. i don't enjoy going n the gym, but i've gotta do it.

even if i could do the non-gear-thang up the old pass road, it would not be so much fun on the trails i ride down. :S

if you still want big tires tires continental diesels don't seem too bad:
2.5in
780g

I have been pretty happy with my high rollers for the application your talking. I must say my chameleon build is suiting me very well as my do-everything bike. don't much miss the back end neither. I might need to upgrade to a stronger rear rim , but for now my 819 is holding in there. I run a 50mm stem and no pads and that helps me keep it somewhat reasonable on the downs... relatively speaking of course.

Originally Posted by nick > jesus

if you still want big tires tires continental diesels don't seem too bad:
2.5in
780g

thanks n>j!

i'm not wed to the 2.5s... but it seems like a tire swap saves around 2.5 lbs (i think the DH comp 16s weighed in at around 1300g or so in a 2.5")...plus the added benefits of a less rolling resistance with a different compound rubber.

have you tried those?

any rec's in the 2.2 (+/1 0.1") range? i'm imagining that will lighten things up further and not take too big a hit on the ride down.

kenda 2.35's single ply

Originally Posted by upallnight

any rec's in the 2.2 (+/1 0.1") range? i'm imagining that will lighten things up further and not take too big a hit on the ride down.

Conti Vert Pros are a skimpy 2.3" and ride very well for the (low) weight.

You could also get lighter bars and a lighter stem. A longer stem will also make it climb better and feel more XC-ish.

Beyond that, you're talking real money, and you're better off buying a second bike. Wheelsets and forks/shocks cost so much more by themselves than the bike companies get them for. You can buy solid hardtails all day under $1000, and you'll easily spend that much trying to get your beast down to 32#.

Originally Posted by Spats

Conti Vert Pros are a skimpy 2.3" and ride very well for the (low) weight.

i am not sure what sure what they weigh, but these tires rock. pretty much a standard for shop guys and locals here in Tahoe! running them on my Single Speed and my wife's geared bike. bomber tires...

Originally Posted by upallnight

quite good; thanks for asking. progress has been pretty staggering since the 3-month post-op mark. i'm out pretty much doing all activities, albeit not with the same speed, strength or endurance. it's coming back, though...i'm carrying a bigger pack & riding further & longer. i don't enjoy going n the gym, but i've gotta do it.

cool.... glad to hear you're healing well. looking forward to the TRs this winter.

Originally Posted by onehotchili

i am not sure what sure what they weigh, but these tires rock. pretty much a standard for shop guys and locals here in Tahoe!

Really?

I don't like those things. They work pretty well as a rear for climbing but they make too much of a round profile to allow any of the knobs to work well in a lot of dust. It's like every knob has a sibling in the way preventing it from doing its job.


But then again I'm one of those freaks who puts up with climbing only for the sole purpose of descending so take that for what it's worth.

I've never met a Conti that didn't fall apart at the first signs of anything remotely resembling hard riding.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

I've never met a Conti that didn't fall apart at the first signs of anything remotely resembling hard riding.

Yeah and then there's that. First time I ever saw the threads underneath tire rubber.

Originally Posted by hev

I have been pretty happy with my high rollers for the application your talking. I must say my chameleon build is suiting me very well as my do-everything bike. don't much miss the back end neither. I might need to upgrade to a stronger rear rim , but for now my 819 is holding in there. I run a 50mm stem and no pads and that helps me keep it somewhat reasonable on the downs... relatively speaking of course.

hev...what's this chamelon build of which you speak?

i haven't pulled the pads out at all this year...

Originally Posted by bagtagley

I've never met a Conti that didn't fall apart at the first signs of anything remotely resembling hard riding.

It's a fat XC tire with great grip that is light for its size. Despite the name, it is not a freeride tire, and Conti shouldn't have advertised it as such.

kidwoo: I haven't found anything better than a Vert Pro for loose gravel over hardpack, which is the Bay Area all summer. What works best in dust without gravel? (We don't seem to get that here.)

Originally Posted by upallnight

hev...what's this chamelon build of which you speak?

i haven't pulled the pads out at all this year...

here she is: http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ight=chameleon