Thread: holy shit this thing is heavy

So, I got my AS-X. Everyone kept telling me they were between 35-40lbs (around 40 for a heavy build). Anyway, I got the freeride kit on it, with a fox 36van RC2 on it. I weighed it tonight because it didn't feel like any 35lb bike I had ever felt (my 'XC' bike was 33.4 lbs). Anyway, the sucker, bone stock weighed in at an impressive 43.7 LBS

Sooooo, I need some ideas on quick/easy ways to cut weight for the longer length rides I will be taking this thing on. I know I can swap tires (it has DH double wall tires on it now) and tubes, but I really don't know how much weight that will drop. I guess I can carry less water in my camel back *LOL*.

Lay off the fries.

Get ready to spend some money....

Originally Posted by rideit

Lay off the fries.

Get ready to spend some money....

Based on how many calories I will burn pedaling this thing, I think I can eat as many god damned fries as I want!!! WITH UTAH FRY SAUCE TOO!! How do you like them apples biotch?

Originally Posted by shmoesmith

Sooooo, I need some ideas on quick/easy ways to cut weight for the longer length rides I will be taking this thing on. I know I can swap tires (it has DH double wall tires on it now) and tubes, but I really don't know how much weight that will drop. I guess I can carry less water in my camel back *LOL*.

so start there, DH tires weigh a hell of a lot more than XC/AM tires, you could drop at least a pound per tire there alone. Then switch from DH tubes to XC tubes or better yet, ghetto tubeless http://www.nsmb.com/gear/tubeless_12_04.php

depending on what tubes you have in there now, you could drop more significant weight there. List the build up, which would make it a lot easier to point you in the right direction.

but rideits right, light cost money

keep a kevlar cast DH tire on the front, maxxis minion DHF 2.35 are primo, and put a wire bead folding tire on the back, they make the Minion in wire too, and those are front/back specific. get some 5.00 generic tubes and use those as long as they are meant for a 2.35 tire or bigger. change to a road seatpost and seat, something like a selle italia. wheels are a big weight issue, try to keep them as light as possible so the rotating weight is less. i use generic cheap tubes in my DH rig and that saves a shit ton. i even use superlights on the 4x bike. tubeless systems are getting pretty good so you might want to look into stans or DTs systems. i'm assuming you got the freeride build directly from yeti, and i think those come with the RF diabolus stem and bars. sick as they may be, they weigh a lot. thompson stem and easton ea70 bars will save alot there.

Hmm, well I do plan on starting to huck this thing off of ledges so I don't want to sacrifice strength for weight savings too much. I guess I will start with tires and tubes by canibalizing my old XC bike. Other than that, I really don't know where there would be weight savings unless I went with CF bars and seat posts.. Here is the build

Suspension
Fox Van 36 RC2
Headset
FSA Pig 1-1/8"
Brakes
Hayes HFX-9 8"
Shifters
Sram X.9
Front Der.
Shimano LX
Rear Der.
Sram X.9
Crankset
Race Face Evolve DH
B. Bracket
integrated w/crank
Cassette
Sram PG-950 11-32
Chain
Shimano HG-73
Stem
Race Face Evolve DH
Handlebar
Race Face Diablous
Grips
Yeti Hard Core
Seatpost
Race Face Evolve XC
Saddle
Yeti WTB cro-mo rail
Hubs F-R
Yeti 20mm/Shimano XT
Rims
Mavic EX 729 Disc
Tires
Maxxis Minion 2.5" ST

put an MRP on there, drop the front shifter, der. and two rings.

ghetto tubeless and a lighter 2.35,

seat,
post, (can you shorten it a bit?)
bars
stem.

That's a reasonably light build kit. The only heavy-ish things are:

Stem - Evolve DH is not the lightest
Handlebar - Diabolus is one of the heaviest
Disc brakes - Hayes are heavy, period
Wheels/Tires - DH stuff, which is great for lift-served/shuttle but a lot of dead weight for trail riding

The cheapest route to make it feel lighter/easier to pedal would be XC tires and tubes.

The SR compound on those current DH tires will be so sticky that the thing will feel even heavier, so the extra weight of DH tubes & tires is felt even more.

I don't see any hellishly heavy stuff there. If you want to spend some money lightening things up then I would suggest keeping the current wheelset + DH tires/tubes for shuttle/lift-served, and getting a lighter wheelset built up with light but inexpensive hubs like Hope Pro 2 and much lighter rims and maybe even double butted 14-15 spokes if you trust the wheelbuilder. Then run XC tubes and single-ply tires in a 2.35 size for your trail riding and you'll be happier.

Most importantly, where are the pics of this bad boy?

Sounds like a pretty light build to me, but as said above wheels, stem and bars are the easy parts to switch out. Hayes are heavy but the bike is new - hit up your shop see if you can swap 'em for avids.


Or suck it up, I'm "commuting" on my 01 stinky dee-lux. It also gets to see some trail rides and rarely sees a shuttle. I'm not the first one to the top (ever ) but I still get there.

Originally Posted by Rontele

Most importantly, where are the pics of this bad boy?

Very good point.

as others have said get some 2.35 single ply minions (700-800 grams) then
get a trail/xc wheelset with an extra cass and discs. Then you can swap wheels and go dh or xc in seconds with no wrenching.
Then I would pick up a thompson seatpost and stem and go for some lighter bars. You could get a dhx air for the rear

hey shmoe, i have a few sets of new in box kenda 2.6 kinetics single wall tires that are 765g (vs. the 1300g minion DH'). they are big and ride nice, but fairly light. i'd be stoked to do a trade for the DH tires...

Originally Posted by marshalolson

hey shmoe, i have a few sets of new in box kenda 2.6 kinetics single wall tires that are 765g (vs. the 1300g minion DH'). they are big and ride nice, but fairly light. i'd be stoked to do a trade for the DH tires...

are these the same as on my Dirtbag? if so shmoe DO IT, great tire.

yup. same tires.

Dude, just go ride the thing. If it feels too heavy on the trail, then do something to lighten it up. Weight at the scale does not equal weight on the trail, in my experience. As others have said, if it does feel too heavy on the trail, reducing rolling weight is going to make the biggest difference - tires and tubes. Otherwise, suck it up and just go have fun on your new beast.

PICS?!?!

Dude, you bought a freeride bike with heavy parts, what did you expect? Take it for a ride at least first.

And those asking for pics, I bet it looks like this:

As has been said:

Most bang for buck = lighter tires. Reduces wheel weight, which will make it feel a lot lighter. If you have the $ you can get a lighter wheelset to make the swap easier and save another half pound or so.

After that, it's lots of money for very marginal benefit. You can drop three pounds of parts off the frame on a 7" bike and not really feel it: with everything moving around so much you're losing a lot more energy to pogoing than to the extra weight. (Hardtails are a different matter.) If you want to go fast up hills get something with less travel.

those shifty motherfuckers! I messaged them directly last month for a weight estimate on a complete with the freeride kit and they emailed me back saying "38ish lbs"!! They were 5lbs off! I specifically told them I wasn't looking for a 40+ lbs rig and they straight lied to my ass. I'm sure your bike will kill it DH shmoe but I'm gonna have to pass now on making this thing my trail bike. My fat ass couln't handle it.

That's weird... this guy's ASX is 34lbs. I think reality may be somewhere between 34 and 43 lbs.

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=173837

Not being a DH, hucking, go-like-hell type of rider, I would have bought the 575. But that's just me. Buying a light weight set of wheels and tires for trail riding will be your best option. However, none of your options are inexpensive.

You didn't buy a light bike --> You can't make a race horse out of a pig, you can only make a really fast pig. Not saying the ASX is a pig mind you.

Originally Posted by InspectorGadget

You didn't buy a light bike --> You can't make a race horse out of a pig, you can only make a really fast pig. Not saying the ASX is a pig mind you.

Even still, there are some fast pigs and legend holds that some pigs can fly!

Shmoesmith, another thing I didn't mention but will have an impact... suspension activity.

On that DHX rear shock, crank up the ProPedal to its fullest. That will minimize rear suspension action while going uphill. It will also reduce the amount of pedal feedback on those square-edged uphill obstacles.

On the VAN 36 RC2, you can adjust the low speed compression so that it's really firm under uphill pedaling loads but still reacts to trail obstacles at normal riding speed. You should also make sure you have a firm enough spring installed so that the fork isn't pogo-ing all over the place.

Best bet, don’t think about the weight. I ride a much heavier AS-X than yours as my 'trail bike”, it goes up every hill it comes down (except Hazard/UPS but that doesn't count; we did ride the traditional Porcupine last weekend with the climb though). I know I'm a bit bigger and need a heavier bike but think of it as fat touring skis. No, we can't keep up with the Dynafit guys but I wouldn't keep up with them if I was on lighter gear anyway. But on the way down, our smiles are pretty big. Also, this bike will last you forever if you want it to. I built mine kind of heavy just so I don't have to worry about breakage anymore. Long epic rides are WAY more fun when you don't have to rebuild your bike or make it a single speed because you put your derailleur through the wheel and bent your axle (true story).

Like everyone else said, you can save a lot of weight at the tires, bars, stem, and post. Wheels are huge too but cost the most. On my AS-X, I've switched to a Protaper bar and Thompson stem; way lighter than the burley stuff that came on it and doesn’t cost an arm/leg. XT cranks /BB when your BB goes out is a nice touch. A nice Thompson post helps a bit as well. I can help you go to ghetto tubeless if you want, all you need is two 20" BMX tubes and some Stan's; I've been running this for 3 years now with zero issues (other than my own stupidity); better traction and no flats.

AG rides an AS-X as a trail bike now too and her bike is way lighter than mine, where did you weigh yours? 43 lbs sounds heavy for the free ride build kit. She has the 36 up front as well and that really helped (Thanks Kidwoo).

I think you will surprised how well this bike climbs, especially when it get technical. You need some strength but it pays off. If you aren't racing XC, don't get too hung up on the weight. Ride as much as you can, enjoy it. That's the real reason you got it, right?

You obviously have a scale, so weigh it with the wheels and without, then look at posted weights and build up your "dream wheels" to figure out how much weight you can save. I have to agree to what's been said here, you're going to save weight in the wheels, if anywhere.

That said, I ran into Altagirl today on shoreline at the highpoint of the ride...she was on her ASX. She figures her bike is heavier than your's...you're not going to let a girl beat you, are you?