Is my bike too heavy for XC?

mr_eddy

I have a 2009 Cube LTD Pro Hardtail which I purchased in Feb at a cost of £800. The bike is great, however I have made a few minor adjustments to aid my cycling. I have swapped the stock Rock Shox Tora SL 80mm for Rock Shox Recon U Turn 100mm forks and I have also added a slightly more padded seat as the original was absolute torture.

The bike weights in at 28.9lbs. Is this about right for a XC ride, I know it sounds stupid but I need to know if its worth me spending moeny on carbon parts etc to shave off weight or is that about right for a mid range XC hard tail?

If it is a realistic option to remove weight where do I start? I would like to get to the 25lb mark ideally.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

gezzza

You can ride xc on a 40lb tank if you wanted to there is no right weight.

The best place to save weight is rotating mass wheels and tires I'm sure you can save 2LB there alone

Andy B

not a bad weight. around the right sort of weight for the cash

as above, tyres are a good & cheap option, wheelset, forks, pedals, weight can hide in lots of places

shaving 4 lbs could be expensive though

mr_eddy

I currently have Racing Ralph evo on the back and Nobby Nic on the front, Are these considered light? I am quite new to all this.

Cheers

Andy B

they are fairly light tyres if they're the folding bead version

ride_whenever

very expensive to lose that weight.

I believe my inbred to be around 25lbs

gezzza

ride_whenever wrote:

very expensive to lose that weight.

I believe my inbred to be around 25lbs

yes it is im at a point now where its at about £1 for 1g of saved weight i dont need the second kidney anyway

ride_whenever

I'm going to shift a fair bit more with some new wheels and cranks and brakes... and also new seatpost and saddle

gezzza

ride_whenever wrote:

I'm going to shift a fair bit more with some new wheels and cranks and brakes... and also new seatpost and saddle

im at 21LB for a FS

ride_whenever

My frame is steel and the whole bike has cost me £450 so far...

boneyjoe

I'd say just enjoy the bike, and save your money to buy a lighter bike in a couple of years' time. Replacing wheels and other bits is very expensive, and could end up costing more than the bike to reach your target weight. Unless you're regularly doing enduros/ marathons, I'd say the performance difference is negligible below about a 2lb difference.

Looking at other ways you can save weight - ie from yourself, not carrying things you could do without, stripping all "non-essential" kit from the bike (mudguards, reflectors etc) - will probably make a lot more sense. If you must replace something, go for the wheels, as the rotating mass effectively doubles the weight savings. Your tyres are pretty light if they're the regular and not tubless versions, so I don't think there is much you could save on there.

Just go out, have fun, and start saving for the carbon HT! - or find somewhere to borrow the money like me!

allthegearnoidea

as the others have said, to get it to the weight your after then your prolly going to be spending much the same as the bike cost you again!
wheelset, forks, cranks, seatpost, saddle, stem and bars, unless you get in some bargian spotting on ebay it's going to cost you a fair wedge!
a heavy bike is no bad thing, get out and enjoy it for what it is!

neil²

I weighed my bike last night.

I'm racing this season on a 33 lb bike (DiamondBack) and am a competitive mid field runner, but get stuffed on the climbs.

I'm planning to get a new lighter bike for next year, which will give me a bit more oomph... but I'm having a great time this season.

If you're planning on racing, one thing to remember is that you are very unlikely to win a race (at least for now) and you need fitness, strategy and skill, all of which can be built up using your heavier machine (which is >10% lighter than mine!).

keeko

neil² wrote:

I weighed my bike last night.

I'm racing this season on a 33 lb bike (DiamondBack) and am a competitive mid field runner, but get stuffed on the climbs.
.

Reminds me of the time I entered my first XC race (sport category) with my 35lb Claud Butler in 1995 or thereabouts. On the climbs I was being slaughtered by some racing snake on an Orange C16 R with if I recall full XTR. The old Butler was like a Hovis bike. I was dying a death on the hills

globalfish

My Trance FS is 32lbs and i ride it 30 + miles no problem.

My Boardman HT is 29lbs and really feels light when i jump on it. Still prefer my Trance though & friends with other lighter bikes get tired just the same.

They wouldn't see me coming if my bike was sub 25lb - can't wait for the next purchase LOL

littlebear

I have been using a 29lb bike to race on for 3 years now. Not the best choice for endurance riding, but a great bike! Im no pro, I just enjoy the social aspect and taking part in team events. A 25lb bike would be a respectable weight and a great all rounder. Upgrade wheels first then other components... Block, Pedals, Cranks, Mechs, brakes (160mm) etc

I would concentrate on your technique, as that can shave minutes of your times and has far more benefits than a lighter bike

NatoED

I'd say your wheels are the most important thing to change. Rims in particular . Look at some DT swiss rims. I've found them very good and light .

rhyko7

NatoED wrote:

I'd say your wheels are the most important thing to change. Rims in particular . Look at some DT swiss rims. I've found them very good and light .

bing bong

rotational weight is key
light wheels and tyres are the way to go

a 1 lbs saving on rotational weight is the equivalent to about saving 4 or 5 lbs on the rest of the bike
honestly i have tried different weight tyres and the difference is instantly noticable

JamesBrckmn

my bike (a raliegh hardtail with v brakes) is only 27.5lb/12.5kg despite costing me only £260!
it probably would be even lighter but the tubes have puncture stopping gel stuff in them- was probably a bad idea- means lots of rotating weight i suppose.

Chaz.Harding

Personally, if it was me, I'd just... MTFU you pussy...!!!

Seriously though mate, don't upgrade anything YET. Do races, and enduro's, as your bike doesn't weigh the earth. It's also a hardtail, so it's quite efficient.

I race, quite competitively on my massive 6.5'' full sus Intense 6.6!!! THATS hard work, but the amount of people I can still beat round courses on carbon hardtails is unreal!

It's not what you ride, it's how. So 'pay your dues' here, with a heavier bike, and SAVE. Save like mad, then in a few months, perhaps the start of next years race season, or a bit before, treat yourself to a slick, uber light, uber efficient race machine. Over this season, and winter, you'll have worked hard enough to get very fit, and very strong, so jumping on a lighter bike will be like hitting the turbo button for the climbs!

You know it makes sence!

8)

<<<EDIT>>> Might I just say that my bike weighs around 37lbs... 8)

thomasali

Quite often cheapo bikes can be quite light especially Raleighs and other basic alloy bikes. The main reason for this is horrendous single wall rims and weird alloy spokes, v brakes and maybe plastic pedals/brake levers...... all light but not that great.

ujack67

Or you could get a boardman ht pro 2009 at 24.1 lbs its a stunner very highly recommended, and at a penny shy of a grand an absolute bargain , have u seen the kit it comes with plus check the reviews! and it's WHITE ace

SiLanc

I started racing two years ago on a 31 lb Merida Transmission Speed Disc. I got some funny looks, also some funny comments ("I can't believe you're dragging that thing round here" as a particular favourite at the Marin Winter Series in 2008) but I still had a blast.

I persevered for a year and then moved on to a Scott Scale 10

Si

captainsnappy

Don't waste your money on carbon for that bike. You can still find light weight aluminum bits that have a low weight and will save you a ton of cash. First and best way to reduce bike weight: wheel set and tires. You will instantly notice the difference... when riding.

Slimbods

Best to do a season on cheap gear, then you'll know what you want to spend money on. If you're ramping up training, a heavy bike will help too. I ride an absolute monster weight mountain bike, but it doesn't half make you work hard!

Also, weight loss from the belly is much cheaper than on the bike.

ride_whenever

the engine is faaaaar more important for xc. Very good article in WMTB a while back about it.

anything sub 30lbs is fine so rock on...