how do you make your bike lighter
zombieman944
Posts: 8
hi guys does anyone have and ideas cause i have a specialized hardrock sport 2001 and it weighed in at :shock:14.4kg:shock: so plz heelllppp meeeeeeeeeee!!!
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What tyres are you running? Replacing heavy tyres is the quickest and cheapest way to make a bike lighter and with the maximum impact on how it feels to ride.0
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i am currently runnig specialized hardrock'r tires cause they are grippy.0
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tyres first then tubes then wheelset. Best thing to do IMO is to take it apart and weigh each part, that way you know were you can save most weight on and for what price. Sometimes it becomes more expensive to upgrade to save weight rather than sell and buy a lighter bike.0
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zombieman944 wrote:i am currently runnig specialized hardrock'r tires cause they are grippy.
Hmmm, at 650g each I wouldn't call those tyres heavy. You got the rest of the spec list? the weight could be hiding anywhere.0 -
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The easiest way to make your bike lighter is throw money at it. You're basically always in a situation where buying a much much more expensive product will make your bike lighter.0
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fork:rock shox jett
rear mech: shimano alivio
front mech: shimano alivio
chainset: shimano alivio square taper
wheels: weinnaman zac 19 with shimano deore hubs
brakes: shimano xt-v brakes
shifters: shimano alivio 7 speed brake and shifter unit
saddle: body geo avatar xc
seatpost: ritchley comp
this is all i know of the spec mate hope it helps
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i am saving my pennies to buy some rock shox sid team 100mm!!!!
that should make it lighter.0 -
There is a test on £500 starter bikes in this month's MBUK; the bikes weigh 13-14 kg but the wheels alone weigh 4-5 kg (for the pair) :shock:
You can get some Mavic 719s on XT hubs with db spokes from Merlin for ~£180 that weigh 2.2 kg for the pair so there goes a kg or two to begin with. Bung on a couple of sub-500 g tyres and you will really notice the difference.0 -
new bike.
sounds like an old one with the Jett on it."Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=48678 £140 for pair 1905g! mavic quality and look the dogs bollox. some light tryes and tubes and youve already saved a couple of kg's
The fork probably isnt the most cost effective idea.
Or a new bike.0 -
new bike, there are some very light bikes out there like the scale rc and the cannondale flash team0
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yeah the bike is 2001 and the fork is 2000.0
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New bike...0
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i havent got enough money at the moment for a new bike but i can get a few upgrades.0
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What you've got atm is a working bike, but it'll be more cost effective to use the money to keep it running well and save up for a full bike as you get a much better deal, particularly if you keep an eye out for bargins.0
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There is plenty you can do for either no or little expenditure. As follows:
trim seatpost to required lenght (but leave required amount for seatube)
trim handlebars to correct width for you
if possible remove gear indicators
if you have not already remove the horrible plastic chain suck guard on the rear wheel
remove plastic reflectors from wheels and pedals
trim brake and gear cables to min required length
if you do not use bottles then trim bottle mount screws to min and thread lock.
Also look at your other kit, is everything in your pack necessary, are there items that just sit in there never used. Do you end up taking to many spare clothes or too much water.
You may not save much from the above but it is free.
There after tyres. Rebuild wheels with lighter spokes and nipples, spoke and nipples should not cost much, but if your not into building wheels a pain.
Change quick realeases to clamps for wheels and seatpost.
Then forks.
After which there would be little point spending big cash, just ride and when bits finally wear out then upgrade.0 -
but your saving up for a SID? Its going to cost you lots of money to get some decent upgrades, as we said wheels first if you want to do that. If your looking at buying forks etc then you might as well sell it and buy a new bike.0
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and really focus on your fitness. I have spent an age tweaking my bike and getting it light, it is a 100mm xc easily sub 26lb, maybe below 25lb, yet I have and regularly get beat by guys on heavier longer travel bikes, or cheaper bikes. So pedal harder0
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jadamson wrote:but your saving up for a SID? Its going to cost you lots of money to get some decent upgrades, as we said wheels first if you want to do that. If your looking at buying forks etc then you might as well sell it and buy a new bike.
Yeah, some of the older forks don't weigh too much either as there's really not much substance to them in comparrison to current ones.0 -
I used to have a 2003 Hardrock Comp with Zak wheels - those wheels weigh a tonne
I bought a mates Mavic rim brake wheels when he converted his RM hardtail to discs. It made a dramatic difference to the bike. You will notice weight loss in tyres and wheels more than any other components.0 -
For £108 you could get a set of hand-built Mavic non disc XM317 rims with XT hubs from Merlin
They'd come in at around 1800g I would guess - loads less than what you have. Throw in a pair of lighter tyres and you could easily end up knocking well over 1kg from the bike and make it much easier up the hills for around £1500 -
half fill your water pack leave tools at home and have a good POO before you ride SAVING a cpl of pounds :roll:
tyres and wheels are a good start.0 -
Bellys - hahaha love the comment! Does help though!0
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The Jett was a catastrophically bad fork, and would be the first thing to go in my book.
But I would just save for a new bike.0 -
change the wheels and tyres then convert it to a single speed0
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surreyxc wrote:There is plenty you can do for either no or little expenditure. As follows:
trim seatpost to required lenght (but leave required amount for seatube)
trim handlebars to correct width for you
if possible remove gear indicators
if you have not already remove the horrible plastic chain suck guard on the rear wheel
remove plastic reflectors from wheels and pedals
trim brake and gear cables to min required length
if you do not use bottles then trim bottle mount screws to min and thread lock.
Also look at your other kit, is everything in your pack necessary, are there items that just sit in there never used. Do you end up taking to many spare clothes or too much water.
You may not save much from the above but it is free.
There after tyres. Rebuild wheels with lighter spokes and nipples, spoke and nipples should not cost much, but if your not into building wheels a pain.
Change quick realeases to clamps for wheels and seatpost.
Then forks.
After which there would be little point spending big cash, just ride and when bits finally wear out then upgrade.
the amount of weight your gonna save of that you may as well blow ya nose or go commando before a ride, your not going to notice much diffrence with a lb or 2 of non rotational mass ie frame parts, wheels and tyres make most noticable diffrence.
my new builds 3 lb heavyer than my old build and i dont notice any diffrence.0 -
ride_whenever wrote:The easiest way to make your bike lighter is throw money at it.
This,
+ Potato,
to the power of 2.
My advice before you decide to put you bike on a diet is make a list of the parts you'll need, add it to the value for your bike and see if it would be more economical to sell your bike, add the cash and buy something higher spec/lighter.
I appreciate that would involve cash up front, rather than buying bits for your old bike as and when you can afford it, but it's often a far cheaper way of doing things, especially as the 2011 bikes start to filter in and there's a few 2010 bargains to be had.0 -
Whats the heaviest part of a bike??
The person riding it.
The weight of a bike as a percentage of the total is normally small, so you can see where the most effective weight loss could be.
Saying that wheels and tyres would be the best area to save weight, rotational mass has double the energy saving effect compared to non-rotational mass.
I wouldn't spend that much money on the forks, you will see an improvement in performance but I would hazard a guess as to less than a tub of marge in weight.0 -
The standard Jetts weighed about 5 lbs. Evil fork.
Weight of yourself is notthe same as the weight off the bike due to how it moves about compared to our COG.0
