New wheels / forks? - Kona on a diet!

miss notax

Hello

Having ridden my Kona today for the first time in ages I have realised that it seriously needs ot go on a diet. It's pretty much as I bought it - but I have swapped the Shimano brakes for Formula K24 Oro's (which I like) and changed the grips! Am I right in thinking that the easiest / cheapest way to lose weight off it would be the wheels and forks? It currently has Alex DM-24 rims with Formula / Shimano Deore hubs and Marzocchi 55 Bomber forks (160mm travel).

I am a pretty light rider, so although the bike will be well abused on DH trails etc I probably put them through less 'stress' than someone heavier. Having said that, I don't want any risk that the wheels / forks won't be able to handle it!

I am out of my comfort zone when it comes to stuff like this - I can (and have!) spec bikes for xc and trail riding, but I don't know much about the meatier end of the scale! Any thought and recommendations would be appreciated.

Oh, and I pretty much have no budget for this so cost is an issue - although I will sell the stuff bbeing replaced. I'm happy buying second hand off Ebay etc rather than new.

Thanks!

lawman

my suggestion would be to pick up a second hand set of 36 floats, or new depending on budget, and a set of superstar hubs on flow rims, nice and light, but still plenty solid enough, especially if you are light. all depends on budget really. something i would seriously suggest for the mega is a dropper seatpost, this a must for events like the mega, and I dare say would make a bigger difference than any other change

miss notax

lawman wrote:

my suggestion would be to pick up a second hand set of 36 floats, or new depending on budget, and a set of superstar hubs on flow rims, nice and light, but still plenty solid enough, especially if you are light. all depends on budget really. something i would seriously suggest for the mega is a dropper seatpost, this a must for events like the mega, and I dare say would make a bigger difference than any other change

Thanks

I have a gravity dropper post on the Orange which i'm going to swap over on to the Minxy before the Mega (it needs a shim to fit but they're easy to get). I don't know much about superstar / flow..... Is that likely to be a good weight saving against the Alex rims etc? I have also been thinking about Fox Floats - I have Fox forks on the Orange and the Santa Cruz and I guess instinct is to stick with what you know!! Hopefully the Bombers would sell on Ebay. I also find the Bombers really stiff - there's hardly any air in there and using all my body weight I can hardly get the bloody things to move :? - but that's another story....

lawman

the superstar flow combo is about 1.9kg the pair, i imagine the alex/deore combo would be at the very least half a kg heavier. swapping the 55's for floats would at a guess another half a kilo, not knowing which model 55 you have its hard to say, but thats over 2lbs lost, which is a fair chunk, as I wouldnt want to compromise on lighter tyres for the mega!! bars stem and saddle are other areas you could save weight, without a full spec of the minxy its hard to say whats worth changing tbh. alot depends on what budget you have too

supersonic

What is the full spec of the bike? Withpout knowing, can't really say what could be lighter for decent money!

Torres

Might be worth popping the kit you're planning on replacing on the scales to see if you're going to save much weight.

Solo air Lyriks would be my reccomendation for forks.

styxd

If your forks a shit then change them first, 2nd hand floats would probably be lightest you could get for the cash.

miss notax

supersonic wrote:

What is the full spec of the bike? Withpout knowing, can't really say what could be lighter for decent money!

http://www.konaworld.co/bike.cfm?content=minxy

Full spec here - have only changed the brakes so far

Torres - yes, good advice - will get the scales out!!

The Rookie

You need to look at what parts may be over a 'competative' weight and sort them first, bars and stem for example can sometimes be chronically heavy on OE bikes yet replacing them is easy and cheap, but if you have broken bits, start with them!

Use the WW database to see what items 'should' weigh.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreads ... rue&gid=50

Simon

cooldad

Stop eating cake.

miss notax

cooldad wrote:

Stop eating cake.

Never - but fortunately my cake diet is quite slimming, so I can safely exclude myself from the weight loss program

supersonic

All the parts are sturdy, mid priced stuff, and so therefore quite heavy. To get the weight significantly down will cost a fortune. I think I'd just leave it be, or if you do splash out, new wheels.

styxd

I think I'd just leave it be, or if you do splash out, new wheels.

Why?

Light wheels wont do you any good if your forks arent working properly.

Sort your forks first, a light bike doesnt matter if the components arent doing their job correctly.

supersonic

Well yeah, service the forks!

Torres

Having looked at the spec maybe a tyre change would help?

Folding would be a good start, and then maybe a thinner one from the back (if it really is 2.5" like the spec suggets.)

bennett_346

styxd wrote:

I think I'd just leave it be, or if you do splash out, new wheels.

Why?

Light wheels wont do you any good if your forks arent working properly.

Sort your forks first, a light bike doesnt matter if the components arent doing their job correctly.

Who said didn't work properly?

lawman

tyres would be a no go change wise imo, something big and heavy for the mega is a must, you will lose more time fixing punctures than you gain from having light tyres, so for once, this an area where weight and toughness is good. imo the biggest gains to made in weight loss would be wheels, forks, bar/stem, and drivetrain, mainly cranks and cassette.

used 36's or lyriks, superstar switch hub/flow rims, any kind of light but tough bar and stem that you feel comfy with, easton haven is a great example. slx or xt cranks would save another chunk of weight, as would a lighter cassette, xt or sram equivilant would be perfect. lotta cash I know, but it would all be worth it in the end.

supersonic

This is kinda it - all that cash, as all the parts are pretty heavy. I'd think about selling and buying a new Canyon or Rose.

lawman

something like this?

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2569

under 2k, reverb and 36 as standard... looks pretty good too.

supersonic

Yeah, or the YT stuff. Be easy to blow 1k on the Kona and end up with still a pretty heavy bike!

Is a dillemna, and many ways to crack this nut, but I think I'd spend £100 on some lighter finishing kit, or at the most new wheels, or simply sell and buy new.

miss notax

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm basically happy with the feel of the bike - I'm not in my comfort zone on dh trails and the bike feels stable and just rolls through everything. So changing the bike isn't an option! I'll look into all of this though, thanks :-)

Being a bit of a short arse i also struggle to find bikes that fit me - so when I find them I like to stick with them!!!

bennett_346

lawman wrote:

something like this?

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2569

under 2k, reverb and 36 as standard... looks pretty good too.

The fork is a complete cop out and doesn't belong on a bike like this.

lawman

bennett_346 wrote:

lawman wrote:

something like this?

http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes ... tml?b=2569

under 2k, reverb and 36 as standard... looks pretty good too.

The fork is a complete cop out and doesn't belong on a bike like this.

on what basis? its a good fork for the money.

supersonic

It needs the RCL or RC2 damper, the R is very active and dives a lot. I'd factor an upgrade if in taking that bike.

Torres

My final suggestion would be to just ride the kona for a bit before you change anything.

A heavy bike will feel even heavier after riding a lighter more xc orientated machine so spend a few weeks only on the kona to get used to it. Maybe slog it round some trails that you know and try and ride the downhills faster than you would on your orange; after a while you'll get a idea of where you need to make changes (keep in mind that the main purpose is going downhill, so don't plan changes whilst you're grinding away on the ups. )

Lighter wheels will make climbing and accelerating out of corners easier; but when you're pointing down they will offer less benefit. Similary, changing finishing kit may drop some weight, but make sure the shape and feel of the kit you replace it with is right for you so you are comfortable on the bike.

You did mention you struggle to get full travel from the forks; if this persists then it might be worth changing them, just make sure whatever you replace them with doesn't suffer from the same problem.

miss notax

Thanks Torres - some very good advice there

You're right about riding the bike and working it out from there, so I think that's going to be my plan. I am on a budget so maybe just a few tweaks (once i've got used to it again) plus - maybe - some new forks. I ave not read many good things about the Marzocchi 55's so they might be going the way of Ebay soon.....!

Thanks for all the help guys