Weight weenie - Lightest chainset?

Anonymous

Hi guys

I am just looking for some suggestions on what's the lightest chainset setup?

Best I have found is Extralight Ebones, can anybody suggest a better lighter setup than this?

Many thanks

Chunkers1980

Xtr

Northwind

Not even close Chunkers, the Ebones weighs nowt. But then is allegedly pretty bendy. I like my XTRs, but the arms are barely any lighter than XT- most of the weight loss is in the rings.

njee20

The lightest?

THM Carbones Claviculas are up there, look the mutts too.



You'd be mental to put a pair on your Cube though, no offence, last time I looked they were €1000 without rings.

Lightning ones are nice (it's what S-Works cranks are), but again you're talking fairly expensive - $720 for the MTB ones.



To be honest... I'd just get XTR. Flog the rings to recoup a chunk of the cost, go 1x10. Sorted.

Chunkers1980

Exactly. Which is why I said xtr. You can trust they will last, the others out there are somewhat dubious and more race day cranks.

njee20

I don't think the durability is an issue as such (like I say, Spesh spec Lightning cranks on all their S-Works bikes), it's just a case of whether it's worth the 100g saving for the £500+ it'll cost! There are other options which are compromises, KCNC notably, light, but less durable.

Anonymous

Thanks for the info guys, really much appreciated.

I have a budget of maybe, .. £300 tops, all in for a transformation.

Some interesting news, ya know how me wheelset was only recommended for a 85kg rider as is me seat and seatpost ? well today I was 15st 11lbs and I went and did the red route at sherwood pines, its the hardest trail they do, and I proper put the bike and myself through it today, my rides will never get any worse or bumpy than that, and after a quick check over the bike, everything still seems ok oh and thats runnin rigid too

So maybe its a case of, as long as your not doing jumps etc the recommended weight limits are to be taken with a pinch of salt because in my case so far (touch wood) everything is fine and the bike is holding up well, how that little Zoom seat clamp of just 5.5g can handle 15 st 11 smashin down on it at speed over terrain is beyond me lol.

I had a go on my mates bike which was 14kg+ and omg it was such a chore getting up the hills, I jumped back on the Cube and it took so little effort it wasnt funny, am sold on all this light weight buiness now.

Is there anything I need to look out for when it comes to a new chainset then ? given my weight and bike setup or am I good to go on any as some talk about flex etc ?

I know my BB and crank arms are sooo heavy I think theres another half a kg to be saved here if I play me card right and shop sensibly.

Anonymous

Hmm I had a good look round and you guys are right, ya have to question is it really worth the 500 notes to save 100g, maybe if I was competing but when all I want is a light weight bling bike for the trails lol I think I should maybe chill out a bit on the expensive stuff.

OK then so the XTR is still quite expensive but the Shimano XT M770 Triple Chainset from CRC is only 157 quid and is only 106g more than the XTR and it still gets mint reviews across the board, even the FSA SLK is only 120g lighter than the XT chainset and its 3 times as much to buy.

I have a couple of questions please guys, firstly if I do go ahead with this, is there any point in me changing the chainrings ? can much really be saved ? Secondly the crank arms come in 3 different lengths, my crankarms are 175mm but they offer 165mm, 170mm and 180mm whats the benefits in these different lengths ?

At the minute I am running:

Chainset: Shimano FC-M430 44x32x22T - 175mm
Bottom Bracket: Integrated Shimano BB-UN26

So I am hoping that there will be a good amount of weight lost, but I cant find much info on what my current setup weighs.

mrmonkfinger

CubeCrazy wrote:

today I was 15st 11lbs

CubeCrazy wrote:

I had a go on my mates bike which was 14kg+ and omg it was such a chore getting up the hills, I jumped back on the Cube and it took so little effort it wasnt funny, am sold on all this light weight buiness now.

1: you weigh 100kg
2: 4kg difference in bike is "omg such a chore getting up hills"?
3: you're considering spanking £300 to save a few g?

I'm lost for words

Anonymous

My bike was 13.5kg when I got it and now its down to 9.9kg and the difference its made is shocking.

My mates bike he recons is 15kg but I think its a bit lighter than that and yeah the difference up the big hills compared to mine was night and day, whats hard to believe about that ?

I spent almost 2k including the cost of the bike to get it down to sub 10kg, its a sport I love, why not ?

70\ʹspenguin

To be honest, i think a mega light crank should be at the very bottom of your weight dropping list. Seems stupid expensive for a minimum drop in weight and i rekon you wont notice a thing. A few of the hardcore weenies go for the cranks shown above but most will choose XTR because of the build reliability and the fact we are only talking a few grams more weight.

I rekon you should try going 1x9 or 1x10! Big weight loss for little cash! A 34-36t chainring with a 34-11 or 36-12 (10sp) cassette will provide pretty much all gearing you need for the riding you enjoy. Your existing 32 middle, will of course suffice too!

You could also fit eggbeater pedals which only weigh 285g(ish) and lose 100g for £20 second hand or £40 new

If i had £300 to spend id buy the on one whippet carbon frame .

Anonymous

Thanks Penguin

njee20

Most of the weight saving is in the chainrings, rather than the cranks. XT-XTR is <40g difference in the actual cranks IIRC. I really would consider 1x10 if you ride mainly at Sherwood and want to save weight.

Weight limits are there for manufacturers to cover themselves. Sherwood is very easy riding, I'd be pretty gutted if my wheels couldn't handle it, even going for a far lighter build.

felix.london

Lightest chainset?..probably one with only one small chain ring on it.

I'd be weary of ignoring the the weight limits on kit - I mean I'm sure they're there for a reason, no? It'd be like riding some superlight XC rims down a DH track - they might do one run fine or one day or one month but eventually they will probably brake because they're being used for something they weren't designed for

Re crank lengths - each of my three bikes hasn't different lengths and I can't tell the difference myself

Without wishing to sound rude, if your bike was a bit heavier you might lose more weight yourself when riding it

Anonymous

Thats good to know about the crank lengths, thanks

I dont wanna be much lighter than say 14 stone anyway, I go to gym a lot and thats about right size for me, can see top 2 abs at that and am pretty beefed up, but yeah I do intend on droppin back down to that weight so I figured why buy upgrades now for my current weight when I will be back down to low 14's in a couple of months anyway ? makes sense to spend once and get the bike how I want it long term. 8)

njee20

Just as long as you realise that that's totally wasted on the bike and is slowing you down compared to just weighing less, and will make a far bigger difference than any upgrades on the bike.

leaflite

Soon you will realise that weight isnt everything.
Yes you have made your bike lighter, but it now has no suspension and with the type of bits you are talking about it will probably be flexy too.
This may be fine for sherwood pines(pretty flat and easy tbh), but if you want to start on some rockier, harder trails you will soon find it is holding you back.
The heavier your bike is, the quicker you will lose weight too.

I, and many of my riding friends started on a bike weight loss campaign. However, we realised that it actually made the trails worse to ride and have since either swapped the bikes for something tougher, or beefed the existing ones up a bit with bigger tyres etc. Our hardtails tend to be around 23-25lbs and full suss around 26-28lbs. This is still light enough to climb on, but is very capable on the downs

Anonymous

Yep totally agree with that mate.

I aint one for too technical trails to be honest, I just like to go out and get lost for half a day and explore new places, I dont have the skills or the balls to tackle owt too dangerous lol.

I did a 50 miler other day, a canal route, it was nice to see all the sights, am 36 now and just wanna healthy heart and try to keep trim and lose some lard in the process.

70\ʹspenguin

CubeCrazy wrote:

Yep totally agree with that mate.

I aint one for too technical trails to be honest, I just like to go out and get lost for half a day and explore new places, I dont have the skills or the balls to tackle owt too dangerous lol.

I did a 50 miler other day, a canal route, it was nice to see all the sights, am 36 now and just wanna healthy heart and try to keep trim and lose some lard in the process.

From reading your threads, i can tell being a weight weenie gives you a buzz, increases your interest in cycling and enjoyment and therefore, i would guess, makes you want to spend longer in the saddle? Spending longer in the saddle will surely do more for your health, sense of well-being and weight than anything else?

If it gives you joy and makes you want to ride more then i say youve got it just right!

Anonymous

thanks mate, thats just what I am after, I do this endomondo thing and I broke me first 1000 miles other day, it took me a year like lol but I done most of those miles in the last 6 months.

As my skills increase who knows where the sport will take me, am even thinkin of a road bike, but I do love the spirit and adventure of XC.

I used to ride a Yamaha R1 until it spat me off and tried to kill me lol I needed another sport and am loving me riding and having a bike I can look at and be proud of

The Rookie

I am a weight Weenie, but for me it's more the challenge of knocking off the grams through intelligent and devious means than spending a wedge, my MTB is down to 11.5KG, not very light but pretty good for a bike that cost me £420 as it rolls right now, next winter is will be about 350g lighter as I couldn't afford folders this year but have some for summer.

My latest mod (saving 160g) was swapping from powerspline to HTII cranks, both bought used, after selling my old cranks and the rings that came on the Deore's that mod made me a profit of £3.50!