Light weight Upgrade to Giant VT

richpeel

Hi guys this is my first post on Bike Radar and so hi to all and thanks in advance, I need some help as I love riding my bike but I have about zero product knowledge.
I am looking to upgrade the parts on my Giant VT in order to shed some weight, I guess my first part to replace are the Manitou Nixon fork and the wheel set so please could you recommend a decent lighter weight replacement, I mainly ride day rides with a mixture of terrain if this helps on the advice,
Also if you could recommend any further options to save extra weight then this would be much appreciated,
Thanks again
Rich

warpcow

Budget?

richpeel

To be honest not really got one just really want a staring point of what to look for so I can have a look into them as I say I'm really out of touch with the mtb world so my product knowledge is currently none existent , love the bike just want it to be lighter so if you have a few options you could throw my the better, know this probably doesnt help but thanks anyway

richpeel

Thinking about it if I could keep under the £1000 mark the better, thanks

The Rookie

Ideally you need to weigh a stack of components and compare them to those on bikes at or just under your target weight so you can see where the biggest hits are, wheels and tyres double up their effects as you have translational inertia (they move with the bike) and rotational inertia.

Lightweight tubes are a good way to lose 80-100g from the most critical place for not much money.

What tyres are you running (and are they wired, folder or tubeless).

Seatpost and saddle, stem and bars...

Anything worn where a replacement will be needed soon anyway?

Greer_

Rebas/Sids for £250-350, and a wheelset such as the Stans superdeal on superstarcomponents for £200. Can't recommend anything else without knowing the spec of your bike.

Clank

I think there's probably plenty of options out there, but first.....

Any idea how heavy the current wheelset is?
Same question for the fork, plus what travel due you require?

Once we know that, we've got a target to work at. I think it's easy to save a goodly chunk off the fork alone, but IIRC the VT actually came with some very good wheels for a factory bike. I am trying to think back a fairly long way though and reserve the right to be very wrong!

Edit: yep, the Nixons are about 2.2kg (depending on travel). A newer air fork will come in about 0.5kg lighter.

richpeel

Ok so after looking on line i cant find the spec so here is what i can get off the bike
Frame- Giant VT with manituou swinger 3 way air shock
Fork Manitou Nixon elite 115-145mm travel
Wheels front and rear- Unbranded black disk rims on shimano HB-M475 Disk hubs
Tyres- Schwable Space 2.35x26" (doesnt say but i think they are wire from the patterning on the side wall
Stem- Tioga(box section)
handle bar - Ultra Hardware Riser
Rear Mech- Shim LX
Front - Shim Deore
Shifters- Shim Deore
Front brake - Hayes 9 180mm Rotar
Rear - Giant MPH with a fairly large reservoir on the lever end
Cranks and Rings - Truvativ Isoflow

This is as much as I can get off it every thing else is unmarked like seat post and saddle etc

Thanks

richpeel

And they are tubed tyres
thanks

Greer_

Forks, wheels, tyres then would be a good start. You could pick from 120mm forks e.g. reba or a 140mm fork - revelations or even a u-turn fork to have the same adjustable travel.

richpeel

Thanks for the advice so far, i'm just off to go look at some new forks and probably pick up some folding tyres at the same time was thinking about dropping to 2.1 width to save some weight then when i switch over my tyres i'll weigh my wheels to see what they come in at to see if i'll gain much with a wheel upgrade

richpeel

So would like to say thanks for the advice new RS forks, Easton Carbon handle bar, panaracer fire xc tyres bought already saved nearly 2.5kg, still looking into a wheel set which will be next purchase as well as new cassett, bb and crank arms, hopefully save another 1kg by the time i'm done
Thanks again
Rich

The Rookie

Weigh the wheels before buying new, it could be a 1900g or a 2300g wheelset on those hubs!

70\ʹspenguin

Im Guessing those wheels will be around the 2-2.3k weight range. I know you have already bought parts but i think its important to note that if you are wanting to save "noticeable" weight then you should always start with the wheels and tyres.

For wheels you need to be looking at the sub 1700g stuff. There are a lot to choose from depending on budget.

Personally id forget the BB and crank arms. They are all much of a muchness and your weight loss return will be far less on those types of items than others. You already have changed the bars, but changing the stem and seat post/seat can save quite a bit for less outlay. Grips are cheap and can save 100g depending on what you use now. An XT cassette is light but for a tenner or so less you can get the SLX which is only a tad heavier and you would never notice the difference.

If you run a triple ring up front you could drop it to two rings perhaps or even go down to one. Thats a shed load of weight lost for free.

If i were you id put the new bits on and see how it rides. Stick with it for a while and then change parts you feel will actually make a difference.