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Hi all,
Wondering what the cheapest ways to make a bike lighter are, have just gone tubeless but it is still not light enough.
Aside from the obvious ones like drilling holes in it and taking it to the moon (not very cheap either)
what would you recommend?
[i]it is still not light enough.[/i]
how light do you want it to be?
ESI grips.
Eat less pies.
Difficult to suggest changes without knowing what spec you already have.
Put up the spec of it currently
Wheels & tyre choice are my normal starting points for making a bike lighter/making a bike feel like its riding lighter
cheapest...
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Singlespeed?
Make a spreadsheet with all the components and their weights then compare the weights and prices of new bits.
If it's factory built, cranks & cassette are normally sneak ins as heavy along with stem and post.
cotic soul mk3 frame (large)
3x9 xt transmission
2012 fox 32 rlc forks
generic hope hoops front wheel
mavic crossride rear wheel (this will be going soon)
superstar seatpost and bars
charge spoon chromo saddle
Oh and i'm currently about 62KGs
Don't fill your water bottle.
Going 1x9 would drop some weight but, tbh with a steel hardtail you'll have to spend to get it to ride noticeably lighter than it is now.
Rigid fork would make the biggest difference per pound, I changed my Titus recently and it's made a big difference to weight.
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(changed it to singlespeed after this and it's less than 20lb's now).
If you've got the legs for it, go 1 x drivetrain. 10sp with clutch etc. I saved just over 0.5kg by ditching the front mech, rings, shifter, cable etc
Carbon seatpost, handlebar and light saddle upgrade, and like others have said, go single ring up front thus losing a shifter/cable/front mech/two chain rings, and a few links out of your chain 🙂
you're right it's no where near light enough!
i have been thinking about going 1x10 for a while now however its my xc bike so i dont really want to end up with too few gears
Maybe I'm missing the obvious..
Unless you are hovering at sub 8% body fat, the cheapest would be for you to drop some weight....just sayin 😉
There was a great quote from Jared Graves a while back, he's stopped weighing bikes. He builds them to do a job and rides them. If it works right then it doesn't matter what it weighs.
the cheapest way, is to buy a light bike in the first place.
after a few easy cheap 'hits' - like replacing a 350g saddle with a £20 spoon (260g), you'll be well on your way to a world where each gram saved costs you £1 (or more)
want to save a kilo? - that'll cost you a grand. Surely you can think of better things to do with £1k...?
Do you really need it lighter?
My Alpitude is mid-high 20s but it rides faster than other lighter bikes I've owned; 1x8, tubeless with fast rolling Trail King black chili 2.4s, coil pikes, dropper post and comfy layout.
My suggestions:
Have a poo before you ride.
Ride more and get fitter.
Buy new bike.
Or
1*9
Lite weight tires
Change to carbon bars
Thomson post
Why don't you change that horribly heavy steel frame for soemthing alu and much lighter?
Oh, that's right, because it wouldn't be as nice to ride. Just get out and enjoy it, and don't stress about the scales.
soulbrother99 - MemberWondering what the cheapest ways to make a bike lighter are?
The cheapest way would be to remove some of the parts you already have as the cost would just be your time and labour, i.e...
Convert to 1x9 by removing:
Big and small chainrings, front mech cable and shifter, and don't forget to remove a couple of chainlinks.
Ideally you'd want to swap to a narrow/wide chainring as well but this would cost you £25 ish. You might also consider singlespeed if you really want to drop weight from your drivetrain.
Other than that you're looking at replacing current components with lighter ones; e.g. swap the superstar post and bars for carbon ones, and consider lighter tyres.
cut half a foot of handlebar off each side?
Pump the frame full of helium
Tyres probably. And 1x or SS.
Bolts: Disc rotors, stems and chainrings all have plenty and won't miss a few. You could probably lose a couple of spokes as long as you keep the rest of the wheel in good tension
Bearings: They've got loads of little balls/rollers in them, throw half away
Remove all stickers and saddle padding and if you're feeling flush get some paint stripper and go mad.
But by far the best option is to get some dodgy scales or zero your current ones badly. If you believe your bike is lighter then it becomes true.
erm....rotating mass.
lighter rims and tyres will make the biggest difference, not in the total weight of the bike, but in the way it feels. lighter wheels will accelerate quicker.
Cheapest way?
Weigh each component and input the results in an Excel table, linking cost and competitor's products with known weights.
Then piddle about with the spreadsheet model and work out the best cost/performance ratio.
You can save a significant amount of weight by switching from plain gauge to butted spokes in a wheelset for example, at a cost of £0.50 per spoke. A heavy saddle and post combination can add upwards of 250g to the weight of a bike - I switched to an SDG I-Beam post and made a saving.
However, before you get carried away there are a few things to bear in mind:
1) A spreadsheet won't tell you whether your new Specialized S-Works tyres that save you 150g at each end will tear a sidewall within a hundred yards (mine did), or that the weak sidewalls combined with being tubeless made the rear of the bike roll and wallow in the corners.
2) A spreadsheet won't tell you whether you've turned a substantial AM bike into a "spastic Bambi" at huge cost (phrase borrowed from the late Steve Worland) that compromises your enjoyment of a ride.
3) Going 1x9 is a great idea, until you try to climb a steep, technical trail with a 32t cassette and a 34t front chainring. You really need a wide cassette range to make it work if you live anywhere with hills.
All of the above are things I learned to my own cost when I tried to pare the weight of a fully built AM bike.
Oh and a fitter rider on a burlier bike is always faster than a less fit rider on a light bike. I found that one out to my cost, too.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/most-effective-way-to-lose-weight-from-the-bike-for-100
I've gone for the grow bigger muscles option in the end
Bolts: Disc rotors, stems and chainrings all have plenty and won't miss a few. You could probably lose a couple of spokes as long as you keep the rest of the wheel in good tensionBearings: They've got loads of little balls/rollers in them, throw half away
Remove all stickers and saddle padding and if you're feeling flush get some paint stripper and go mad.
But by far the best option is to get some dodgy scales or zero your current ones badly. If you believe your bike is lighter then it becomes true.
Presumably that's all tongue in cheek?
But paint stripper will actually work, not uncommon for the paint to weigh well over 200g.
OMFG!!! 200g of paint!!!
Makes sure you do all of the pro tips to stop mud getting stuck on there 😉
Eat less pies.
This, the easiest and cheapest (free) is for you to lose weight. Don't carry so much stuff either.
1*9
Lite weight tires
Change to carbon bars
KCNC post
Plus light headset spacers, pull out the SFN and use a light weight headset clamp, use a 5g top cap, lightweight cable(s), lighter pedals, light rotors.
Beyond wheels and fork, just jump on the XC racer shop and take your pick tbh
Presumably that's all tongue in cheek?But paint stripper will actually work, not uncommon for the paint to weigh well over 200g.
Indeed, but probably not advisable on a steel MTB. Stripping a saddle will work too without compromising the function of the bike, but the effect on ones arse is perhaps less appealing.
OMFG!!! 200g of paint!!!Makes sure you do all of the pro tips to stop mud getting stuck on there
Yep, a liberal daubing of Spring/Autumnal mud will easily add three or four pounds to the weight of your bike. Until they coat bikes in teflon, or extract of Peter Mandelson then all you can do is to spray your frame with GT-85 or similar prior to a ride.
Eat less pies.
No.
Eat [i]fewer[/i] pies.
*runs away and hides*
OMFG!!! 200g of paint!!!
i had a Cannondale Scalpel, the paint had been removed, then lacquered
to the OP, literally everything it sounds like on that bike, could be lighter, just depends how much you want to spend, and at the end of the day its still going to be a heavy frame
Re: paint. I actually measured this, weighing a frame only pre and post paint strip. 1/3rd of a pound from the front triangle of a large Horst line 5spot.
cotic soul mk3 frame (large)3x9 xt transmission
2012 fox 32 rlc forks
generic hope hoops front wheel
mavic crossride rear wheel (this will be going soon)
superstar seatpost and bars
charge spoon chromo saddle
I am sorry to say it but throwing even a huge amount of money at that bike won't make it feel or ride appreciably lighter. At the risk of sounding like I'm taking the p1sh the reason the bike probably *feels* heavy is that every single component is pretty damn heavy.
1x is free (or maybe the cost of a narrow-wide ring perhaps)
foam grips are £7 and very comfortable for me
Chinese frame will be less than half the weight of your current frame for £250
Chinese seatpost is 135g for £50. Light and comfortable too
It's a 26er so there are tons of lighter wheels going cheap secondhand
Rigid 26er forks are around 700g and again dirt cheap now
But of course, then you end up with the beginnings of an XC racer rather than the heavy, more trail orientated bike you currently have. If you like your current bike then don't bother with the weight. It will never be light enough to notice a difference to now. You are 62kg and riding a large so you should be already dropping people on the climbs with your Chris Froome-esque physique 😀 Honestly, don't worry about the weight of this bike and just get fitter.
410g in 2.1" variety, have one as yet unridden on my bike. 2.25" comes in at 470g ish, bang on spec:
No idea if any good or not, time will tell. The tread depth is small.
Edit not sure whether it works ok with tubeless systems, sorry if not.
Looking at those tyres goes back to the point on the other page, build the bike you want to ride not a weight
Indeed, I bought them to replace worn out chunkier OEM tyres to see whether they suit my riding or not. Seems an ok price to try something a bit more extreme. If they don't work out for whatever reason then I'll change them for something more suitable. I'm pretty new to the world of mtb so still finding my feet.
Drop the pressure in your tyres. You might have as much as 30 or 40 lbs per square inch in there.
Not grammes, but [i]lbs[/i] saved. Loads of them. for FREE.
Aware it's not the cheapest of options but here goes... other half had pretty much the same spec Cotic as you in the first place (same forks, generic wheels, 3x9). He went 1x10, certainly looked nicer but didn't really feel like he'd saved much weight. Biggest difference was when he pinched my wheelset (crest front, arch rear with an tubeless ready ardent) and the bike whilst not changing the weight vastly the wheels felt much more speedy. But yeah I was worried that he was going to blow up my crest rim...
Get off it?
It's all relative. You need to get heavier.
OK thanks for the replies guys, i think ill just stick with it...
Oh and i'm currently about 62KGs
Perhaps my remark about eating less was misplaced OP 😳
The comment above re-wheels / tyres is notable, it's not just about the weight but where on the bike it is.
I run a rigid 26" singlespeed that weighs 18lb (just over 8KG)
Nothing expensive on it either (complete build £800) and the most noticeable weight difference was the wheels I just built up which only cost £180 in parts to get a 1440 gram wheelset. (Stans Alpine rims at only £25)
Change of wheels saved me around 500 grams
Everything else is cheap carbon or cheap and light alu by selecting components carefully and/or when reduced
I just enjoy a very light bike for XC type riding and so what if it only makes me 2 seconds faster it just feels better to ride.
I had lots of good ideas to add to this thread but the mixture of metric and imperial measurements people have been using has made me sad and erased parts of my brain.
Eat NO pies !!
Some one mentioned a 5g top cap, once the bearings are preloaded and the stem tightened you could loose it all together, you could do this via a head doctor and remove that too once done meaning no star not or anything. I HEAR a drill and hack saw can be handy on steel frames (joke) but I'm sure there were people drilling small holes in brake leavers cranks and random parts to loos a few grams.