[Closed] XC bike weight. How low can you go?

njee to the forum, please...

Sub 20lb full suss bikes very possible, sub 18lb hard tails very possible.*

You need to be sponsored or have very deep pockets.

*With suspension and gears.

My bike is 19lb.........it has no suspension though,or gears.
It cost about the same as your forks 8) .

or if you want to get silly here's one in the 13s

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=7266623#poststop

My hardtail is 21lb.

frame- BeOne Raw Carbon 21" (1020grams)
Forks- Rock Shox Sid Team
wheels- Hope Pro3 on Crest rims
brakes- Hope X2 Race inc matchmaker clamps
Gears- XT crank, shifters, front and rear mech, Sram 990 cassette and 991 chain
Pedals- Wellgo MG1
Finishing kit- Ritchey Superlogic bars and post wcs stem
Hope headset, QRs and bottom bracket
Charge spoon Ti saddle
ESI chunky grips

Not running tubeless yet and have Continental Mountain Kings which could be changed to go lighter.

Will be changing to 2x10 XT this year XTR is just way too expensive.

Should be able to get to around 20lb without breaking the bank, it's amazing how changing each component to one that's 10% lighter adds up.

Just remember there is a point where lighter means it won't last very long or might not be upto what you're planning on using it for.

I reckon the only significant area to go out is wheel sets - lighter than my Crossmax XL??

Can save 1lb off the wheels, dont know what tyres you're running but bet you can save another 1lb easy. Then the frame, which Whyte is it? Even if it's the carbon one, there are plenty lighter carbon frames. Ditch 2 chainrings and go 1x10 to save another 1/2lb, then what brakes you running? Unless formula R1's with lightweight rotors and full Ti bolts, your brakes are overweight. What saddle you got? Bet you can save 50-100g there, as with seatpost bars and stem, can save a bit more undoubtedly. What pedals? 4Ti eggbeaters will knock some weight off.

This is just scratching the surface of obsession. You could easily save 3/4lb off the weight of your bike, but you'd need very deep pockets. And then of course, if your kit is possibly too light, you risk breaking it all the time! Personally, my hardtail at a smidge under 24lb is about as light as I'd want, much lighter and I'd have to spec some significantly weaker parts on it.

[url= http://weightweenies.starbike.com/articles.php?ID=94 ]silly light[/url]

[url= http://www.tririg.com/galleries.php?id=1035_Worlds_Lightest_Bike&num=3 ]a road bike[/url]

Now think what you need to add to make a xc mtb. I think that gives a decent idea of what is possible

Below is my Merlin which was 21.2lb including pedals etc and that's a spot on accurate weight with the posh digital scales. All usable stuff on it that wouldn't break and I guess if it ran newer stuff like a 2x10 set-up it could be a bit lighter. But it comes at a price as light bikes feel very nervous, especially over rocky stuff and my Yeti 575 which was under 25lb certainly felt like that but I reckon a smoother rider would feel better on it. The main weight area is the wheels and the Merlin ran Tune hubs which were pretty light

[IMG] [/IMG]

It's a Whyte 19 carbon frame.
Here goes for the rest:
SID WC fork, XTR disc brakes, Ashima rotors, Crossmax XL rims
Racing Ralph tubeless tyres, FSA Team Pro carbon cranks, 3Ti Eggbeaters
XTR derailleurs, XTR cassette, Yumeya 9-spd chain
xxx-lite grips, RaceFace Next carbon riser, KCNC scandium Wing stem, Easton carbon seatpost and a Fizik Tundra carbon saddle.

I am happy with the bike, it does everything I ask of it and more! As I say, just a but baffled where you could trim more weight from...

loose the riser fit a flat bar, always a lighter option,
The saddle isn't light, look at Tune for example.
The fork isn't the lightest Rockshox have ever made and there are lighter current offerings.
Racing Ralphs are light, but Rons for example are lighter and there are lighter tyres still,
Have you fitted Alu bolts and Ti bolts where appropriate?
What cables are you running.

There isn't the chance to save big amounts on any one component, but by saving a few grams on everything then the weight comes off.

Then when you get truely obsessed out comes the drill.

XL's aren't that light wheel wise if I'm right. It's also little bits here and there that add up. For instance I used a Ritchey WCS stem which was mege light, Xpedo Ti/Ti pedals which are as light as they come. My wheel weight was very low but the front hub wasn't as light as my Goldtec Pro which would have saved quite a few grammes. Not sure what your frame weight is or the size but the Merlin was just above 3lb and was a 16.25 inch.

tubeless specific RR's are quite heavy, so you could easily save 1 lb there just going for the standard ones, and still run them tubeless.

Crossmax XL's are over 1800g, which is very very heavy for a xc race wheel. I just built some 1500g wheels for £150. For £250-300 you could have 1400g wheels easily.

So you can save prob over 2 lb just from replacing the wheels and tyres, which you really would notice a hell of a lot.

Just looked up weight of the XL wheels - 1600g apparently.

Will give wheel replacement some thought - light and strong ideas anyone?
A new KCNC Scandium flat bar could be on the way at 115g.

Reluctant to lose gears as it's fairly hilly around here.

CP - tell me more about those wheels please?

Goldtec Pro Comp hubs on ZTR Olympic rims are light and strong. Easton EC90 SL low riser bars and Ritchey WCS foam grips is a good ight combo. Keep the gears then and be done.

My race bikes 21lb

Merida carbon frame
Sid wc
Pro 3 on 355s
Ritchey wcs pro carbon pin
Truvativ pro team flat bars
Slr 165
Spesh fast trak pro 2bliss
Ti skewars
Xt brakes and cranks . Rest of drive train is xtr inc pedals

Could go lighter though if i wanted So can see where they get there light bikes from how ever there is a fine line - te above build borders on nae use for all day riding as oppose just racing

Builds into a 17 lb ss though 😉

I've still got a full rigid Ti with old (M952) XTR and original first generation CrossMax wheels, that's 20.5lb. I reckon with new kit it oculd be sub 19lb.

It's VERY nervous on rocky terrain at that weight though. That's slightly offset by the fact that it climbs like a homesick angel.

the ones I built are xt CL hubs and dtrevolution spokes from actionsports.de. rims are stans olympic from CRC. I had a £30 voucher, so in reality they're more like £180. brass nipples. built them my self, so pricing prob not necessarily a fair comparison, but goes to show you certainly don't need to spend a fortune.

spend a little more on some a2z superlight hubs, and use the olympic lightweight rims from CRC, you're looking at 1350g.

oh, rim brake versions of the crossmax xl are about 1650g, the latter disc specific ones are over 1800.

Hello! I'm here, sorry I'm late! 🙂

My Top Fuel is 19.89lbs as below:

[img] [/img]

I'm conceding a pound in the frame to you, which is offset by 1x10.

The wheels are A2Z hubs, Podium rims and Revolutions - 1246g including tape and valves. As above, if you're using UST Racing Ralphs they weigh a ton - another pound saved with normal Rocket Rons (2011 ones are specifically tubeless ready although I just use the old ones).

Mount Zoom do some really nice lightweight finishing kit - I'm using their bars, skewers, jockey wheels, bottle cage and top cap - really impressed with it all!

The devil's in the detail though really, a smattering of alu bolts, I-Link cables etc.

I do ride my bike, unlike some of the really terrifying things floating around on Light Bikes, and actually find it fantastic. It's more confidence inspiring to descend on than the marginally heavier 2010 TF 9.9 it replaced (in fact it's the best handling race bike I've had - beating 3 S-Works Epics and the other Fuel), the front end tracks better - whether because of the tapered fork I don't know. The wheels have surprised me, I thought they'd be flexy and horrible, but they're really not, and frankly I prefer how it rides with them compared to the Hope Hoops with Crests I use when not racing.

As I say, just a but baffled where you could trim more weight from...

If you're running 1600g wheels and 750g tyres I suspect there are some other bits carrying extra weight you've not really though about 🙂

However I am baffled by the folk who claim to have 19/20lb bikes..

Remember they have massively optimistic scales, and/or they take several pounds off the actual weight so they can brag about it on forums 😉

My Scale last time weighed was sub 20lbs, and have made it lighter since then. Nothing silly light on it but is is 1x10

08 Scott Scale 10
Fox F100
Hope SPxc3
Hope Mini Pros
Maxxis advantage UST, Rocket Ron, tubeless
XTR Mech + shifter
XT Cranks MRP 1x, MRP 36t
Easton EC70 Bars, Seatpost
Hope Stem
Scott Saddle
Ergon Carbon grips/barends

Lovely bike to race on

Not that anyone will say their scales are inaccurate, but I've weighed a lot of bikes on mine - my Fuel is lighter than Scott Forbes full XX equipped Whippet among others.

Remember they have massively optimistic scales, and/or they take several pounds off the actual weight so they can brag about it on forums

I have a set of Ultimate Digital scales which we use in our shop so all our weights are bang on accuate. I got asked when my Yeti came in at under 25lb which isn't bad for nearly a 6inch travel bike so I took a pictures of it hanging on the scales - job done!

I could get my '95 Marin Team Ti to shed a bit of weight, but at 21.75lbs I think it's light enough for me.

There are some silly money weight weenie bikes out there, the lightest I've ridden was a 19lb old school Ritchey P20. It was too light for me as it was too flexy, but damn it flew along once you stuck the power down, quite twitchy too which led to a couple of hairy moments

As mentioned before my Scale 10. Doesn't feel flexy or 'too light', rides very nicely
[img] [/img]

I've been running a lot of KCNC kit this year on my race bike:

- KCNC XC2 triple: save 170g
- with a double that'll be 200g

- KCNC SC Pro ti seatpost: save 45g

- KCNC Cassette: save 64g

- KCNC brakes: save about 260g

I'm a weight weenie and here are some of my bikes 🙂

Giant XTC Rigid - 16.6lbs
[img] [/img]

Litespeed Obed SS - 14.2lbs with different pedals
[img] [/img]

Merida 96 carbon 1x9 - 19.8lbs (with rocket rons and pedals)
[img] [/img]

Giant TCR - 15.2lbs no longer have this one
[img] [/img]

if anyone is interested I can dig out the build lists

Is that no pedals? I'd question the Litespeed and the Merida personally!

Some lovely bikes there. Plenty food for thought thanks!

One for the obed. i'll need to update the one for the Merida.

Litespeed Obed M Frame 1530
Mortop Headset 60
Trigon Forks 493
Ameriacn classic wheels 1392
KCNC Ti Skewers 45
Kenda Klimax tires 660
Maxxis flyweight tubes 160
Wellgo M111 pedals 240
KCNC ISIS Crank/bolts 470
Renthal 32Chain ring 35
KCNC BB/bolts 155
KCNC VB-1 brakes F/R 250
XTR Cables 68
KCNC Seat clamp 10
KMC x9SL Chain 210
Kestrel Bars 110
Syntace F99 Stem 96
143 toupe Saddle 170
KCNC Post 153
Pork rind grips 17
superstar 14t Sprocket 28

6352 g = 14.0037 lb

My new frame (08 Scale) should drop mine below 20lbs now -
Reba WC,
240s on Olympics,
KCNC stem, bars, seatclamp, post and bar ends,
ESI Chunkys,
Hope Mini Pros,
XTR cranks (40/28), front mech and chain,
X.0 rear mech and Gripshift,
12-27 Dura Ace cassette,
Conti Twister tyres (tubeless),
Fizik Carbon Aliante
and a good smattering of ti and alu bolts.

If you are willing to weigh your components and do some bolt tuning it's fairly easy to get under 21/22lbs.

Merida 96 carbon and rear shock + remote 2005g
SID 2009 Race + remote 1480
American classic wheels 1492
KCNC skewers 44
Rocket Ron’s 862
Stans sealant 180
Wellgo M-111 240
Easton EC90 104
Syntace F99 96
stem cap / spacers 22
Formula R1 + AirRotors 276+287
SRAM Rocket shifter with cable 134
Seatpost 166
toupe 143 167
XTR rear mech 177
XTR Cassette 237
seat clamp 11
foam grips 53
KCNC ISIS Crank/bolts 470
Renthal 32Chain ring 35
KCNC BB 151
KMC SL10 chain 237

8926 g = 19.6784 lb

Aah, so they're spreadsheet weights?

I think it's harder than people think to get under 20lbs - I've still only weighed about 4 MTBs that have done it. Schmiken I'd expect that to be over 20 still based on comparable bikes.

Jeez, you lot are mental. I'd snap that lot within 2 minutes! 😆

njee20.
no they are weighed weights in the list line.
thats just the list of parts (all weighed by myself)
the actual bike weights are slightly higher than the spreadsheets weights for all bikes.

grtdkad like CP says Crossmax SL are around 1800gms, people above will have sub 1500gm wheels, so changing wheels would easily see your bike to 22lbs. JRA do a Stan's wheelset at 1415gms for £369, so it doesn't have to be silly expensive. Go tubeless ready schwalbe or Conti Supersonic tyres and supersonic tubes, that'll probably bring the weight down to 21lbs. etc etc

This is my setup, most stuff is very def not that lightweight (deore chainrings, SLX cassette, lock on grips, standard Time pedals), but key bits are! frame, wheels, tyres
[IMG] [/IMG]

JRA do a Stan's wheelset at 1415gms for £369, so it doesn't have to be silly expensive

My 1264g wheels (roughly 🙂 ) were less than £300 - you don't have to go mental.

Jeez, you lot are mental. I'd snap that lot within 2 minutes!

You'd probably surprise yourself, light kit has got far better. The only part with a weight limit is my rims, swap to some Alpines and there'd not be anything, bike would still be 20.5lbs or so - they don't feel as flimsy as things did 5 years ago.

On and on: do you not run a chain guide on the Merida?

I'm rather proud of my new build, at 21.5lbs for a FS ally 29er running 3x9 I think it's rather good 8) Plus I reckon I could take another pound of it easily if I really wanted to.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Giant Anthem X 29er frame (L) with Fox Float RP23 Boostvalve
Fox F29 FIT RLC forks, 15QR thru axle and tapered steerer, 100mm travel
Giant FSA tapered headset
XTR SIS gear cable set
Shimano BB71 Press-Fit Bottom Bracket
FSA K-Force Light XC Chainset MegaExo
XTR pedals
Thomson masterpiece seatpost
Ritchey WCS Carbon Flat Bar
Ritchey WCS 4Axis Matrix Stem
Hope mono mini pro’s in Team Issue Green, Ti bolted
X0 Twist grip changers
X0 Rear mech with KCNC jockey wheels
XTR front mech
KMC SL chain
160mm Ashima rotors, Ti bolted
PG990 cassette
American Classic hubs (15mm front, QR rear)
DT Super Comp spokes
Stans Crest rims
Alloy nipples
Racing Ralphs 2.25s UST front and back
Fizik Arione saddle

DP doh!

No chain guide at the moment. As the Renthal ring begins to bed in (now 400 ish miles old) it's beginning to drop every now and again.

Apparently superstar are going to launch a clamp mounted XCR which will be around 45/50 grams and £16 - I'll probably pick one up.

Bream, It's no good bragging about your bike without pics (especially twice). It might just be a fantasy you're living out 😉

B.A.Nana
Bream, It's no good bragging about your bike without pics (especially twice). It might just be a fantasy you're living out

Pressed return twice mid type = doh!

agree on the lighter stuff can be strong. I've got a very lightweight front wheel which is over 10 years old and still going strong despite a lot of abuse. It's now on the commuter, and just keeps going.

Light stuff is surprisingly strong these days.

Bream did you race Ränneslästuren yesterday?

nice Anthem X there, shame about the wheel size 😉

Apparently superstar are going to launch a clamp mounted XCR which will be around 45/50 grams and £16 - I'll probably pick one up.

I've just bodged a BB mounted Superstar one with a DMR seat tube mount - works really well, never dropped the chain, doesn't rub. Needs some alu bolts now I've sorted the spacing.

Haha bream my td-1 ss weighs the same as your fs 😉 as much as i wanted it to be sub 20

Although its built to last i guess with arches, brooks swallow ti , 2.25 ralph snakeskins

This was my lightest geared hardtail build so far:
[img] [/img]
It came to bang on 22lb (on my scales, not a spreadsheet). That's with a sub-3lb frame, SID Race forms, American Classic wheels wearing Speed King Supersonics and an XTR drivetrain and brakes. It didn't have a particular light saddle or seatpost though, so there were still some easy weight loss areas to target (and I do have lighter bits for that but didn't get around to fitting them) but going much beyond that was going to get pricey.

The Swedish Chef
Bream did you race Ränneslästuren yesterday?

No, not fit enough yet 😉

Next planned race will be Snapphaneturen.

Nip into a Specialized store and pick up an S-works Epic. Be prepared to say "crikey".

I forget exactly what they were, but I weighed 2 2011 S-Works Epics, about 21.8lbs IIRC.

still get a bit miffed about these claimed weights myself, but maybe its jealousy?, or cos mine aint as light.

Mines about 21 lb

Spesh carbon stupy
ritchey carbon bars and stem
spech seat
control tech seat post
[i]new[/i] xtr brakes, shifters, 2x10 chainset, front mech,
xt rear mech and cassette
alpine rims, ztr hubs, cx ray spokes
racing ralphs
2011 sid xx forks

unsure where to save anymore weight, maybe go tubeless rocket rons and save 1/2lb,and lighter chain and casette is another 1/4lb, but TBH, i'm quite happy with it just now and i dont think an extra 1lb would improev my performance too much. Think even absalons bike is 21lb ish, so not mega light

Interesting reading through this thread, it doesn't seem like 1xn Drivetrains have as big an impact on overall bike weight as other major build items like Fork/Frame/Wheels or is that a miss-reading on my part?

I saved about 250g I think going from an XTR M988 Race double to a single ring, it's the LH shifter, cable, front mech and one chainring, plus the added weight of a chain guide.

For me the ratios were spot on - I'd not have done it solely for the weight saving. Fairly irrelevant having a light bike if you can't ride it up the hills 🙂

Well that was my other thought, so ~250g (0.55Lbs) is all well and good but only if you end up with a usable (or in many cases Raceable) gearing range... Half a pound at the cost of dropping off the pace on a climb seems a bit of a false saving...

Indeed are there any other "False weight savings" that people have found? Where taking a weight reducing measure has actually made the bike overall slower?

Indeed are there any other "False weight savings" that people have found? Where taking a weight reducing measure has actually made the bike overall slower?

Tires surely, wouldn't like to run furious freds on a wrong day!

I really wanted to try 1x? as I had just built a SS with a 32/14 ratio.

I figured, if I can get that up trails a 32 - 11/32 would give me all the range I need plus the speed on the flats

It wasn't really a weight saving measure, just simplifying the bike.

Also you need to take into account your size/weight and intended use.

My 20" 456Ti comes in at 24 lbs with pedals, crud-catcher and bottle cage; it includes 'proper' tyres, triples chainset, a 5" fork and Ti/carbon everywhere - its equally at home in Swinley, Afan and The Peaks. I could probably save another 1/2 lb, but it'd be expensive...

Or maybe my scales are just pessimistic?

if you end up with a usable (or in many cases Raceable) gearing range

Indeed, and the only times I've wanted a slightly lower gear is while racing. When riding you've always got that bit more in your legs, there's a been a couple of times (but literally only a couple) of times where I've wanted a marginally lower gear while racing. 5th time up the climb out of Medusa's at Dalby was one!

(Mr MC posting)

Do people with digital scales understand the difference between the terms precision and accuracy? I assume when youre that obsessive (and Ive been there it's not a term meant disparagingly) you actually calibrate your scales?

njee20,

What ratio's you running,no problem in xc mtb races ?

36t ring, 11-36 block.

It's been fine 99% of the time. If I'd had one available I'd have used a lower gear at Dalby, on the first climb at Margam and towards the end of Mayhem. Saying that, I've not had to walk up any hills this year, so it got me through, just had to push a little harder than I'd have chosen to!

Cheers, will buy one of those exact frames for next season, so want one for ages and I think you can now get it frame only in the uk.

Dont wanna buy it with sram 10 speed, how much for a chain and cassette which would last maybe 3 big events!!!!!!

You mean a Top Fuel? They're stupidly expensive frame only, I'd buy a whole bike and flog the bits you don't want personally!

Dont wanna buy it with sram 10 speed, how much for a chain and cassette which would last maybe 3 big events!!!!!!

The XX cassette I had last year lasted very well, stupidly expensive, but better durability than an XTR. The jockey wheels were rubbish, and I'd not bother to pay for the groupset as a whole, but I'd not shy away from the transmission parts myself. Shifting is obviously personal, I prefer the XTR, and anyone who prefer Avid brakes to the new XTRs is probably on crack 🙂

The XX cassette I had last year lasted very well, stupidly expensive, but better durability than an XTR.

Well that's a right pile of tosh!

XTR cassettes last a year on my race bike, then spend six months on my training bike. Giles Drake went through two XX cassettes last year, and Steve Deas destroyed his in two races (fair enough they were Tour De Ben Nevis and Strathpuffer, but still).

Not IME, I used my XX cassette all year, then stuck a new chain on it when I sold the bike and it was fine - never done that with an XTR cassette.

They're still far too expensive, but mine did appear to last well. The chainrings and jockeys on the other hand definitely didn't last!

Looking at Breams Anthem 29er, thought I'd weigh my FS 29er.No digital scales so only a rough estimate.I stood on the scales at 80 kg picked bike up,90 kg,so bike weighs 10kg or there abouts.
Frame SC Tallboy
Forks Fox float 29 120(2012 model)
RP23 Boost Valve
xtr drivetrain
Hope x2 brakes
Hope hoops 29 with Crests
Thomson,Chris King and Easton carbon bits.
Shimano 959 spds.
maxxis Aspen kevlar tyres ran tubeless.

[i]Looking at Breams Anthem 29er, thought I'd weigh my FS 29er.No digital scales so only a rough estimate.I stood on the scales at 80 kg picked bike up,90 kg,so bike weighs 10kg or there abouts.[/i]

Probably somewhere between 8kg and 12kg 🙂

@b r, if breams scales are right I suspect [*]mines between 10 and 11 kg. Mine has lighter frame,forks and much lighter non ust guess,but slightly heavier finishing kit.

(Mr MC posting)

Do people with digital scales understand the difference between the terms precision and accuracy? I assume when youre that obsessive (and Ive been there it's not a term meant disparagingly) you actually calibrate your scales?

This - even those alpine scales that are recommended are +/- 5% accurate when leaving the factory, which is a hideous margin of error.

Mmm. Guess should say tyres.predictive text error!

grtdkad, mine was 20.something on the bathroom scales, though probably a little heavier at the moment.

SLR kit carbonio flow
EC90 post / SL bars
Rotor S2 (cracked !) now running an EA90
Marta mags
Carbon double chainset
SID WCs

[img] [/img]

Now I've seen njee20's FS at sub 20lb I know what can be done.
I may just have a rummage in the garage and dig out a pair of Rocket Rons or Fast Freds that are lurking in there.

Currently building up a second HT frame too so will be on the look for a wheelset too. Ta!

Nice 19 Crell !

The scales I borrowed from a friend are accurate to within 0.01%, accordinging to the manufacturer Berkley TEC.

I've popped a couple of good quality weights on mine, and they've been spot on (+/- 5g which is as accurate as they go), which is more than can be said for our reasonably expensive Salter kitchen scales 😕

For me it nice to have a comparison as much as anything. Even if my bike is actually 10lbs heavier than my scales show it's still lighter than my last bike! I've certainly seem some seriously optimistic scales, and weighed bikes that people were expecting to be several pounds lighter, but no one's gonna put their hand up and say "this weighs 3lbs, but my scales are wrong, so it's probably 25lbs".

So, I have fitted a Rocket Ron with a Continental Supersonic tube (100g) and weighed again. Now 22lbs and plenty more to go at before thinking about a new wheelset (that UST RRalph on the back for a start!).
Thanks chaps!