Giant, Pistol needs to diet, HELP!!!

[mohrenv]

What is the best and cheapest way to get some of the weight off of the Pistol. It is my girl friends and it doesn’t look good when my bike weighs 26lbs and hers is 32+.

P.S. Most of the weight in the bike is in the rear suspension.

[Bombardier]

Welcome to Singletracks!

What year is your girl’s Pistol? What kind of trails does she ride normally?

But if you want light, it’s not going to be cheap. Lightweight & cheap components are generally going to be crappy.
The adage "Light, strong, inexpensive; pick two." is very apt for mountainbikes & their parts…. But I’ll try to strike a balance for you, given what I know of the Giant Pistol’s intended use.
A lot of people upgrading will throw their OEM parts up there for auction. CBO is a good place to look as well (most of the prices here are from Cambria Bike Outfitters). I’ve done a lot of buying from them. Jenson and PricePoint are good internet retailers as well.
Stay away from AirBomb and BeyondBikes! Their customer service and handling is horrible, even though their prices are rock-bottom. You get what you pay for.

First, upgrade her bike to some basic hydraulic brakes. Some Magura Martas or Avid Juicy 5’s would do (Avid would be cheaper). 6" discs would be best.
Second, ditch the stock wheels. OEM wheelsets on budget mountainbikes like the Pistol are boat-anchors compared to aftermarket wheels.
Expect to spend anywhere between $600 (tubeless) to $200 (tube) wheelsets.
Tubeless wheels would be the lightest, but some Bontrager Race Lites would be cheaper and as good when compared to a Mavic Crossmax wheelset. But a DT Hugi Magura/Sun DS1-XC Disc wheelset at $259 from Cambria Bike Outfitters is an excellent choice.

A new fork and shock would lighten things up a quite a bit. If low-weight is the goal, than a full air-suspension should be the goal. A Marzocchi AM3 or AM4 fork ($250-300) and a RockShox Pearl rear shock ($280-320)
eBay is a good place to look for shocks & forks.

Then, go with a new handlebar/stem/seatpost combo. Full carbon would be lightest, but I’d say a Bontrager Race Light Carbon/Race Light alloy stem/Easton EA50 alloy seatpost would be the way to go.
And a better drivetrain can help lighten things up a bit too. A SRAM X-9 drivetrain, RaceFace Evolve XC crankset/Evolve Bottom Bracket, SRAM PG-990 Cassette, and a SRAM Powerlink chain would be the absolute lightest you could get for minimal cash outlay while adding quality.

And don’t forget pedals. A set of Wellgo (flat or clipless) pedals will add more bulk than a set of Ritchey Comp V4s at the same price.

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