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Hey folks, my "Extreme Bike Makeover" has officially begun. I’m trying to drop some weight off my 2005 Santa Cruz Blur XC. This bike started out at 26.5 lbs (an XS frame) and I just swapped out the Fox F100 RLT for a Rock Shox SID team and gonna get some new (carbon!) wheels soon. I have never really been a gram counter but as a light weight rider (100 lbs), my bike can stand to lose a few pounds.
So, how much does your XC bike weigh and what parts have you upgraded to save weight?
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I guess I can’t really call my bike an "XC" bike. Its more of an "AM" category bike – but it just over 30#. I usually don’t complain about how much my bike weighs but I hear it complain about the rider weight ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!! Sometimes it just groans and creaks but I hear the message loud and clear.
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Last time I weighed my Serotta it weighed 21.6 lbs. It was fitted with Mavic Cross max wheels, SID forks. This is why I like my hardtail so much. I picked up a 29er dual suspention bike the other day that weighed over 30 lbs. I’m heavy enough with out a heavy bike. Mine is equipped with a Thud Buster seat post and that takes some of the sting out it being a hardtail. Mudhunny my gear with Camelback weigh almost as much as you do dang it! 😄 Later,
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My Jabberwocky has gone through a few versions…it’s a steel-framed single speed 29er. Mine has been getting heavier 😢
With a rigid carbon White Brothers Rock Solid fork it weighed right about 23.5lbs
With the 100mm Fox F29 Fork and WTB Wheels I’m up to 27.5lbs The WTB Wheels are nearly a pound heavier than my other wheelset (Arch rims laced to American Classic hubs) and they’re not tubeless. I weighed one of my 29er tubes – 0.44lbs 😮 I can definitely feel the extra pound I have to spin up in the rear wheel.
Weight gained:
Fork – 2.4lbs
Front Wheel + Tube – 0.85lbs
Rear Wheel + Tube – 0.95lbsYou can save a lot of weight in tires, so be sure to keep an eye on the grams there. Especially you mudhunny, at your weight you can easily get away with narrower tires, like 2.0’s or smaller. Those carbon wheels are a big step in the right direction too. And go tubeless.
For the 3rd and final Snake I’ll be switching back to my lighter, tubeless wheels, and will check to see just how much weight savings I’m getting by going tubeless. I’m not exactly sure how much the sealant weighs, but I’ll find out soon. I found a few numbers online, saying that 2 scoops of Stans is 0.25lbs but that seems high…
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hmm, tires eh? I did switch out an old Kenda Nevegal on the front for a much slimmer Ritchey WCS Z-max Shield. Both are 2.1s but I couldnt tell if the smoother ride was due to weight or just the general profile and tread. And the new Ritchey tires are tubeless ready, so its a win-win. well… i just have to wait for the second part of that win when my new wheels get here!
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That’s a step in the right direction for sure. Nevegals and both slow rolling and heavy. Lot of grip though.
The Ritchey weighs 540g according to their website. That’s not bad, but still isn’t really light. It’s a lot lighter than the Nevegal though! The lightest 2.1" wide version they offer is 609g, the heaviest is 769g 😮
For a rear tire, check out the Specialized Renegade Control, fast, light, and tubeless ready. I’ve got a 29×1.95 on my Jabberwocky now and it only weighed 510g!
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"mudhunny" wrote
So, how much does your XC bike weigh and what parts have you upgraded to save weight?
Too much.
I just bought some Easton XC One wheels, and am working on getting some Geax AKA tires. I’m also swapping out my old Marzocchi MX Comp fork (oil, coil) for a Fox RL 120.
I’ll be dropping about 3 1/2 lbs of rotating weight and another 1/2 pound off the fork! This will bring me to about 26 lbs total for the whole bike. (small Giant Trance)
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My Giant Anthem X1 weights 24 pounds. Medium size frame. I built it up from the frame myself. But I will give you the items that I lose the most weight on. Mavic SLR wheels, Fox F100, Maxxis Aspen 2.1 tires, Monkey lite carbon bars, pimped out XTR rear derailleur, and an XTR cassette. The whole build only cost me just over $1200. 😃 😎
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my bikes at 28 right now but its hard to get a large full suspension extremely light with out lots of moneys.wheels and tires are my next big buy. then all xx componets.
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My 2005 Blur ( not the XC, but original), size large, weighs just under 25 pounds. I have an F100RLT fork, RP23 rear shock. Kenda Small Block 8s (2.3 front, 2.1 rear) running Stan’s Tubeless. WTB laserlight hubs, DT revolution spokes and Velocity rims. Syncros Ti post and aluminum stem. Monkeylight bars. XTR crank, cassette and front derailleur and SRAM XO components for the rest. I used to be a weight weenie. It’s great to have a light bike ( my SS Yeti Arc 69eris about 21 pounds) , but I’ve since ridden 26-28 pound bikes and am not convinced it really matters that much. You should be able to pull off a pound easily and a couple with some $$. I think Stans is the way to go – they save a bunch of weight over slimed tubes and they hold up just fine if you watch air pressure. I have had two failures in the 6 or so years I’ve used them – one from not airing up adequately and one from an experiment on a non-compatible 29er rim.
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You should worry most about the wheels and tires. Go tubeless for sure. Anything else you try and drop weight with is going to be really expensive and not really worth it. As for my bike, I have a carbon Nomad w/ a 180 talas on it. This baby is a sweeeeet EVERYTHING bike. It does weigh in at 30lbs but until I get my weight back in below 180 I don’t think it really matters that much.
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A tubeless tire setup is not necessarily lighter.
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"maddslacker" wrote
A tubeless tire setup is not necessarily lighter.
Correct. Depends on how it’s done. Tubeless ready rim w/tape over spoke holes (like Stan’s rims) is lighter for sure. Converting a wheel with a rubber rim strip (like a Stan’s conversion kit) may not be lighter.
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And then pour in some sealant…
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Even with sealant, using a real ‘tubeless ready’ setup is lighter. Sealant is lighter than a tube. But using a conversion strip…eh, it may be lighter, but it might not be, and if it is it wont be a lot lighter.
UST systems are NOT lighter for sure. Those tires are heavy.
The Specialized branded 29er tube I weighed earlier is nearly half a pound! 2 scoops of Stans aint no half a pound. From what info I can find online 2 scoops of Stans is about 1/4lbs…not sure how accurate that is, seems high to me.
I’ve got some wheels on test now that are not tubeless ready…but I plan on converting them, and will be sure to weight everything to see.
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http://www.notubes.com/FAQ.aspx
How much sealant should I use?
For a standard 2.0” mountain bike tire, we recommend 2 ounces of sealant. You may want to use up to 3 ounces in larger mountain bike tires (29er wheels or tires greater than 2.25) or for the initial setup in tires that you find difficult to seal. For road and cyclocross tires we also recommend 2 ounces.2 / 16 = 0.125 lbs per tire.
But in actuality, I have zero need or desire to go tubeless.
Anyway, I shed the most weight with wheels and tires.
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^^those are fluid ounces (aka volume), not weight (mass) ounces.
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2 fluid ounces = 59.147059375 milliliters
Assuming the sealant is at least as dense as water, then it would be roughly 59 grams per tire, 88 grams for a 29’er.
A Bontrager RaceX Light tube weighs 130 grams or 205 grams, respectively, so yes, the sealant is lighter than a tube.
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back on topic,…
my CF hardtail weighs in around 25 lbs, including the tools, repair items and a (dry, for weighing purposes) pair of bottles & cages that are always on it in real-life use.
considering i’m not a small guy (weighing ~8 times the bike) and the setup doesn’t break under me in my use, i’m OK with a total bike weight of ~25lbs. 😆
personally, i’m much happier riding my bikes than wrenching on them, am not very tolerant of failures on the the trail, and don’t want to baby my equipment when i’m using it for what i think it’s supposed to be for. (note that i competed in Observed Trials, so i might have a different idea of what we should be able to do with/to a bike than some other folks.) so although i’m generally a fairly smooth rider and don’t bash stuff (much), i’ll lean towards reliability over light weight. we all have to figure out where that balance point is for ourselves an determine where our compromises need to be.
i agree that riding the lightest tire-wheel setup [i:2njtqyy1]that will work for you[/i:2njtqyy1] will probably give you the biggest perceived performance increase. where and how you ride, and what you’re willing to put up with in terms of maintenance and repairs all factor in to what will work for you.
i find that my tire choices are pretty much dictated by where/when i’m riding, and that i vary tire choice just for giggles sometimes to try out something new, so that’s a constantly varying variable. what tires work for people varies also with regard to how tolerant they are to failure and set-up fuss, so that’s going to be different for everyone all the time and difficult to compare.riders whose riding style is non-average or whose weight is further from the average ~150-165lbs that most bike parts designers seem to consider the norm will be better able to take advantage of the talents of a skilled wheel-builder; there are lots of things that might be able to be tailored to a rider that aren’t necessarily available in all the pre-made wheelsets hyped up by BUYcycling Magazine, web forums and the like. getting into all the detail of what makes a great wheelset [i:2njtqyy1]for you[/i:2njtqyy1] is deservedly a completely different topic, and this thread has already strayed into off-topic territory enough.
cheers!
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Light wheels are good. Less weight and easier to accelerate for sure. On a day to day basis I use wheels with 32 spokes instead of 28. Big a full figured individual, strength is important. Wheels with 32 spokes can withstand more aduse and cushion the ride more on the big hits. Pick your poison. Light weight or more reliability. My bike being a hardtail can spot a wheel problem because it will rub the frame at the bottom bracket when it falls out of true. One of my CrossMaxes started rubbing so I tried to true it. I took it to a fried at a bike shop and the rim had failed at a spoke. Since by bike is old(V-Brakes) Mavic doesn’t offer a rim any more so my wheel is trash. I went to my XTR hub wheels with 32 spokes and no worries. The Mavic is lighter but not much. Got a extra set of Mavics and an extra set of 32 spoke wheel with White hubs. They are a little heavier but so am I. Confession is good for the soul. 😄 Later,
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26 lbs w/pedals 😀
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"mudhunny" wrote
Hey folks, my "Extreme Bike Makeover" has officially begun. I’m trying to drop some weight off my 2005 Santa Cruz Blur XC. This bike started out at 26.5 lbs (an XS frame) and I just swapped out the Fox F100 RLT for a Rock Shox SID team and gonna get some new (carbon!) wheels soon. I have never really been a gram counter but as a light weight rider (100 lbs), my bike can stand to lose a few pounds.
So, how much does your XC bike weigh and what parts have you upgraded to save weight?
Keep us informed on how your biggest loser bid goes 😃
My Blur LT I think weighed in around 28 or so, but I can’t remember for sure. After 2 years I switched from Nevegals to Maxxis Ignitors, more for better rolling than weight loss. I can definitely tell that it rolls better – and also that I lost some grippage. Compromise compromise. After several years of badgering from my riding buddy, I still haven’t gone tubeless. I don’t really have any pinch flats, don’t run that low of pressures, and am still not that convinced it gives you that much – particularly on a retrofit on a tubed wheelset. Maybe on the next bike (see how I slipped that in there). For most of us (except Mudhunny – you can’t spare it), I think the cheapest weight loss comes off the waistline. I’m working on that one for spring. -
Thanks for all the info, guys! It is pretty crazy that my bike (used to) weigh just as much or more than some of your bikes out there and most of you probably weigh a little more than 100lbs 😀 What’s even crazier is that I did not notice my bike weighing so much in its early years, I just enjoyed going downhill fast! Now I want to get better at beating you boys up the hills, so I think a tubeless set up will be in my future…
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"mudhunny" wrote
most of you probably weigh a little more than 100lbs 😀
Try a little more than double that 😃
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For what it’s worth, after some tire/wheel switching around last night and lots of component weighing, I’ve discovered 2 scoops of Stans weighs 80g, or 0.18lbs. Maddslacker was close!
1 scoop meaning filling the little scoop up to the line at the level of the handle, not all the way to the rim.
My 29er tube was 200g, 0.44lbs. So the switch to tubeless, on a tubeless ready wheel that does not need the rubber rim strip, saved me 120g/0.26lbs per wheel. And that’s weight out at the tire, the best possible place to lose it.
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"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="mudhunny":2vomi59z]most of you probably weigh a little more than 100lbs 😀
Try a little more than double that 😃[/quote:2vomi59z]
118 here! 😄 -
you’ll probably notice a difference in wheel weight more in the handling of the bike rather than climbing. however, it might be more evident for the flyweights amongst us than it would for some of us Clydesdales when climbing as the weight differential would be a larger percentage of the overall bike/rider weight. (the smoother you are, the less of a difference you’ll notice climbing, but it is nice to have a lighter wheel to spin up over the obstacles that are always trying to stop the bike on the trail.)
lower rotating weight will be more evident the faster you’re spinning it. those downhills you like will only be more fun as the bike becomes more maneuverable.
cheers!
"mudhunny" wroteThanks for all the info, guys! It is pretty crazy that my bike (used to) weigh just as much or more than some of your bikes out there and most of you probably weigh a little more than 100lbs 😀 What’s even crazier is that I did not notice my bike weighing so much in its early years, I just enjoyed going downhill fast! Now I want to get better at beating you boys up the hills, so I think a tubeless set up will be in my future…
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i know my bike is lighter than my two locks that i use to keep the bike mine….
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Hardtail 2×9 = 19.9 lbs
2-springer = about 24.5 lbs (it’s since bulked up a bit from laying around all winter)
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I’ve wrestled with the weight weenie thing for years and eventually learned that some things are worth the weight.
For instance, tires. Slicks are nice & light but obviously have drawbacks. That model applies to most moving parts on the bike IMO.
If I were building a bike today here are choices on the stuff I think matters:
Tires – WTB Mutano 2.4 (about 700g, very fat profile with good tread, rolls fast)
Stan’s notubes with yellow tape, no rimstrip
Wheels – Stan’s or American Classic 350g rims, 32 spoke, AL nipples, hubs not so important
Seatpost – any of the "dropper" posts, this adds weight but I ride noticeably faster with it(I’ve used those Ritchey WCS tires you mentioned, they’re light & fast for sure but very thin. Mine wore out quickly & had lots of flats in the second part of their life)
Some things that are nice for visual appeal or mental lite-ness –
Cranks, Cassettes with nice machining or Ti, Ti pedal axles, 2×9/10 gearing, sweet hubs
But none of the above things have any real impact on riding performance. IMO anyway.Easy places to save weight but don’t make you faster –
QR skewers, bars & stem, seat, grips -
1994 univega alpina 7.5 steel frame hdtl. upgraded wheels and new marzoochi marathon sl85 fork. gotta love marzoochi. wieght:28.5 bike tracks like a hound dog tree’in a racoon 😎 and don’t forget to let r rip!
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