Advice on lightening my bike

[madvics]

Hey guys my ride is a trek fuel ex 7 full suspension,as it stands now it weights just over 13kgs, my group set is full slx , front shock is a rock shock recon silver 120mm travel, and Alex rims with cross mark tubeless tyres. I weigh 76kgs, I know my rims are on the heavy side but I don't know what I can upgrade to that will make a big difference that can take the the same punishment as my current rims, the front shock can also be upgraded, but for my weight it works quite well,what else can I improve on?

[Hairy]

Hi there

 

At 76 kg you can get away with a lighter wheelset that can still take abuse.

 

That fork need s to go though as you can make a fair weight saving there whilst also getting a better performing shock at the same time.

 

SLX crank is a good weight to strength ratio with the remainder of the SLX groupset being tough, reliable and efficient. Again at a respectable weight. Unless you have a decent amount of spare cash lying about I would leave the SLX as is and replace parts when they wear out.

 

So a better fork will be lighter and give better trail feed back/control.

 

Better wheels will be lighter and stiffer if you buy wisely. Consult your LBS re this and also explain your riding style.

 

Good Luck and take pictures if you upgrade.

 

Hairy

[NINER_boy]

Madvics

 

Read the attached article...

 

Frame,

Wheels,

Tyres...

 

And from there on, well read

Death of a Weight Weenie _ 29er Online.pdf

[DJR]

Hey Niner Boy

 

I know that's what we all SHOULD read, but it's NOT what I WANTED to read on an empty (spare tyre like) stomach.

 

On the other hand, if I can lose the weight around my belly, perhaps it would be justified to spend the equivalent amount of money on my bike. Great idea! Hell, I reckon I can lose enough to buy an extra light new bike. Ok, it was a GREAT read after all.

 

(Btw Madvics, the above is called rationalization, and you'll need lots of it if you want to play the weight weeny game.)

[NINER_boy]

Weight lowering on a bike becomes an illness.

 

Sometimes referred to upgrade-itis (you know, the "infection or inflammation" of an area, and there is NO CURE for...)

 

As I said, the stuff where you can get the MOST weight savings from, for the "least" spend (in relation to weight savings gained), is;

1. Frame
   
2. Wheels
   
3. Tyres
   

Thereafter you will spend money, more than the weight worth in gold, to add a few more grams of savings...

 

Have a good one

[Capricorn]

number 1 on that list must always be body fat percentage first.

Then tyres, wheels and frames.

 

1. % body fat

2. tyres

3. wheels

4. frame

 

My list is based on least expensive, most effort to most expensive, least effort, that is, from most economical to least.

[NINER_boy]

100% agreed with Capricorn's list's order...

[wesley_r]

Madvics - my bike weights 15.4kg and I weight 115kg. So be grateful for what you have

[Konaman]

The main things to look at -

1.wheelset - try and get set of 2nd hand ZTR wheels - Olympics or equiv (and make it tubeless with strips) or American Classic wheelset

2.Tyres - this add a lot of weight - get something like the non-tubeless Maxiss Monorail or crossmark and make it tubeless using a co2 bomb

3. try and get a 2nd hand Rockshox Sid fork or Manitou R7 MRD thats about 1.4kg

4. crankset - maybe 2nd hand XTR or XT and Eggbeater pedals

5. KCNC handlebar, stem and Seatpost

Edited February 18, 2012 by Konaman

[Capricorn]

100% agreed with Capricorn's list's order...

 

we in the wrong crowd here niner_boy. spend first, maybe improve later crowd rules

But apologies to the OP as the question was for lightening the bike.

Edited February 18, 2012 by Capricorn

[Capricorn]

u said that tarmac, no one else came even close to suggesting the OP was overweight.. I was simply suggesting an order in which to obtain the best overall bang for buck.

[Caerus]

u said that tarmac, no one else came even close to suggesting the OP was overweight.. I was simply suggesting an order in which to obtain the best overall bang for buck.

 

Maybe he is just big boned I agree though, easiest way to drop weight without spending any money is drop the weight off yourself. The money saved from not eating so much can go towards lighter parts Wheelset is always a good place to start

[Capricorn]

well done caerus. At least someone gets it

 

but ya, i struggle with point 1 of my own list. meh.

[Caerus]

well done caerus. At least someone gets it

 

but ya, i struggle with point 1 of my own list. meh.

 

I've just lost 10kg since Nov(5kg more to go) so I can tell you what a massive difference the body weight loss makes, and it was free, so cheap I even saved money, the money saved has enabled me to reward myself by buying a new carbon frame, double whammy

[Capricorn]

I've just lost 10kg since Nov(5kg more to go) so I can tell you what a massive difference the body weight loss makes, and it was free, so cheap I even saved money, the money saved has enabled me to reward myself by buying a new carbon frame, double whammy

Ding Ding! that's it right there. Congrats man! 10kg is not insignificant. Bloody good job!

[madvics]

Thanks guys for all the advice, I'm not over weight and not the tallest of guys,I've ridden a couple of 29ers don't really feel comfortable on them, and since I'm not doing mtb as a profession I don't see the need to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a carbon bike. I love doing technical tracks and I love my bike it works for me. I'm definitely gonna look around for a good set of rims, and a better fork and shock.