What lightweight 27.5 for wife

[Spafsack]

Eddie, that looks amazing, dam thats nice. I did a similar build on my sons Momsen, basically kept the frame, JR100, and breaks, replaced with second parts, all xt, dt swiss carbon 26 rims, old school 3 by in front for lots of gears. Carbon handle bar and so on, i think we also around just under 11 kg.

 

I think i will take my time, look for good second hand bikes to come available in either 27.5 or a small 29er.   

[Spafsack]

So a quick update......I decided to way my silverback superspeed 2, carbon, with tools etc..comes in at 11.75kg. My wifes giant talon 1 small frame 27.5 comes in at 12.9kg. That extra 1kg Does make a difference, not withstanding the feel of carbon, but my aim is to, or was to, get her a lighter bike. My other thought was to get her onto a small hard tail 29er, but in my price range, i will be lucky to find something under 12kg.

 

So perhaps i can make her bike lighter, what do you guys recon, without overspending, to drop 1kg. 

 

Lighter alu rims ? carbon seat post ? Carbon bar. I recon in my limited view lighter alu wheels will give better allround results. Last choice is to find a lightweight second hand small 29er. Maybe even a full sus, but then again, they are normally heavier. She is 1.65m, so small it must be.

 

My research continues     

[Eddie Stafford]

So a quick update......I decided to way my silverback superspeed 2, carbon, with tools etc..comes in at 11.75kg. My wifes giant talon 1 small frame 27.5 comes in at 12.9kg. That extra 1kg Does make a difference, not withstanding the feel of carbon, but my aim is to, or was to, get her a lighter bike. My other thought was to get her onto a small hard tail 29er, but in my price range, i will be lucky to find something under 12kg.

 

So perhaps i can make her bike lighter, what do you guys recon, without overspending, to drop 1kg. 

 

Lighter alu rims ? carbon seat post ? Carbon bar. I recon in my limited view lighter alu wheels will give better allround results. Last choice is to find a lightweight second hand small 29er. Maybe even a full sus, but then again, they are normally heavier. She is 1.65m, so small it must be.

 

My research continues     

 

Up to 65% of a bike's weight is the frame, fork, wheel and tires.  That is where you need to save weight.

[Spafsack]

Eddie, that is true. My other question is perhaps moving from a 27.5 to a 29er might be beneficial as well. What i have heard is rolling resistance is better, long straights, long uphills, very rocky roads. The only benefit i see on the 27.5 is in technical single tracks, but we dont do much of that. If this is the case then i will set my sites on small 29er's hard tails.....

[Longbarn Killer]

Eddie, that is true. My other question is perhaps moving from a 27.5 to a 29er might be beneficial as well. What i have heard is rolling resistance is better, long straights, long uphills, very rocky roads. The only benefit i see on the 27.5 is in technical single tracks, but we dont do much of that. If this is the case then i will set my sites on small 29er's hard tails.....

"set my sites on small 29er"

 

Isn't this for your wife? Shouldn't she be deciding what bike she wants.

[V18]

Have the same question. Current bike is a spez rumor comp. She likes it. But it's heavy. I weigh exactly twice and a bit what she does. So getting a lighter bike for her seems important. I'm still of the opinion carbon is beterrer. I'll check how much chinese carbon I can get for her current bike. And see where this gets me.

[Spafsack]

She has indicated she would like a 29er. Local bike shop also advised this as she and i mostly do long races, less technical, so on a 27.5 you are losing out. Like i said, the difference between a sub 12kg hard tail and sub 13kg one is sometimes 10k new, so second hand may be the way to go. 

[Beard]

She has indicated she would like a 29er. Local bike shop also advised this as she and i mostly do long races, less technical, so on a 27.5 you are losing out. Like i said, the difference between a sub 12kg hard tail and sub 13kg one is sometimes 10k new, so second hand may be the way to go.

Not a giant but There’s a guy selling a small trek superfly full carbon hardtail bike with 1x gearing and sram xx1 throughout. Not sure if its too small though for your wife. Its also a 29er. R14k

 

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-mountain-bikes/kuils-river/trek-superfly-carbon-29er-small-40cm/1002381339290910005439609?utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ios_social

[Spafsack]

Hi beard. I saw that. Wonder what weight it comes in at. Wife is 1.65m so small it is. That is a good deal it seems.

[Patensie]

Hi beard. I saw that. Wonder what weight it comes in at. Wife is 1.65m so small it is. That is a good deal it seems.

check trek's size chart. I'm also in that region of shortness and i think I'd be om a 17.5 inch trek. The 15 inch is really small.

[ChrisF]

Up to 65% of a bike's weight is the frame, fork, wheel and tires.  That is where you need to save weight.

 

SO TRUE !!

 

Wish I had an accurate scale .... We are busy with a 26'' rebuild.  "by feel" the front shock weighs as much as the light weight alu frame !! 

 

Now jump on the band wagon and put bigger tires on (as much as the frame allows), and suddenly you added another ton .... and any engineer will tell you that rotational mass IS the worst kind !!  The real trick is to find that balance of light weight wheels and tires, without sacrificing grip for your type of riding ....

[Chingy182]

My fiance is on a Specialized Epic Comp Carbon, small 29er. Stock standard except SWorks seatpost and Power saddle, 10,6kg. Bang for buck if you can get a good deal on a 2nd hand bike.

Same here...fiance was on a hardtail 27.5 and then I found a good deal on a Specialized Rumour 29er here on the hub for around R15k.

 

Her main complaint was getting her legs over the tob tube of bikes, so a female-oriented bike was just the way to go. I think corners on a 29er vs 27.5 will come with time, but getting over rocks, etc was a major hurdle and the 29er made that easy.

 

On the plus side the dual suspension helps a lot with comfort and balance and I think the slacker head angle also helps her feel that she's not going to go flying over the handlebars.

 

With a budget of around R20k you're sure to find something really good on the hub...

[DieselnDust]

Not a giant but There’s a guy selling a small trek superfly full carbon hardtail bike with 1x gearing and sram xx1 throughout. Not sure if its too small though for your wife. Its also a 29er. R14k

 

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-mountain-bikes/kuils-river/trek-superfly-carbon-29er-small-40cm/1002381339290910005439609?utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_ios&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ios_social

 

 

 

Superfly in Small is a 650B

[Beard]

Superfly in Small is a 650B

I know usually... thats what I said to the guy when I was looking at it last week but he def claimed it was 29 wheels on there. But yes, very very small frame.

[Spafsack]

Well noted thanx all.

[Allrounder]

I know usually... thats what I said to the guy when I was looking at it last week but he def claimed it was 29 wheels on there. But yes, very very small frame.

 

I know the guy from a not so nice deal. He is not all that honest. He builds and sells bikes, but put bigger wheels on frames and then claims that it is that size bike. Also had to service the "just serviced fork" and replace the brakes that "just needed a service"