weight weenies - suggestions please

[cat-i]

k, so i'm flying my bike to the himalayas later in the year   

 

qatar allows 20 kg's checked in, and 7kg hand luggage.

 

bought a bathroom scale, weighed the bike. it's 15 kgs. That's bike alone, without any packaging. (unexpected discovery: the hardtail and the trance weighs exactly the same)

 

Question: How do I get the bike lighter?

 

it's a hardtail, alum frame.

 

- it has disk brakes on; i will still have the vbrakes somewhere, would it be worth anything to swap disks for v-brakes?

- currently it's got tubes. is tubeless lighter? (and take into account  that i'm technologically challenged, so need to be able to get the tyres to required  pressure on the other side)

 

any other ideas on where i can make a big difference with a small change?

 

 

 

 

 

[Bikalot]

take stuff like shoes and things like that in your hand luggage

[Schwynn]

)any other ideas on where i can make a big difference with a small change??

 

 

 

 

Ja, vat my fiets, spaar 5kg!

 

 

 

O, en trek soveel klere aan as wat jy kan, ry broeke, tops, ens.Schwynn2010-02-08 15:50:44

[Squier]

take up unicycling...

[cat-i]

matie, that's already part of the planing - i'm gonna wear all the heavey stuff  - luckily it's winter here, so i should not look too funny with polar-fleece pants with rain-pants over it, and down jacket - but stuff like sleeping bag and wet-weather and cold-weather gear will quickly fill up the available allowance, so if there are cheap ways to get the bike lighter, it would mean that i would have space to take extras, in stead of just the bear necessities

 

 

 

[buckstopper]

ARE YOU BRINGING THE BIKE BACK, AND HAVE YOU HAD AN EXCESS BAGGAGE QUOTE FROM QATAR?

[buckstopper]

ALLOW A MIN OF 3-4KG FOR A BOX

[cat-i]

 

take up unicycling...

 

now THERE'S an idea

 

i guess the downhill of about 4 km vertical descent would be a little painfull on a unicycle?

 

 

 

[Weight Weenie]

Tubeless is a bit lighter, and some lighter tyres depending on the terrain can also work well. 

 

But really unless you need to save like 200g to be in the weight limit, this is kinda pointless dont you think ?

[cat-i]

 

ARE YOU BRINGING THE BIKE BACK' date=' AND HAVE YOU HAD AN EXCESS BAGGAGE QUOTE FROM QATAR?

[/quote']

 

had a quote from qatar, can't remember what it's now, remember that it was big enough to want to be withing limits.

 

there's also a flight from kathmandu to lhasa, same baggage allowance, so will pay the penalties 3 times - bringing the bike back, yes. not ready to part with it (yet) bike's going there in a bike-shop box, coming back without any packaging.

 

shwynn why is your bike so much lighter than mine??

 

[cat-i]

 

Tubeless is a bit lighter' date=' and some lighter tyres depending on the terrain can also work well. 

 

But really unless you need to save like 200g to be in the weight limit, this is kinda pointless dont you think ?

[/quote']

 

you're right, to save small amounts is not worth it - but why on earth do the hardtail and the dual sus weigh the same? theyve got same components, same saddle, only difference is trance has tubeless. for 200 g, no, i'm not gonna make the change then. what about brakes - would i save anything to put the v-brakes on?

 

[Schwynn]

With you WW, to really lose weight on a bike you need to fit lighter wheels, Fork, Groupo, ens. So very expensive exercise...

[Little-Ben]

pack your groupset into your hand luggage and as much otherstuff as possible also into it till 7 kgs, get a bike bag and then stick everything else including ure clothes and stuff into it then when you weigh at the airport shove foot under scale and try stay very still.

[Schwynn]

shwynn why is your bike so much lighter than mine??

 

 

 

It gets more exercise..

 

No, only joking, only the frame is standard, everything else have been upgraded. The weight loss was unintentional. The guys at LBS grabbed and weighed it one day and it came in at 9.8kg ready to go.

[cat-i]

 

pack your groupset into your hand luggage and as much otherstuff as possible also into it till 7 kgs' date=' get a bike bag and then stick everything else including ure clothes and stuff into it then when you weigh at the airport shove foot under scale and try stay very still.[/quote']

 

i LIKE the foot-under-scale idea!

 

removing the groupo won't work, cos i'd need to ride the bike on the other side

 

BUT you've given me an idea - the brakes are interchangable, so i'll put the trance's wheels on the hardtail and see if there's a difference - and if, then just put new cluster and chain on both bikes before i go? hardtail would need one anyway, and trance will get new just before joberg2c - that will work, yes?

 

[buckstopper]

HOW ABOUT GETTING A CHEAPER BIKE THAT YOU COULD SELL OVERSEAS. TRYING TO LIGHTEN THE BIKE MEANINGFULLY IS GOING TO BE TOO EXPENSIVE. SAY YOU CAN SAVE 5KG BY UPGRADING (AT ABOUT R15000) DOES THAT STILL HELP YOU OUT OF EXCESS BAGGAGE RATES, AND IF SO WHAT VALUE ARE THE NEW COMPONENTS AFTER THE TRIP?  I MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH A  QUOTE TO SHIP IT DIRECTLY TO LHASA AIRPORT. COULD GET IT TO KATHMANDU FOR ABOUT R2K FOR FIRST 15KG + R130/KG - RATE ALSO SUBJECT TO VOLUMETRIC FACTOR. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PM ME AND I'LL INVESTIGATE FURTHER TOMORROW (WE HAVE A PRODUCT CALLED 'EXCESS BAGGAGE')