weight weenie ?

[edborogers]

i got my 06 specialized epic marathon about a month ago and love it. it weighs in at 26.5 lbs which is 6 lbs lighter than my trek 4300 hardtail that i was riding. i couldnt belive the difference that 6lbs has made, i liked droping that weight now im looking to drop some more weight. this bike is on the higher end in my opinion and some of the parts are already carbon, what would be the best way to take some more weight off? ive been looking at the mavic crossmax sl, would this be the best way to get a l more weight off?

[JNLR]

Of all the modifications that I have done, the Crossmax SL was the biggest improvement that I noticed. The bike felt quicker and more responsive, but I noticed the most improvement on the hills.

They are light and super stiff, great combination. They have held up pretty well. I am going to try to find my front wheel this evening that is somewhere on the side of I-40. It came off my vehicle at about 80MPH and struck another vehicle. If I can find it, I will report back as to how well it held up.

Jeremy

[edborogers]

sorry to hear about your wheel, i know those things cost a pretty penny.

[TheNextLevel]

I really like my American Classic wheels! They're light, and you can get the optional ceramic bearings if you want to pay for 'em.

They're cheaper and lighter than the comparable DT set!

I got mine through Chandler at Franklin Bike. Nashville Bike is the same company, so if they're closer, they can get them...

It all depends on your budget, doesn't it?

Good luck!

[schaarschmidt]

I read in a bike mag that the most cost effective way to reduce bike weight was to upgrade your wheel set. One nice part about upgrading your wheel set is a lighter set should have a lower rotating mass allowing you to gain speed quicker.

I think another cost effective way to reduce bike weight is to get a nice racing saddle. Be advised when purchasing a lighter saddle you will likely have to forgo some comfort.

If you really want to become a weight weenie I suggest you PM Commander. He has made making his bike lighter a science. Wheel sets, saddles, seat posts, stems, pedals, etc... he even know which bolts you can replace with ti bolts and still be on the safe side.

[TNcaveman]

The biggest weight improvement is the tires and rim. The hub, weight that is, is a neglegable gain verses cost. But, better hubs often have more ratchet teeth with quicker power transfer from not pedaling to pedaling. And there is a significant weight loss but at a $$$ expense.

Because rims and derailleurs are the most vulnerable items to trail damage, I (personally) won't likely go above x-9 or XT level stuff.

I have replaced a XT derailuer and a Mavic 117 / XT hub wheel due to trail damage. That's about $250 in parts. I replaced the XT with a LX (20 bucks with 20 miles on it).

The rear wheel still works, but isn't round anymore. The new one has a Velocity Rim with a XT hub. 160 bucks - hand built at Bikers Choice. I'm going to weigh it tomorrow to compare it with the old one. It should be around 2 to 3 oz less. The weight loss is in the rim and spokes.

The biggest weight loss that I have had is the tires - OEM tires are sometimes cheaper and heavier - I shed about 1 pound with new ones.

Also - another big gain can be in the rear cassette. If you have a LX cassette with 11-34 gears, the XT model weighs about 4 or 5 oz less.

The nice and light wheels are nice - but, a damaged rim can cost you 300 + bucks to replace or repair. And Mavic wheels cannot be repaired by every shop - I think they need to be sent off for repair. Check this out before getting a wheel set.

Before upgrading, figure the weight loss and divide by the cost. A good example is the XT vs LX cassette - 4 oz for 70 bucks. LX crank vs XTR crank 4 oz 450 bucks - no way! You must justify weight losses and don't forget durability.

Steve (a certified weight weenie :thumb: )

[Daniel]

I've got about 20 lbs between my neck and navel that I need to replace with carbon peck and abb inplants. They bolt to your ribs with hollow titianium screws. But they're pretty pricey. $$$:lol:

[diesel]

i found the cheapest way is to shave it off the rider. its also where you can make th ebiggest gains....try to shave 10lbs off the bike!:hungry:

[Lefty Scott]

I really don't like this thread cause it reminds of how much "stupid" money I've spent on my bike! That said, you ought to check out Industry Nine wheels. Pretty cool stuff-hand made in Asheville, NC. Go to industrynine.net to check them out. Happy spending! Scott

[Robert]

I've got about 20 lbs between my neck and navel that I need to replace with carbon peck and abb inplants. They bolt to your ribs with hollow titianium screws. But they're pretty pricey. $$$:lol:

Daniel brings up a great point. If you need to lose weight that is more important than the little weight you can take off your bike. I am not a weight weenie with bike stuff. I want it to have a chance to hold up to the beating it takes, even if you ride conservative. If you want to get faster, ride more, and get in better shape before you start shaving weight off your bike. Caveman is faster, not because he dropped a couple of pounds off his bike. He is faster because he rides more and has lost weight and is a much fitter biker than he was 6 months ago. I never weigh but know, by how my clothes fit whether I need to do some push aways from the table. I rode L4 tonight not forcing the effort. The time I rode it in, last year, that would have tanked me. Tonight it felt comfortably hard at some points. First ride more and get fitter and then if you want to lighten your bike then go for it. My bike weighs about as much as yours and it does not feel heavy to me.

Just my two cents...Robert

[David Moore]

i found the cheapest way is to shave it off the rider. its also where you can make th ebiggest gains....try to shave 10lbs off the bike!:hungry:

I concur with body weight as the absolute best place to shed pounds followed by wheels and tires.

Loosing body weight sure is a heck of a lot cheaper too :wink:

[JNLR]

There you go Ed, you have opened up the universally controversial weight topic. Much like any sport that I have ever played, there are two roads to improvement, self-improvement/fitness and equipment. It looks like we have covered that here. Every few pounds that I lose, I can tell a difference, especially when I am climbing. I feel that I need to lose about 10 more pounds to be competitive and am working towards that goal over the next month.

That all being said, you asked about taking weight off the bike. You will notice a positive difference on the bike with a quality set of light wheels. You will lose rotational weight and your bike will handle differently depending on the stiffness of the wheel. From a durability standpoint, my SL's handled abuse much better than my stock bontrager hoops.

Wheels are expensive and it is a tough purchase to make. Check around and see if any of the local shops have demo wheels available, I think Cumberland Transit had some SL’s available to demo earlier this year. Everyone here has given good advice, but riding a set of nice wheels could help settle the question for you.

[Uzzi]

Just wanted to add a few places where weight can be important - the is ROTATIONAL weight-

Wheels
Tires
Pedals
SHOES!! (often overlooked - lightweight racing shoes can make a big difference)
Rotors (never used them but Stan's Lightweight Rotors are supposed to be pretty good)
Tubless - removng the weight of the tube

Seats, seatposts, etc are important, but I don't know that you will feel it like you will rotational weight. I have a heavy bike and I went with a SRAM 990 cassette, light chain and got some lighter shoes, even though my bike is heavy, I noticed a lot right there.

Also, what's in your camel back? I used to fill my up every ride - 70 oz of water, and I only needed 25oz. With a full camel back, you could be adding 10 to 25 lbs to yourself!

[edborogers]

thanks for all the input guys. you are right JNLR, i asked about bike weight, i know about fitness, ive lost 23 lbs since january, beacuase i started working out 5-6 times a week instead of my usual 1-2 days a week. i could use about 10 more off and that will come, but do i want my bike to be lighter if i can get it lighter without sacrificing durability. the answer is yes. thanks uzzi, ive always heard rotational was the best way to go, i use a water bottle, so the camel pak is not an issue. i do need to look in the different shoes though, the ones i wear now are very heavy.

[tdkkirby]

Nice bike. I think it's more than the weight you are noticing. Its the complete package of going from entry level hard tail to a high end full suspension bike. I only see 2 places you could make a difference on that bike. Wheels and maybe your brakes. I don't know if either would be worth the money. You could shave a little off your brakes but may not notice a difference except in performance. I run the new Avid Ulimate disc brakes. These things are sweet but pricey! I also have a couple of sets of Crossmax SL that I like also. But as you said that is a high end bike so your choices are very limited. Which is good. You have a bike with 4 inches of travel that weights 26 pound. That's not bad.

[Uzzi]

Epic's (as ruthless as they are) have always had a rep of being a little heavy, though I don't know why. However - with that bike and your skills...:wink:

[Accumbens]

If you're going to spend the cash on wheels, an alternative to the mavics mentioned is a nice set of handbuilts. I have an old set of Kings laced to mavic 219 rims with very lightweight spokes (don't remember which) that only had to be trued twice riding trails similar to HC 3-5 times a week in Austin for a couple of years. If you have issues, you can have any shop repair them for you - and since they are handbuilt, the spoke tension can be close enough to max that the wheels will be super strong. BTW - the aforementioned wheels were around 1500g. I was 155-160 when riding them. When I swapped out the former Bonty superstock for the King/Mavic - there was ahuge difference in acceleration - and I'm not a weight weinie.

[meanjoe]

I agree about upgrading the wheelset. You'll really feel it when you're climbing. I'm riding Crossmax SLR's right now and can tell a big difference over stock wheels. I also have a Crossmax Enduro wheelset that is pretty decent too, though not nearly as light or stiff. I like mavic's tubeless setup. No need for rim strips. If you buy new wheels then you'll have a spare set for the rougher terrain like Hammy. Good luck.

Adam

[edborogers]

the wheels i have now are tubeless mavic, but not the crossmax SLR's, i love the way those things look. when i upgrade i will most likely go way up and get the SLR's.