weight saving

what is the difference in weight between shifters + brakes compared to integrated brakes and shifters I wonder? And the aero benefit of no downtube shifters to take into consideration of course. Suddenly I feel all nostalgic for a 105 indexed downtube shifter...

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Personally, I wouldn't change components like shifters etc for the weight saving alone, but a better groupset which functions better will probably have an additional benefit of reducing overall weight of the package (albeit only sightly)

A case in point:

Lighter bikes just feel better. My race bikes feel way more sprightly at 16lb ish than the "winter" bike at 22lb. Its not a big proportion of the overall weight but it is noticeable.

Over 90kgs is quite a lot to be hauling up and down climbs (albeit quite short ones though?). As a reference, I am 185cms and 68kgs presently, love riding hills and am slowly lowering the weight of my bike. Told myself it isn't really worth it until I can keep my body weight at 66-67kgs. The best performance gains will come from getting lean, no question. You will feel the benefits 24 hours a day too, not just on the bike. I notice quite a difference in everyday life just going from 70kgs to 68kgs. Good luck!

Obviously fixies are not a safe option riding gradients over 5%.

If you're truly desperate, switch to a fixie, just think of all the weight saved by just having a single sprocket and chainring and dumping your front and rear derailleur.

Defo consider swapping to some decent summer tires. I recommend Schwalbe Ones. Other than that sounds like you are really facing the law of diminishing returns with your build as it is now.

You have xpreso 2s? I have xpresso 2s and 6s - the 6s are much much better. Switching up to better xpressos can save you 20-40g and really improve power transfer and comfort.

I'm sure you can drop under 13stone. I'm around 10.

Not to labour the point, but it is a useful exercise to view any weight savings or gains in view of your all up weight of 90 + kg. By doing so, you can see the way that weight savings as sold to us by the bike industry have a small actual real world effect.
Physics applies to bicycles...

SRAM Mechs? What are you running currently?
If you're on shimano/campag you'll also need the new shifters to go with it.

Best place to save weight, and actually notice it on the wheel.
So getting some decent tyres like Vittoria Open Corsa, which are a fair whack lighter than most others, and also perform far better as a bonus too.

IMO it's worth it to save weight (and improve quality) on wheels and tyres..

As for changing other components for weight alone, it's best considered as part of the whole package (ie weight of rider + bike!)

I would ignore comments along the lines of 'no point if you're not a CAT 2/ semi pro / with 1% body fat' or whatever - some people on here are just very against their fellow amateur enthusiasts spending money on equipment, and I do find these kind of comments a little presumptuous and patronising, but perhaps that's just me..

I never fail to be amazed at some people's ability to be able to determine and comment on the BMI of others from a single Internet post

Shed half a stone, better still a stone, then you will see a huge difference.

"will it be worth it? "

No. You will not feel a difference.

As a proportion of total weight of bike+rider then 500g is insignificant. It's the difference between a full and empty water bottle.

Better tyres do make a difference, but not simply because they are lighter. Lighter wheels often feel nicer but they won't make you go up hills faster, regardless of what some people believe about rotating weight.

Rule of thumb: 1kg taken off = 2 secs per 100 metres of ascent.

"Are you racing? if not, there really isn't much point."

+1. Spend the money on doing something - a coach, cycling holiday or big sportive... Doing is always better than owning.

The best place to start is to lose weight off your body. When you have done that I would consider getting lighter parts. Such weight saving will give the biggest gains on longer climbs (over 2 miles long). Do you ride any?

Also, making yourself more aero by riding on the drops or on TT bars for flat rides. Lowering your stem also.

Taking only the keys and coins you need. Riding tubular tyres with a bottle of sealant for fixing punctures, rather than clinchers, 2 spare tubes and tyre leavers.

Don't skimp on saddle comfort for weight, its just pointless.
Tyres and tubes is a good place to save weight, also stems, handlebars and seatposts are surprisingly boat anchor like as OEM.
Kalloy uno stems are great (eBay) and are around 100g in most sizes.
A cut down seat post can be around 170g quite easily.
Handlebars can save 50-100g alone.
Veloplugs could be another shout instead of rim tape.
Planet x brakes save some more weight and a carbon chainset could save a large chunk of weight.
Just a few ideas above and obv it won't add 5mph to your avg speed but they will make your bike ride slightly more lively. Only you can decide whether its worth it.

I dropped 2kg by buying a new bike I didn't really buy into the whole lighter bike vs shifting the spare tyre argument before I got one, but it is definitely much nicer to ride, especially when throwing it around (honking up hills, making fast turns & dodging potholes). I think a few hundred grams may not be that noticeable though. I could save that by just carrying 1 bottle instead of two on long rides and stopping to fill up halfway into a ride.

But there is no getting away from the fact that a lighter bike feels nicer to ride.

Have you considered going for a smaller cassette and chainrings and removing a few links from your chain too?

Are you racing? if not, there really isn't much point.

And a (slightly) heavier bike just means you are training harder!

Remember too that the 500 grammes are coming off an all up weight of maybe 80 or 90 kgs, that's you, your clothes, your shoes, your phone, your keys and so on.
The question to ask is how much performance gain will you see if the total weight is 79.5 kg instead of 80 kg?

If you have a spare £200 and you want to do it, go for it. Just remember that 500g = 0.5 litre of water so you can save the same by ditching an additional water bottle or similar. Do you carry two spare tubes, multitool, tyre levers? Probably the same weight.

Is that lighter saddle comfortable, there's a reason that people take the weight penalty of a Brooks.

Light bikes feel great when you pick them up, but have you sacrificed puncture resistance, saddle comfort etc for that moment at the start when you pick it up against the rest of the ride when the tyres are firmly pressed against the tarmac?