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weight saving

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  • April 4, 2015 at 12:05 am #23654
    chilievans

    I’ve done a few quick sums and worked out that I can drop my bike weight by around 300g by swapping saddle tubes and tyres and a further 200g by changing shifters and mechs to sram all for around £200.
    The question is will it be worth it? It’s always nice to have a light bike but how much difference will it really make.?

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Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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  • April 4, 2015 at 4:26 pm #840091
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    glynr36

    SRAM Mechs? What are you
    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.

    April 4, 2015 at 3:06 pm #840089
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    700c

    IMO it’s worth it to save
    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..

    April 4, 2015 at 2:04 pm #840087
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    FMOAB

    I never fail to be amazed at
    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 👿

    April 4, 2015 at 1:08 pm #840085
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    CXR94Di2

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

    April 4, 2015 at 9:57 am #840083
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    Simon E

    “will it be worth it? ”
    No.
    “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.

    April 4, 2015 at 8:40 am #840081
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    dastott

    The best place to start is to
    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.

    April 4, 2015 at 6:41 am #840079
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    Don’t skimp on saddle comfort
    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 :B 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.

    April 4, 2015 at 6:40 am #840077
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    PonteD

    I dropped 2kg by buying a new
    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.

    April 4, 2015 at 5:48 am #840075
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    Welsh boy

    But there is no getting away
    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?

    April 4, 2015 at 1:33 am #840073
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    AsOriginalAsYou

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

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

    April 4, 2015 at 1:23 am #840071
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    crikey

    Remember too that the 500
    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?

    April 4, 2015 at 12:49 am #840069
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    FMOAB

    If you have a spare £200 and
    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?

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