Mountain Biking - XC bike setup

As you may know, i have only 1 MTB right now. I ride it everywhere an everyyear, but am considering XC races this year. Eventually (upon the arrival of my urban/dirtjump bike) It will only be used for XC. My question is should i be concerned about weight? It is weighing around 30lbs right now, is that too much? What should i consider changing in order to bring the weight down the most?

What do you have component wise on your bike right now?

I dont know what you have, so its difficult to tell you what you need to revise. The heaviest things on your bike are your fork, and your wheelset/tires. Depending on what kind of fork you have, you may want a lighter model aimed at xc race purposes. Same thing with the wheelset and tires. You can save a lot of weight by siwtching to a light race wheel set, and skinnier race oriented tires. Other than that, you could get a lighter crank set. You can always upgrade to XTR componentry but that is expensive and not necessary in my opinion.

Like I said before, tell us what you have on your bike so we can tell you what you should upgrade or replace. But without a doubt, the fork and the wheelset if changed accordingly, could make your bike very race worthy.

What class are you racing? You can easily win a beginner race on a 30lb bike. Sport, probably not.

my opinion is still the lighter the better, but i'm stuck in the old school...

Originally posted by tFUnK
my opinion is still the lighter the better, but i'm stuck in the old school...

for xc I imagine you are right. Old school or not.

I am currently i nthe begiiner class, and have both a light RST XC fork and a marzocchi Z5 fork. Eventually when i get to the sport class i will run an even ligher fork and clipless pedals. For now the competition in the begginer class isn't a good reference for bike saizes setups ext, because someone riding an RM 7 could win. I am just looking into the future.

Get these parts ;

Easton MonkeyLight XC carbon bar
Easton EC70 seat post
Shimano 959 pedals
FSA Carbon Pro ISIS cranks
Shimano XTR disc brakes
FSA Orbit Extream headset
Sella Italia SLR Ti saddle
Shimano XTR wheel set
DuraAce 11-25t Ti casset
Easton Mag60 stem


That should lighten your bike a bit.

Originally posted by dirtbikedude
Get these parts ;

Easton MonkeyLight XC carbon bar
Easton EC70 seat post
Shimano 959 pedals
FSA Carbon Pro ISIS cranks
Shimano XTR disc brakes
FSA Orbit Extream headset
Sella Italia SLR Ti saddle
Shimano XTR wheel set
DuraAce 11-25t Ti casset
Easton Mag60 stem


That should lighten your bike a bit.


Hell.....just get em. All that will cost over a grand probably but just go for it!:rolleyes:

You can build a damn quick, light, strong bike that will weigh under 25 pounds for pretty cheap. There aren't any cross country parts which are HEAVY by any means anymore. Everything is generally pretty light. If you want to shave weight wheels make a HUGE difference. All that mass is rotating, and the less there is to rotate the less energy you expend. A set of light tires is always great, too. You can cut weight in SMALL amounts in other places, but wheels are one of the biggest areas to me.

Hell.....just get em. All that will cost over a grand probably but just go for it!

Thats what I'm sayin'.
Just a few extra bucks;)

If you want really lightweight, go singlespeed. :D

Really for a race bike components. 1000$ is nothing in the end :)

Originally posted by Brennan
If you want really lightweight, go singlespeed. :D

I know someone who races XC Sport class on a singlespeed with no suspension. He says he has to pick his lines a little more carefully, burns the competition on the way up but the guys in full suspension rigs blow past him on the way down. In the end, he normally finishes in the upper third of the pack. Not bad.

Next time a crash costs you a tooth you could try the ol' "put a post-it note on the tooth asking for a list of components" trick. I can't say its ever worked for me, but damned if its not worth a shot.

Work out the grammes saved per dollar for each component.
There is little point tricking out a heavy frame with titanium bolts, put your cash where it can have the most effect.
The cheapest and easiest start is to put lightweight tubes and tyres on.

Thanks for the ideas, I just bought a set of cheap (but very light) wheels, along with lighter tires. Its a good start, i just swap them on and off depending on if i'm going to be leaving the ground or not. I also remembered the azonic stem that originally came on my bike (i forgot i had it). The bars are next, i desperatly need some and I hear my LBS is giving away some easton money bars or something for around $10. Next year will be the pedals. Hopefull I will find a hapy mediam between rugged and light for stuff i dont want to swap very ride. (Bar, Stem, Seatpost ext.) Thanks for the advice.:beer:

Originally posted by urbanking
I hear my LBS is giving away some easton money bars or something for around $10.

Whoa there!!! Care to share the name of that LBS? And do they ship? :D

I'll take two please!!!

L8R

i'll take one!!

haha i may get a few spares. Last fall they were there for $25 and they are itching to get rid of them... They will go quick though there's not many.