halocon

what would be a good way to drop the weight off a bike? i ride an ocr3 and i think it's a tad on the heavy side weighing in at 21 pounds.

a few things im trying is:
changing the aluminum bottle cages to carbon ones
going for a lighter seatpost
lighter tires and inner tubes

that's about all i can think of. tho, there are some more major changes i can make but i don't think i should such as: taking off the smallest gear(i live in hilly san francisco) need the smallest gear now and then.
maybe i can change the crank to carbon or get a lighter crankset.

any suggestions are welcomed. thx all.

operator

Calling all weight weenies! You can start swapping out all the bolts on your bike for titanium ones too. That'd save a couple of grams here and there.

You can also drill some speed holes in your frame. That also has the added effect of making it more aero.

phantomcow2

Well yea carbon bottle cages, on ebay for around 60 you can get a pair of those 15 gram each carbon ones for something like 60 bucks. Titanium bolts, costly but they dont rust so thats cool. What abour your fork? You can get one thats under pound, on ebay these can be found for well under 200. I know the company i like is called Leader (they are on ebay). These things are under 1lb for 120 dollars.

Rev.Chuck

Most effective weight drop: lighter tires and wheels
Quicker cheaper: Seatpost, saddle, pedals.

You will not save much for the money on the cages, better to strip to minimum junk in your seat bag. Or don't put the last inch in your water bottle.

JBar

I'm also trying to reduce weight on my bike. First, I'm cutting my Krispy Kreme intake by 50%.

phantomcow2

Yep, thats the best way.
As chuck said, the most efficient is wheels. BUt lightweight wheels can be costly. If you stuck as many ti bolts on there as you can and depending on your water bottle cages now, replaced them with carbon you might shave 1/2 a pound. Get a CF seatpost paired with some light tubes+tires and your probably up to a 1lb off. Understand though, it the lighter you get, the costlier trying to get it lighter becomes. I've got an XC bike, the retail for my fork is well over 400$. Of course i didnt pay that much . But still, 400 dollars to get that fork under 3lbs.

ofofhy

Wasn't that a Simpson's episode?

neil0502

JBar nailed it.

If you have *any* extra weight to lose off of your body, lose it there first.

Here's a website to get lost in: https://weightweenies.starbike.com/

They live for this kind of discussion.

rwan

ooh ooh.


lose your brakes, shifters/levers, cable, 2 chainrings, both deraillers, cassette...



and stop hanging out in here and migrate to the ss/fixed gear forum.





i did this to my trek1000. you might need an eccentric wheel built.
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fixed-hubs.html

recursive

A few ideas I came up with:

- Go to 26" wheels.
- Take the valve caps off your tubes.
- Fill the tires with helium.
- File down excess rubber on the brake pads.
- Get narrower handlebars.
- Take one of your pedals off.
- Take the tape off your handlebars.
- Take all the logo decals off the frame. Better yet, remove the paint too.
- Just remove the bottle cages for good. Drink at convenience stores.
- Cut off the bottom of your seat post.

That should be a start.

halocon

thx for the suggestions...well, most of them. we have a real joker in here that probably couldn't even get on a bike even if his/her life depended on it.

sestivers

I agree that the most effective weight loss would come in lighter wheels. Since they're rotating mass, any weight savings would be more significant than somewhere off of the frame (or your body). But since wheels are expensive, lighter tires/tubes are a great start. You could save about 100 g by switching to some tires that weigh 190-200 g each and you can find some for ~ $20 each on closeouts from Performance or Nashbar. Ultralight tubes will save a bit also.

The next easiest part is the crankset. You could save nearly 200 g here. Sampson and FSA make some good, light, stiff models; however they will be pricey also. An integrated crank/BB might be even lighter and will definitely be stiffer.

Pedals are a good par to look at, you may be able to find titanium spindles for the ones you already have, which would shed 50-100 g. Just look out for some pedals like Speedplay. Sure the pedal itself is the lightest on the market, but its cleat is also the heaviest on the market. So overall, they're barely as light as an "average" pedal that will be way cheaper to replace the cleats on when they wear out.

Don't buy all new bolts and fancy water bottle cages. You'll spend a lot of money to save a couple grams here and there, adding up to maybe 75 g if you're lucky, but costing you hundreds of dollars.

operator

Yes

Trogon

You're mostly wasting your time with the things you've mentioned. The best you'll see from the first two is less than 100 grams.

The key ways to do it -

Big hitters:

Wheels: American Classic 350s - 1350 grams, more than likely a full pound less than what you're riding now

Saddle: SI SLR - 150g, probably 100-150g less.

Pedals: Speedplay = 200g. Don't know what you're using, but if it's Look, minus another 190g

Tires: Veloflex Record - 130g each. Probably 100-120g lighter than any other clincher.

Expensive diminishing returns.
Stem, post and bars - Syntace, USE or Deda CF and Newton - maybe lose another 100g total.

Cheap diminishing returns.
Cages - $4.99 Minoura - 25g each, cheaper and lighter than most.

Plan on spending about $1000 to lose 3 pounds this way.

recursive

I assume you are referring to me, but hey, no offense. I guess I should have included a smiley. Obviously I wasn't being serious. It was just a light hearted reply. If you didn't take it that way, I'm sorry.

camaddy

I've got a SI SLR saddle I'll sell you for $50 - weighs in at 135 grams.

Waldo

And a darn good one at that.

As to the original question, I think everyone's missing one of the easiest and most cost effective options-ditching the infernal adjustable stem, if it is still on your bike. Switching that for any basic alloy stem will yield significant weight savings, more so than anything else previously mentioned.
As Trogon said, most of what you mentioned isn't all that cost effective. The real weight savings are to be had with more expensive options, which I wouldn't consider all that wise in light of the bike in question. One other option would be lighter tires/tubes, as Chuck mentioned.

halocon

my apologies, i was having a really bad day. i couldn't even catch a joke.

halocon

yeah, that adjustable stem is really annoying. it makes lots of noise and looks weird altogether.

good suggestion! i think i'll swap it out asap

Waldo

If that stem is making an inordinate amount of noise, it is entirely possible that the bolt that holds its angle adjustment is loose. If that is the case, that adjustment could slip, relocating your handlebars abruptly and potentially cacusing unsexy results. It's not tremendously likely but it is possible, particularly if you are getting any sort of wobble from the stem/handlebar area. Might be worth a check for now.

darkmother

Well, lets see....you don't really need both kidneys do you? There's a pound right there!

Sebach

They're right, lose the weight off your body:

Pee before you ride.
Dump before you ride too.
Shave your body.
Yes, shave it all.
Kidneys. You only need one.
Testicles - see Kidneys above.

Waldo

^
I figured the testicles thing was a given...if it works for Lance, right?

halocon

well, i don't get any kind of wobbling from the handlebar. just lots of noise. i do check the stem to make sure it's nice and tight from time to time and i do lube it to reduce the noise. im just getting sick of always hearing it a few rides after the tuning. i think im just gonna swap out the entire stem and even the handlebar. got any good stem and handlebar suggestions? im eyeing any components by ritchey. i was told they make quality parts at an affordable price. btw, my stem seems a tad too long right now and i need a shorter one. i find myself stretching out too far and it causes a bit of discomfort esp. my neck.

KleinRider

Your neck problems could be attributed to your handlebars being really low relative to the seat height - or at least what you are use to.

AFA stem/bar combos, I'd say you can't go wrong with the "major" brands - Ritchey being amond them. Sure there are cheaper options available and I would recommend if you know someone to give you a recommendation as well for the "generic" brands.