Originally Posted by
mihlbach
First, realize that you aren't going to get very much weight off the bike unless you spend a lot and its not going to make a lot of difference anyway.
But, if you have money to burn, I'd start with the wheels. Get some handbuilts, using a low-flange road front hub (with bolt-on skewer if you ride track) butted spokes, and a light/semi-aero rim such as Kinlin (IRD, Speedcific) Niobium 30. Open Pros or Aeroheads are other good options for rims...they are lighter but less aero.
Put fewer spokes in the front (20-28) and more in the rear (24-32), depending on your weight and riding style. Track front hubs are absurdly heavy. The road front hub alone will probably save you more weight than just about any other single component on the bike, other than the frame and fork itself.
Thanks for the advice. I don't want to burn money and realize that my bike is already pretty light, just wondering if there are any reasonable changes that would make a difference. Sounds like there may not be. My wheels have to be fairly durable as I ride in the city and have to hob curbs, deal with cobblestones, etc. FYI I weigh 185lbs. What if I decided to start by just building a lighter front wheel with better components. Could I do much better and still have a strong enough wheel for curb hopping? Assuming I could, what sort of weight savings per wheel are we talking about?