rgr555

This was my first road bike purchase. What made me gravitate towards this model in particular was that it is an "all rounder" bike, some say 80% road 20% gravel, etc. I thought this was perfect for me since I figured I would be riding in NYC streets where the road quality is poor and there might be small potholes here and there. However, after a few weeks of riding "everywhere", I find myself only riding on dedicated bike paths and park loops and try to avoid anything else now.

So I am wondering if I can make this Diverge bike more of a dedicated road bike. It's currently 23.7 pounds (water bottle cage, elite stix lights, gps, mini saddle bag with tube, co2, levers) which is quite heavy for a road bike from my research. Is there anyway I can drop 5 pounds or more from the bike? What is a respectable weight for an aluminum road bike with carbon fork? My goal is to reach that weight if possible.

If I have no great options, I may be thinking of just purchasing a more dedicated road bike and using this as my "everywhere" bike in the future but I want to try and upgrade this bike first.

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Please see the specs of my bike, only changed the saddle:

Specifications, https://www.specialized.com/cw/en/di...e-dsw/p/119017 :

CHAIN KMC X10, 10-speed w/reusable MissingLink
BOTTOM BRACKET Praxis BB30
CRANKSET Praxis Alba 2D
SHIFT LEVERS Shimano Tiagra STI, 10-speed
CASSETTE Shimano Tiagra, 10-speed, 11-32t
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Tiagra, braze-on
CHAINRINGS 48/32T
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Tiagra, long cage, 10-speed

SADDLE Power Expert Saddle Ti, 143mm
TAPE Specialized S-Wrap
SEATPOST Alloy, 12.5mm offset, 2-bolt clamp, 27.2mm
STEM Specialized, 3D forged alloy, 4-bolt, 7-degree rise
HANDLEBARS Specialized Shallow Drop, alloy, 125mm drop, 70mm short-reach

REAR WHEEL Axis Elite Disc, QR
INNER TUBES 700x28/38mm, 48mm Presta valve
FRONT TIRE Espoir Sport, 700x30mm, 60TPI, wire bead, double BlackBelt protection
REAR TIRE Espoir Sport, 700x30mm, 60TPI, wire bead, double BlackBelt protection
FRONT WHEEL Axis Elite Disc, thru-axle

FRONT BRAKE Tektro Spyre, mechanical disc
REAR BRAKE Tektro Spyre, mechanical disc, dual pivot
SEAT BINDER 31.2mm

FORK Specialized FACT carbon w/Zertz, tapered
FRAME Specialized E5 Premium Aluminum w/ D'Aluisio Smartweld technology, tapered head tube, OSBB

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I know losing body weight is the best free cost-effective upgrade but I just want to focus on upgrading the bike itself.
Thanks

TakingMyTime

Nice bike. It should be able to do what you want in its current state.

Try some lighter, thinner and better performance tires. Continental 4000sII in 25mm. Their 25mm runs a little bigger around 27mm once mounted. This folding tire should weight a lot less that the current setup. I would try that for starters and ride it for a couple of more weeks before dropping a lot of money in to various "lighter" parts. If you start to try and cut weight by buying carbon water bottle cages you're only talking about grams and not lbs.

mcours2006

Normally when we speak of the weight of a bike we don't include all those things you mentioned. In fact, we don't even include the pedals, so strictly speaking your DSW might be close to 20 lbs already. It's still no lightweight, but you've got disc brakes, which are heavier.

You could get a lighter set of wheels. That would be the biggest weight savings. Stock wheels are usually quite heavy, and usually the first thing people upgrade. You might be able to save a pound here.

That's always preferable to upgrading, if budget allows for it.

A pound or two isn't going to make a huge difference. In fact, you probably aren't even going to feel the difference. You might make it to the top of a long climb a second or two faster, and that's about it.

rgr555

Interesting, looked up the weight and did the numbers and the 4000sII tires would reduce 0.970034 pounds off my bike as well as give me better performance. Will make the purchase.

Hoping to shave off another 4lbs some how though.

Forgot to add the bike has Shimano A530 SPD pedals.

datlas 

Ride more. Worry less. It’s fine as it is.

WhyFi

Keep in mind that, when most bike weights are cited, it's going to be in a mostly bare state: no pedals, bottles, cages, computers, lights or their mounts, and they sure as heck aren't including seat bags with tools and CO2. Also keep in mind that most disc bikes are going to weigh a 1-1.5lbs more than their rim-brake equivalent. IOW, your bike isn't as bad off as you seem to think it is.

Could it lose some weight? Sure. 5 lbs worth? Probably not in a way that would make sense - you'd probably have to replace the majority of the stuff attached to the frame. You'd probably be able to lose the most weight in the wheels/tires, but after that, it's going to be 100g here, 100g there, 50g there, 30g there, etc.

WhyFi

I have some of those on the Haanjo - heavy as heck, but provide good utility.

pdoege

Take the lights off and replace the pedals with A540s?

In all honesty, if you resemble me, you should probably keep it the way it is and eat more salad and do more squats.

rgr555

Thanks for all the info so far

You mention thinner, is 25 optimal over 28mm?

Been reading as much as I can about the tires before ordering and saw this,

Review: Continental Grand Prix 4000s II 28mm tyres | road.cc
Out on the road they feel extremely smooth and fast. Continental (Grand Prix 4000 S II - Continental Bicycle Tyres UK (link is external)) point to a recent Tour Magazine test that found that the 28mm GP4000S not only had lower rolling resistance than its narrower siblings, but also the lowest of any tyre on test. We're only talking a few watts but it all counts, right? Anyway, the take-home message from that is that big doesn't necessarily mean slow. It certainly doesn't here. I didn't notice the extra bulk of the tyre when accelerating, and once up to speed they do have a very supple feel and excellent all-round grip. Continental's Black Chilli rubber is predictable in both the wet and dry.

Basically says 28mm has lower rolling resistance at a cost of 70g heavier weight. Is 28 the way to go?

Also, do you guys know what are the best bang per buck wheel upgrades I can look into? Not looking to spend thousands.

gregf83 

Perhaps you could back up a step and explain why you are wanting to drop bike weight. Are you planning to race? Dropping weight isn't going to change your speed on the flats much and even on the hills the change in speed will be modest.

San Pedro

If you have the espoir stock tires from Specialized than any nice tire will save weight and make your bike ride nicer.

Your bike weight doesn't seem bad at all considering that's with everything in it and disc brakes.

Campag4life

TakingMyTime above nailed the response. Change tires and nothing more. For further weight reduction if you are going to do a lot of climbing which isn't what that bike is about, then weight matters much more. Not on the flat. Taking weight off a bike generally is expensive. Never reinvent a bicycle...never cost effective.


That bike is outstanding for what it is as a great all arounder and will serve nicely on paved surfaces as well.. In fact...getting into the weeds a bit, many insiders will favor your '17 Aluminim Diverge to the '18 model with Future Shock.

So what to do about your heavy and wide tires targeted more for riding single track and broken road, i.e. which Continental GP4000II's?...25c or 28c?

Depends on bias of what you roads you ride. Predominantly smooth? 25c
Mixture of rough and smooth? 28c.
I run each on different bikes. 28c are heavier and less aerodynamic...but provide slightly plusher ride because they hold more air volume and can be run at slightly lower pressure without risk of a pinch flat.

Keep in mind, ideal target air pressure is based upon what you weigh and what size tires you choose. Here is a chart below.

That is my advice which reflects what TMT suggested above.

HTH

Ogsarg

"I find myself only riding on dedicated bike paths and park loops and try to avoid anything else now."

So why do you feel a need to upgrade this bike? What do you expect to gain from lowering the weight and why is that important? I'd think about what you're needs really are before doing anything.

You can spend big $$$$ taking a few pounds off the bike for what? Maybe you'll go a little farther down the path in the same allotted time or burn a few less calories for the same given distance ride.

Sounds like the bike is a very good choice for its use.

mcours2006

That bike is a good all-around bike, especially if you can fit wider tires on it. Just ride the heck out of it and don't worry about weight. You'll know when it's time for a new one, if it's not now.

Lazyass

There are some nice, light budget road disc wheelsets out there. Bicycle Wheel Warehouse has some for less than $300. Since you have a DSW model with the stupid SCS hub you'll need a different derailleur hanger. SCS hubs are 130mm while all other road discs are 135mm. Light wheels and tires will make the biggest difference on a Diverge because you have a lot of rolling weight.

This is the hanger you would need:

https://mikesbikes.com/product/speci...EaAhS4EALw_wcB

rgr555

Very informative, bookmarked. Thanks!

rgr555

Yea I'll just look into tires and wheels for now and enjoy the bike. Hearing all the comments about the bike itself is giving me those honeymoonphase feels again

As for cycling and the bike itself (not the engine/rider), lighter = faster right? That's my whole point. But the value might not be there to save weight so cancel that. But that's with any hobby, spending money to improve your gear. Pretty sure my kitchen doesn't need remodeling but I will do it anyways in a few years. Improving, modifying, and upgrading is what we do...with anything really

Abe_Froman

Lighter does not = faster on flat ground. Not in a way that is measurable, anyway.

More aerodynamic is faster on flat ground.

Tires with lower rolling resistance is faster on flat ground.

rgr555

In the real world the roads are not always flat

Campag4life

What Abe said and 25c is more aero and lighter and the point of suggesting 25c versus the heavy tires you have on the bike. GP4000II's have a much more supple tire carcass and have great rolling resistance for a training tire with some level of flat protection.
You could opt for lighter wheels which no doubt may even shed a pound or more off the bike, but on the flat there would be very little difference in speed but spool up to speed aka acceleration would be better.


Best thing you can do aside from tires is work on your position and get your back as flat as possible in the drops to punch as small a hole as possible into the wind. Really helps when hammering at 20mph for faster on the flat.

Campag4life

Not where I live where the only hills we have here is wind. At least I don't have to spend an arm and a leg to build a 14 lb climbing bike. Weight aka lack thereof is the single biggest expense on a road bike.

Abe_Froman

The entirety of the biggest hill in Chicago....so big for here it even has a name - Cricket Hill.

Behold:

Dean V

Why do you want a flat back? A lot of very fast riders/pros do not have a flat back.
In fact wouldn't a slightly curved back help reduce turbulent airflow, give better thigh/torso clearance, and also make it easier to "turtle"your head down lower?

Campag4life

You are speaking of the boundary layer effect off the back of the rider. True. But, a much bigger air drag deficit in front. A rider's chest is a parachute. The smaller the parachute, the more aero the rider. Chest flat to the top tube is more aero than chest at a 10 deg angle to the horizontal. Head is the biggest air drag on the bike. It must come down as well. Riders of the future will be genetically altered with eyes on top of their head so they can ride face down. The headless horseman was the fastest rider to ever live.

Shuffleman

Good way to look at it. In my opinion, I would stop at the tires. In fact, I would only buy those once the originals wear out. There is very little to gain by trying to lighten the bike. You are better off buying a new bike than spending tons to lose a few pounds.