Lighter bikes, do i really want one?

Spunger · May 10, 2004

Well look at things as what can you loose? What could you change to make the bike become lighter without decreasing it's strength? How much $$$ are you willing to drop to do so (as it will get expensive).

You basicly don't want to get weight weenie parts and find yourself braking them. It at that point will cause more frustration than it will do good. Give a post with the bike's build part by part and people will give some ideas to shave some weight off.

Less weight is obvious to what it will do. You will be able to throw around the bike a little better, and will probably boost your confidence a tad which helps in every aspect.

Depending on bike/build etc....you can get almost any DH bike into the mid 40 range. Anything going low 40's to high 30's is where $$$ and a lighter setup will come into play. Most guys bikes on here are in the 40'ish pound range. Almost all running in the lower DH rig weights have DH race frames, Dorado/Boxxer forks, some carbon stuff (maybe bars/seatpost), running tubeless etc.... Some guys weigh 150lbs and won't ever brake a carbon bar or tweek a boxxer, while others (like myself) weigh close to 230lbs and can destroy some of the lighter weight components. It's all how the rider rides, who the rider is, how smooth he is etc.... that should determine your build (or for lighter weight)

Plus it may cost alot of coin to do so. Say you went to Easton Carbon bars, seatpost, and some weenie Ti seat. So you might shave 1-2lbs off from doing so, but it's gonna cost you $300. Is it worth $300 to save 1-2lbs? I wouldn't do it. Is spending $60 for stan's tubeless stuff worth saving 1lbs or more of rotating mass. Yes. As you will feel that more for the $$$ then the other weight loss. It's hard to get a bike down to a weight that is low. It just is hard.

DH bikes aren't too complicated. Forks/wheels tend to give the most weight loss but are gonna cost the most $$$. Things like chains/drivetrains etc....will add up but might not be worth spending $60 on a rear derailuer that you will blow up and save like 10g over theone that's $40.

Hope that helps a bit. In all other words YES a lighter bike will help, but only to a extent.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

For me...I am FAT...riding a 49-50lbs bike I can trust is more enjoyable than riding a 42lbs bike I need to worry about underneath me.

If I was lighter I think I could ride a lighter bike and be fine.

If I rode Steve Peats rig I would fold it in half a run.

Did I say I was FAT? lol

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
For me...I am FAT...riding a 49-50lbs bike I can trust is more enjoyable than riding a 42lbs bike I need to worry about underneath me.

If I was lighter I think I could ride a lighter bike and be fine.

If I rode Steve Peats rig I would fold it in half a run. Did I say I was FAT? lol

Bet I'm fatter... BEOTCH!

If you like the feeling of strength under you go Demo 9/BMW Racelink. They are both extermely trong DH frames but built up well and they can both go under 40lbs ( I know the BMW can)

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by Horrendous Hack
Bet I'm fatter... BEOTCH!

If you like the feeling of strength under you go Demo 9/BMW Racelink. They are both extermely trong DH frames but built up well and they can both go under 40lbs ( I know the BMW can)

Not unless you are 8 feet tall

New Rotecs build up right around 40-41 with a simple (not stupid) build.

Throw chromo cranks, DH tires (2.7,2.5) DH tubes, Mag 30/Mavic 321 rims, Tioga XL saddle and MX Renthal bars and you can see how it can start to add up.

Leethal · May 10, 2004

I wouldn't do two different bikes but two different wheelsets would be a smart move. Have a race only wheelset and a wheelset you can beat the hell out of.

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
Not unless you are 8 feet tall

New Rotecs build up right around 40-41 with a simple (not stupid) build.

Throw chromo cranks, DH tires (2.7,2.5) DH tubes, Mag 30/Mavic 321 rims, Tioga XL saddle and MX Renthal bars and you can see how it can start to add up.

I'm 6'2" (and got alot to go) and built like a tank. I alo do alot of weight training. Sorry sir, i have you out fatted.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by Horrendous Hack
I'm 6'2" (and got alot to go) and built like a tank. I alo do alot of weight training. Sorry sir, i have you out fatted.

Were are your pics Mr Fatter than Rhino.

Proof is in the pixels....

Lumpy_Gravy · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by 360
saving weight off the existing bikes simply not an option.

http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=153806

i weigh 220lbs kitted up , the places i ride are quite extremely hard on bikes (fort will wc course for example).

Ideal bike for fort bill. Even though its heavy, many say the weight is low down on that Tomac, as much as an advantage as a lighter bike possibly?

What tracks will you be using the lighter bike on, and which will you use the Tomac on?

One thing, if I do weights for just 1 month it is very very noticeable on my ability to handle a bike. I would hazard that building up muscle mass is just as effective as lowering weight ona bike. In an interview with Sam Hill (i think) he said in the juniors much is determined by who grows the quickest and most.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

And on the side of the bank hauling stalled bikes out of the creek during my clubs desert race.....I am not muscle...Iam all FAT.

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
And on the side of the bank hauling stalled bikes out of the creek during my clubs desert race.....I am not muscle...Iam all FAT.

Must be like me then, alway breaking parts.

How tall are you?

p.s check out a sinister R9.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by Horrendous Hack
Must be like me then, alway breaking parts.

How tall are you?

p.s check out a sinister R9.

I would say 6' but I am 5'11"...never made that magic 6' mark....so close.

I don't break parts on my DH bike....past issues have been a Boxxer, but.....

I also put myself in ICU for 5 days and General Obs for another 5 on that tree impact (tweeked the forks) and folded the doublewide enough so it wouldn't clear the fork. Occasionally a shock bolt bends....

I build my bikes so I don't experience breakages all the time.

I bought a used 1998 Rotec and rode/raced it for over 2 years before cracking the frame....have a new one for about a full season (partial last year after my accident and this year) and it holding strong. The 2nd Generatoin design (2000-2002) addressed the area on the 1st generation frame where mine started to crack. I don't go real big jump wise....I try to ride smooth...big drops with little tranny hurt no matter what bike I ride.

Don't see many Sinisters up in my area. Did you say you ride one?

Rhino

Kornphlake · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
Were are your pics Mr Fatter than Rhino.

Proof is in the pixels....

I think your upper arms are larger than my thighs.

I'm not too into light bikes except for climbing, that's where I notice the weight really affects how fast I can go. You may try a bike with quicker geometry rather than lighter weight. Although I'm not too familiar with the tomac, it may be about as quick as you're going to get.

Tom DH · May 10, 2004

That bike looks like a beast keep it like that. I bet it is good down fort bill on that as I am sure you know that that track will soon tell you where the weak bits are on your bike.

I like a bit of weight on a DH bike nothing to heavy but nothing to light.

At the end of the day I think getting a bike as light as you can is more of a hobby than a good advantage, as you said you are going faster on it then last year so it is obviously not holding you back.

Now you just might want to splash some cash on your bike and using this weight thing to get some new bitts

Hulkamaniac · May 10, 2004

Ah, I fit in here and can contribute a good bit to this thread.......a fat boys thread!!!! I'm 6' and about 245 lbs on a good day, here's what I have learned through the years.

I had a '99 (lawwill style) Tomac 204 for roughly three years. I loved the bike and it seemed like my build (heavy) was perfect. It wasn't until I purchased a '03 Giant dh team frame and started to ride a bunch with faster semi-pro friends that I realized my build was a bit much. Here's what I have found that worked and didn't work:

Wheelset-I used to ride overbuilt, heavy, and retarded looking rims for fear of trashing wheels. Once I built my Giant, I went with sun singletracks (cheap and easy enough to replace if need be) and ringle hubs. Not the lightest setup, but it has stood the test of time so far and I am not what I would call a finesse rider.

Tires-used to run heavy intense tires so I could run lower pressures, but have since switched to maxxis. Maxxis are lighter than intense, yet burly enough that I can run low 20's psi if need be and provide great traction in my area. Probably going tubeless in the next round of upgrades.

Cranks-I used to run race face isis and square taper cranks, thinking they were plenty strong. I've bent spiders, arms, and completely f'ed up bottom brackets. I have since switched to profiles and probably won't switch back anytime soon. Sure, they weigh a good bit, but a ti spindle takes a good chunk of that weight away. Plus, that always seems to be the only part that I don't worry about on my bike.

Seatpost/saddle-thomson, enough said. Used to run a titec berserker dh years ago, now I only run a Selle Italia flite......haven't bent/broken one yet, it's comfortable, and stands up well in crashes.

Not light parts by any stretch, but given my size and my affect on lighter weight parts, weight of the parts becomes a secondary thought. Sure, I like my bike to be as light as possible, but I have to be realistic with my size and choose parts appropriately.........saving weight where possible. What I listed above is where I was able to save some weight. As said before, post your build and let everyone help you with picking ligther, yet durable, parts.

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
I would say 6' but I am 5'11"...never made that magic 6' mark....so close.

I don't break parts on my DH bike....past issues have been a Boxxer, but.....

I also put myself in ICU for 5 days and General Obs for another 5 on that tree impact (tweeked the forks) and folded the doublewide enough so it wouldn't clear the fork. Occasionally a shock bolt bends....

I build my bikes so I don't experience breakages all the time.

I bought a used 1998 Rotec and rode/raced it for over 2 years before cracking the frame....have a new one for about a full season (partial last year after my accident and this year) and it holding strong. The 2nd Generatoin design (2000-2002) addressed the area on the 1st generation frame where mine started to crack. I don't go real big jump wise....I try to ride smooth...big drops with little tranny hurt no matter what bike I ride.

Don't see many Sinisters up in my area. Did you say you ride one?

Rhino

I'm now the same, but with my old cheap bikes I would go trough a few cranksets a month 9one i broke 2 crankets in one day).

Now I have a top of the line custom HT, so there is a smaller chance of anything breaking (I now have a $400 Profile crankset lol). i once broke a cheap forks in 15 mins. Blew the cartridges right up.

i've played around on a Sinister and it is a wicked piece of art, very well made and thought out. Pinkbike actually got it right about it being special.

However, my (reserved) Brooklyn Race is the real baby.

oly · May 10, 2004

Im about 230+/- before gear. Ive never stood on the scales geared up, but generally wear a carbon 661 helm, pressure suit and knee pads. So bottom line is im a heavy guy.

This year I went from a 50lb scream to a 44lb Turner DHR. For Whistler and the shore I really didnt mind the beef of the scream. I had a real strong wheelset, and ran a shiver. Over a year I also had a few parts of the scream replaced so heavy isnt always strong. This year im running lighter wheels, and a boxxer. So far so good. So, do I notice 6 lbs? Yes. Acceleration seems much faster, and i can POP the bike easier off of jumps. Comparing 2 different courses froma last years races, i cleared stuff on the DHR much cleaner than on the scream. The scream was also harder to get moving if you had to come to a stop mid run. Im actually going through this same weight delema on my trail bike. I just got back from a ride on a bike thats 7 lbs lighter than my current trail bike. Again i felt a huge diff.

Swapping parts before each race is a bitch. I do have 2 wheelset though. When i go ride whistler ill probably start with the heavy wheelsset for the added protection.

Looking at the big picture 1-2 lbs probably isnt real noticeable. You will spend a butt load trying to shave down the weight of a bike thats already too heavy. It might be a wiser choice to have 2 bikes. One to play on and one to be serious on. Ive also found that sharing some like parts in drivetrain and brakes can save your ass if you happen to destroy things on your race bike. Ill scavenge my 2nd bike in a heartbeat to keep my race rig running smooth. In the end it will come down to how much do ya really wanna spend, how much you want to swap parts, and what weight you feel will make a big diff.

Good luck.

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by oly
Im about 230+/- before gear. Ive never stood on the scales geared up, but generally wear a carbon 661 helm, pressure suit and knee pads. So bottom line is im a heavy guy.

This year I went from a 50lb scream to a 44lb Turner DHR. For Whistler and the shore I really didnt mind the beef of the scream. I had a real strong wheelset, and ran a shiver. Over a year I also had a few parts of the scream replaced so heavy isnt always strong. This year im running lighter wheels, and a boxxer. So far so good. So, do I notice 6 lbs? Yes. Acceleration seems much faster, and i can POP the bike easier off of jumps. Comparing 2 different courses froma last years races, i cleared stuff on the DHR much cleaner than on the scream. The scream was also harder to get moving if you had to come to a stop mid run. Im actually going through this same weight delema on my trail bike. I just got back from a ride on a bike thats 7 lbs lighter than my current trail bike. Again i felt a huge diff.

Swapping parts before each race is a bitch. I do have 2 wheelset though. When i go ride whistler ill probably start with the heavy wheelsset for the added protection.

Good luck.

Less weight is usually good, but i'd only trust it if it was real good quality, like King hubs etc.

I think My HT weights more than the link setup I'm looking at. LOL, steel is real.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by 360
oh yeah , any of you other large guys experiencing bearing troubles i go through bearings on the tomac like nobodys buisness , despite using some seriously high quality kit .

I don't go through them like mad but everyonce in a while I replace my 3pc crank bearings....same seald wheel bearings since 2000 (AC Air Coller hubs, not anything special)

Do you wash them regularly, preasure wash? It might be the environment is just harsh on the bearings... do other riders in your area go through a bunch of bearings?

Rhino

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by 360
ok current bike build.

tomac 204 lrg (avy equipped)
avy dhf8 forks
middleburn rs7 cranks
truvativ gigapipe bb.
custom lexan chain guide
pace 44t ring
x.0 mech and x.9 shifter
Ea50 seat
cheapo scott seat that i found in my garage
Ea70 bars
azonic shorty 70mm stem
Assault racing pedals
mono 6 ti front , mono 4 rear
Rf real seal headset
avy headlock

wheels and tyres wise

racing
d3.1 , sapim cx-ray, bulb front
d321 , dt revs , edco-big rock rear
normal
d321 , dt db, bulb front
d321 , dt db , edco-big rock rear

tyres to suit course

like i said i think trying to lighten this bike is a lost cause, new race only bike looks like an option but as i said i have concerns.

oh yeah , any of you other large guys experiencing bearing troubles i go through bearings on the tomac like nobodys buisness , despite using some seriously high quality kit .

IF you are willing to shell out and import, I reccommend the following:

Canfied F1, on DHS avy. Ti spring
Easton CT2DH bars
Boxxer Team/ Avy Ti 8/ dorado x-works/ (if a windfall comes along) Foes f1 XTD Curnutt
Easton MG stem
Hope mono ti 4s
Mavic 823 USTs(?)
2.2 odd michelin rubber
Chrid king front hub
Steelset
Diablous crankset, e.13 guide
rohloff rear hub
db spokes
Easton carbon post
road racing saddle
Assault M-101 pedals (grippier than the originals but a hell of alot lighter. i have the originals aswell

)

of coure that would cost like £8G with a foes fork. but wou could expect just over 30lbs with a Boxxer team fork. It would pedal solidly and so light. infact, it's probably the perfect DH setup.

Lexx D · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by RhinofromWA
Were are your pics Mr Fatter than Rhino.

Proof is in the pixels....

It's not everyday i see two men arguing over who's fatter :confused:

You guys rock :thumb:

Horrendous Hack · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by Lexx D
It's not everyday i see two men arguing over who's fatter You guys rock

LOL.

1 b th3 pha7 /\/\a5t3r. i've eaten 5 plates and dessert of regulation platefuls of chinese. I won £20 ($35)

[}0 [] []\/[] []0

oly · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by 360
cheers oly.

personally i'd be quite woried about running boxxers on my bike , but a race only bike would hopefully be abit different.

the more i thin k about it the better this 2 bikes thing gets , anyone out there swap between 2 dh bikes alot? does it bother you?

I wasnt a fan of the boxxer before i rode one. I am running the romic top upgrade so it seems like it will be stronger than the stock ones. I loved my shiver.....sometimes regreat not keeping it. But i havent regreted at all getting the boxxer. Its been a very good fork so far.

I switch between bikes all the time without any issues...... DHR to BIGHIT comp (DH vs TRAIL).

Eigil · May 10, 2004

I use to have 2 DH bikes. A 39lb M1, all racer-boyed out, and a Cortina DH-E, 52lbs, obviously not for racing. I broke the Cortina frame, so I started doing the big stuff on the M1, in it's racer-boy state, and not a single broken part. If you choose the right stuff, light bikes can be almost as strong. And YES, it's a lot better for racing.

RhinofromWA · May 10, 2004

Originally posted by Lexx D
It's not everyday i see two men arguing over who's fatter You guys rock

Hey I gots'ta repra'zent!

Arguing about who weighs less is g'hay.

or Metrosexual....not that there is anything wrong with that.....

Rhino

Instigator · May 10, 2004

Not only is this thread amusing with the "I am heavier than you" debate, but it actually has some good info on parts for heavier riders................like me :thumb:

I am well over 200 lbs, but below you fellas

Thanks boys.

Lighter bikes, do i really want one?

Monkey

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