New Member with a question on reducing old school weight

[antonyb]

I have just got back into Cycling and found the forum as I am obsessing over MTB weight so wanted to introduce myself and of course gain the experience and wealth of knowledge on this forum.

I basically am getting back into MTB after a 5 year break with a bike that has had very little riding in that time.

2005 Specialized FSR XC Comp - probably from 2005/6.

I am looking at bottecchia bike MTB 27.5 or 29er cannot decide for the cross country trail type riding i do, however in a moment of madness did 15 miles this weekend and found I actually like the FS even though she weighs 32 lbs.

My questions given the specification below is how much do i need to spend to make a real difference to this bike, or am I just better keeping it as a spare and going for the new MTB, are they really that different. I know the rolling benefits of the 29er and they are certainly faster but I prefer to climb and hit fire trails, and accelerate, not down hill or race competitively.

I have seen the Rockshox SID weight saving 1 lb, the XT Hubs perhaps a 1 lb ? But those are serious money. Would love to hear peoples thoughts and experiences.

Hope I do not ask too much so quickly , but I guess i joined and hope to contribute over time. Thanks in advance. Tony

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction TIG-welded
Frame Tubing Material A1 Premium aluminum
Fork Brand & Model Manitou Splice Elite, 100mm
Fork Material Aluminum/magnesium, single crown
Rear Shock Fox Float R, 100mm

Components
Component Group Mountain Mix
Brakeset Avid BB-5 mechanical disc brakes, Avid FR-5 levers
Shift Levers Shimano Deore
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore, bottom-pull/clamp-on 34.9mm
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore LX
Crankset Shimano, 22/32/44 teeth
Pedals Shimano PD-M505 SPD
Bottom Bracket Shimano UN-25, 113mm spindle
BB Shell Width 68mm English
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 11 - 34 teeth
Chain Shimano CN-HG53, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost Aluminum micro-adjust
Saddle Specialized BG
Handlebar XC mid rise
Handlebar Extensions Not applicable
Handlebar Stem Aluminum
Headset 1 1/8" threadless sealed cartridge

Wheels
Hubs Front: Specialized Disc, Rear: Shimano FH-M475 disc
Rims Mavic XM 117, 32-hole
Tires 26 x 2.00" Specialized Adrenaline
Spoke Brand Stainless steel, 15ga. (1.8mm) straight gauge
Spoke Nipples Brass nipples

[socratease]

What's your new bike budget? If you like the full suspension bike, but don't like its weight, you might be well served by getting another specialized (or equivalent). I think the Camber is an excellent bike. The Giant Anthem X is outstanding for the money. The Giant, at around 2 grand comes under 30 lbs.

Saving weight on your old bike would begin to become an expensive proposition. Honestly, depending on its shape, the best upgrades I think you could make would be some better brakes, and a different suspension fork. The Recon is quite good in all iterations, and not too expensive.

[antonyb]

Thanks for the reply. I liked the Giant and you are right it seems light for what it is. My current FS is 32lbs - I just decided to drop £2k on the new Bottecchia MTB hard tail, 27.5 or 650b. Seems like it may just be perfect combination of the two.

Thanks for the reply socratease. Brakes and forks were my thoughts also, but i think i worked out it was 2 lbs saving so might as well spend the extra on a Giant or as I did a Bot

[TheRookie]

Looking at your bike, there are some big easy hits there....
BB5's are HEAVY, you'll save about 200g an end with reasonable hydraulics with lightweight discs (cheapest saving on brakes are the discs).
505 SPDs are pretty weighty even compared to something like an M540.
Square taper BB, you'll save about 200g going to Deore HT2, can be got used from £20.
Wheels aren't the lightest but should be a sub 2Kg wheelset, so I'd leave that.
What rear cassette?
Rear mech, XT is about 50g lighter than LX, so a pricey saving.
Seatpost, saddle, bars and stem can all provide good opportunities, remove and weigh!
Grips, foam, easy saving of 60+g
Tyres? Bet you're on wired, well folders will easily shed 150+g each end, add in lightweight tubes and that can be a total saving in excess of 450g for about £60.
As for the Forks, not sure what the 100mm Splice weigh, but my Manitou Skareb Elites are a svelte 1450g with fluids and SFN.