What places do you sacrifice weight to gain performance?

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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Nicholas68
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Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Hey. So I did a bit of a search and didn't find anything. Although I'm sure I'm not the first to post up this topic.

I'm curious as to where you fellow weight weenies are happy to sacrifice weight for something heavier that makes you faster overall or the ride more enjoyable.

Tires are probably the most common area but is there anywhere else?

Rims are another place I am noticing lately, more people are moving to slightly heavier carbon rims for the stiffness over very light alloy ones.

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

Tyres and forks.

Rims are not sacrificing lightweight for performance but for durability which is a different aspect.
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956

by Weenie


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DanW
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by DanW

Anywhere where a component failure carries a high chance of losing your teeth is a key criteria for me :D I don't think that mentally I could ever run a super light bar or stem like Extralite or Schmolke however robust and well designed they might be- it is all mental.

Tyres you can factor in weight and there are great performing light tyres for all conditions nowadays. A heavy tyre might grip great and be super robust but can often be a real pig to ride on an otherwise light, fast bike.

Cassette would be an area I wouldn't go super light due to durability and most likely making rides annoying pretty quickly.

Forks to an extent would not be dictated by weight but when a Lefty is as light and well performing as it is why not have everything :D

Brakes/ hubs/ anything that is prone to adjustment or wearing out I would go slightly heavier to reduce faff. XTR brakes over the R1's I have for this reason.

I don't think there is much that is heavier that makes you faster as such but making riding frequently as easy as possible by reducing faffing is a bigger factor for me.

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devinci
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by devinci

tires for me

Then, handlebars, no fancy boutique light weight stuff, I prefer something with an average weight but built strong and stiff (and wide!)

Net year, I am also changing from the relatively light sram XO brakes to shimano XTR brakes. Not sure yet if im going xtr 987 or 985

mattr
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by mattr

Everywhere.
As soon as weight compromises performance its not worth it.

sstefanov
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by sstefanov

+1 on mattr with the emphasis on tyres. I cannot see how can you ride hard with tyres with no grip.

Stefan

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Benno
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by Benno

Pretty much the only thing for me is saddle. Everything else I'm willing to take a chance lol. But if my ass isn't happy then I don't enjoy the ride. And I like my rides long.

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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

Saddle, saddle, saddle! It ain't worth riding if I can't be comfortable!

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thewatchtech
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Location: USA

by thewatchtech

LOL...I was gonna say saddle as well, but two already beat me to it! A creaky seatpost is next on my list of things not already mentioned. I love the minimal KCNCs for road and 'cross, but I'll take the 40 gram penalty of a Syntace P6 or the like to enjoy the quiet ride in the woods. :D

02GF74
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by 02GF74

brake discs and ti bolts.

boots2000
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by boots2000

mattr wrote:Everywhere.
As soon as weight compromises performance its not worth it.


This!!! X10!
I like light gear but I will sacrifice a single gram if the part does not perform.
Groupsets are so light that you can easily make a hardtail 20-21 lb, or full sus 22-23 lb without sacrificing performance.
My newest bike is a 650b with a 130mm fork and 125mm of rear travel. It is 23 lb 1 oz with a pretty much straight 1x11 groupset and Stans Crest wheels.
I may even opt for some heavier wheels and tires as I have discovered I can take this bike through lines that I would not even try on lighter bikes or hardtail bikes.

krzysiekmz
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by krzysiekmz

What bike is it?
Orbea Oiz - xxxx
MSC Koncept Carbon Di2 - 6955g
Leichtkraft Team Carbon - 6868g.

jockalldrick
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 11:49 pm

by jockalldrick

Good question, lots of people save weight to the detriment of strength or stiffness
If you do this
You're going to have a bad time

konky
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Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 6:26 pm

by konky

Has anyone tried the latest Premium MTB 29er wheels? Do they fall into the sacrifice performance category? Claimed under 1100g (without stickers) is a nice weight for a 29er wheelset.

FireSpitter
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by FireSpitter

Dropper seatpost
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by Weenie


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