My bike - 9548g - needs to get lighter...

[Mulle]

Hi,
could you guys help me get my bike lighter?
I have no digi-cam so I can’t upload any pictures. (I know you would like some.)
But I’m planning on getting the bike light enough for the Weight weenies-articles. And then I'll buy a digi-cam too.

Frame
Principia MSLe Pro 18,5"
1450 Gram

Suspension Fork
Rock Shox Duke SL 100mm
1608 Gram

Headset
Principia ellipse (made by Chris King)
140 Gram

Ahead Cap
USE top cap
8 Gram

Starnut
removed
0 Gram

Stem
Ritchey WCS (Ti-bolts)
104 Gram

Handlebar
Ritchey WCS
130 Gram

Bar ends
Ritchey WCS (Ti-bolts)
118 Gram

Grips, Plugs
Ritchey WCS
54 Gram

Seat post
Ritchey WCS (Ti-bolts)
245 Gram

Seat post clamp
Extralite The Clamp (Ti-bolt)
14 Gram

Saddle
Selle Italia SLR
144 Gram

STI
Shimano XTR tuned (Ti-bolts)
390 Gram

Brakes
Avid Single Digit Ti
322 Gram

Wheels
Hügi 240, Mavic X517, DT Revolution / Super Comp
1478 Gram

Rim tape
Black extra strong tape
12 Gram

Skewers
Mounty Special Lite Axles (Bolt on)
64 Gram

Front tire
Conti Explorer Protection 2,1"
522 Gram

Rear tire
Conti Vertical Protection 2,3"
630 Gram

Tubes
Conti Supersonic / Schwalbe XX-Light
191 Gram

Bottom bracket
Tune AC38 113mm
156 Gram

Crank arms
Tune Bigfoot 175mm
395 Gram

Crank bolts
Tune Goldaugen + Plop
34 Gram

Chain rings
TA Spezialities 46/36, Tune Triebtreter 24Z
130 Gram

Chain ring bolts
Tune K1-3
17 Gram

Chain
Rohloff SLT-99
300 Gram

Cassette
Shimano XTR 11-32
240 Gram

Front derailleur
Shimano XTR (Ti-bolts)
114 Gram

Rear derailleur
Shimano XTR (Ti-bolts)
231 Gram

Pedals
Eggbeater triple-Ti
186 Gram

Cables
Jagwire Ripcord brake cable
Gore normal shift cable for the front derailleur
Gore UL-cable for the rear derailleur
85 Gram

Bottle cages
B-T-P Carbon Bottle Cages (for non-conic bottles)
30 Gram

Bottle cage bolts
Al-bolts
2 Gram

Chainstayprotect
Lots of black tape
4 Gram

Total Weight
9548 Gram


I think about a SRAM hollow-pin chain…. But how about the durability?
Any lighter and better suggestions here perhaps? How about the KMC for exaple?

I think about an AX-Lightness endurance saddle – but it irritates me that someone (I think the German) broke it at the Olympics.

A nice, new (or old model) and lighter fork in black would be nice (80mm travel) but I’m really concerned about the performance of lightweight-forks.

A carbon-handlebar would be nice but I think my Bar-ends might be a problem here.

I thought about some light bar ends too – but on the other hand I like the shape of the long Ritchey’s pretty damn much.

I want absolute puncture-proof tires.

I don’t think that the headset can be changed.

The seat post has to be 31,6mm (I wan't no shim) and at least 350mm.

This bike is for offroad use only.

[JK]

Go for the biggest and most effective weight loss first! Changing chains will not make a heck of a difference...

I would go for lighter tires. You can lose appr. 500grams by swapping them for something lighter, at minimal cost. If you do not ride your bike on rocky terrain a lot, you do not really need your full knob, heavy duty tires.

Be carefull though: Lighter tires are less puncture resistant. Especially if you run superlight inner tubes in them. I would consider switching to some latex solution (DT/eclipse or Stan's tubeless kit) to keep yourself safe, while not having to fill your tires to 3,5 bar and losing a lot of traction.

Changing your fork to a SID would lighten the bike by another 300grms depending on type. An SLR saddle is as comfortable as your Ritchey, but weighs some 100 grms less.

[Mulle]

I ride a lot of smaller and bigger rocks actually - and some mud too.
Lighter tires with heavier tubes are a good idea though.
Any specific tubes&tires recommendations?

I really have thought a lot about the SID but I've heard some not nice things about it at www.mtbr.com.
Some peoble talk about maintenance every 1/2 year. My Duke rides 2 years without anything.

I don't understand the saddle thing your talking about - what ritchey?

[OLver]

Tires: Continental Explorer Supersonic with Stan No-Tubes Latex
Fork: SID Race (or world cup if you have the $$)
Front Der: Shimano Dura-Ace

Approx 550g saved here.

[OLver]

For the bar ends and the seatpost, I think you should take a look to Extralite components.

[Mulle]

I looked a bit on the SID Race (and the Team) again. (Looks like the 2004 version are performing better then the poor 2003 models.)
I think I'll take it to a test.

I think the Dura Ace tripple Front derailleur that is about 10 grams lighter isn't any good option. The XTR shifts better in the terrain.

The Extralite seatpost is 360mm at most - but having to insert it 90mm it is too short in overall compared to my Ritchey WCS 350mm.

The Extralite bar ends are a possibility - but I like the shape of my ritchey bar ends better. (I've added a picture of these)

[olly]

I think that the components you have now are a very good compromise between weight and performance. If you want to reduce weight without loosing performance, you can concentrate yourself on fork (SID is OK), saddle (Tune), Grips, Crank arms (Stork).