Hi everyone,

I own a Specialized Rockhopper Comp 2011, I bought it new in May 2011 and have been riding it regularly since.

It's about time to start upgrading a few bits and bobs and over time I want to get the weight down close to 10kg. This will mean losing 2.2kgs as the listed weight is 12.2kgs.

I changed the saddle about 6months ago to a Phenom Expert but that was with no weight loss intention in mind. More recently I've realised I have caught 'weight-weenie-itis' and I now have a real need to lighten the bike somewhat !!!

My eventual plan is to add lighter parts over time but keep all the oem parts I take off. When I have replaced nearly everything, I will get a lighter frame, fit all the updated parts to that and have a bike weighing well under 10kgs and my original Rockhopper in completely standard guise. Thats the plan anyway !!

So, I weighed the oem saddle which came in at 324g, my new saddle is 247g which is a saving of 77g. Nothing much, but we have to start somewhere.

Next up will be seatpost and stem, most likely Thomson but not 100% yet.

Then as funds allow, it will be wheels, tyres, fork and groupset (probably XT).

Everything will be weighed along the way and I will keep everyone updated with my progress !

Cheers

Simon

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Aim : to get a 12.2kg Rockhopper down in the 10's !!

My sloooow weight loss project!

welcome...

first place to start is the wheels... the standard wheels will weigh slightly more than a boeing 747 and a pound saved off the rotating unsprung mass is worth somewhat more than off the frame or indeed you.

a light set of wheels needn't cost the earth, along with light (but not too light) tyres. without spending the earth, you should be able to save nicely over 1kg here alone.

the crankset on your bike is worth a look as it will probably have solid arms and steel rings. you could save a decent amount here for not much cash (there are always millions of deals out there on high-end 2010/11 cranksets. you could happily save about 300g here

bars, stems and seatposts can all be bought relatively cheaply through the classifieds. in terms of weight savings, another 250g could be saved here.

after this, you need to start looking at things like brakes / brake discs (maybe 150 grams to be saved) and other bits & bobs, before you get to the subject to frame and forks. a change in forks could save you 500g quite happily and then a change of frame could warrant similar savings.

have fun!

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Thanks !

Wheels are deffo next on the agenda, its more of a cost thing at the moment though. I have DT Swiss 445d's as oem fitment, they weigh in at 1920g, so ideally I would want to get wheels around 1500 - 1600g if they arent too expensive.

Tyres are spesh captain control which actually get quite good reviews, so i wasnt looking at changing them straight away

I have weighed the oem seatpost which comes in at 314g, so I will save a fair bit with a sub-200g seatpost.

I totally know what you mean about rotating unsprung mass having a big effect. From my days of tuning and racing cars, reducing unsprung weight was the best way to improve the handling/balance of the car, so I am applying to my bike too, just have to do things on the cheaper side for now.

I'm sure I will have the bike under 11kgs before christmas, then progress from there. I want to ride my bike for a while after every modification, so I will appreciate the difference!

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Aim : to get a 12.2kg Rockhopper down in the 10's !!

My sloooow weight loss project!

Some continuing research shows me the tyres I currently have are 605g (captain control 26 x 2.0) and there are plenty of options around the 450g mark.

It's just a matter of deciding what tyres are best for my needs, my riding is as much road as it is off-road, and then mostly xc at that. However, many times the forests are wet and muddy, so I need a real all-rounder !

If I can save 300g of rotating mass for about £50/60 it will be amazing !

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Aim : to get a 12.2kg Rockhopper down in the 10's !!

My sloooow weight loss project!

My bike when I first bought it in May 2011, complete with wheel reflectors and bell ! lol




And how it is in action right now, only differences being reflectors and bell long gone, and new saddle and properly adjusted seatpost height.

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Aim : to get a 12.2kg Rockhopper down in the 10's !!

My sloooow weight loss project!

Little update.

My current upgrades and weight savings (or not lol)

Specialized Phenom Expert Saddle (Ti Rails) 247g (saving 77g)
Thomson Masterpiece Layback Seatpost 30.9mm 190g (saving 125g)
Thomson X4 70mm Stem 152g (gaining 12g)

While I have accurate kitchen scales to weigh individual items as above, I don't have anything yet to weight the whole bike, except for digital bathroom scales, so I had a go at weighing the whole bike.

Depending on how I balanced the bike, weight was between 12.2 - 12.6kgs. Once I get proper hanging scales , I will get an accurate weight. Official weight is 12.2kgs without pedals.

The weight of the bike is as pictured, inc pedals, bottle cage, front & rear lights, rear reflector and a fair amount of dried mud ! Nothing impressive yet, but this is a long term slow project !!

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Aim : to get a 12.2kg Rockhopper down in the 10's !!

My sloooow weight loss project!

Hello,

Thanks for posting this thread. I am looking at doing roughly the same thing albeit on a 2010 RH SL Pro.

What ideas do you have on wheels and tyres?

I was thinking Hope Hoops Pro 3 SP-XC6 on Stan’s ZTR Crest tubeless rims @ 1423g.

Any suggestions on tyres?

@ Kernow..I run those those rims/hubs,have used them for the past 18 months,they took a lot of abuse and are nicely priced and light weight.