Kinesis Aithein suggestions for helping with weight

[Sarz91]

Hi All.

Finally got around to making an account instead of just lurking. I'm looking for some help with my first full build down below.



The current weight is about 8.2kg which, from looking at some of the other builds on here with an Aithein frame, seems pretty damn heavy.
I'm looking for suggestions as to the most cost effective way to lighten it up.
The groupset is 5800 with a standard double and a 11-32 on the bike (I live in the lake district in the uk and things get pretty steep here.)
Wheels are CERO AR24 with a weight of 1535 grams for the pair.
Woodman carbon seatpost weight is unknown as is the exact model.
Stem is a Deda Zero1 which is abou 145 grams.
I am looking at getting a set of planet x brakes which should save 200 grams but aside from that I'm struggling to see how people got to sub 7kg without spending a tonne of money.

Any suggestions are welcome.

[ross]

Hi, welcome to the forums

I would advise against the PX brakes, they are a pain and stopping power much worse than stock Shimano

Basically the only way to do this on a budget is for you to strip the bike and weigh all components, and stick them in a spreadsheet where you can then work out cost/gram of weight saving

Cheap upgrades: skewers, seatclamp, saddles, inner tubes, tyres, bar, stem, seatpost, pedals, crank

You can also save at least half a gram by removing the orange sticker from the front mech

Have a look at other people's builds and you will find areas where you can make most weight savings

Cheers

[Lig]

Hi Sarz91 and nice looking bike.....,

Its a tough call as the only way to really reduce weight is to throw some money at it. Are the weights you have quoted (for the wheels for example) actual weights or claimed weights? Maybe the first thing to do is get some scales so you can accurately get some weights.... I would say Wheels would be my first port of call to change but 1535 isn't too bad (if they actually weigh that)... Then weigh the seatpost, saddle etc...

I remember building a bike some time ago and ended up getting a 5800 group but with a 6800 (Ultegra) chainset as there was a noticeable difference in the chainset weights.... By running a standard 53/39 with a large cassette you are doubling up on weight at both ends... You could get a compact cset and then a 12/27 or the like cassette, which would be a double saving

Difficult without £££ and you have to draw the line somewhere...

Good luck..
Lig.

[Sarz91]

Cheers for the suggestions. Yeah I should probably get a scale and weigh everything up just to see. I have about £300 to spend on it at the moment. I have a spare 11-28 cassette at home that I might just stick on it which means I can use a short cage too which might save a bit of weight I guess. I also have a set of ultegra 6800 hubs and sapim cx ray spokes I just need a decent rim to build them up. Any suggestions on a lightweight rim?

[Lig]

Hi Sarz,

For the rim, I have been using H-Plus Son Archetype for a while now and really like them although if you already have the spokes you will really need to see what they fit??! You can get the Archetype rims from Wiggle. The hard anodised ones are worth the extra £!

Cheers,
Lig.

[MisterMuncher]

Saddle looks a bit porky, but hard to tell. Apart from that, chainset and maybe the tyres, there's probably not much opportunity to drop major weight in one move with your budget.

You can whittle bits and pieces off here and there, though.

Change stem to k-Alloy Uno and Ti bolts: About £15 for the stem, similar for bolts, but should come in at 100g or slightly less
Expander cap? Lightweight versions abound on certain auction sites as well as from the likes of Tune, Extralite. Another 40-50g.
Skewers can save big weight, but it's up to you if that's worth it. Ti Bolt-on skewers will come in 100g less than higher end Shimano, but they're just not as nice to use, and possibly less safe.

[Marin]

It's just too expensive to save weight off a complete build. Enjoy the bike and do functional upgrades only.

With £300 you might get down to 7.7kg which isn't really light and will still only save you about 5 seconds on 10 minute climb.


If you are still serious about saving weight, do a spreadsheet. You'll be able to find most weights on the web, and will need to weigh the rest yourself. Then work out where savings can be had for cheap.

[Spincycle]

Absolutely agree on evaluating everything via a spreadsheet. You'll have to disassemble the bike to figure out where you are at and where you can go with replacements. Wheels and brakes are easy upgrades that can shed some weight. Don't forget to weigh in the components as published vs. actual weights can vary considerably.

Here's a link to a spreadsheet I put together for a build I am working on:

http://tinyurl.com/oul6g2e

[bm0p700f]

Weigh everything.

There are lighter stems and bars. however things like the Deda Superlegaro are expensive. the kalloy alternative is alot cheaper.
Berk can make a very light saddle that is under 100g I am getting one expensive mind.

Wheels are not overly heavy but lighter is possible.
105 5800 is fairly heavy (shifters mainly) but there are things you can do. Alloy chainring bolts, some rear mech tuning can save some weight.
Latex tubes will save you about 50g and there maybe a weight saving by changing the tyre to GP4000s II.

I have a steel bike that is 7.8kg with heavier wheels I do have a light groupset on it though (campagnolo super record). The frame is a good 500g heavier than yours and I have garmin pedals on it which are not light. So that gives an idea where it could be without difficultly except the expense.

you could just enjoy it as it is though nothing wrong with that.