Fellow WWs, I'd like your opinions on upgrades for my Top Fuel. I have some extra bucks burning a hole in my pocket and I'd like to put the TF on a diet. I'm very happy with the current performance of the bike, but would like to drop some weight

I'm an American but now live and work in Guangxi, China (google "Guilin" to get a feel for the area). I do not race anymore, but use the TF for exploring the countryside surrounding the city on paved, gravel and dirt roads. I ride for health, fitness and fun. The road conditions here vary from brand new smooth pavement to busted concrete to large loose rocks to smooth small gravel to loose dirt. I do not ride in the mud any significant distance. Roads tend to be either flat or steep. One favorite ride is an out and back with 10 miles of flat paved roads leading to dirt/ big loose rock road that has 1.5mi of rolling hills then a 2.5mi climb that averages more than 9% (GPS 24.326893,109.513054). We also have some decent double track.

I'd say my riding profile breaks down as such:
city cruising - 10%
paved roads - 25%
rock/dirt roads - 40%
single/double track - 25%

My goals and misc thoughts:

* Tires must be bulletproof - flatting is a huge pet peeve of mine and I'm willing to carry some extra weight to prevent it. I plan to lose some weight off tires/tubes, but am not interested in anything fragile.
* I do use the 22x34 gear surprisingly often, so I need something that low
* Durability and reliability is a must. When I go out the bike must get me back home. Also, my nearest good LBS is a +2hr plane ride away.
* I'd like to keep the frame. It is painted a metallic red which I think is stunning. Call me shallow.
* I will change to 180mm cranks. I'm 6'3" (1.9m) tall and love the 180's on my road bikes.
* pedals must be egg beater compatible since I have them on all my bikes and use 1 pair of shoes for all of them.
* I really like having bar ends, so will have something there. Changing hand position really helps a previously injured shoulder on longer rides.
* I'd like tires that roll faster on pavement without giving up too much grip when on the trails.
* I never ride in sand or mud

Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

that is not too bad a weight for XL frame FS bike - you can loose 100g easily and safey by fitting XTR chainset - also about 40 g for a stem.

the inner tubes close to 250 g each - you can go lighter 100 g or so but depends on whether you believe thinner tubes are more vulnerable to punctures.

Yeah, the tubes are tanks. When I first arrived here I was using light tires and tubes and had flats about every other ride. So, I went for overkill with the set up and haven't had a flat since. So, my current thought is to ditch the tubes and add some sealant and then carry a tube as a backup.

Have a look at the parts on mine, all bombproof and race proven, never DNF in any race. Bike is a large and weights 21lb or a little under. Tubles Stan's.AWESOME.

_________________
"I could have done this job myself in five minutes, but as things turned out I had to spend two days trying to find out why it had taken someone else three weeks to do it wrong."

kingkongsfinger that bike is way too nice to get dirty. Looks really good.

Great job.

me in China as well,
but in Guangzhou or HK.


nice job for the bike.

It gets so dirty over in the UK when racing.

But race season is over so its nice and clean and wrapped up all warm in my loft.

Its time for the Santa Cruz Blur training bike to get down and dirty!

_________________
"I could have done this job myself in five minutes, but as things turned out I had to spend two days trying to find out why it had taken someone else three weeks to do it wrong."

Well if we're posting pics of our WW Top Fuels here's mine:



If you truly want puncture resistant tyres then the Armadillos are excellent - although I'd put the Fast Trak on the back. A UST Furious Fred would be a quicker rear tyre, and save 200g+, but they're not tough.

Otherwise wheels, none of the Race X Lite disc wheels I've weighed have been 1480g, a 2001 model was almost certainly the Chris King hubbed v-brake model. You'd likely save 300g or so with some DT240s on Alpines with Revolutions.

Quick wins:
-Grips
-Stem
-cassette if it's not XT (check the lockring)
-bar ends (check out Mt Zoom)
-Ward Industries ti spindles for your pedals
-bars (again Mt Zoom)

Thanks for the suggestions. My wheels are 2008 vintage. What year/weight Race X wheels have you measured?

Winter is about a month away here, so I'll break the bike down to clean and will get some measured weights at the same time.