Hello all:

Newcomer here. This is my first attempt. I just won an eBay auction for my starting point, and won't get the bike for another 10 days or so. But I thought I should identify the obvious areas to address first.

The bike is an OX Platinum Kelly Deluxe Single Speed. Comfort is my #1 priority, and I've been assured that Chris Kelly made a very compliant, very comfortable ride. I believe the frame weight is ~ 4.5 lbs.

Current build list from the eBay listing:
Kelly Deluxe single speed. Size large. True Temper OX Platinum steel.
Salsa Cycles CroMoto rigid fork.
Shimano Deore LX crank. Generic (Shimano, most likely) bottom bracket.
44 tooth Blackspire chain ring, generic 16 tooth cog, both new.
Aluminum BMX VP platform pedals.
Shimano XTR V-brakes and levers with new Kool Stop pads, generic cables and housings
Chris King NoThreadSet headset
Titec stem
Bontrager RaceLight 620 bars with new generic ergo grips
Ritchey WCS seat post
Specialized Fizik Tundra saddle with carbon rails
Specialized front hub, unknown model, 32-hole.
Shimano XT rear hub, 32-hole, with aluminum spacer (It was a nine-speed cassette).
Mavic X517 SUP rims
Serfas Drifter tires 26x2
Shimano skewers

With my limited knowledge the obvious first steps will be to replace the tires and the fork. A Trigon carbon fork at 520g instead of the 1130g CroMoto. And 440g Compass 26x1.75 tires instead of the 850g Serfas tires. Just those items will drop it 1430g, or 3.15 lbs.

Are there any other 'easy' steps that will take the weight down in large chunks? Can I get it under 19 lbs?

Thanks for any assistance.

44x16 is pretty high for the gearing. Do you actually planning on riding it on trails?
I did a lot of climbing on my rigid 26" ss and found 32x18 to work well for the riding I did. 32x20 was nice, but it was too low of a gear on a flat. Most of the guys I know run 32x16. Cool bike, they're fun!

IMO 1.75 tires are too narrow for a rigid 26" bike. If I were you I'd go for some >2.1 race kings or Ikon. They don't weigh much more, but will soak up the terrain better and soften the ride.

I would get some ESI silicone grips to save weight and increase comfort. Next I would change bars and stem. My guess is you can shave maybe 120-150gms there, and get the stemlength and barwidth you need.

_________________
WTB: MTB hubs, 29'er carbon rims

My 7.3kg/6.4 kg 29'er project buildthread!
My Bianchi Oltre XR

* I'm with you on 44x16 being too high for this bike. I was really surprised to see that on a bike like this! I planning on using it as more of a gravel grinder than a trail bike, but I would like to be able to use it on the very easy trails near my house. I see that 33x17 seems to be the magic XC ratio many riders use. As a gravel grinder, I might start with 44x19 (~ 60 GI) and go from there. If I swap the rear cog from a 16 to a 19, can I just slide the wheel closer in the dropouts, or would I need to actually add chain links? (This is my first foray into SS.)

I'll order up some ESI silicone grips. From googling, it looks like that stem might weight 190g and the bars 179g. To me that seemed a bit heavy for the stem, but reasonable for the bars. What weight should I be targeting for these items?

Thanks.

It depends on your budget, but I would go for this (unless you expose your bars and stem to massive forces)

Bar: Mt zoom wide ultralight. 31.8 x 640mm - 112 gms @ 120$ on ebay
Stem: KCNC sc wing - around 100gms @ 100$

_________________
WTB: MTB hubs, 29'er carbon rims

My 7.3kg/6.4 kg 29'er project buildthread!
My Bianchi Oltre XR