Suggestions to lighten the load of my Cooker please...

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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Jaymoid
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:23 pm

by Jaymoid

Hi everyone. I recently bought an mtb to ride to work through the woods near me and it certainly suits this purpose pretty well, I'd like to take it further afield but the problem is that it's a bit of a porker. I had heard about this place and thought it would be the best place to drop by and ask for some friendly advice...

So my bike is a 2012 Charge Cooker Hi. Being a steel framed 29er, it's not the lightest bike to start with but the componentry is pretty entry level, and essentially I'd like to make it lighter by picking all the 'low hanging fruit' and easy/quick wins first. The problem is that I only started riding last year, so I don't really know which bits are the porky cumberlands and which are the chipolatas, this is where you guys come in (pease :D )!

So please feel free to recommend weight saving upgrades and tips. Extra points will be awarded for retro stylings befitting of the aesthetics of the bike, and thrift (I'm not made of money!).

Many thanks in advance...
~ Jay :beerchug:

Specs are as follows:
Frame: Tange Infinity, Seamless, Double Butted Cromo
Fork: Rockshox XC28 29", 100mm
Front Derailleur: SRAM X7
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X5 10 Speed
Number of Gears: 20
Shifters: SRAM X5 10 Speed
Chainset: SRAM X5 GXP 10 Speed
Chainrings: 38/24 tooth
Bottom Bracket: Truvativ GXP Outboard
Cassette: SRAM PG 1030 11-36 tooth, 10-speed
Chain: YBN S10 CR
Pedals: Superstar Nano tech (I've put these on)
Front Brake: Avid Elixir 1
Rear Brake: Avid Elixir 1
Brake Levers: Avid Elixir 1
Handlebars: Shield 9’R MTB, Double Butted, 700mm
Stem: Shield MTB
Headset: FSA TH-875
Grips: Charge Griddle Lock-On
Rims: Alex SX-44, 29", Double Wall, 32H
Front Hub: SRAM MTH-406, 32H
Rear Hub: SRAM MTH-406, 32H
Spokes: 14G Stainless
Front Tyre: Kenda Karma 2.1, 29", Skinwall
Rear Tyre: Kenda Karma 2.1, 29", Skinwall
Saddle: Charge Spoon
Seatpost: Shield, 2 Bolt
Seat Binder: Shield, Bolt Type

Here's a pic (apologies for the reflectors and bell, my commute is half on roads so they are there for practical reasons):
Image

by Weenie


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TheRookie
Posts: 926
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:23 pm
Location: Midlands, United Kingdom

by TheRookie

Reflecterors, water bottle and cage are all free weight loss.

You need to remove and weight (easy) bars, stem, and seatpost, a Cromo spoon is about 295g (+/-5g)

Shorter front brake hose. (need barb and Olive)

SRAM mechs are lardy at X%/X&, so consider a swap to X9 or Shimano front (lighter).

Foam grips will give you about 100g for not too much outlay.
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
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Jaymoid
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:23 pm

by Jaymoid

TheRookie wrote:Reflecterors, water bottle and cage are all free weight loss.

You need to remove and weight (easy) bars, stem, and seatpost, a Cromo spoon is about 295g (+/-5g)

Shorter front brake hose. (need barb and Olive)

SRAM mechs are lardy at X%/X&, so consider a swap to X9 or Shimano front (lighter).

Foam grips will give you about 100g for not too much outlay.


Thanks...
I have a X9 setup on my other/"weekend warrior" bike and have been considering moving shifters and derailers over to this bike, so this might be the incentive to upgrade. Yes the front hose annoys me also, might have to do something about that!

I honestly thought the first thing someone would have said was the wheels. Go figure, hadn't really thought about the bars/stem/seatpost but will have a look into this area and check the listings.

Thanks for your suggestions :thumbup:

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Kastrup
Posts: 570
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:00 pm
Location: Aarhus, Denmark

by Kastrup

I would say the two biggest upgrade to this bike are the wheels and fork. A lighter set of wheels with some nice rubber and a decent fork will make a huge difference in how this bike handles, climbs and feels on the trail.

If i had to choose between the two i would get a set of really nice wheels and some decent rubber before changing anything alse including the fork.
"Stay cool and try to survive" A. Klier to the other members of the Garmin classics squad the night before P-R.

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DMF
Posts: 1062
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 10:14 am
Location: Sweden

by DMF

The fugly red plastic cap on the saddle screws right off. 10g for free. Consider a 1x10 setup. Might need a new chainring and bolts, plus a chain device like a Paul or MRP, might save you some 200-250g when loosing some chain links, one chainring, one shifter, one FD and the cable and housing. Something like a 36t front ring should suffice even for some light tarmac commute sections.

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