How to go lighter on Kona Rove AL?

[peraklo]

The year of the bike 2016, size 59.

Without pedals and vanilla regarding the equipment it is 11.9 kg.

Any way of lowering the weight to approx 10kg without braking the bank?

Here are the specs:

FRAME MATERIAL: Kona 6061 Aluminum Butted
SIZE: XL(59cm)
FORK: Kona Project Two Aluminum
CRANKARMS: FSA Tempo Compact
CHAINRINGS: 34/50t
B/B: CH52
CHAIN: KMC Z-72
FREEWHEEL: Shimano Claris 11-32t 8spd
F/D: Shimano Claris
R/D: Shimano Claris
SHIFTERS: Shimano Claris
BRAKE CALIPERS: Hayes CX Comp
FRONT BRAKE ROTOR: Hayes L-Series 160mm
REAR BRAKE ROTOR: Hayes L-Series 160mm
BRAKE LEVERS: Shimano Claris
HEADSET: FSA No.10
HANDLEBAR: Kona Road
STEM: Kona Road
SEATPOST: Kona Thumb w/Offset
SEAT CLAMP: Kona Clamp
GRIPS: Kona Cork Tape
SADDLE: Kona Road
FRONT HUB: Joytech
REAR HUB: Joytech
SPOKES: Stainless 15g fr / 14g rr
RIMS: WTB Freedom Cruz Disc
FRONT TIRE: Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus w/Puncture Protect 700x35c
REAR TIRE: Schwalbe Delta Cruiser Plus w/Puncture Protect 700x35c
PAINT COLOR: Matt Dark Blue

So far, only thing I can think of is going carbon on the fork and going tubeless. Maybe new tyres. It also has double brake levers, both on handlebar and on shifters. Maybe going budget hydro instead of mechanic?

Ideas?

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[Tomstr]

Depending on your budget I'd look for lighter tyres. They will also improve handling and comfort so be sure to start here first.

Next up would be budget wheels. A 1650gr wheelset can be found for around 230€ online. This will save you a lot of energy when getting the bike up to speed after a corner.

Then a set of lighter components. Ritchey WCS comes to mind for value/weight/price reasons. Can be found online in very good deals but don't expect similar gains as with the tyres and wheels.

How do you like the compact chainset for cross? I'd imagine it works for gravel grinding. A lot of entry level crossbikes come with a compact which seems big.

[jemima]

You could drop 200gsm or so with a lightweight alu Taiwan post, and a China saddle.

[peraklo]

Depending on your budget I'd look for lighter tyres. They will also improve handling and comfort so be sure to start here first.

Next up would be budget wheels. A 1650gr wheelset can be found for around 230€ online. This will save you a lot of energy when getting the bike up to speed after a corner.

Then a set of lighter components. Ritchey WCS comes to mind for value/weight/price reasons. Can be found online in very good deals but don't expect similar gains as with the tyres and wheels.

How do you like the compact chainset for cross? I'd imagine it works for gravel grinding. A lot of entry level crossbikes come with a compact which seems big.

Can you recommend the tyres and 700c Wheelset, the fact being that i spend 90% of the time on the pavement and the rest is gravel/dirt/grass and rarely, if any, mud. I would also like to keep the puncture protection of some sort and go tubeless if there are gains in that. Added to that, i am not opposed to riding in the rain, so it would be nice that the tyres don't slip and slide if there is any moisture on the ground.

EDIT: oh yes, important to note i guess, regarding the wheels... my weight is 90-95 kg and i plan in touring with the bike in a few months.

[Tomstr]

I don't know your budget but I think some entry level mountainbike wheels like Mavic's could work well and not break the bank. They usually look cool on gravel bikes to but that's opinion ofcourse.

As for tyres, difficult to say what you need as we don't know where you'll be going. For reference, I'm running Hutchinson Black Mamba's that are doing quite well on sand and road. In the mud they are horrible which is a fun challenge since I'm not racing.

[peraklo]

Mostly road, some dirt, gravel and grass. Should be fast on road cause of a lot of commuting, but hold its ground Fairly well offroad.

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[peraklo]

To update a bit, after breaking apart the front of my bike and using a kitchen scale for a few hours, I got to conclusion that I could shave approx 1300g off by just replacing 3 things: spokes, tyres and inner tubes (now, spokes are 15g, one inner tube 140g and one Tyre 700g). That brings me to only about 600g (or 900 if I add pedals) short to my goal of 10kg for vanilla bike. I could probably do additional 100-200g of budget savings by replacing saddle and seatpost. Close enough I would say, for $100-$200 investment.

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[peraklo]

Just got informed that 14g is not weight in grams but gauge, and those are about 7-8g a pop. So not 1300g total weight loss but more like 900g per wheelset

[MikeD]

I don't know about the frame, but most of the components on that bike are low end. Frankly, I would buy a better, lighter bike instead of throwing money at the one you have, or just be happy with what you have. A few pounds of weight is not going to make a lot of difference anyway.

[peraklo]

True that it's a low end bike in general, but I would still like to do some budget improvements. Tyres and inner tubes I will have to change eventually, so why not opt for a lighter set. And given my weight of 95kg, some sturdier set of wheels in the future looks like inevitable expense. But the frame fits me perfectly so I would only upgrade to Ti if money wasnt a problem.

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