The Horse can stand to shed some pounds

After my SS build, my hands are still itching to build more. After the Ladera ride on the MKIII Horse the bike could stand to lose some weight. I'm looking for some recommendations for wheelsets, tires, seats, seat post (carbon), handle bar (carbon), pedals (yes I know Foo, toss the cheese grater 50/50s they are super heavy!!) anything that can shed some pounds. Sorry Dino but the bike is heavy to me! #-o

 

there's been discussions of what are the biggest gains...and wheelset and fork leads the list. the other things like pedals/platforms make a difference.

 

I'm not a big fan of carbon posts. I'd go with a Thomson Masterpiece instead.

Ditching big platform pedals will make a big difference.

That said if you already have a light SS I would target ~ 30 lbs for your Mk III. Any lighter and you lose trail worthiness in my opinion.

 

I'd like to point out that the heavy weight of the Ironhorse line of bikes isn't a flaw...it's a feature!

 

I would say my SS is roughly 25-27lbs. Hard to say since I did a bad job at weighing it but it's super light compared to the Horse but still a rather unfair comparison since it lacks the components of a multi-speed bike. The seatpost and handlebars are from Easton. Not terribly light but from what I was told I would only see a difference in grams and I would achieve the biggest gains in converting to clips and getting a lighter wheel set.

 

Can you list out what you're using now?

For lightweight seatposts/saddles, I like the SDG I-Beam stuff. They might give a standard saddle & carbon seatpost a run for the money as far as weight goes.

I try not to use any carbon parts on any of my bikes.

 

:clap:

 

OR, you could go the other way and really have fun. Go heavier and start to do some drops and play in the ruts. Leave the SS to the trails and take the Horse out for some Super D's.

Honestly, I'm not sure if there is much weight to be taken off the Horse to really warrant the cost. Carbon gets expensive and if you plan on riding it regularly, you need to inspect/replace a bit more often.

 

You should try the Crank Bros Smarties. They're light, cheap, and IMO a good intro to clipless.

I love mine. :lol::lol::lol:

Thanks for selling them to me!

 

Stock no-name bars, seatposts and stems are usually heavy as are the cromoly railed saddles. you could probably drop a pound on those 4. Light non ust tires and superlight tubes or stans are an inexpensive way to lose weight.

 

Here is the list of parts that would be quick to replace:
-Handlebar: Easton EA30 PG Low Rise 31.8mm
-Stem: Easton EA30, 31.8mm
-Headset: FSA Orbit Z
-BB: FSA Megaexo, 73mm
-Cranks: FSA Moto Megaexo
-Pedals: 50/50s dang heavy!
-Saddle: WTB Rocket V Comp
-Seatpost: Easton EA30
-Front Hub: Alloy disc 32H
-Rear Hub: Alloy 32H
-Rims: DT Swiss E540 (not sure if they are UST)
-Brakes: Avid 3s
-Tires: Maxxis Highroller 2.35 front 2.1 rear

My feet are fat. They don't fit those. I'd probably eat them as well. :lol:

Interesting, why not use carbon?

 

Always

the first thing to look at is THE WHEELS AND TIRES! Do that first and then look at the other stuff. By far the best gain will be in the wheels and tires

 

Like everyone else said, I think you're going to see the biggest difference in the wheels and tires. Generic hubs are generally always heavy, and those DT 540s, like their namesake weigh in at 540g each.

For comparison, I believe the DT 4.2s are 400g, and the 5.1s are right around 500g.

My lightweight wheel build is as follows:
Stan's Flow Rims
Hope Pro II Hubs
Sapim CX-Ray Spokes

Using the Stan's yellow tape, I run the following tubeless.

Front: Specialized Eskar 26 x2.35
Rear: Specialized Captain 26 x 2.0

They're not the lightest tires out there, but light for their size and they seem to work well in this area.

I never got a chance to weigh them, but based on individual part weights, maybe 1650-1750g for both wheels?

I shy away from carbon just because I'm afraid of parts failure. When carbon goes..it goes bad.

I'm not the lightest guy at 175 lbs..(but then again not the heaviest), but I just doubt the long term durability, especially if you crash often or ride aggressively.

 

My buddies Stumpy has the DT 4.2s....wow what a difference. What did it cost you to get a decent light weight set built up?

 

sell the horse and get lighther bike!! :wave:

 

I'm more of a ride till you break it guy. But, just picked up an FSA FR200 seatpost for right around 215g which sould save you ~100g from the EA30 and a few bucks compared to Thomson.

The WTB Rocket Ti would save you another ~120g. The EA30 bar is fairly heavy, but you'll have a hard time shaving a lot of weight without going carbon. I believe the EA30 stem is pretty light already. As you've pointed out, a light set of clipless pedals will make a big difference both in weight and it pedalling.

 

Did Foo put you up to this? :lol:

 

There you go Northshore

:bang:

After the wheels look at the stuff that rotates (cassette and cranks) for bang for your buck

 

I'm always suprised when people recommend Sapim CX-Ray spokes. They are Ridiculously expensive and have a bad habit of work hardening and breaking at the elbows. For a bike like the MKIII I would never go any lighter than DT Super Comps, and if the rider is bigger and rides hard stick with Competitions.

 

no but that's what I did with mine. lol