The Horse can stand to shed some pounds

I can't believe I'm writing this, but (deep breath) I agree with Dino completely on this!

#-o

Start with tires. A fast-rolling lighter tire can make a world of difference. If you feel sketchy on them (I sometimes do on the 2.4" Mutano I'm currently running), go for something a little meatier up front - it won't have as much of a hit on the feeling at the pedals as a slow-rolling rear tire will. I like the 2.3" WTB Prowler XT I'm currently running on the back. It's a good blend of rolling speed and bite. I'll soon be trying the Prowler and maybe the Specialized Eskar on the front.

If you want to keep going lighter, then a wheelset is the next step. I have never felt a bigger performance improvement than what I got by upgrading a wheelset. Fast wheels = fast bike.

That whole parts list you posted a page back was pretty extensive - just about everything but frame & fork as I recall. If you can do really well at finding deals and selling old parts, fine. Otherwise it might be time to take that Horse out behind the barn and start looking for a new thoroughbred.

Edit: I don't think The Path is doing that tire sale anymore. If they are, I'll be there very soon!
The prices for Mutanos or Velociraptors (2.1" max) at performance are both in the $21-$24 range right now, but they sometimes don't have them marked that low inthe store. Just ask the clerk to match the price on their web site.

 

I seem to recall Smarties having less warranty than the slightly bigger Candies when I bought my Smarties. In any event, they are the cheaply made Crank Bros pedal. If you are ready to commit, you can get the Egg-Beaters to really save weight.

I love my Crank Bros, but they are all I've tried. Plus someone posted about getting unclipped when hitting rocks on the downstroke.

FWIW

 

I dunno about Ken, but I weigh too much for the beaters. I'll probably upgrade to Candies at some point. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse...

 

My prev post kinda reads wrong. I am not ready to commit so I went other way: Smarties to Mallets (negative weight savings). Now I ride around unclipped and unafraid!

Not really trying to hijack the thread, I swear!

 

Couldn't agree more because the Maxxis high rollers just seem heavy to me as well as the crappy Performance 200gram tubes.

...been looking at the Crank Brother Acids or the Time Attacks since they have a wider clip in platform for my Idaho shaped feet. #-o

 

Tires

Maybe try to hunt down some IRC Trailbears. 2.25-inch width at 665 grams. Got mine at Performance a while back for $15 apiece. I've been running them on my smaller bike for nearly a couple years now. A great all-around tire.

 

aren't all the crankbros pedals essentially eggbeaters but with different plastic cages (save mallets)?

 

basically yeah. somehow the plastic supports more weight.

 

throw on some faster rolling tires, will feel like you took some weight off the bike and be a lot faster on the trail. i'm currently running a Big Betty 2.4 up front and a 2.35 ignitor on the back of my Hollowpoint.. well probably switch back to a Larsen tt again though