ypsetihw

Okay so I finally weighed my rig today. I used a digital bathroom scale with 1/10lb resolution and repeated the test multiple times and the results were identical each time. I weighed my bike with everything that is on it all the time except bottles (the cages are mounted) and myself (which I realize fluctuates). The total weight of the rig as it sits and is ridden every day for everything from commuting to local club racing is 21.6lbs.

I ride a Nashbar 105 57cm alloy frame, carbon fork, FSA Omega crankset, 105 cassette/chain/FD/RD/levers, Kalloy alloy steapost/stem/44cm bars, Fizik 3mm tape, Vuelta 37mm alloy rims, Conti Grand Sport Race 25F/28R, Fizik Aliante saddle, plastic bottle cages x2, Tektro R325 brakes with Koolstop salmons and Avid Rim Wrangler extended pad carriers on the rear, Nashbar wireless double computer, Wellgo R40? pedals (Look Delta clones).

I would like to get the total weight under 20 lbs and closer to 18 if possible, and I would like to do so as cheaply as possible. So far, I figure I can save about 100 grams on the steapost for about $50, maybe 50 grams on the pedals for $35, and over 400 grams on the wheelset for under $300. This would get me to my mark for about $500, but I wonder about other options . . .

1. Can I change other things like stem and bars, or upgrade my drivetrain (which I really want to do anyway) and save more weight for less money while improving ride quality?

2. For this kind of investment, should I consider buying a much lighter carbon frame, or maybe even selling the whole bike complete and adding in $500 to upgrade to something like the Nashbar CR5, which is full carbon, RS11 wheels, Ritchey and Prologo kit, and more important, full Ultegra?

I currently weight about 190, and I have a sprinters build. I put a lot of raw power down and my current rig doesn't flex at all, except for the crankset, but the trim adjustment on the FD is enough to counter it. I'm not willing to sacrifice handling and stiffness for weight. Is it worth going lighter on the frame, or am I gonna end up with a sloppy mess made for someone 40lbs lighter than me? If not, what's my best bang for the buck? Frame/drivetrain components/peripheral components/wheels?

rpenmanparker 

You would help us to help you if you procided the weight of yoir frame, fork and each of your components.

ltxi

Start with the wheelset. Next I'd ditch those Tektro brakes (if for no other reason than performance) and the FSA crankset in favor of 105 or Ultegra. Beyond that if you're still unhappy I dunno.

Marcus_Ti

21.6 ready to ride is a fine weight to have. Why the weightloss want...and how much are you prepared or willing to spend?

$300 to get 1lb lighter wheels? I'm really skeptical. Remove your tires/tubes/rim-taps/cassette/skewers and then measure. $300 only gets you boat-anchor weight wheels. Which I would not bet money on actually being lighter than what you have now.

Maelochs

Buy Nashbar carbon frame and swap everything over. Get Vuelta Corsa Lites on sale for $225 or so, 1570 grams.

You won't save much weight or gain much performance upgrading the drive train unless you go Dura-Ace or SRAM red.

21.6 lbs ready to ride is a good weight, really.

Seat post can save you 100 grams? Are you using steel? I bought some Chinese carbon for $35, 180 grams.

W40s weigh about 300 grams--40 grams less than the equivalent Shimano 540s. I guess for $100 you could get Ti/magnesium ... for $120, Time Xpresso 10s at 192 grams ...

for $500 you could get a frame and fork combo at 3.5 lbs.---maybe 2 lbs. less than what you run now.

CrankyNeck

Cheapest way to lose 1.6 pounds off your bike is to lighten the rider. Lose 2 pounds. Boom.

alexdi

Assuming you don't mind shopping on AliExpress and EBay:

Carbon post: 100g, $20
Carbon seat: 150g, $20
Carbon bars: 100g, $30
Ti skewers: 50g, $10
Light pedals: 75g, $100
Lighter wheelset: 300g, $300
Race tires/tubes: 150g, $100
Carbon frame: 300g, $300-$600

Figure 450g per pound. Anyway, it's considerably easier to start with a light rig than to slim a fat one. I've done the first five things on this list to bring my flat-bar below 20 lbs. The big upgrades (drivetrain, frame, etc.) are considerably less expensive if bought as part of a complete bike.

FBinNY 

I stopped reading at that point because I don't care about your bike's weight, or any other, including mine for that matter.

However, I thought I'd let you in on a little secret about digital scales. Most (non-scientific) digital scales have resolutions much finer than the actual reading capability of the measuring element. So, while the 0.1# resolution is very comforting, it doesn't imply actual accuracy anywhere near that.

This makes a problem because people reweigh stuff to check and the scale makers would get nasty letters. To avoid that they sneak in a logic chip, which retains the first result, and snaps anything close back to that. The reading will only change when the difference is greater than a preset trigger or after a set time interval.

I post this only to counter the myth that digital stuff is more accurate than analog. In most cases of comparable quality the opposite is true.

ypsetihw

I'm down from 225 to 193 just this year . . . lets say that's made a significant improvement. I'm just having my first actual weight weenie moment, and I would like to say my bike is sub 20 ready to ride just because.

ypsetihw

Crank and BB are FSA and the rest including chain is 105. based on some other threads I've found, the total weight of the groupset is about 180grams less for 6800 vs 5800. I haven't ridden much 6800 ultegra, is it worth the cost?

ypsetihw

I guess I'm looking for the best way to spend my money. like, would a carbon seatpost make more of a difference in feel than a carbon stem for example, given an equivalent 50g weight savings and cost in this example.

Maelochs

Carbon seat post (IMO) is a great investment if enough is exposed to mute road shock. I have no idea if I could feel the difference between a carbon or alloy stem--I haven't put the carbon stem on my bike yet.

But if you are going to do that stuff, just do it for the fun of it. I ma not certain you would ever notice the difference except when you were on the scale.

woodcraft

I think going to a carbon seatpost is worthwhile for performance (comfort) as well as weight. Carbon stem not lighter than alloy & no functional difference.

Tires/tubes can save quite a bit and give a performance boost as well.

Pedals are worth looking at.

After that, it's bits & pieces or $$.

rpenmanparker 

Many alloy stems are lighter than carbon stems as well as cheaper. FSA's OS-99 all alloy (not the carbon wrapped version) is an excellent value and weighs just over 100 g depending upon size. To save big weight for little money go to ebay and look for them in the old graphics version for about $20 new or used. They used to be more than $60 even on ebay when they were the current model. Many folks buy stems and then immediately unload them due to the size being wrong. Their loss is your gain.

rpenmanparker 

That is totally false. My 1,250 g Bike Hub Store alloy wheels cost under $300 in parts. If I didn't build them myself, the whole package would have been about $350 including a professional wheel build.

rpenmanparker 

Yes, bathroom scales (even digital balances) are a poor instrument for weighing a bicycle. Even the Chinese fish/luggage scales for under $10 are significantly better. The Park brand scale is probably pretty good, but I am happy with the much cheaper fish scale.

I do have a bathroom scale which gives widely different readings on successive weighings and a standard deviation considerably greater than the scale resolution of 0.1 lb. It must be missing the cheater chip. But it would suck for weighing a bike.

Shimagnolo

Just weigh your bike in kilograms instead of pounds;
Presto! It is under 10 already.

gsa103

Heaviest components are typically

1) Wheels
2) Crank
3) Cassette
4) Everything else

If you're getting crank flex, upgrading to 105/Ultegra is potentially a good way to lose a few grams and eliminate any FD rub.

redfooj

Yep. Upgrade in this order. But I would say first buy a digital kitchen scale.

In lieu of cassette there's more bang for buck with Chinese carbon saddle and post. Check the tires as well

dvdslw

Good job with the weight loss, but be careful with your weight weenie addiction because once you start you can't stop. Like someone else said, figure 450 grams is a pound and do the math. You must do all of the homework involved to figure this out by making a list of every single component on your bike and its current weight. Then shop online and use listed weights to see where you'd be after buying each item. My guess is your frame, fork, and wheels are the biggest contributor to the bikes heft.

wphamilton

I mentally adjust mine to .5 pound precision and even that's pushing it since readings will fluctuate up to .8 pounds. But some digital bathroom scales are accurate, if you want to pay for it.

I'd say that's the first weight weenie investment. OP might lose a pound off his bike just by better measurement!

I'd check wheels and tires next just because that's where you can find the most weight the most inexpensively, depending on what you're starting with.

memebag

If you just want to be able to say that, then lie. No one will weigh your bike.

Also big Sunday morning dump.

HardyWeinberg

I KNEW it!!!!

mpath

Good for you on improving your fitness level! But I would say save your pennies and ride what you got for a while longer. Head over to the weight weenies forum for a reality check of their OCD. It's a sick obsession Forget a sub-20 bike, or even sub-15. Nobody blinks an eye for that. Try around sub-12, and for that, you'd need to start with a decent frame.

Post pics of your bike when you have a chance.

AlexCyclistRoch

You could remove the front wheel and learn how to ride it by balancing on the rear wheel. I saw a guy in the circus do this once.....