bravofixie

Hey just got my first road bike, a 2013 Fuji Roubaix 3.0le. It feels very heavy so I am hoping to bring down the weight. Currently it is at 23lbs!!!! What are some suggested upgrades to lower the weight?

Here are the specs
BOTTOM BRACKET: FSA BB-7420ST, 68 x 110.5mm
BRAKES: Alloy
CASSETTE: Shimano Tiagra, 11/25T, 9-speed
CHAIN: KMC HG73, 9-speed
CRANKSET: Fuji 50/34T Compact
FORK: FC-770 Carbon fork, aluminum standard diameter steerer, 50mm offset
FRAME: 700c Full Aluminum frame, standard 1 1/8" head tube, 34.9mm seat tube and replaceable dropout
FRONT DERAILLEUR: Shimano Sora
GRIPS/TAPE: Velo Suede
HANDLEBAR: Fuji Alloy, 31.8mm clamp
HEADSET: FSA 1-1/8"
LEVERS: Shimano Sora
PEDALS: None
RACK MOUNTS: No
REAR DERAILLEUR: Shimano Sora, 9-speed
SADDLE: Oval Concepts R300
SEATPOST: Alloy, 31.6x300mm
SHIFTERS: Shimano Sora
STEM: Fuji Alloy, +/- 7 degree rise
TIRES: Hutchinson Nitro, 700x23, 33 TPI
VIDEO: VaDorFvlG5g
WHEELSET: Doublewall Alloy Rims, Formula Hubs


Thx in advance.

catgita

Upgrade fever and newbie are synonymous. Have the discipline not to upgrade anything until it wears out. Tires are the cheapest and biggest impact of anything you can ever do. Not that there is anything wrong with what you have, it all is a good as a package deal and should serve you well, but save your money for a new bike down the road so you are not mounting diamonds to a lead ring.

pdedes

It's an entry level bike. Enjoy it for what it is.

Bunyanderman

Just put the money you have for upgrades away for a carbon in the future.

Athens80

Standard advice:

• Replace stuff when it wears out
• The most important improvements are in you, not in your equipment
• Reducing rotating weight -- wheels -- provides more bang for the buck. Plus you can use them on the next bike. (See next item.)
• Ride the bike until you really know it and then trade up the whole thing for better equipment. Replacing the whole bike is better value than replacing it piece by piece.
• But if you want to tinker, go ahead and do your own thing, piece by piece.

And yes, 23 pounds is on the heavy side for dedicated road bikes today.

And yes to the three posts completed before this one.

Up North

What is your height and weight?

bravofixie

Male 4'11, 95lbs

Willbird

Yea I'd ride the heck out of that bike, replace tires, chain, and cassette when they wear out, and shop for a new bike with the cash you saved :-). 9 speed is not a terrible place to be, but I'd shop your next chain and cassette ahead of time because some guys say 9 speed stuff may not be in stock at the LBS.

At 95lbs your wheels should live forever if you avoid potholes :-)

rpenmanparker 

There is no value in lightening that bike. Everything about it is heavy. I agree you should ride it until you are ready for your next one. Let the next one be your lighter bike.

chaadster

Well, I think there's nothing wrong with customizing and upgrading, and in fact, doing so is a great way to learn about your bike and the world of cycling.

That said, don't rush into the lightening process; it's your first roadbike and you're young, so you've got a lot to learn yet! Definitely do cosmetic stuff to make it your own, stuff like handlebar tape color, seat color, maybe some new wheel skewers to accent....

Make sure you've got all the accessories you need, like stuff to fix a flat, some basic tools, riding clothes, water bottles, maybe some lights.

If you're fully outfitted and ready to roll with a wad of cash still burning a hole in your seat pack, look at getting some wheels. You can probably drop close to 2lbs by dropping $1k on a 1200gm wheelset like Stan's Alpha Pro. Pump another $120 into nice tubeless tires like Schwalbe Ironmams, and you'll really feel a difference.

Have fun!

bravofixie

the whole bike cost me $650 lol

Elvo

You can get it down to sub 15 lbs for $4,000

DeadGrandpa

Thus the multiple posts advising that you spend no money trying to upgrade this bike. Save it for your next bike. It all starts with the frame and no matter the components you buy, the frame will be the same. Lighter tires will likely be thinner and more susceptible to flats. I have one of the coveted (by some) steel frame Bridgestone RB-1's. I upgraded with aero wheels, which probably made it heavier (though more resistant to potholes); it now weighs ~25 lbs, but who cares? A couple bottles of water adds a couple of pounds. Ride lots. Get stronger. Have fun. Sell your bike to another newbie when you have saved a pocketful of cash and buy a better bike.

Bunyanderman

If you really want to upgrade, look at getting a carbon fork. It will probably be lighter, and it dampens road vibrations. This less than $40;
Hot 700c Bicycle Cycling Road Full Carbon Fiber Fork UD 3K 12K 360g | eBay
Through on a pair of inner tubes made of cheese to drop some weight. I have seem inner tubes that are about 250g, these are around 50g. You might be able to drop 2/3 of a pound for about $40.
​Vittoria Latex 700c x 19c 23c with 51mm Removable Valve Road Bike Bicycle Tube | eBay
A new wheel set my be worth the upgrade, as you can move it over to the new bike in the future if you get a different one. Go and look at some ebay ones, some are claimed to be 1060g for the set. An aero set might make you faster though. A 50mm depth is probably the deepest you will want to go for normal road riding. This ebay set is claimed at 1350g, and has a 38mm front with a 50mm depth.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Only-1355g-3...item3385c6d129

gsa103

The bike already has a carbon fork. Best upgrade is probably a set of Fulcrum 5 or equivalent wheels for 200. Specialized wheels are boat anchors. The pair on my wife's carbon Ruby were 2200g, and that was a much higher tier bike.

Stucky

DO NOT put asny money into a $650 bike. It will improve the bike very little, and not make it worth a penny more than what it's current value is.

If you want a lighter bike, sell that one and buy a bike that is already light.

Upgrades on even higher-end bikes are rarely worth it, financially. You get a much better deal by buying a better over-all bike, and better parts as a package (a complete bike).

That being said, the weright will not make a huge difference. Losing 4 to 6 lbs off the bike is not going to be all that noticeable. But a bike that is both lighter, and of higher quality, will likely be more significant (Not that there is anything wrong with your bike)

I would just ride what you have. You'll get stronger, and more experienced, and then you'll know what you really want in a better bike in the future.

Bunyanderman

FC-770 Carbon fork, aluminum standard diameter steerer
Not full carbon.

Lazyass

The frame is fine, good enough for 95% of the people on this forum. Do not listen to those telling you to not bother upgrading that bike, that's just silly. Remember there are 453 grams in a pound. Hit Google and find out what your parts weigh, then research what other parts weigh. For instance, your FSA bottom bracket is 314g's. An inexpensive Orgin8 bottom bracket is 220g. So for $35 you can drop almost a quarter pound. Your stock saddle is probably a boat anchor. You can probably find an inexpensive saddle at least 100g lighter. As mentioned, wheels are a big one, you can probably drop at least a pound with some cheap Fulcrum's or Vuelta's. A 105 group is going to be much lighter than your Sora stuff. A lighter cassette is a big one to look at, lots of weight to drop there. If you're really concerned about weight, buy a cheap scale at Walmart and weigh your parts.

rpenmanparker 

I feel like your advice isn't correct. Because every item on his bike is heavy, you are basically telling him to build up an entire light bike from individual parts. That is the most expensive way to acquire a bike unless you are your own mechanic, very experienced at finding quality used and takeoff parts, and very knowledgeable about what is light, cheap and good and what is light, expensive and crap. A few upgrades would help an already light bike, but not this one. IMO It would be much better for him to save his pennies for the kind of deal you get on a fully built bike more in line with his desired weight. Then a few judicious upgrades to that might be in order.

dvdslw

I for one don't see anything wrong with upgrading your current bike with parts that are lighter or parts that better suit your riding needs. All parts you buy can easily be transferred to another bike if you should get one and be sure to keep the old parts so you can re-assemble the Fuji back to original and sell it. Almost everyone wants a lighter bike but the biggest performance gains are with you the rider. Wheels and tires would be 1st on the list for weight and performance after that would be parts that affect the fit of the bike so ride it for a while and/or get a fitting done to see if you need a shorter stem, different offset on the seat post, different reach on the handlebar, etc... before you just go buy a bunch of light stuff randomly because all those new light parts won't be good for anything if you're not comfortable out on the road and if you're new to a road bike you will probably find that you'll be riding in a completely different position a few months from now so be patient. I could be wrong but at your body weight you already have quite an advantage over most of us here, I weigh 130lbs more than you so how much weight do I need to drop off my bike to equal what you have going down the road?

chaadster

That's how upgrades work, you pay more for better stuff.

Lazyass

No I didn't. I gave him suggestions of things to research, I didn't tell him to go out and buy all new parts. Reading comprehension is not your forte.

rpenmanparker 

You continually disregard the broader implications of what you post. You have listed almost every major part on the bicycle as an option to upgrade. Group, wheels, saddle, bb... All you haven't mentioned is the stem, bars, and seat post. I'm guessing that was just an oversight. Nothing wrong with my comprehension. You should work understanding the meaning of what you write.

Kindaslow

I have tried to make bikes, like many of the folks here, better with upgrades. In the end, I have usually spent more than it would have cost to just buy a better bike. So, I am with the folks who are saying to ride this bike as is, save your money, and then go buy a better bike. The only upgrade I would agree with is wheels, given you would take them on to the next bike.

Canker

Ebay look for a set of lightweight used wheels. I picked up a set of DT Swiss 1450 grams wheels for $200 with good tires. Other than wheels don't really worry about the weight. Losing a lb or two somewhere else won't make any difference to a normal person other than being able to tell your riding buddies about your new bling .