Santa Cruz Highball C Weight Weenie Build Thread
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Santa Cruz Highball C Weight Weenie Build Thread
Hey everyone -
I've been working on a weight weenie build (sub 20 lbs is the goal) on my Santa Cruz Highball C over the past few months and I figured some of you would enjoy following along.
Here is the bike the day I bought it used:
And this is the original parts list with weights:
Pedals - went with the XTR-M9100s to replace the M520s. Went from 375g to 310g, so a saving of 65g. Clipping in and out does feel just that slight bit better on the higher end SPD pedals. Unfortunately there aren't a ton of lighter SPD options. I like that I can use the same shoes/cleats between my two MTBS and my gravel bike, so I don't really want to switch to a whole new pedal system. I know the XPedos are lighter, but I've heard that they don't work all that well with SPD cleats. Eggbeaters are lighter, but I'm not a huge fan. I felt like the release was "mushy" and not as positive as the SPDS.
Grips - WTB Techtrails replaced with ESI Chunkys - 101g to 69g for a saving of 32g. Really like the Chunkys - I know that there is a "race" version that is even lighter, but I feel that these strike a good balance between weight and comfort. Took the Highball on an 85 mile, 10k feet ride and they were comfortable throughout for the most part, but I may be looking for other options.
Saddle - Replaced my WTB Silverado Pro with an S-Works Power saddle that I had left over from an old build. 223g down to 160g for a saving of 63g. I know that the S-Works saddle works for how I like to sit on the bike, so it was pretty familiar and comfortable. Had it already so this was "free" upgrade if you will, although I don't know if I would've spent the money on it if I didn't already have it.
Tires - Decided to go with the Kenda Booster Pros. Really happy with these tires - good rolling speed, both of pavement and trails, good grip on the loose stuff, just overall great tires. Haven't put a ton of miles on them yet, but the 85 miler had a good mix of fire road, pavement, and singletrack, with some sections of really loose rock that I was able to clean no problem with these tires. The seller I bought from accidentally shipped me the SCT version (which is more expensive) but it is also like ~30g heavier per tire, so I may in the future get the non-SCT version to shed some more weight.
Overall, shed 266g to go down to 10.48 kg. Good bit of lightening with some smaller parts - gonna have to drop some more weight though to get down to sub 20!
I compiled everything into a video if you guys wanna watch - thanks for following along!
I've been working on a weight weenie build (sub 20 lbs is the goal) on my Santa Cruz Highball C over the past few months and I figured some of you would enjoy following along.
Here is the bike the day I bought it used:
And this is the original parts list with weights:
Pedals - went with the XTR-M9100s to replace the M520s. Went from 375g to 310g, so a saving of 65g. Clipping in and out does feel just that slight bit better on the higher end SPD pedals. Unfortunately there aren't a ton of lighter SPD options. I like that I can use the same shoes/cleats between my two MTBS and my gravel bike, so I don't really want to switch to a whole new pedal system. I know the XPedos are lighter, but I've heard that they don't work all that well with SPD cleats. Eggbeaters are lighter, but I'm not a huge fan. I felt like the release was "mushy" and not as positive as the SPDS.
Grips - WTB Techtrails replaced with ESI Chunkys - 101g to 69g for a saving of 32g. Really like the Chunkys - I know that there is a "race" version that is even lighter, but I feel that these strike a good balance between weight and comfort. Took the Highball on an 85 mile, 10k feet ride and they were comfortable throughout for the most part, but I may be looking for other options.
Saddle - Replaced my WTB Silverado Pro with an S-Works Power saddle that I had left over from an old build. 223g down to 160g for a saving of 63g. I know that the S-Works saddle works for how I like to sit on the bike, so it was pretty familiar and comfortable. Had it already so this was "free" upgrade if you will, although I don't know if I would've spent the money on it if I didn't already have it.
Tires - Decided to go with the Kenda Booster Pros. Really happy with these tires - good rolling speed, both of pavement and trails, good grip on the loose stuff, just overall great tires. Haven't put a ton of miles on them yet, but the 85 miler had a good mix of fire road, pavement, and singletrack, with some sections of really loose rock that I was able to clean no problem with these tires. The seller I bought from accidentally shipped me the SCT version (which is more expensive) but it is also like ~30g heavier per tire, so I may in the future get the non-SCT version to shed some more weight.
Overall, shed 266g to go down to 10.48 kg. Good bit of lightening with some smaller parts - gonna have to drop some more weight though to get down to sub 20!
I compiled everything into a video if you guys wanna watch - thanks for following along!
Likes For DMC707:
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Definitely! I was able to find a set of Bontrager Kovee XXX wheels for a good price, so I snapped those up. Unfortunately they are centerlock only, so I won't be able to run super light rotors. Just need to mount them up! They are listed at 1390g for the set, but they came in a bit under that on my scale.
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can drop some weight with carbon crankarms too - plus delete the fork lockout to save a few , but the ultimate fork mod is to round file the Fox in favor of a SID (easy to recoup some $$$ on a nice Fox fork too )
Cant tell what kind of cassette body you have -- and i know high end cassettes are very expensive, but thats another place to drop some unsprung weight
Last edited by DMC707; 05-25-22 at 11:16 AM.
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Unsprung weight...on the rear wheel of a hardtail?
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Thats actually a good trade off ---- having a little extra weight for something that performs better is smart. Kinda like you staying away from the EggBeaters -- those are light but pure garbage
can drop some weight with carbon crankarms too - plus delete the fork lockout to save a few , but the ultimate fork mod is to round file the Fox in favor of a SID (easy to recoup some $$$ on a nice Fox fork too )
Cant tell what kind of cassette body you have -- and i know high end cassettes are very expensive, but thats another place to drop some unsprung weight
can drop some weight with carbon crankarms too - plus delete the fork lockout to save a few , but the ultimate fork mod is to round file the Fox in favor of a SID (easy to recoup some $$$ on a nice Fox fork too )
Cant tell what kind of cassette body you have -- and i know high end cassettes are very expensive, but thats another place to drop some unsprung weight
I was considering doing a SID SL instead of the 32 SC, but I have kind of a weird hybrid Performance / Performance Elite version of it that is already relatively light. I could maybe shave off another 60-70g with the SID, but that's still a pretty pricey upgrade, although you're right in that I would recoup some with selling the Fox. I'm a bit hesitant to ditch the lockout as I like to use it on long fire road climbs - is there a reason besides weight to ditch it? Are SIDs good at climbing even without the lockout?
For cassette, I got an XX1 that my friend was able to get me a discount on with his industry pricing through SRAM - still expensive, but not as bad as the MSRP. I know Garbaruk makes a cheaper and slightly lighter alternative, but I'd imagine SRAM shifts better. Gonna install these parts hopefully soon.
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-
I like the feel of Shimano brakes (I know, not a popular opinion) and the XT CL rotors are relatively light at 108g and the XTR brakes themselves are a good bit lighter than the Magura ones.
. I'm a bit hesitant to ditch the lockout as I like to use it on long fire road climbs - is there a reason besides weight to ditch it? Are SIDs good at climbing even without the lockout?
.
I like the feel of Shimano brakes (I know, not a popular opinion) and the XT CL rotors are relatively light at 108g and the XTR brakes themselves are a good bit lighter than the Magura ones.
. I'm a bit hesitant to ditch the lockout as I like to use it on long fire road climbs - is there a reason besides weight to ditch it? Are SIDs good at climbing even without the lockout?
.
And regarding lockout? Do you see any difference on your climbs on Strava or anywhere else that would substantiate a locked out fork is faster? If so, rock on. But other thoughts are that suspension helps when hitting bumps going uphill as well as down. But YMMV
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