bike weight loss guide ;)

[ljamesbee]

One of my closest friends once told me that 'an experience' is something which is 'a nightmare in the present but a tale in the past' and I've learnt that this can be very true. It's the challenges we face which leave the biggest impression on us and it's these things we often end up laughing and telling stories about to our friends.

There are some experiences though, which I am keen to avoid at all costs and do not enjoy thinking about let alone telling people about . I love cycle touring, but one thing I don't find much fun is the sheer annoyance of having to lug 40kg of bike and kit up a mountain (much prefer coming down), or up 10 flights of stairs . I also prefer the ride of an unlaiden bike. Have been an 'ultralight backpacker' for years, so I decided to apply some of the same principles to my bike touring kit in order to shave some weight off it all.

Here's what I did:

1) Made a spreadsheet (excel or google docs) and made a 'current items list'. On this list I put:

-Current components on the bike, and their weights.
-Touring kit including clothes, shoes, bike racks, bags, camping stuff, toiletries etc. Much of my touring kit was already very light so wasn't worth changing

Be super anal about all of it, don't follow your instincts on weights of stuff and don't trust the manufacturers stated weights as they are always wrong.

When you are done, sort the list by weight from highest to lowest. Then prioritise the heavier items first.

2) Made new section of the spreadsheet and started to make a 'new items list'.

downloadable template spreadsheet

-Made the following columns to be filled in - item name, cost, new weight, old weight, savings (old minus new), cost per gram saved (cost divided by savings). There are some other columns in the image, but these aren't necessary.
-Starting from the top of the 'current items list' (heaviest stuff), I started looking for potential lighter replacement items. Whenever I found something suitable, I gave that item it's own row, and filled in the necessary columns. I used excel's maths functions to do all the calculations for me.

Below is a small example. I've filled in all the details for a few items - a few seatposts, titanium seatpost bolt, and cycling shoes. Then I've sorted the list by 'cost per gram saved' from lowest to highest.



Just prioritise the stuff towards the top of the list and you will end up saving more for less. For example why spend £60 on a titanium seatpost to save 99g, when you can instead spend £35 on trainers, GUB post, and ti seatbolt to save 615g. This is of course assuming you do not have unlimited funds .

I tried to stick mostly to stuff which had a gram to £ ratio of 0.1 or less. So basically £100 per kg saved. Also tried where possible to make the bike better in some way and lighter at the same time.

This is my completed list of stuff I ended up changing (click for larger image)



There are two seatposts in the list, but only one is included in the total weights.

Here's the bike after the changes. It weighs 8.9kg as pictured - without water (click for large images)










Stuff I'd switch out for touring (+300g for bars, -1g for post, +16g for longer reach stem - not pictured)

Some of the non bike stuff changed





So anyway, that's about it. Total spend £323.38, total saved 6.49kg. Total saved on bike parts 3.17kg

[Graham O]

[Flak jacket on] I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes along and says that the weight is irrelevant.

[Freddie]

I think you have devised an interesting, methodical way to remove weight from the bike, but it doesn't address the question that is foremost in my mind, that of longevity. It is easy enough to group a bunch of components together and say x is the lightest, so that is what I will use; that is all well and good if someone is 9 stone soaking wet, but for those of us a bit beefier, it is a question of getting something that is light enough, but not compromised by its lightness.

Even when I weighed as little as 10.5/11 stone, I managed to break a lightweight Kalloy seatpost (it split down the middle). The weights of ultra-light components don't mean much on their own if you weigh upwards of about 10 stone. I would be interesting in saving unnecessary weight from the bike wherever possible, but that is tempered by the need for longevity and good product service. How a person works out what components are light enough for them, but not too light that they wear or fail prematurely, seems to remain a mystery.

BTW LOL at "weighed all the trainers in Sports Direct". You must have got some interesting looks

[Norman H]

If your front straddle wire snags the tyre you could have a nasty accident.

You might need to invest in a heavyweight h****t.

[greyingbeard]

avoid chip shop and pub - cost nil, weight off 2 stone

[ljamesbee]

I think you have devised an interesting, methodical way to remove weight from the bike, but it doesn't address the question that is foremost in my mind, that of longevity. It is easy enough to group a bunch of components together and say x is the lightest, so that is what I will use; that is all well and good if someone is 9 stone soaking wet, but for those of us a bit beefier, it is a question of getting something that is light enough, but not compromised by its lightness.

Even when I weighed as little as 10.5/11 stone, I managed to break a lightweight Kalloy seatpost (it split down the middle). The weights of ultra-light components don't mean much on their own if you weigh upwards of about 10 stone. I would be interesting in saving unnecessary weight from the bike wherever possible, but that is tempered by the need for longevity and good product service. How a person works out what components are light enough for them, but not too light that they wear or fail prematurely, seems to remain a mystery.

BTW LOL at "weighed all the trainers in Sports Direct". You must have got some interesting looks

I did get some funny looks. Strangely enough though two people trying on running shoes asked to borrow my scales!

Hmmm. Longevity is something worth considering. This is a common (and valid in some cases) argument used against using ultralight backpacking gear. 'Won't it wear out faster?'. Most items I replaced are simply lighter, but equally well functioning. I made the 'better/worse' column for this very reason.

There is no intrinsic relationship between weight and strength. Often in fact, lighter items are stronger and more durable. This is because in order to make the same item lighter, the design often needs to be improved or completely reengineered. This often yields an end product which is better in every way.

Certainly there are some things which would ruin your day, or even your life if they wear out suddenly. Seatposts are a good example of this. I do not believe the old one was any stronger than the alloy or carbon one I replaced it with. It was just heavier. Same goes for pedals, skewers and many other items. They are not any less strong or durable. They are JUST heavier.

Some things I have changed will wear out faster. My diy panniers for example, but I'm okay with that. I will be more careful using the more delicate items like these.

[ljamesbee]

If your front straddle wire snags the tyre you could have a nasty accident.

You might need to invest in a heavyweight h****t.

He he. Well spotted. I ran out of end caps! Just holding off on snipping it short for now in case I decide to change it a bit.

avoid chip shop and pub - cost nil, weight off 2 stone

Actual cost £loss of enjoyment. I prefer my way so I can keep doing both those things

[Norman H]

Ljamesbee wrote:

I ran out of end caps! Just holding off on snipping it short for now in case I decide to change it a bit.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. That isn't the problem.

If your main brake cable fails the straddle cable will drop and can snag on the front tyre. If you have any sort of tread on the tyre its almost certain to end badly.

[Steveo2020]

I am impressed by the weight of that bike. How is it to ride?

An old front reflector bracket is a tried and tested solution to the straddle cable problem - hopefully won't tip you over 9kg

Steve

[keyboardmonkey]

I can't quite tell if the straddle cable is in two pieces to do away with that problem. (My 80s tourer has a one-piece straddle wire and my 'solution' is a pair of mudguards.)

However, more shocking is the length of those valves plus valve caps - surely there is a weight saving opportunity missed!!!

But seriously, I might have a look at that spreadsheet of yours, ta ...

[ljamesbee]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. That isn't the problem.

If your main brake cable fails the straddle cable will drop and can snag on the front tyre. If you have any sort of tread on the tyre its almost certain to end badly.

Hmmm, funny I replied to you post but its disappeared so this may turn into a duplicate post.

Ah, I see what you mean. Yes, that may be a problem. If the brake cable broke, the cable hanger would be pulled into the tyre. To be honest, that problem had not occurred to me. I've been setting cantilever brakes like this (when no mudguards are installed) for a long time and have never had this happen, but perhaps I need to rethink this approach.

keyboardmonkey makes a good point. When I install mudguards, I will need to lengthen the straddle wire so this problem would be solved.

[ljamesbee]

I am impressed by the weight of that bike. How is it to ride?

An old front reflector bracket is a tried and tested solution to the straddle cable problem - hopefully won't tip you over 9kg

Steve

Hmmm, what do you mean with the reflector bracket? Not sure what you mean

I just had a thought - maybe I could just cable tie the cable hanger through the currently unused fork hole thing? Then, if the cable were to break, the cable tie would be a backup.

It's really nice to ride.

-had been using Marathon Racer tyres (which are fairly slick). When I switched to grand prix tyres, I noticed a big difference in the speed of the bike. No data or speedo readings to support this, but it has felt faster.
-I've found the carbon post and bars (to a lesser extent) are just awesome. Gives a much more comfortable ride. Would likely change these out though for tours because carbon is flashy, and I use butterfly bars for touring. I cut the carbon post shorter so ended up with a spare 2 inches if carbon. I tested this to destruction alongside a 2 inch alloy post offcut and the carbon won in my very amateurish strength tests (vice and clamp bending tests till breaking)
-I find the steering a bit twitchy, but I have a longer stem (+16g), and plan to move the brake and shifters outwards on the bars (cut grips smaller). This will make my default handhold position wider and I think this should improve this.
-Keep kicking the rear cantilever brakes so am changing these to some tektro cr710's which are low profile. Gonna keep the front ones though as they are just great.

I can't quite tell if the straddle cable is in two pieces to do away with that problem. (My 80s tourer has a one-piece straddle wire and my 'solution' is a pair of mudguards.)

However, more shocking is the length of those valves plus valve caps - surely there is a weight saving opportunity missed!!!

But seriously, I might have a look at that spreadsheet of yours, ta ...

I know, that annoyed me too, but there was reason for it! I got some absolute bargain continental supersonic tubes for £3.11 each shipped from amazon! Perfect example of a time when it wasn't worth it to get the shorter valve ones even though they'd save a couple of grams.

[greyingbeard]

fit a front reflector, straddle wire goes over the bracket, then if a cable breaks the straddle doesnt catch the tyre

I have experienced a front brake cable snapping. Was coming off dartmoor at the time and needed my brakes, was squeezing lever hard.
Oh how I laughed with pure joy at the freedom this gave.
er,
cause by cable being weakened at it went over a small pulley wheel, as found below stems on old mtbs. Bad design. Sharp bends in cables break them. Not keen on dia-compes V-brake drop bar lever for that reason, cable is stressed where it cant be seen.

1 or 2 days later Id overheated brake blocks coming down another steep hill, smell of hot rubber, sight of me drifting past everyone else who had stopped. Dont let blocks wear thin ! They need a decent bit of rubber over the metal backing, despite changing them early seeming like a waste.
One could get away with this somewhere flat

[Norman H]

Anything attached to the fork crown mudguard fixing, that will prevent the straddle cable hitting the tyre, will do the trick. So, front light bracket, front reflector bracket ,or indeed, a front mudguard.

The other solution is to use something like this.

The nipple attaches to one side of the CR720 and the main cable threads through a hole in the centre piece and through the guide pipe and is clamped to the other cantilever arm.

[CREPELLO]

I'm surprised you would be content to add 300g plus with the butterfly bars for touring. I use these on my trekking bike, but I wouldn't consider them optimum for weight, due to all that extra metal involved. Far better to get the right riding position from the outset. In this case, I would fit a pair of decent carbon bar ends to provide the alternate hand positions.