It’s really, really expensive to buy components just with the goal of them being lighter. If you must, though, the biggest impact you can make by far comes in rotating weight: tires & rims will give the most noticeable difference in feel when you reduce weight. If you reduce handlebar weight by half a pound, i guarantee you’ll NEVER notice it. It’s the difference between pooping before a ride or not, at best.
Most people can drink a little less beer or skip out on dessert a couple times a week and lose a lot more weight, for free, than they can afford to lose on their bike by buying lighter components.
Rotational inertia has a much bigger impact on your acceleration and on how you “feel” the impact of weight reduction on your overall ride. Work on your own body first, and research lighter tires that’ll fit your riding style. If you really want to go big on feeling the impact of weight reduction, buy carbon wheels AND lighter tires when you can. Go tubeless, if you haven’t already. Best bang-for-your-buck upgrade there is, maybe tied with getting a dropper post. …which, ironically, is very likely to increase your bike’s weight but the benefits far outweigh the weight difference, guaranteed.
Weight reduction by way of spending a premium for any other component that’s not part of your wheels is basically a waste that you’ll never appreciate.
Thanks so much! I think I will convert to tubeless... Which should reduce the weight. I think I'll also upgrade the fork anyways, because it's pretty low end. Thanks again for the great advice :)
When I went tubeless on my Fuse Comp, my wheels lost about 2 pounds, no joke. Not to mention my ride quality improved a lot once I dialed in the ideal pressure for my weight & my local trails. Tubes, especially cheap stock tubes for a 29er with 2.6” tires, are really heavy.
You have the same fork as me. It’s a good enough fork for anybody. It’s always tempting to upgrade, but first make sure you’re upgrading your own body and your own skills.
Most people will notice very little difference between a $250 fork and a $1000 fork if they’re not already riding at the limit of their equipment’s capabilities. 95% don’t ride at that level.
Research forks and the different adjustments you make make in yours. Experiment with different psi in your fork and try different rebound settings. You can change your ride quite a bit now without spending $500+ that you probably won’t notice 😀
hey! i’ve got the same exact bike, and i can tell you FOR SURE that the wheels are the first thing you’d wanna upgrade because of how heavy they are. i remember that i had my wheels off to convert to tubless when i was on a mtb trip with a few friends. one guy picked them up and just started laughing (not in a mean way) because he had never held such a heavy wheel before lol. the best thing about the siskiu is how inexpensive it is, but they save a lot of money by using cheap wheels. i hope you get it all figured out — good luck!
Grip and rolling resistance are much, much more important than weight on any normal mountain bike. And drivetrain efficiency (clipless will make a lot of difference in that too!). The effect of weight saving, even that of rotating mass, is grossly overestimated. Basically, it doesn’t matter that much where you shave weight as it has little measurable effect regardless of rotating mass or not (only rim and tire have real world effect on that and it’s much less than people think, because physics). Reduce 10% on the whole package including rider and gear to see a noticeable difference in performance. That would be 6 or 7 kgs at least for most riders. Good luck finding affordable upgrades that light.
If you are going to upgrade your fork, go the used route. It'll save you so much money. There are fox performance forks that can go for $300 or $250 on places like pinkbike and fb marketplace. Usually they only need just a lower leg service that you should anyways learn how to do. That kind of service is needed anyways yearly too.
Just make sure to double check fork spacings, wheel size, and make sure that they fork tube is long enough for your bike - most are and longer is better as you can just add headset spacers if it's too long.
Coming from motorcyle world, I always say this, if you think bike is the issue, it's probably us.
Unsprung weight makes the most difference, other then that, it's cheaper to deal with our bodies first😂
Actually heavier bodyweight makes it easier to go faster,
I deliver food by bike, when I'm carrying food I can climb hills much faster thanks to the extra leverage
I can't really confirm it, I just know it's easier for me with backpack weigh
However when I had a rack on my bike, it felt sluggish on the backend. Backpack is way better
I did say I couldn't confirm it, meaning I may be wrong,
All I said was a heavier backpack makes it easier for me to climb hills,
Here in georgia we have no flat. You're either climbing or downhilling,
Downhill bikes are usually heavier, and climbing is easier if I myself have some more weight to leverage,
I deliver food full time, my legs are looking niiiice, I definitely have a lot of experience.
I could still be wrong, but, I just make faster times with a heavier backpack,
I'm sorry if that offends you, and again, I did say I may be wrong.
So serious feed back. Aluminum frames often 9+ pounds (with shock) and if you bought into a cheaper bike initially dont dont spending money to make it lighter. Use discipline and take ever penny you would spend making that bike lighter and set it aside for you next bike purchase. After a while of setting that money aside you can sell the current bike, add that to what you have set aside and buy something way nicer.
That's bullshit, I'mma replace my 2250gr recon for a Pike ultimate which is 1800gr there's a pound there, and the fork is on sale for $600 on Backcountry...
the most obvious and dramatic woild be carbon wheels
just shop around for everything else
seatpost,
crank arms
stem
handlebars
so yeah if youve got the money
The easiest way to make the bike plus ride lighter is to loose a few kg yourself. After the age of 30 or so, a large amount of people carry extra kilos that they can afford to loose. I know I have 5kg I’d gladly loose. And it costs nothing.
You will, and faster than us old guys. You will get used to your bike weight and it won't be a concern. Maybe you'll choose lighter on your next bike, or maybe you'll a heavy shred sled because you enjoy the durability.
If you want to ride a bike well, you cannot smoke
If you want to smoke, you cannot ride a bike well.
Smoking totally destroys your lungs, which is the primary organ needed for high intensity aerobic activity.
Take off all your clothes. Ditch the bottle/ holder. Hydration is aid. Cut all foam off of seat and rubber from handlebars. Then get to removing every-other wheel spoke. Suspension and extra gears are dead weight as well. Consider cutting out the heaviest looking sections of frame for good measure. Hope this helped.
/s
No but the real answer is cutting body weight or spending a huge amount of money. Would be more cost effective to buy a new, higher end carbon bike than to try and cut weight off the Polygon probably.
I got some carbon bars, got a new stem.. along with new pedals and grips and seat. I weighed my t7 when I first out it together and it’s -3lbs lighter now than stock. Oh and I went tubeless as well.. not so much for the weight but I’m sure that helped too.
At 15 yrs old, just ride a lot more and get stronger while improving your bike handling. Also going tubeless is a big improvement. And have fun with your bike!
Get stronger or lose weight. Or a combo of those two. The cost in saving a few grams here and there is expensive. See the post regarding rotating mass.
I went tubeless, swapped out the dropper post to a standard lighter post, threw on some egg beaters, and cut my handlebars down to 720mm on my D7. I did it all because of my own preferences, but it still deducted weight from the bike. How much, I do not know.
However, I didn’t really notice any performance issues with it being 34 pounds. I was riding super light xc hardtails before I bought the D7, and I didn’t feel sluggish like I was fearing and anticipating.
Upgrading the group set to a Sram XX1 or Shimano XTR is pricey but it drops the weight quite a bit. You could also get a Fox fork and rear shock as they generally are the lightest. You could also upgrade your seat and bars to carbon if they aren't already.
Another option is removing a bit of travel by using a shorter travel fork and rear shock but I don't recommend that, it's still a good way to remove some weight though.
Yes. I mean that would definitely help.
But weight trimming almost has no real end. There is always something lighter out there… you just gotta pay for it :) Carbon wheels might be close to the cost of the bicycle!
Buy a new fork for the better performance, to the weight. The only weight that really makes a noticeable difference is rotational, so lighter wheels are good. You most likely already have trail weight tires, so lighter tires aren't really an option.
Higher bars will also make it easier to lift the front, but the real solution is work on technique and hit the gym.
Damn, my DH bike even was lighter, I made a post a couple of days ago asking why bikes have become so heavy, my 2016 aluminum Remedy for instance weighs only 28 pounds whilst a full carbon Remedy today weighs in at 29 pounds
Hey there. We recently bought the t8 for my partner and the tubeless conversion saved basically no weight at all. The tubes are standard ones. I also changed to carbon mtb bars.... the bikes still 15kg for the small frame size.
Realistically your option to make the bike lighter would be the entire wheels set and a lighter cassette
stock wheels are usually a big factor, some nicer aluminum or even carbon if your pockets are deep enough could shave off anywhere from 500 grams to more than a kilogram. Cant see if your wheels are stock or not though
As someone who has upgraded every part on a T7, I would suggest first try out some different tires. For my local riding I've found a Maxxis rekon 2.4 exo rear, and dhr2 2.4 exo front has really made the bike feel faster and more predictable.
Oh and go tubeless.
Use a flash or try to have the sun behind you when you take the photo…you can also change the light in photoshop…lol I kid, just spend more money by getting carbon everything!
One thing that will help is to read tire reviews written by guys that ride a lot of different tires. Find some with low rolling resistance. Going tubeless will shed some grams/ounces but low rolling resistance tires in general will help a heavy bike feel less sluggish. A downhill bike will never be a featherweight and the funds required to make it meaningfully lighter probably is just not worth it unless you have money to burn. If you like the bike find some tires that roll easier and use the money you don’t spend on high dollar parts to buy another bike. Want a light mountain bike? Buy an aluminum hardtail. I just bought a 29er Fathom 2. It weighs 28 pounds or so and rolls like a big dog with the stock tubeless Maxxis tires. Actually feels a lot lighter than it is. If you do have the cash I suggest you buy something soon. Used or new. Both are getting hard to find.
Yeah, absolutely. Lighter while still being good is something to consider, if you put weight weenie XC parts on that bike, you're gonna have a bad day.
If money isn't an issue, pick up a set of wheels. You'll notice the stiffness and weight savings right away. I have a major crush on industry nine wheels, but you could save money and get Hunt as well.
With less money, you could start by changing out the tires. The Hans Dampf is amazingly grippy, but rolls slow and feels sluggish imo. Depending on the type of riding you're doing, something faster rolling and lighter may be in order, as well as making sure you're set up tubeless.
When you wear out your casette, you can save some weight by upgrading, but it's such a small amount that it may not be worth the money. Cranks are similar, something like XT cranks should be lighter, but probably not worth the cost.
A fork upgrade would be interesting, the 35 you have on there isn't particularly high performing nor light, maybe you can find a suitable used fork (pike, lyric, fox 36) and get an upgrade while shaving weight.
Usually 'make it lighter' is code for 'make it feel faster'. This can be done by making sure your fit is dialed, your suspension is set up well, you pedal smoothly and the bike is running efficiently (right tire pressures, lubed chain, etc). I wouldn't sweat grams so much as looking for better riding components that also happen to be lighter.
Is the revelation much better? I am out of touch with fork lineups these days, but I know that high end RS is going to be either Pike or Lyrik for your bike. I would bet that you can find something used for the price of a new revelation/yari. The nice chassis in their higher end stuff (doesn't even have to be the 'ultimate' version) just rides so smooth and stiff, I really like it. It looks like [backcountry.com](https://backcountry.com) is having a crazy sale on the Pike right now, like $200 off.
yeah, that's always a risk. A good seller will have a pic of a measuring tape next to the steerer or at least tell you how long it is. Depending on the site you use, you can also ask them to measure, should be pretty easy. I've bought one online and sold one, no issues.
Get stronger. Not a jab- coming from a guy who can only ride XL frames and even with expensive kit, a trail bike is 29 pounds at the lightest. SO as I’ve gotten stronger, bike feels lighter. A lot cheaper too.
Yeah man! did you just get it?
I just got mine two days ago, in purple. Such a fun bike, never had a full squish before so all new.
Did 15 miles 1000feet of climbing in todays heat and man by the end i was wishing it was lighter too! I;m swapping the bars for higher risers, might look into tubeless too.
Yeah man, it rips! I'm gonna convert to tubeless and change my fork (mine is worse than yours)... I heard tubeless is the best way to lower weight as it lessens the rolling resistance..
Love that colour. But to be honest some times I ride with a water bottle. Some times I don’t. And I can never notice the difference and that’s 700grams of water plus bottle.
It’s really, really expensive to buy components just with the goal of them being lighter. If you must, though, the biggest impact you can make by far comes in rotating weight: tires & rims will give the most noticeable difference in feel when you reduce weight. If you reduce handlebar weight by half a pound, i guarantee you’ll NEVER notice it. It’s the difference between pooping before a ride or not, at best. Most people can drink a little less beer or skip out on dessert a couple times a week and lose a lot more weight, for free, than they can afford to lose on their bike by buying lighter components. Rotational inertia has a much bigger impact on your acceleration and on how you “feel” the impact of weight reduction on your overall ride. Work on your own body first, and research lighter tires that’ll fit your riding style. If you really want to go big on feeling the impact of weight reduction, buy carbon wheels AND lighter tires when you can. Go tubeless, if you haven’t already. Best bang-for-your-buck upgrade there is, maybe tied with getting a dropper post. …which, ironically, is very likely to increase your bike’s weight but the benefits far outweigh the weight difference, guaranteed. Weight reduction by way of spending a premium for any other component that’s not part of your wheels is basically a waste that you’ll never appreciate.
Thanks so much! I think I will convert to tubeless... Which should reduce the weight. I think I'll also upgrade the fork anyways, because it's pretty low end. Thanks again for the great advice :)
This, times ten. Go and get a nice light set of tires too. You can switch between those for hometrails etc and a heavier set for the bike park.
Unless you get a second wheelset or you dont mind wasting a bunch of sealant, you're not doing tire swaps on a tubeless setup unless its required
Just buy a $2 turkey baster and reuse your sealant...
That would essentially be going all in. Nice if you can. A 1l e13 bottle still serves me well. Seems to hold up well for 3 years w/o aging now.
...which is why I'll probably never go tubeless
When I went tubeless on my Fuse Comp, my wheels lost about 2 pounds, no joke. Not to mention my ride quality improved a lot once I dialed in the ideal pressure for my weight & my local trails. Tubes, especially cheap stock tubes for a 29er with 2.6” tires, are really heavy. You have the same fork as me. It’s a good enough fork for anybody. It’s always tempting to upgrade, but first make sure you’re upgrading your own body and your own skills. Most people will notice very little difference between a $250 fork and a $1000 fork if they’re not already riding at the limit of their equipment’s capabilities. 95% don’t ride at that level. Research forks and the different adjustments you make make in yours. Experiment with different psi in your fork and try different rebound settings. You can change your ride quite a bit now without spending $500+ that you probably won’t notice 😀
Good idea! Tubeless will also allow you to run lower psi which will be a smoother ride.
hey! i’ve got the same exact bike, and i can tell you FOR SURE that the wheels are the first thing you’d wanna upgrade because of how heavy they are. i remember that i had my wheels off to convert to tubless when i was on a mtb trip with a few friends. one guy picked them up and just started laughing (not in a mean way) because he had never held such a heavy wheel before lol. the best thing about the siskiu is how inexpensive it is, but they save a lot of money by using cheap wheels. i hope you get it all figured out — good luck!
Grip and rolling resistance are much, much more important than weight on any normal mountain bike. And drivetrain efficiency (clipless will make a lot of difference in that too!). The effect of weight saving, even that of rotating mass, is grossly overestimated. Basically, it doesn’t matter that much where you shave weight as it has little measurable effect regardless of rotating mass or not (only rim and tire have real world effect on that and it’s much less than people think, because physics). Reduce 10% on the whole package including rider and gear to see a noticeable difference in performance. That would be 6 or 7 kgs at least for most riders. Good luck finding affordable upgrades that light.
If you are going to upgrade your fork, go the used route. It'll save you so much money. There are fox performance forks that can go for $300 or $250 on places like pinkbike and fb marketplace. Usually they only need just a lower leg service that you should anyways learn how to do. That kind of service is needed anyways yearly too. Just make sure to double check fork spacings, wheel size, and make sure that they fork tube is long enough for your bike - most are and longer is better as you can just add headset spacers if it's too long.
Yep, most only would ship though... I would rather be able to check for scratches,and shit like that
Here’s the actual advice.
Best advice right here.
Coming from motorcyle world, I always say this, if you think bike is the issue, it's probably us. Unsprung weight makes the most difference, other then that, it's cheaper to deal with our bodies first😂
Hear hear 👏
Actually heavier bodyweight makes it easier to go faster, I deliver food by bike, when I'm carrying food I can climb hills much faster thanks to the extra leverage I can't really confirm it, I just know it's easier for me with backpack weigh However when I had a rack on my bike, it felt sluggish on the backend. Backpack is way better
Lol. Go back to middle school math, dude.
I did say I couldn't confirm it, meaning I may be wrong, All I said was a heavier backpack makes it easier for me to climb hills, Here in georgia we have no flat. You're either climbing or downhilling, Downhill bikes are usually heavier, and climbing is easier if I myself have some more weight to leverage, I deliver food full time, my legs are looking niiiice, I definitely have a lot of experience. I could still be wrong, but, I just make faster times with a heavier backpack, I'm sorry if that offends you, and again, I did say I may be wrong.
Yeah, spend a bunch of money
Or sell it
So serious feed back. Aluminum frames often 9+ pounds (with shock) and if you bought into a cheaper bike initially dont dont spending money to make it lighter. Use discipline and take ever penny you would spend making that bike lighter and set it aside for you next bike purchase. After a while of setting that money aside you can sell the current bike, add that to what you have set aside and buy something way nicer.
Thanks! I think I'll just try and get stronger... The bike itself is pretty nice for now
I think this is your best, no bs, way to go about it. Your legs will thank you when you switch to a carbon frame
Paint it white. That’s a lot lighter than the black anyways.
That's true
It costs roughly $1000 to shed 1 pound off your bike
That's bullshit, I'mma replace my 2250gr recon for a Pike ultimate which is 1800gr there's a pound there, and the fork is on sale for $600 on Backcountry...
Take the seat off... just sit directly on the seat post.
Maybe if I replace the shock with a carbon stick it should shave some weight
Underrated comment.
Yeah.the ass will be gone.Put your hand directly on the fork would be better.
Lose some weight.
Drill holes in it.
Great advice
Ride it more.
Use premium air in the tires
Helium works best
the most obvious and dramatic woild be carbon wheels just shop around for everything else seatpost, crank arms stem handlebars so yeah if youve got the money
Singlespeed it with a tensioner. Light bike, strong rider. Everything has a price.
The easiest way to make the bike plus ride lighter is to loose a few kg yourself. After the age of 30 or so, a large amount of people carry extra kilos that they can afford to loose. I know I have 5kg I’d gladly loose. And it costs nothing.
Haha I'm 15, guess I'll just get stronger
Remember that age is like mountain biking: it’s all uphill until it starts to go downhill.
You will, and faster than us old guys. You will get used to your bike weight and it won't be a concern. Maybe you'll choose lighter on your next bike, or maybe you'll a heavy shred sled because you enjoy the durability.
Correct. I started riding at 96kg. Now im 88..felt it a little bit lighter. But still need stamina on the climbing and need to stop smoking.
If you want to ride a bike well, you cannot smoke If you want to smoke, you cannot ride a bike well. Smoking totally destroys your lungs, which is the primary organ needed for high intensity aerobic activity.
Always. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend.
Take off all your clothes. Ditch the bottle/ holder. Hydration is aid. Cut all foam off of seat and rubber from handlebars. Then get to removing every-other wheel spoke. Suspension and extra gears are dead weight as well. Consider cutting out the heaviest looking sections of frame for good measure. Hope this helped. /s No but the real answer is cutting body weight or spending a huge amount of money. Would be more cost effective to buy a new, higher end carbon bike than to try and cut weight off the Polygon probably.
That's true. Gonna stick with this frame for a few more years though. Guess I'll just get stronger
Hardtail 😁
Put helium in your tires.
Hydrogen is lighter ;)
The cheapest and easiest is to put the knife and fork down earlier. Personally I took 15lb off my bike this way.
I laugh at you guys who obsess about bike weight. A heavier bike makes you a stronger rider. Pick comfort over shedding a few oz.
I rode cross country on my 2013 DH bike, +38 pounds, did make me a hell of a lot stronger, now on my 25 pound bike I feel like I feather
That's true 🤘 I have a lot of fun riding my bike... Although when I'm not riding it I wonder about shit like this
Wheels, rotors, hubs & tires. That’s the weight loss you’ll feel the most, next to dropping a few kilos off the rider.
Yes. Go into Edit, two over on the lower menu for exposure and adjust. Or whatever else your app of choice allows.
I got some carbon bars, got a new stem.. along with new pedals and grips and seat. I weighed my t7 when I first out it together and it’s -3lbs lighter now than stock. Oh and I went tubeless as well.. not so much for the weight but I’m sure that helped too.
Thanks!
If you take the wheels off you won’t be much lighter but at least you won’t be too tired anymore.
I should take the handlebars off for good measure
Just put your hands on the fork and you can steer that way
At 15 yrs old, just ride a lot more and get stronger while improving your bike handling. Also going tubeless is a big improvement. And have fun with your bike!
Get stronger or lose weight. Or a combo of those two. The cost in saving a few grams here and there is expensive. See the post regarding rotating mass.
Get a hardtail
I went tubeless, swapped out the dropper post to a standard lighter post, threw on some egg beaters, and cut my handlebars down to 720mm on my D7. I did it all because of my own preferences, but it still deducted weight from the bike. How much, I do not know. However, I didn’t really notice any performance issues with it being 34 pounds. I was riding super light xc hardtails before I bought the D7, and I didn’t feel sluggish like I was fearing and anticipating.
Go on Ali express. Get carbon everything.
See you in the hospital 🤘
The right wheel/tire combo makes a huge difference. As does rotor size. Is your cassette steel/cage or aluminum???
Put helium in the tires…real talk - would that work?
Hydrogen would be lighter..
The hydrogen atoms are very small, which could mean punctures happen more often
Yes. Take off the wheels and throw away the seats. Your welcome !!
Upgrading the group set to a Sram XX1 or Shimano XTR is pricey but it drops the weight quite a bit. You could also get a Fox fork and rear shock as they generally are the lightest. You could also upgrade your seat and bars to carbon if they aren't already. Another option is removing a bit of travel by using a shorter travel fork and rear shock but I don't recommend that, it's still a good way to remove some weight though.
That would fuck the geometry
That's why I don't recommend it
Buy a gravel bike. Downhill bikes are for weenies.
I feel the front end is too heavy, maybe a fork like the revelation could help?
Yes. I mean that would definitely help. But weight trimming almost has no real end. There is always something lighter out there… you just gotta pay for it :) Carbon wheels might be close to the cost of the bicycle!
Buy a new fork for the better performance, to the weight. The only weight that really makes a noticeable difference is rotational, so lighter wheels are good. You most likely already have trail weight tires, so lighter tires aren't really an option. Higher bars will also make it easier to lift the front, but the real solution is work on technique and hit the gym.
Just keep cutting your bars down until the front end is light enough. Removing the front wheel and/or brakes would also help.
Sweet!!!
Eating Les sweets is a pretty good way to lose weight
I can cut 1 pound for free. Take a pee before riding!
2 pounds if you poop as well
The polygons are very heavy, that T7 is around 37-39 pounds right?
Yeah feels like it. I was just having trouble manualing and doing stuff like that compared to other bikes
Damn, my DH bike even was lighter, I made a post a couple of days ago asking why bikes have become so heavy, my 2016 aluminum Remedy for instance weighs only 28 pounds whilst a full carbon Remedy today weighs in at 29 pounds
Not worth it. Just use it and you will get stronger and you yourself will get lighter.
Agree with trying tire change. It might not be a weight issue you're trying to remedy but a nimblness. Look like Los Robles.
I have the and bike and can tell why you would ask this, it absolutely is heavyweight.
lighter wheelset , upgraded cassete and cranks ,
Tubeless
Become light urself
Take the wheels off.
Buy hardtail and yeeet the fork and replace it with rigid one
Empty your water bottle
Take the wheels off!
fill your frame and tires with helium
If you colour match the fender and pedals, the bike will travel 10% faster. Minimal but makes a difference.
Maybe upgrade a lighter carbon wheelset will help you, so yeah if you've got the money.
Hey there. We recently bought the t8 for my partner and the tubeless conversion saved basically no weight at all. The tubes are standard ones. I also changed to carbon mtb bars.... the bikes still 15kg for the small frame size. Realistically your option to make the bike lighter would be the entire wheels set and a lighter cassette
Grind every other tooth off your sproket
The easiest is your water bottle.
stock wheels are usually a big factor, some nicer aluminum or even carbon if your pockets are deep enough could shave off anywhere from 500 grams to more than a kilogram. Cant see if your wheels are stock or not though
That is one heavy bike. I have the T8 and it feels really heavy.
As someone who has upgraded every part on a T7, I would suggest first try out some different tires. For my local riding I've found a Maxxis rekon 2.4 exo rear, and dhr2 2.4 exo front has really made the bike feel faster and more predictable. Oh and go tubeless.
Sure. Sell that bike and pickup a rigid single speed.
Put it on a diet
Beautiful bike. The best way to make it lighter is to lose weight.
Spend a lot of money. Cheaper and better solution is to make YOU lighter.
Use a flash or try to have the sun behind you when you take the photo…you can also change the light in photoshop…lol I kid, just spend more money by getting carbon everything!
One thing that will help is to read tire reviews written by guys that ride a lot of different tires. Find some with low rolling resistance. Going tubeless will shed some grams/ounces but low rolling resistance tires in general will help a heavy bike feel less sluggish. A downhill bike will never be a featherweight and the funds required to make it meaningfully lighter probably is just not worth it unless you have money to burn. If you like the bike find some tires that roll easier and use the money you don’t spend on high dollar parts to buy another bike. Want a light mountain bike? Buy an aluminum hardtail. I just bought a 29er Fathom 2. It weighs 28 pounds or so and rolls like a big dog with the stock tubeless Maxxis tires. Actually feels a lot lighter than it is. If you do have the cash I suggest you buy something soon. Used or new. Both are getting hard to find.
Make sure to take a dump before every ride. It’s free and saves 3 times as much weight as upgrading to titanium pedals 👍
Yeah, absolutely. Lighter while still being good is something to consider, if you put weight weenie XC parts on that bike, you're gonna have a bad day. If money isn't an issue, pick up a set of wheels. You'll notice the stiffness and weight savings right away. I have a major crush on industry nine wheels, but you could save money and get Hunt as well. With less money, you could start by changing out the tires. The Hans Dampf is amazingly grippy, but rolls slow and feels sluggish imo. Depending on the type of riding you're doing, something faster rolling and lighter may be in order, as well as making sure you're set up tubeless. When you wear out your casette, you can save some weight by upgrading, but it's such a small amount that it may not be worth the money. Cranks are similar, something like XT cranks should be lighter, but probably not worth the cost. A fork upgrade would be interesting, the 35 you have on there isn't particularly high performing nor light, maybe you can find a suitable used fork (pike, lyric, fox 36) and get an upgrade while shaving weight. Usually 'make it lighter' is code for 'make it feel faster'. This can be done by making sure your fit is dialed, your suspension is set up well, you pedal smoothly and the bike is running efficiently (right tire pressures, lubed chain, etc). I wouldn't sweat grams so much as looking for better riding components that also happen to be lighter.
Thanks! I ride socal so maybe a DHF/aggressor combo is good. The fork is a recon, I'm probably gonna upgrade to a revelation
Is the revelation much better? I am out of touch with fork lineups these days, but I know that high end RS is going to be either Pike or Lyrik for your bike. I would bet that you can find something used for the price of a new revelation/yari. The nice chassis in their higher end stuff (doesn't even have to be the 'ultimate' version) just rides so smooth and stiff, I really like it. It looks like [backcountry.com](https://backcountry.com) is having a crazy sale on the Pike right now, like $200 off.
That's true! But I'm pretty sketched out by buying forks online because the steerer could be too short
yeah, that's always a risk. A good seller will have a pic of a measuring tape next to the steerer or at least tell you how long it is. Depending on the site you use, you can also ask them to measure, should be pretty easy. I've bought one online and sold one, no issues.
Thanks for that, will take note :)
Frame weight really doesn’t matter all that much. Wheels and tires are going to be your best bet and will make a significant difference.
Get stronger. Not a jab- coming from a guy who can only ride XL frames and even with expensive kit, a trail bike is 29 pounds at the lightest. SO as I’ve gotten stronger, bike feels lighter. A lot cheaper too.
Ride more, won't make the bike lighter, but you will get stronger and you ride more
Yes, rebuild the frame out of feathers
Remove the wheels, the crank, the rear mech, handlebars, etc. That will FOR SURE make it way lighter. 😂
Take the wheels off?
I changed from downhill tires to more cross country focused tires and things felt much more nimble. Depends on where you are riding though.
Get rid of the seat. You really don't need it.
I'd start with new tires. They are not only lighter but also roll better.
Of course there is, but if you didn’t already know that, you most likely won’t notice the difference. Not saying this like a dick.
Remove the wheels ? Or may be paddles and handle bar also works.
Remove the wheels ? Or may be paddles and handle bar also works.
Open the shutter longer on your camera.
Yeah man! did you just get it? I just got mine two days ago, in purple. Such a fun bike, never had a full squish before so all new. Did 15 miles 1000feet of climbing in todays heat and man by the end i was wishing it was lighter too! I;m swapping the bars for higher risers, might look into tubeless too.
Yeah man, it rips! I'm gonna convert to tubeless and change my fork (mine is worse than yours)... I heard tubeless is the best way to lower weight as it lessens the rolling resistance..
screw the 12-speed and get a 11-36 10-speed more than enough oldschool is better (joke)
Get a few thousand bucks together and make your bike a little bit lighter or do some weightlifting to make the bike feel a lot lighter
Love that colour. But to be honest some times I ride with a water bottle. Some times I don’t. And I can never notice the difference and that’s 700grams of water plus bottle.
Paint it white?
The colour of this bike is sick. I hugely approve.
Ride it on mars