Bars, Stems, Cranks, Seat Posts

[adam_smith_89]

im just wondering peoples advice on new bars stems cranks or seat posts my new bike has tru ative XR stuff and fire x cranks and it seems prety average what are some good value parts and how much am i looking at for a decent carbon fiber bar this is for xc riding and im about 60 kg

regards adam:)

[scratchy]

im just wondering peoples advice on new bars stems cranks or seat posts my new bike has tru ative XR stuff and fire x cranks and it seems prety average what are some good value parts and how much am i looking at for a decent carbon fiber bar this is for xc riding and im about 60 kg

regards adam:)

Don't forget the bottom bracket, probably XR as well you could really save some weight there, Oh and the hubs, not to mention the headset, probably a cheap nesty loose bearing type.

You've asked about Cranks, Seatpost and Handlebars and Stem (in 2 seperate posts no less).

Here's the tip. If your serious about making a fast rig, you're looking in the totally wrong area. Look at your wheels! that is where you can save some weight.

The rest of the stuff will be fine for you to ride on.

[Fatman]

From the kind's of things you want to upgrade it sounds like you bought the wrong bike to start with. If you are going to change everything over you might be better off selling your rig and buying one with all the kit you want.
Upgrading is a slow and expensive process, but you will get what you are after. You got some thinking to do.

[adam_smith_89]

yeah no one was responding so i made a new one and then i found out u cant delete threads sorry

[adam_smith_89]

yeah i bought it cause it was oin my price ranges and everything on it is sweet ecept the handle bar stem and cranks lik,e gears forks breaks and frame are like awsome well compared to my last bike so im pretty happy but yeah just looking to make it a littler better got some spare money sooo yeh i thought bars and stuff like that would be the way to go but yeah whats some good wheels i gvot wtb speed disk pro eyeletted rims and shimano M475 hubs could i save some weight there and how much do u think

[Bodin]

yeah no one was responding so i made a new one and then i found out u cant delete threads sorry

No drama. Welcome to Farkin. If nobody's responding, maybe just give it a little more time - people here will generally get around to it if it's a worthwhile question.

Good luck kitting out your bike. My XC bike preference is for Easton carbon bars, Easton stems and Thomson seatposts, but all that stuff's really expensive and it honestly doesn't improve your bike that much. Like someone else said in your other post (I think), Truvative's generally pretty good gear and there are better ways to improve your ride.

Go with Scratchy's advice and look at your wheels - if they're not already tubeless, then start with something like a Stan's conversion. It will cost you heaps less than a bunch of high end parts and offer you a massive performance improvement.

Cheers.

[adam_smith_89]

whats a stan's conversion is it just going from tubes to tubeless how much would going to tubeless cost

[Bodin]

Stan's is a kit that contains rim tape, valves and liquid sealant that allows you to convert some tubed tyres to tubeless.

I'll let the website tell you the rest: http://www.notubes.com/home.php

I don't know the exact price of it, but it's bound to be massively cheaper than buying UST rims, UST tyres, UST valves, sealant and then paying someone to rebuild your wheels with the new rims (which may also involve having to pay for new spokes...).

[scratchy]

Shameless Plug, $99 Stans kit, including postage:
http://www.bikefanatic.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_32/products_id/338?osCsid=6e516ddb44159196b64834bb6464388f

Adam, I think you'll find a wealth of info regarding weight:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php

Go nuts! I wouldn't bother with your Stem, Seatpost and Stem. After you've sorted your wheels, I'd look at your bottom bracket for weight saving, possibly your cranks.

Alternatively as Fatman said, buy the right bike to start with and save all the hassle.

[FR Drew]

My 2 cents is that there are some places it's prohibitive to try and shave grams and some places where it can be done pretty easily.

My LBS sold me a BBB brand cheapie stem for $65 (I needed the extra length). The plan was to see if the length suited and if it was good then to upgrade to something lighter. Turns out that it's in the vicinity of 150g so I'd have to spend about 150 more to save myself 25 or 30g. Hardly worth it.

Look at a bog standard seatpost and saddle though, and you'll find that they are likely to weigh in at around 300 - 350g each. A 170g Token Kevlar saddle can be had for $130 and it's possible to get a sub 200g seatpost for around 100 if you know where to look (search the net for "Thomson Elite") 300 bucks spent on those 2 items would save you around 300g

If your bike has SPD pedals and they've gone for the cheapest Shimano 520's then there's a substantial weigt saving that can be made there (crank bros stainless eggbeaters would be a good upgrade). If it has platforms then the gains will be even bigger.

As far as bars go, I've used both LP Composites and Salsa carbon bars and they've both been great. The salsa's were about 175 (send an email to DW-1 and he could hook your lbs up with some) The LP's were around 150 if i recall (I needed the extra width of the Salsa's) Both will save you a fair bit of a regualr alloy bar's weight.

A light weight wheelset is definitley going to make a huge difference but you're looking at 750 and up for a sub 1800g set. I don't run tubeless but i do run Michelin latex lightweight tubes. Tyre selection makes a big difference too.

Hope that gives you a start.

[Techno Destructo]

Yo Adam! Welcome to Farkin!

Hey, can you do everybody a favour and use full-stops, AKA periods (".") and a bit of capitalization? Actually, more punctuation in general would be great.

Your posts really painful to read.

[Bodin]

Your posts really painful to read.

You've gotta love a grammar correction that contains a mistake...:p

Despite this, I agree with TD, so don't think you're off the hook, Adam.:cool:

[adam_smith_89]

Yeah sorry about that. Im heaps use to msn launguage. So its kinda hard to convert back to proper english if your on a computor. Anyway thanks heaps for all the help guys uve convinced me that the wheels are the way to go.

thanks alot adam?:D

[Techno Destructo]

You've gotta love a grammar correction that contains a mistake...:p


Ouch! Me so dumb!:o

[M@DM!KE]

Actually, more punctuation in general would be great.

Your posts really painful to read.

TD - Don't you mean: Your post is really painful to read, OR, your posts are really painful to read. Sorry mate, I may be a maths teacher, but even I could see that one a mile away.

Back to the real topic....If you want to lose weight from your XC sled the first place to start is tires. This is the most cost effective upgrade anyone can make to a bike. (cost per gram saved is least) A new set of tires may cost you 150 clams, but at the same time you might be shaving 500grams off your bike. I am by no means a lightweight, (at 84kgs) but I successfully run Maxxis Larsen TT kevlar exception tires (at 490grams each) on a UST rim with less than a 40mls of Stans sealant. Originally I had UST specific tires that weighed approx 680grams a piece. That successfully saves me almost a pound of weight in one inexpessive upgrade. This will also make your bike feel much faster as the rotating weight is far less. This is where mass really matters!!! Tires and Rims/Wheelset. Step 1 and 2.

The next step....?
You can spend thousands of dollars on lightweight upgrades. For example; a set of cranks might set you back 500-700 dollars and you might be lucky to shave 100 grams. If you want lightweight components I would definately look around. Easton make some of the lightest and strongest bars available, both flat and riser. The EC carbon range are exceptionally light but not the most affordable. They survive under my weight and aggressive riding style, so at a featherweight they with serve you fine for years. Easton make superb quality seatpost also. I have a Ritchey WCS stem to point my bars in the right direction. These only weigh in at around 1 gram per millimetre of length (100mm = 100grams)

There needs to be a line drawn, I believe, for lightweight components.
They old saying: Light, Strong, Cheap; choose any two, is particularly evident here. If you want strong, lightweight components expect to pay top dollar. If you buy lightweight and cheap, don't expect it to last. You will find plenty of ideas (some quite crazy) at www.light-bikes.com but I probably wouldn't be taking the majority of these bikes outside the house, let alone ride them off road.
Alternatively: http://www.weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php has thousands of components and their weight. Check it out.
Go buy yourself some new ribbed rubber, worry about the rest later. Good luck.