|   I'm stuck at 24 lbs. | bonker
Jan 19, 2002 8:44 PM | | Well my bike is complete. My Fuel 100 weighs in at approx. 24 pounds. I can't get the dang thing any lighter without sacrificing reliability. HOWEVER, there are some things I can change out in the future.
Currently: Tires- Panaracer Trailblaster 2.1
Seatpost- Thomson
Pedals- ATAC Titan Carbon
Saddle- Flite Ti Gel
Everything else I will not touch.
Anyone have suggestions for all around XC tires that are superlight yet grip and wear well?? |
| yeah.... | scream5204
Jan 19, 2002 9:06 PM | | Seatpost, get an Alien Titianium 129.99 @ excelsports.com 175g
Pedals, TIME's are nice, but @ 210g ti frogs, I won't argue.
saddle, Flite TT 165g. light, comfortable.
Tires...hmm, Python airlights,(460g) or Schwalbe Fast Fred's.(370g)
I've had the trailblaster...okay tires. Python's feel sooo good when you ride, smooth, great wear. light. I have a used pair if you want to try them out. |
| Python AirLites | Sunny
Jan 19, 2002 9:39 PM | | Picked up two the other week, both were 505g. Still light but not quite in the 460 area. The two TrailBlaster 2.1 that I had were 505 and 545g. Basically, you may or may not save anything with the Pythons over the TrailBlaster2.1's. |
| Where did you get the Python Air Lites from? | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 6:57 AM | | I've NEVER seen one that was over 490g that was a kevlare beaded retail Air-Lite. All the Air-Lite tires I own are below 470g, including the Mosquito. I have a WIRE BEADED Mosquito that is 495g, so it would be interesting to find out where this 505g Python Air-Lite comes from. |
| Where did you get the Python Air Lites from? | TB
Jan 20, 2002 8:34 AM | | I just got some new python airlites from a guy on eBay. One weighed 498g the other 505g. I also got a pair of mosquito airlights from him at 495g and 522g. Not near the weight savings I thought I was going to see... |
| Wow... almost 30g difference with those Mosquitos... | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 8:40 AM | | I wonder if they are getting sloppy at Hutchinson or if this is normal variation... Are they starting to beef them up now? What's the point of paying for an "Air-Lite" if it doesn't weigh any less (or in your case more!) than the standard wire bead version...? |
| I just checked with a friend of mine who also got those closeout | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 8:47 AM | | wire bead, 2.0 Mosquitos from Nashbar.com and one of his weighed as little as 487g. You really got the short end on those. We only paid $7.00 per tire for them... |
| Yikes! They are 1.85's!!! | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 9:58 AM | | My friend ordered these for me with his thinking that they were 2.0s... I sometimes pool orders with others to save on shipping. He saw the price in his last Nashbar catalog and called me and asked if I wanted one. At $7.00 per tire, I jumped on it!
They are wire bead and were folded over twice and wrapped with wire ties when they arrived (a la typical OEM packaging...), so we just threw them on the scale. I've never purchased a wire beaded Hutchinson before and it didn't occur to me to unravel the tire and check it out before posting the weight--as I still have a perfectly good kevlar Mosquito Air-Lite that I can use. This was just for backup.
Lo and behold they are 1.85" wire bead Mosquitos! He just called me after reading my last post and confirmed that he checked his soon after they arrived and they are indeed 1.85s. He just hadn't called to let me know. He checked the catalog he had ordered from and realized that they were even advertised as such. I went to the garage and unwrapped mine just now and it is also a 1.85. Sorry for the confusion and I hope you guys don't hate me...
I will post a pic of one of my Hutcinsons tonight on the scale so you can see what sort of typical weight our Air-lites have been coming in at. My bike is all pulled apart this weekend for upgrades anyway... |
| From my LBS | Sunny
Jan 20, 2002 11:42 AM | | in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Took them to the post office afterwards...+/-5% of listed value is pretty good, I think. I guess I'll get a couple of more rides from these than yours, huh? ;-) |
| LOL! Probably! ;o) (nm) | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 12:21 PM | | |
| 458g I JUST WEIGHED IT ON MY SCALE. | scream5204
Jan 20, 2002 11:46 AM | | then again, they' ARE used..but not much and they have some mud on them. they look almost brand new(the tread)the other one is 461g. not lying. |
| 458g I JUST WEIGHED IT ON MY SCALE. | Sunny
Jan 20, 2002 3:02 PM | | Didn't imply your info was not accurate, just that there are normal variations in these things. Sorry if it came across that way. 480 +/-5% seems to be the range. |
| I'm going to be slightly negative... | eric wictor
Jan 19, 2002 11:43 PM | | Why would you want to get rid of your Thomson seatpost and the most expensive version of the Time ATACs? Swapping either will only give you a performance or durability decrease.
As for the saddle, an SLR is really worth a try (I've found it just as comfortable as my normal Flites).
For the tires: Fast Freds are tops in dry condition. For more difficult terrain, Conti will soon be offering a Supersonic version of their Explorer tire. For mud I use Schwalbe Skinny Jimmy tires. Thin at 1.77", but since you ride an FS bike the reduced comfort isn't a prolem. Mine weighed 430g, not the claimed 435. |
| I would purchase the Supersonics if you plan to use them only... | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 7:01 AM | | for racing. The durability is almost non-existent. The Fast Fred would probably last a lot longer and would be fine if you don't have too many loose sections and climbs. |
| I would purchase the Supersonics if you plan to use them only... | eric wictor
Jan 20, 2002 9:37 AM | | I agree. All-round, I think FF`s are a better choice anyway, especially with a 2.3 up front like Jan-Gerrit mentioned. In terms of flat resistance Supersonics are hopeless. |
| disagree on the Time assumption | cyclejim
Jan 20, 2002 9:33 AM | | If he goes to the Crank Bros egg beaters from Times, this does not automatically mean there will be a performance or durability decrease. While the jury is still out on the durability question- in my experience, so far the egg beaters perform better than my Times.
my two cents... |
| Your two cents are worth approx. 1.78 Euro. | eric wictor
Jan 20, 2002 9:40 AM | | Oops, forgot about the Crank Bros creation. I actually did think about them but had already clicked on the OK button. |
| I'm going to be slightly negative... | bonker
Jan 20, 2002 9:46 AM | | Eric,
The items I listed are in consideration. Oh don't worry, I didn't pay too much for the items. $60 for the seatpost and $159 for the ATACs. I'm questioning the SLR though. I'm not a flyweight. Just looking at the seat makes my azz hurt. |
| SLR rules for comfort. Really! | eric wictor
Jan 21, 2002 5:27 AM | | I've used it for many 6hr+ rides. The TT, in comparison, is hard as a rock and takes getting used to. The only drawback to both saddles is durability. Big boys (and girls, I guess) should look elsewhere as I've seen 1/2-yr. old SLR somewhat deformed already. Also no good if you're not careful with what you lean you bike against (ask Jan-Gerrit)! My bike fell in the parking lot after a marathon and it almost took the side right off. |
| Herein lies the problem...... | YaMon
Jan 20, 2002 5:36 AM | | This is when it gets expensive and you have to make choices. You could easily drop 2 pounds, but it is going to cost a lot. Reliability vs. weight. |
| how about the panaracer trail blasters 1.8 at 420 grms.......... | marco righetti
Jan 20, 2002 8:26 AM | | i have used them for over a year on my fuel 80 and have found no problems with them but i have always felt that the wider knobs on the 2.1 version would be too wide and give less grip as opposed to the narrower knobs on the 1.8. |
| re: I'm stuck at 24 lbs. | Patchito
Jan 20, 2002 9:11 AM | | If I may weigh in on this current discourse on tires for a moment, what about the Nokian Boazobeana X Front/Rear Tire? I was actually giving those a lot of thought as a weight saving option for a racing tire. According to the stats on Cambriabike.com, they weigh in at 420 gr., seem to have favorable reviews on this website, and come in that mesmerizing blue color. |
| forget it bonker i had a pair of boazobeena x tyres............. | marco righetti
Jan 20, 2002 12:18 PM | | and they where the quickest erasing tyres in the history of mtb tyres!
tyres are definately the most cost effective way of reducing weight along with inner tubes i had the conti supersonic 100grm tubes but felt they where too thin,i have found the wrench force superlite tubes at 125 grms to give no problems! |
| forget it bonker i had a pair of boazobeena x tyres............. | bonker
Jan 20, 2002 2:46 PM | | Just looking at them makes me nervous. The casing on the tire looks thin. I'm considering the Python Air Lights at the momment. |
| The place you're really going to feel a 1/2 to 1-pound differenc | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 9:25 AM | | is going to be in your wheels and tires. Concentrate on these. What wheels are you running now--Crossmax Tubeless? If so, it may be worth it to sell those and build up a set of King, Am. Classic or Hugi wheels. Even if you go with the Mavic UST rims, you could build up a lighter wheelset than what you've got and possibly still save some money for other upgrades. You could use Wheelsmith DB 14 or XL spokes or, if you can afford it, Sapim X-Ray bladed spokes. |
| The place you're really going to feel a 1/2 to 1-pound differenc | bonker
Jan 20, 2002 9:43 AM | | I am using a custom wheelset (King hubs and Valiant rim) made by Odds and Endos. They are 668g front and 867g rear without the XT 11-32 cassette. I'm not really into the tubeless thing yet. Gotta crawl before you can walk...
I'm still stuck on the tire issue. The tires I will have to research. I ride in mixed terrain. There's a little bit of everything. Hardpack, fireroads, roots, rocks, loose, sand, etc....
I will encounter everything throughout the course of riding. |
| I agree--you're stuck at 24lbs... | AZ X-Racer
Jan 20, 2002 10:37 AM | | Unless you are willing to look at changing out the tires, seatpost, pedals, and possibly other things as well, you won't lose much more weight. Again, the tires will be the first, easiest and most noticeable place to start. The Pythons are awesome. The only place they suffer is in mud. I would use the Mosquito golds for that or one of the 1.8 or 1.85 tires like the ones that Marco and Eric suggested.
If you are going to be racing. You are going to need at least 2 different sets of tires for varying conditions anyway... |
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