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Cutting weight: Stock Gary Fisher Sugar 4+

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Cutting weight: Stock Gary Fisher Sugar 4+

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flag PugglesXC
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 17:56 Quote
Hi everyone first post blah blah blah Big Grin

A week ago I bought a Sugar 4+ (believe its a 2003) for a deal I couldn't turn down. the bike was mint when I picked it up. I've literally done more damage to the bike due to chain suck rubbing up on the frame. so far I feel like the bike is just what I needed, although I can attest to the reviews that the bike seat, chain suck, and forks (manitou black comp) are weak points. along with various stock parts (all shimano deore lx).

anyway to the point of the thread
I feel like the rear end of the bike is heavy compared to the front end. out of all the bikes I've ridden I CANNOT comfortably pick up the rear end. I know that this bike isn't a dirt jumper, but J hopping takes continuous effort. catching air over rocks and stumps is tough as well. its worth mentioning that the stock set up is far from what I want/like.

what I was wondering is if there is any heavy and/or light components I can remove/replace to cut the weight off the rear end.

I do have several parts I can put on this bike that may make it lighter
Carbon fiber Easton monkey lite CT2 bars EA50 stem
Fox float R racing shock
XTR rear derailer
XT front derailer
avid BB7_MTN disk brake
Shimano FC-M580 crankset


Any help would be greatly appreciated
happy riding
flag dialeddobermann
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 18:02 Quote
PugglesXC wrote:
Hi everyone first post blah blah blah Big Grin

A week ago I bought a Sugar 4+ (believe its a 2003) for a deal I couldn't turn down. the bike was mint when I picked it up. I've literally done more damage to the bike due to chain suck rubbing up on the frame. so far I feel like the bike is just what I needed, although I can attest to the reviews that the bike seat, chain suck, and forks (manitou black comp) are weak points. along with various stock parts (all shimano deore lx).

anyway to the point of the thread
I feel like the rear end of the bike is heavy compared to the front end. out of all the bikes I've ridden I CANNOT comfortably pick up the rear end. I know that this bike isn't a dirt jumper, but J hopping takes continuous effort. catching air over rocks and stumps is tough as well. its worth mentioning that the stock set up is far from what I want/like.

what I was wondering is if there is any heavy and/or light components I can remove/replace to cut the weight off the rear end.


tires. rotational weight is most important and tires make for a relatively cheap and effective upgrade.

I do have several parts I can put on this bike that may make it lighter
Carbon fiber Easton monkey lite CT2 bars EA50 stem
Fox float R racing shock
XTR rear derailer
XT front derailer
avid BB7_MTN disk brake
Shimano FC-M580 crankset


Any help would be greatly appreciated
happy riding
flag PugglesXC
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 19:51 Quote
Thanks Dialed for your help. TBH I'm running a pair of 1.7 hybrid tires that I'm learning to hate. I'll be upgrading tires soon, yet IDK what style/size tire I want for XC travels.

but what about the weight issue? I still feel that the rear end is heavy. taking a closer look at the suspension there is a sybil (2.8-4.1 adjustable)unit matched with a cane creek AD5 shock. my initial thoughts was to change the entire crank set, rear suspension, seat, and rear rims. I dont know how much weight I would save and cost of course.

along with a good set of tires, would switching the rear suspension to a 4.1 do a world of a difference? many people say that this helps for XC riding. where I want to J hop and jump rocks I dont know if his will help me tons. people have said that the sugar 4+ is a decent bike to get into 'racing weight' I dont know where to start Really Mad
flag dialeddobermann
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 20:48 Quote
PugglesXC wrote:
Thanks Dialed for your help. TBH I'm running a pair of 1.7 hybrid tires that I'm learning to hate. I'll be upgrading tires soon, yet IDK what style/size tire I want for XC travels.

but what about the weight issue? I still feel that the rear end is heavy. taking a closer look at the suspension there is a sybil (2.8-4.1 adjustable)unit matched with a cane creek AD5 shock. my initial thoughts was to change the entire crank set, rear suspension, seat, and rear rims. I dont know how much weight I would save and cost of course.

along with a good set of tires, would switching the rear suspension to a 4.1 do a world of a difference? many people say that this helps for XC riding. where I want to J hop and jump rocks I dont know if his will help me tons. people have said that the sugar 4+ is a decent bike to get into 'racing weight' I dont know where to start Really Mad

XC? i highly recommend the 2.1 kenda small block 8. great tires, excellent weight.
flag thecarpy
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 20:53 Quote
small blocks wear badly. get something like continental race kings or bontrager xr1's, or maxxis larsen tt's. still extremely light, but more grip and better wear.
flag dialeddobermann
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 20:54 Quote
carpy95 wrote:
small blocks wear badly. get something like continental race kings or bontrager xr1's, or maxxis larsen tt's. still extremely light, but more grip and better wear.

since when? for harsh street mabey, when i rode alot of djs my sb8s showed like 0 wear
flag thecarpy
Posted: Jun 5, 2011 at 20:57 Quote
DialedSuburban wrote:
carpy95 wrote:
small blocks wear badly. get something like continental race kings or bontrager xr1's, or maxxis larsen tt's. still extremely light, but more grip and better wear.

since when? for harsh street mabey, when i rode alot of djs my sb8s showed like 0 wear
The amount of time that the wheels are on the ground and being ridden when on a dirt jumper does not compare to the amount of time for xc.
flag guerilladownhilla
O+
Posted: Jun 6, 2011 at 8:36 Quote
if you have all those parts why aren't they on there already? when you say the rear feels heavy is it that you can't pick it up when your standing net to it, or you can't get it to lift when you are riding?
flag PugglesXC
Posted: Jun 6, 2011 at 10:41 Quote
guerilladownhilla wrote:
if you have all those parts why aren't they on there already? when you say the rear feels heavy is it that you can't pick it up when your standing net to it, or you can't get it to lift when you are riding?

the rear feels considerably heavy compared to the front end while picking it up. when I J hop I need to focus on immedietly picking the rear end as soon as the front leaves the ground. the same goes for jumping anywhere on XC trails.

throughout my biking adventures I've ridden a Santa Cruz superlight, Kona Cowan, Spec Hardrock, Spec Rockhopper, Spec Stumpjumper, Spec FSR, modified Klein, a walmart special Schwinn and even a crappy Mongoose fully from god knows when. all of these bikes allowed me to jump how I wanted. Going over speed bumps is the same deal. the front lifts right off the ground but unless I'm making an effort the rear just wont pick up. could the rear shock be to blame?

thanks
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