With the Olympics pushed back a year, a lot of the new tech we might have expected to see rolled out for the biggest prize in XC racing is being kept under wraps until next year. With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the lightest bits of kit we've seen
Seatpost clamps are another place we often see minimalist components.
Bike Ahead's 6 spoke monocoque wheels are built in house in Germany and weights starts at 1249 grams for a 29er wheelset.
Carbon crowns on forks are a pretty commonplace way to save weight
Dangerholm manages to get his bar and stem weighing under 200 grams thanks to a combo of MCFK and Schmolke parts
*rotors overheat*
*surprise pikachu face*
Anyone else notice that the Dangerholm separate saddle and post weighed less than the single piece carbon version?
Overall though, these are cross country racers. They can afford to blow through pads and warp a disc by the end of each race. I'm sure these were tested.
@conman1395 : Not sure there. I think brake definitely heat up more when you drag them than when you dissipate all that energy in shorter bits. I do agree that for the same change in velocity, the same amount of energy is dissipated. That's some basic mechanics. I just think that the short hard braking causes a more rapid temperature rise and (when the brake is released) this larger temperature difference (rotor vs ambient air) also causes a quicker cooling. So in the same time, more of the absorbed energy is actually radiated compared to a dragged brake that only reaches that high temperature near the end.
Either way, the brake rotor in the picture is a rear brake rotor. I've once tried a 160mm Marta SL brake rotor in the front (with the 2007 Marta brake). It was black and blue in a single ride with some steep but very short descends. I've stuck with bigger front rotors ever since. However, for years I've happily run a 140mm brake rotor in the rear and it has been fine. I only moved up to 160mm in the rear because my current frame has a 160mm PM brake mount so I can't go smaller than that. So yeah, I'm heavy on the front brake but quite light on the rear brake. I suppose it would work. I'm just not one to experiment with untested combinations (third party brake rotor) for silly gains (like saving weight) but that doesn't mean it can't work in a more closely monitored situation (like WC racing with team mechanics and factory support).
That is another reason I never go full weight weenie. I hate to walk, gimme some beefed up weenie stuff please. I am also not in the Alps but I can send 1000hm constantly if I want and that is a no go for this weight watcher part bin stuff.
@Altron5000 : Yeah they are the real deal,l consider how cheap the Zee-MT5 Combo is and how it beats the MT7 in everything except the high price, haha.
I know this is a 2 year old thread but I would like to know what brand and model of fork you mention here. Full carbon 720 grams in 29"?
Thanks
Another thing not often talked about is how much comfort a lightweight well made seat post like that gives, they flex a lot which is a really good thing on a hardtail or when having your suspension locked on fully.
Side note: The integrated combo is actually the flex version, with rails so the shell can flex for better comfort. The really lightweight version features no rails at all but vertical carbon "plates" but then the shell is rigid at the center and only has got a little bit of wing flex.
Both combos features the same shell shape, but it's not the Rogla as stated in the caption but a model that's not in production (old prototype shape). But they have the molds and would most likely make you such a saddle if asked to.
/Dangerholm
www.specialized.com/us/en/power-pro-elaston/p/155906
Edit: after a google search, this does seem interesting though: www.probikekit.com/bicycle-saddles-seatposts/selle-italia-slr-c59-saddle-black/11446836.html
In all seriousness, it's interesting how far manufacturers will go to shave weight. Now imagine having all this but still showing up on Friday Fails haha
Can only imagine how awesome a light XC bike must be. But I'll keep my trail bike thanks.
They don’t save deraileurs. Never have.
We should all be riding with a spare hanger on our rides anyway, so if the carbon hanger is (a) designed to fail under a predetermined force and (b) would not bend slightly from a low impact and finally if only (c) the price was low, then it could be a good material generally for der. hangers.
I’m not sure if you’ve had personal experience with the syntace hanger but it was largely a failure for a few reasons besides its breakaway bolt.
Ha then there was the version where it got in the way of your derailleur moving back enough to get the wheel off so you had to remove the derailleur!
I’m sure your bike would run more fine without it.
With 12 speed there isn’t any room for it. And with the state of most peoples bike maintenance game It’s a recipe for disaster regardless of the number of gears.
Do you have a scale I can weigh this on?
I guess for the less than elite it's probably just simpler to lose a few pounds haha
I don’t need to explain myself to you.
If a 6g seatpost does the job why use an 40gr one?
If a 30gr chainguard keeps your chain on why use a 100gr one?
I probably am stupid for doing this though... I have 2 760mm carbon bars that weight under 170g each. I paid under $30 for each brand new. They've lasted years though. I just wish they were backswept more than 7 degrees.
plus leaf springs not super rigid
" In principle, an uncontrolled spring is not something you want to ride."
Yes. Hence the shitty performance. It's good on small washboard type bumps, but that's it.
It's: "how can he sit down with balls that big!!!!" In rob warners voice
Just going from QR thru axles to bolt ons can save ~.5lbs.
You're not very good at math, are you?
Some of the examples of saving 5-10 grams with a lighter chain guide is not going to make a measurable difference. If you are saving collectively hundreds of grams, yes, but several of the examples are marginal weight savings.