Rich: Are you looking to drop those pounds, kill those kilos and get that bike of yours
down to racing weight?
Well, look no further because I'm here to help you.
[background drums] Rich: It's not always easy and you can't cut
corners sometimes so here are some great ways of making your bike lighter both practically
and some impractical ways.
[music] Rich: Get rid of it.
[music] Rich: Going tubeless is a great way of knocking
some weight off of your bike.
Not only will you reduce the rotational mass but you also stand less chance of getting
a puncture.
Winning.
Now, when going tubeless, tubeless rims are very helpful but there are converging kits
out there.
However, tubeless tires, I would strongly recommend as this is just going to make your
life a lot easier.
We've spoken about going tubeless but what about those tubeless tires I mentioned or
just tires in general actually?
Well, on my trusty steed here, I have an XC-Race tire and that is a very lightweight kind of
tire.
If you're a heavy rider, you might be looking at something like an enduro style or downhill
casing type tire where the sidewalls of it are much thicker as well as the top of the
tire.
If you're an XC rider or someone who's a bit lighter on the bike, looking to shed those
grams then these thinner casing XC tires are going to save you potentially hundreds of
grams over the course of both tires.
That's a winner in my book.
[music] Rich: Dropper posts then.
Now, I know we banged on about this being the best thing since the disc brake or even
sliced bread but are they a necessity?
If you think about it, a dropper can weigh around 600 grams.
A solid seat post, that's going to be about 200 grams.
Give or take, obviously.
That's a big old weight saving.
When you think of all the mechanics, all the hydraulics, bits and bobs that go inside along
with the cable, the lever, just think "Is that necessary sometimes?"
Now, if you're of the more XC orientation, saying, you're not doing big long descents
and gnarly days on the bike, then well that weight saving is going to pay dividends for
you and probably not put a dropper at the top of your list.
[music] Rich: You're probably thinking, "Rich, these
aren't the most cheapest ways I could be making my bife a bit lighter.
How can I do that?
How can I make my bike a little bit lighter without spending a load of cash?"
Well, it's not going to save you a ton of weight but it could make your ride a lot comfier
and that is foam grips.
I know.
[scoffs] You didn't think of that straight away but honestly, foam grips are a great
way of saving a few grams, saving a few quid and work wonders for your hands.
[music] Rich: There's a lot of terrible addictions
out there but few of them are as expensive as this next one.
What am I talking about?
Carbon.
Yes.
Literally anything on a bike these days can be made of carbon.
It's a great way of upgrading your bike and saving a lot of weight, especially on some
major components like, possibly, forks, wheels, bars and stem.
It's not all about the weight saving with carbon though.
Granted, there will be a good chunk of that coming off the bike but the performance upgrades
and feels can be there too.
Things like stiffer wheels, stiffer suspension, these can all change how your bike is going
to feel but I'm warning you now, your wallet may well wince when it comes to what you put
in that shopping basket.
You've been warned.
[music] Rich: You've absolutely lathered your bike
in carbon bits left, right and center.
Wheels, bar, stem, you name it, you've thought of it.
You think you shed all the weight you can from it but I hate to break it to you, there
is just another way you can go saving some weight, titanium.
I know just when you thought the bank account couldn't take another hit, there's something
else.
I'm talking titanium bolts, titanium saddle, some fancy titanium pedals.
Those extra bits are going to save you even more grams.
Actually, I think I need some more tie on this bike.
I'm off.
I'm going.
I'll see you later.
I need some tie.
Old tie.
Actually, I'm a bit hungry, I could eat a Thai right now, a green curry or a red curry.
Any curry.
[music] Rich: There we have it then, some both practical
and impractical ways of making your bike lighter which is luckily helping me get up this hill.
As always, if you want to see more, don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
Hit the old thumbs up and I'm off for a ride.
See you.
Not really.
That was for the camera.