What upgrades?

[thewave]

Rock Shox Tora 302 SL fork

I have a Specialized Rockhopper 2007 bike, which overall i'm chuffed with, although I think it's quite heavy, but not really knowing all that much about bikes, what am I best to upgrade to save a bit of weight at a reasonable cost?

I assume the Rock Shox Tora 302 SL forks are as good a place as any to start?
They weigh 2400g (5.3lbs) and I've seen the Fox Forx F80 X (£449) only weigh 1640g (3.6lbs) so that's a reduction of nearly 1 bag of sugar straight away, but at £449, it's pretty steep for me.

Any recommendations?

[tjdixon911]

thewave said:

Rock Shox Tora 302 SL fork

I have a Specialized Rockhopper 2007 bike, which overall i'm chuffed with, although I think it's quite heavy, but not really knowing all that much about bikes, what am I best to upgrade to save a bit of weight at a reasonable cost?

I assume the Rock Shox Tora 302 SL forks are as good a place as any to start?
They weigh 2400g (5.3lbs) and I've seen the Fox Forx F80 X (£449) only weigh 1640g (3.6lbs) so that's a reduction of nearly 1 bag of sugar straight away, but at £449, it's pretty steep for me.

Any recommendations?

With my limited knowledge I guess the frame and forks make up most of the weight on a bike so they'd probably be a good start, but for that sort of money it would put me off!

[SCOOTERMAN]

Before worrying about weight, if you've not done so already, ditch the standard Spesh Fast Trak tyres. They're useless: go near anything loose or wet and it's "Goodnight grip"

[thewave]

SCOOTERMAN said:

Before worrying about weight, if you've not done so already, ditch the standard Spesh Fast Trak tyres. They're useless: go near anything loose or wet and it's "Goodnight grip"

What do you suggest? It's with the bike shop as we speak so now's a good time to change.

[pdV6]

thewave said:

I assume the Rock Shox Tora 302 SL forks are as good a place as any to start?
They weigh 2400g (5.3lbs) and I've seen the Fox Forx F80 X (£449) only weigh 1640g (3.6lbs) so that's a reduction of nearly 1 bag of sugar straight away, but at £449, it's pretty steep for me.

Any recommendations?

Similar spec to the F80X is the Rock Shox Reba Race. Ever so slightly lighter than the Fox and costs ~ £300

[WildCards]

thewave said:

What do you suggest? It's with the bike shop as we speak so now's a good time to change.

What stem, seatpost, saddle and handlebars have you now?
Change to Ti bolts, look at lighter pedals & tyres - is tubeless a possibility?

[mk1fan]

Lose some weight yourself would have a bigger effect on your riding.

Next look at removing anything that you don't need / use. Like reflectors, bottle cages, heavy tyres and tubes. Does your riding position mean you could trim the seat post and handlebars down? If you need to change your stem / handlebars / saddle then buy lighter components - eg. Easton EA70.

Next change the wheels. Reducing the rotating mass has a huge effect on how a bike rides. Consider lighter rotors too - iirc Hope Floating discs (Stans Ali items aside) are the lightest you can get that aren't limited use specials.

In reality you're trying to lighten a mass produced, low end (comparatively) bike. If you really want a light bike then run the Spesh into the ground and save up for a top-end machine like the Spesh S-Works.

[JPJ]

As Mk1Fan says - wheels!!!! It's here that you will feel the most difference, and is a cheaper upgrade than most other areas, plus you can keep a spare set just in case or run it with some road tyres if that's your thing.

Magura and Marzocchi forks are also very good, Marzocchi's tending to be a little lighter but also a touch more flexible.

[thewave]

I think i'll go the forks and wheels route, and change the tyres (tubeless?), that should suffice for now.

With respect to the frame, well I've broken (yes broken) two frames (yes frames) already, so i'm a little nervous of spending huge amounts on something i'm possibly going to break. The shop bloke said the frame on this bike is pretty tough, and should last a lot longer than the CB.

[gbbird]

Get some Fox 32 Float R's. Light as anything and an excellent fork.

Also, what crank have you got. some of them can be quite weighty too. If its a Shimano then you are probably as light as you can get though

[Gingerbread Man]

Depends on your budget as said. Can get lighter tyres, lighter tubes, lighter pedals. Can get some carbon things like bars and seat post.

But I think what weighs are frame, forks. Unless your forks are naff you'd be replacing them just to save your weigh issue. If you do you should be able to get some good deals being the end of the ear and the new 2008 models are out. Look around.

Frame wise, I'm guessing it's Alu construction? This should be pretty light.

Are the wheels heavy?

David

[Parrot of Doom]

Bottom brackets are always weighty. But really if you want to save weight, instead of spending £20 on titanium QR skewers, just have a dump before you ride.

[thewave]

Parrot of Doom said:

Bottom brackets are always weighty. But really if you want to save weight, instead of spending £20 on titanium QR skewers, just have a dump before you ride.

Have to have a dump first anyway, usually a cup of tea gets the old bowels moving

I think the frame is fairly light, I had no idea bottom brackets were that weighty? I spoke to the shop yesterday and he said exactly what was said above, wait for the new range to come out and you'll pick up some bargains, good to hear, considering he could have just sold me something for the sake of it. We then talked about wheels and tyres, and basically we've agreed to do to it after Christmas.

Thanks for all the help guys, looking forward to meeting up.

[CooperS]

mk1fan said:

In reality you're trying to lighten a mass produced, low end (comparatively) bike. If you really want a light bike then run the Spesh into the ground and save up for a top-end machine like the Spesh S-Works.

Exactly what i was going to put. Why buy a pre made bike if you wanted something lighter? Doesnt seem like a good place to start for a truely light bike? But as others have said hit everything you dont need, loose the wieght from the wheels/tyres and then try and shed a few pounds yourself? If not get the frame from a S-works, but once you head down this line you might as well built a fully customised bike?

[sjg]

The Toras are perfectly good forks. I'd only advocate replacing them after a season or so when they'd need a service anyway.

Tyres are always worth replacing, these US-designed bikes rarely seem to get tyres that are effective in the UK. Going for folding/kevlar ones will save a bit of weight too.

But in all honesty, the Rockhoppers aren't that heavy. The biggest limiting factor in how quickly and easily it gets up hills is you.

[thewave]

CooperS said:

mk1fan said:

In reality you're trying to lighten a mass produced, low end (comparatively) bike. If you really want a light bike then run the Spesh into the ground and save up for a top-end machine like the Spesh S-Works.

Exactly what i was going to put. Why buy a pre made bike if you wanted something lighter? Doesnt seem like a good place to start for a truely light bike? But as others have said hit everything you dont need, loose the wieght from the wheels/tyres and then try and shed a few pounds yourself? If not get the frame from a S-works, but once you head down this line you might as well built a fully customised bike?

Why does every one think i'm fat and overweight?

Okay the six pack dissapeared around 6 years ago, but i'm not exactly a Big Daddy lookalike!

With respect to buying a relatively cheap bike. It's the best I could really afford to spend at the time, I now have £500 or so to spend, and won't get better, so best upgrading i'd have thought.

Some might say, wait, save and buy new, but there's nothing wrong with the bike I have really, just a few bits could be improved. Am I thinking about this right?

[tjdixon911]

thewave said:

CooperS said:

mk1fan said:

In reality you're trying to lighten a mass produced, low end (comparatively) bike. If you really want a light bike then run the Spesh into the ground and save up for a top-end machine like the Spesh S-Works.

Exactly what i was going to put. Why buy a pre made bike if you wanted something lighter? Doesnt seem like a good place to start for a truely light bike? But as others have said hit everything you dont need, loose the wieght from the wheels/tyres and then try and shed a few pounds yourself? If not get the frame from a S-works, but once you head down this line you might as well built a fully customised bike?

Why does every one think i'm fat and overweight?

Okay the six pack dissapeared around 6 years ago, but i'm not exactly a Big Daddy lookalike!

With respect to buying a relatively cheap bike. It's the best I could really afford to spend at the time, I now have £500 or so to spend, and won't get better, so best upgrading i'd have thought.

Some might say, wait, save and buy new, but there's nothing wrong with the bike I have really, just a few bits could be improved. Am I thinking about this right?

How much is your bike worth 2nd Hand? If you added that to the £500 your looking to spend would it be better to buy a better bike off the shelf? Just a thought??

I don't know why your going to these sort of lengths, we aren't that difficult to keep up with round Thetford....

When I decided to start biking again earlier this year I spent £400 on my bike, its perfectly fine for what I use it for. My thoughts were that if I really got into it I could use this for a couple of years then upgrade to a better bike....

[thewave]

tjdixon911 said:

thewave said:

CooperS said:

mk1fan said:

In reality you're trying to lighten a mass produced, low end (comparatively) bike. If you really want a light bike then run the Spesh into the ground and save up for a top-end machine like the Spesh S-Works.

Exactly what i was going to put. Why buy a pre made bike if you wanted something lighter? Doesnt seem like a good place to start for a truely light bike? But as others have said hit everything you dont need, loose the wieght from the wheels/tyres and then try and shed a few pounds yourself? If not get the frame from a S-works, but once you head down this line you might as well built a fully customised bike?

Why does every one think i'm fat and overweight?

Okay the six pack dissapeared around 6 years ago, but i'm not exactly a Big Daddy lookalike!

With respect to buying a relatively cheap bike. It's the best I could really afford to spend at the time, I now have £500 or so to spend, and won't get better, so best upgrading i'd have thought.

Some might say, wait, save and buy new, but there's nothing wrong with the bike I have really, just a few bits could be improved. Am I thinking about this right?

How much is your bike worth 2nd Hand? If you added that to the £500 your looking to spend would it be better to buy a better bike off the shelf? Just a thought??

I don't know why your going to these sort of lengths, we aren't that difficult to keep up with round Thetford....

When I decided to start biking again earlier this year I spent £400 on my bike, its perfectly fine for what I use it for. My thoughts were that if I really got into it I could use this for a couple of years then upgrade to a better bike....

I suppose you're right, second hand I have no idea what it's worth, added to the £500 it may be a better option.

I love biking, I literally go everywhere on it, but have never taken it on a proper trail. I'll hold off on any upgrades until I've actually justified it with a few trips.

Money and hole in pocket springs to mind, in fact, I really should avoid upgrading, otherwise i'll look like one of those people with all the gear but can't actually use it for love nor money

I reckon you'll leave me standing, i'll be out all week practicing

[pdV6]

thewave said:

I really should avoid upgrading, otherwise i'll look like one of those people with all the gear but can't actually use it for love nor money

You called?

[WildCards]

thewave said:

I love biking, I literally go everywhere on it, but have never taken it on a proper trail. I'll hold off on any upgrades until I've actually justified it with a few trips.

The more you ride the better you get at stuff and you start to realise just what aspect you enjoy most. For instance I used to really enjoy long all day XC rides through rolling countryside and was of the opinion that one bike was enough, now I prefer shorter more intense rides, I really enjoy technical singletrack whereas I didn't before and i'm of the opinion that I should have many bikes to do different jobs and ride in different seasons. If at all possible, save the money, ride what you've got more and try out different places, styles, technicues etc and you'll get a better idea of what you want out of your bike.