How To Make My Mountain Bike Lighter

There are a lot of ways to make your bike lighter. You can replace the wheels with ones that have less rotational weight, use a smaller frame, or add weight to the frame.

How can I make my bike lighter for free?

Give your bike a clean. Clear out your saddle bag. Use less bar tape. Ditch the bottles. Cut down on the cages. Get drilling. Cut out the cake.^[1]

Is a lighter mountain bike better?

Lighter mountain bikes are faster because it is easier to push something light up a steep road in comparison to a heavier bike, but still, the maximum speed will not be improved by much. On uphill sections and sprints is where lighter mountain bikes truly shine and will have a massive advantage.^[2]

How do I lower my bike weight?

Buy latex inner tubes. Latex tubes are a bit lighter than butyl tubes, but their effect is amplified because they contribute to rotational weight Courtesy. Use lightweight tyres. Change to velo plugs. Use lightweight bar tape. Get carbon everything. Go paint free. Change your cassette. Keep your hands out of the cookie jar.^[3]

What is the heaviest part of a mountain bike?

Wheels – 33.60% Accounting for almost 34 percent of the total weight of a Mountain Bike, the wheels are the thing that add the most weight to your bike.^[4]

How much weight do carbon handlebars save?

Most brands show a weight saving of around 20-40 per cent for carbon over aluminium.^[5]

Does going tubeless save weight?

Reduce weight from tires In a typical tubeless setup, you’re looking at about 125 grams of sealant in each tire, meaning the overall weight savings can be anywhere from 150 – 650 grams by ditching the tube.^[6]

Does a lighter bike make you faster?

Bottom line: A lighter bike may save you a few seconds per climb. But if you really want to get faster, there are better ways to spend your energy and money, like shedding bodyweight, upgrading your wheels, and making your bike more aerodynamic.^[7]

What is considered a heavy bike?

In general, a heavy motorcycle will probably be anything upwards of 450 or 500 lbs. Anything above that I would consider to be a heavy motorcycle. For most people, any bike over 500 lbs will start to feel very heavy, and bikes closer to the 800 or 900 lb mark can feel downright unrideable.^[8]

What is a good bike weight?

17 – 17.5 pounds is the normal range. The real discussion is about 1.5 to 2 pounds. The performance advantage of a lighter bike is greatest when the hill is steepest.^[9]

Is 15kg heavy for a MTB?

16kg or 35lbs would be on the heavy end of a good full suspension mountain bike. It would be a few pounds heavy for a good hardtail mountain bike.^[10]

How heavy is too heavy for a mountain bike?

Can You Be Too Heavy for a Mountain Bike? As a general rule if you weigh more than 300 lb you are too heavy for most mountain bikes on the market and your best choice is to follow a weight loss program. After reaching a bodyweight that is less than 300 lb you should consider buying a mountain bike.^[11]

Is 30 lbs heavy for a mountain bike?

30lbs is about standard for an entry level hardtail. 24-25lbs is good for nice mid-range alloy hardtail. You can get less if you spend $$$ for a carbon hardtail. If you want FS then 30lbs for nice all mountain bike 5-6″ travel is about the norm.^[12]