Cyclist
How to make your bike lighter
Aero is supposedly everything these days, but the draw of lightweight bikes remains irresistible. While aero bikes are optimised for WorldTour speeds, anyone can enjoy the playful zip and improved climbing performance of a lighter bike.
Shaving grams off your bike is also fun and can become an overriding obsession: Weight Weenies, step forward. In this article, we’ll explain how to make your bike lighter, covering everything from wheels to bottle cages, while suggesting cheap and more expensive ways to save grams off each component.
Wheels
Light wheels might not beat a light frame, but you can often save 400g with a wheelset upgrade. Shallower, narrower rims will be lighter than wide, deep-sections. And carbon weighs less than alloy.
In Hunt’s wheel range, for example, the alloy 4-Season All-Road Disc Wheelset weighs a claimed 1,680g.
A change to the brand’s 32 Aerodynamicist UD Carbon Spoke Disc Wheelset will lighten your bike by 463g. At a cost of £1,499, it’s not a cheap weight saving though.
That said, you could drop £7,560 on the 1230g Lightweight Obermayer Evo Disc Wheelset.
Only a handful of brands still make lightweight rim brake wheels but Lightweight still does, as does Partington. Meanwhile Hunt and Parcours offer more affordable options.
Second-hand marketplaces are also a good place to search for rim brake wheels. Many will be tubular and pretty impractical, but lightweight clincher wheelsets like the Roval Rapide CLX occasionally pop up.
Without changing your rim, you can shed grams from your wheels by upgrading to lighter hubs, skewers or thru-axles, and spokes. For example, a pair of Extralite rim brake hubs weighs about 180g, 114g less than a set of DT Swiss 240 EXP Classic Hubs.
Brakes
Rim brakes from range-topping groupsets are already very light. A boutique’s brand rim brake callipers can save additional weight, albeit at substantial cost.
For example, a set of SRAM Red Aero Link callipers weighs 230g. THM’s Carbones Fibula Road rim brakes weigh just 120g… and cost €1,350.
As with rim brake groupsets, brands’ disc brakes get lighter as you move up the range. A 140mm Shimano Dura-Ace rotor weighs 31g less than a 105 rotor in the same size (90g versus 121g).
Weight Weenies running disc brakes may be tempted by the 50g titanium disc rotors from Carver Bikes costing $119.95 each.
Tyres and tubes
Tyres and inner tubes are a very cost-effective way to make your bike lighter.
TPU inner tubes can weigh as little as 40g each, saving you up to 100g per wheel over standard butyl inner tubes. For a cost of £15 to £30 per tube, that’s a good return.
It’s unwise to use less sealant in your tubeless setup to save weight. Instead upgrade to the best road bike tyres.
For instance, the Panaracer Agilest TLR and Vittoria Corsa N.Ext tip the scales at about 250g in a 700x28c size. Lower quality road bike tyres typically weigh 100g more.
Whether you’re running tubeless or inner tubes, a time-trial tyre will be lightest of all. The 700x25c Michelin Power Time Trial weighs a scant 190g, but will be too fragile for everyday riding.
Groupsets
A change of groupset components can save you about half a kilo without necessarily costing you more.
The advent of electronic shifting and disc brakes has made groupsets heavier. Therefore, some older groupsets are lighter than contemporary versions.
SRAM Red 22, the 11-speed, mechanical version of the brand’s top-end groupset released in 2013, weighs 1,721g. It’s very hard to find these days, even second hand, but remains a hill climber’s favourite for good reason.
Eleven years on, the latest SRAM Red AXS is the world’s lightest electronic disc groupset at about 2,500g. The weight of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 is almost identical.
With disc brake groupsets, more expensive generally equals lighter. For example, Shimano Ultegra Di2 will save you 373g over 105 Di2 while costing about £600 more at full price.
However, 12-speed, mechanical 105 weighs less than both electronic groupsets.
You don’t have to replace your whole groupset to make your bike lighter.
Cross compatibility between brands’ different components enables you to fit lighter parts to your existing groupset. Upgrading from a power meter-equipped SRAM Rival AXS crankset to the Red AXS equivalent will save you about 200g.
Aftermarket brands also offer slimmed down drivetrain parts. For example, Rotor says its Aldhu Carbon Crankset weighs 549g with 50/34t chainrings and 170mm cranks, rivalling SRAM Red and Dura-Ace in the weight stakes.
If reducing weight to ride uphill is your primary objective, you could follow the example of hill climbers, who often use 1x drivetrains. Removing the front derailleur and outer chainring can cut 400g from your bike.
A hill-climbing trend we don’t suggest you follow is drillium. This weight-saving technique involves drilling holes into components, like the rear derailleur, to make them lighter.
Finishing kit
Finishing kit is another area where you can make your bike and wallet much lighter.
The €299 Darimo T1 Loop seatpost weighs a startling 90g in a 27.2mm diameter and 350mm length. One of the lightest stems available is the €199 Extralite HyperStem at 79g in a 100mm length.
As for saddles, weighing 77g, Berk Composites’ £245 Lupina 3K Carbon Saddle is among the lightest out there. If you want more cushioning, the 123g Cadex Amp is extremely light for a padded saddle.
More mainstream brands also make lighter and more expensive carbon versions of their handlebars, seatposts and saddles.
For example, the Pro Vibe Superlight Carbon handlebar is up to 90g lighter than the Pro Vibe Alloy and £280 pricier.
When choosing a stem, bear in mind that alloy can sometimes be made lighter than carbon.
A narrower, compact handlebar may also weigh less than a wider bar with more reach and drop. That is if you decide to leave the drops intact.
A cheaper way to reduce the weight of your seatpost is to cut excess length within the frame once you’ve set your saddle height correctly.
Cutting any steerer tube left above the stem after you’ve established your preferred handlebar height and removing the spacers will also make your bike lighter.
You’re unlikely to want to dispense with bar tape entirely like some hill climbers do. But using thinner tape and not wrapping over the handlebar tops will save a few grams. Plastic bar end plugs can weigh slightly less than metal ones.
Shoes and clothing
While not strictly part of your bike, shoes and clothing contribute to your system weight: the total mass of you and the bike.
Lightweight summer kit is clearly lighter than warmer, winter clobber if temperatures allow.
Cycling shoes with laces, ventilated uppers and carbon soles are usually much lighter than standard shoes. For example, the Specialized S-Works Torch Lace weigh 465g in size EU45, up to 200g less than other premium models.
Accessories
On rides where you can do without them, taking off accessories like mudguards, racks, bottle cages, bells and saddle bags saves hundreds of grams.
If you do leave them on, lightweight alternatives exist. Elite’s 51g Flex Tex water bottle carried in a carbon bottle cage will bring a modest weight saving.
In addition, Tailfin’s Carbon Pannier Rack will save weight-obsessed commuters and bikepackers about 700g over a traditional metal rack.
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