[jlackey49]

Hey guys. Thanks in advance for comments/suggestions:

I have a Fisher 29er rig.(HiFi Deluxe) - pretty much stock except tubeless, thompson stem and post, titec bars, seat, and odi grips. Coming from a 26 rig and starting to miss some of the nimbleness (is flickability a technical term?). Would any component changes change the feel of the bike? Would some weight reduction help? If so (weight), what would you suggest? This may be a classic case of 29 vs 26 and riding styles.

Thanks again!

 

[big_slacker]

Even though GF bills it as a race bike, its in the 27-28lb range right? Thats all purpose trailbike weight in my book.

Wheels first, the duster is fairly porky. Dunno what your weight is, but you can pick up a lighter XC oriented wheelset and resell the current wheels.

Carbon bar, lighter stem, carbon post.

Finally, I think the crankset is pretty heavy as well.

Probably cost you around $500 with reselling parts, but I bet the bike would feel a *LOT* lighter.

I say this because I was in a similar boat, feeling my 29er was just more ponderous. Swapping the thompson stem and aluminum bar for an EA90 and monkeylight SL made the steering feel super light! Its only half a pound but the effect on "feel" was incredible. Wheels also make a huge difference in feel.

 

[azrod68]

I would just say ride more followed up with more exercises! That is the cheapest and fastest way!!

Just my opion, or if you have the money. Carbon fiber cranks, wheels and other little goodies....:eekster:

 

[BruceBrown]

Hey guys. Thanks in advance for comments/suggestions:

I have a Fisher 29er rig.(HiFi Deluxe) - pretty much stock except tubeless, thompson stem and post, titec bars, seat, and odi grips. Coming from a 26 rig and starting to miss some of the nimbleness (is flickability a technical term?). Would any component changes change the feel of the bike? Would some weight reduction help? If so (weight), what would you suggest? This may be a classic case of 29 vs 26 and riding styles.

Thanks again!

What does your HiFi Deluxe weigh?

A wheelset in the 1500 - 1650g range and some XC tires with a sweet rolling resistance feel (Maxxis Aspens, Raven 2.2's, Karma 1.9's, etc...) will take care of quite a bit of weight and feel. Those XDX tires your bike came with are listed at 710g per tire. Something like an Aspen is 480 - 510g per tire in the 2.1 volume and are very, very good being run tubeless.

I don't know what your wheelset weighs, but something like the XC wheels such as the American Classic tubeless 29 XC wheels (1600g), or the Stans NoTubes ZTR hubs laced to the new Crest rims (1540g) combined with lighter tires would probably shave off 800 - 900g alone (1.75 - 2 lbs). Upgrade to the lighter weight XTR cassette (or Nino's Ti 11-34 at 187g) to cut even more. The rest of that bike looks to be outfitted with some pretty darn nice gear that I would leave alone as you won't really feel any difference out on the trail (even if the scale shows you've dropped another 1/4 or 1/2 lb after spending $500 - $1000 which is not very cost effective). It's the wheels and tires (and cassette) I would throw my cash at to get nimble.

Pretty soon, you start adding up all the costs involved to get the weight down and you could have just started with the HiFi Pro or the Superfly 100.

BB

 

[jlackey49]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I'm in good shape so exercise is not the issue.

Also only 155 lbs, so I'm open to most wheelsets. Currently the rig weighs in at 28.8 lbs. I'll check out the components suggested. I'm not as focused on the weight as much as the maneuverability and nimbleness of the rig. I'm certain 26 to 29er converts know what I'm talking about. Could be that I need to go back to a 26. Love the Superfly though and even considering a trade. I just have to see how cheap I can pick up the components/wheels.

Again, I appreciate all the comments. Anything further would be appreciated! Ride on!

 

[big_slacker]

Personally if I wanted a lighter weight FS bike I would stick with a 26er in the first place. Yeah, I know this is the 29er forum but I'm not trolling. Lighter weight, in the wheels and the suspension provides the comfort and downhill ability.

I rode a Roscoe at a GF demo and it weighs the same as your hifi at 28ish pounds???? Thats a long travel trailbike capable of light freeride.

 

[idinomac]

Call Stans notubes they can build your wheels at a little over 1300g becuse your so light
I might get the hifi pro and my weight is 175lbs my Stans wheels are going to weigh about
the 1540g that Bruce is talking about. The Crest 29er rim is a new 29er rim out on the market for the 29ers.. All the FS 29ers going for $1,500.00 to $4,000.00 have s***y wheels
IMHO ans the same for 26ers. Handlebars,seat,stem, that gets changed by most people any ways. But you have a good start and by the way what year is your GF Deluxe.
If you have the $$$ for the superfly 100 and your racing than go for it, I would!

 

[Blatant]

All the weight loss in the world ain't gonna make it handle or feel like a 26er. Don't be afraid to go back to the little wheels if that's what you like. I did for my FS rig, but stayed with 29er (the obvious choice) for my SS bike.

 

[1-bar]

Reducing rotational weight is the best place to start. You should definitely look at the crest or 355 with dt revolution spokes at your weight.

 

[james_95]

I have noticed a few posts about how to get the weight down on the 2010 Hifi so I thought I’d share my list with you. I have a 2010 Hifi Plus that has went through a little bit of a makeover. It started at 30.1lbs and is now 27.3lbs (still with what some would consider a heavy wheelset and heavy tires). Most everything on this list are parts that came off or when on my 2010 Hifi Plus. They were all weighted on the same digital scale at my house so it shows a good apples to apples comparison.
Oh, and by the way…I love my Hifi. I just did 12hrs of Temecula on it and couldn’t be happier with performance, stiff when it needs to be and plush (as plush as an XC bike is) when it needs to be.

 

[jlackey49]

Thanks for all the advice. Rig currently weighs 28.8. I'm getting an XT cassette, Arch rims, DT spokes, & Hope II hubs thanks to my LBS. I think this will drop almost 2 lbs. If it ever dries up here in NC, I'll be able to go with lighter tires (currently Nevegal on F, Bonty on R).

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[44gnats]

superfly 100 frame; lots of weight savings there while keeping the same geometry.
more seriously though, i'd go with rotational weight savings (wheels), as others have said, over stem, bars, etc.

 

[jeffwilsonn]

I really wish that people would stop the "lose some weight" and dont worry about how much the bike weighs advice. Its pointless. It doesnt matter if you weigh 145 or 200 lbs, a bike that weighs less will still be lighter than a bike that weighs more. Im 200 lbs and I sure can notice the difference between a 30 pounder and a 23 pound bike. /rantoff lol I feel better now

 

[mudnuts]

Hey guys. Thanks in advance for comments/suggestions:

I have a Fisher 29er rig.(HiFi Deluxe) - pretty much stock except tubeless, thompson stem and post, titec bars, seat, and odi grips. Coming from a 26 rig and starting to miss some of the nimbleness (is flickability a technical term?). Would any component changes change the feel of the bike? Would some weight reduction help? If so (weight), what would you suggest? This may be a classic case of 29 vs 26 and riding styles.

Thanks again!

So you went from a stumpy to the hi-fi 29? Just curious what size is the 29er and what size is the stumpy?

 

[BruceBrown]

I really wish that people would stop the "lose some weight" and dont worry about how much the bike weighs advice. Its pointless. It doesnt matter if you weigh 145 or 200 lbs, a bike that weighs less will still be lighter than a bike that weighs more. Im 200 lbs and I sure can notice the difference between a 30 pounder and a 23 pound bike. /rantoff lol I feel better now

I guess I didn't see the post where somebody said "lose some weight and don't worry about the bike".

I had mentioned that with the OP's budget, attacking the wheels, cassette and tires would be the place to start with the $1000, but the rest of the bike was fine for now (since his budget would be used up addressing the wheels/tires/cassette). Luckily, the OP is at the ideal XC racer weight to be competitive. So his bike weight does need to be addressed. Any more spent and it would have made much more sense to just buy a medium Superfly 100 at 23.5 lbs stock instead of trying to trim down a 28.8 pound HiFi.

Nice thread here on bike weight loss (from the XC racing forum).

OP's subsequent post mentions: Rig currently weighs 28.8. I'm getting an XT cassette, Arch rims, DT spokes, & Hope II hubs thanks to my LBS.

Unfortunately, that's not a very good wheel build choice for cutting weight on the HiFi as those hubs, rims and whatever DT spokes you choose are going to weigh over 1750 - 1850g (depending on which DT spokes). You should have gone with the Crest rims and or lighter hubs than the Hopes. At your weight, you really could be running something around 1450 - 1550g easy and would have cost nearly the same.

And the XT cassette is a boat anchor compared to what is available in the Ti cassettes (they range from 157 - 187 depending on cog choices).

Just saying, if one is serious about dropping weight off the bike - ya gotta do it right. Otherwise, you've just thrown good money to only whittle down to 1/2 the potential weight loss had you thrown the same exact amount of good money at the products that are lighter and available. That wheelset and XT cassette won't do it like you want. They'll get you 1/2 way there, but you could have spent the same and gone "all the way"....

BB

 

[blooper]

I have to second what Bruce has said. I think at your weight you could go lighter for same money on the wheels. You are building a good quality wheel set but not saving much weight. Maybe 1 to 1 1/2 pounds.

Brian