Decreasing Weight

[pinkbikes]

Yep - that's quite a question!

OK, well I had a Kona Lisa HT and shifted to a full suspension rig. To be honest I didn't notice it was heavier (possibly because I shelled out lots of money and it is probably actually lighter) at all. What I did notice was increased confidence in bombing over all surfaces and greater comfort, so you may find that there is a trade-off and you won't be any slower at all. And it's a NICE looking bike btw - I have a real soft spot for the Konas since my first MTB was one and that one looks sweet!

In terms of answering your question...

You can fiddle around with a few lighter bits and pieces here and there, but if you really want to keep up with the guys, the best gain is to reduce your rotating mass at large diameter. So probably my first stop would be lighter rims and tyres. That means you don't have to work so hard to accelerate your wheels and keep them rolling. It'd be your single biggest gain I think particularly for climbing.

That being said, I really liked the Ignitors and took them off my Lisa and put them on my Specialized (which utterly scandalised the mechanic at the shop) instead of the nice light tyres it came with! I find the ignitors very confidence-inspiring with their good solid edge tread. They have lots of bite and have saved me many a time. They are also really good for shedding mud so are a good all-around tyre for where I ride.

You can fiddle around with carbon blingy bits and save yourself maybe a half a pound or so. By all means do it if you like the bling factor - but IMHO a good poop is going to save you as much weight and help you keep up just as well!

If it were me I would be saving up that carbon money to upgrade the rear derailleur to a better spec, as I see that as the weakest link in this set-up. And at some stage you may decide you want a better fork?

So, in summary...

The bike seems to be specced at a consistent level. Fiddling around the edges with a few light bits will probably get you nowhere in terms of keeping up with the boys, but do it if you like the look of the bits. The biggest gains will be in wheels (for rotating weight), then rear derailleur and fork (for better mechanical performance).

It's a sweet-looking bike - hope you enjoy it.



PS: Maybe ride it first - you may find that they are talking crap and you are no slower!?