Decreasing Weight

[laura*]

Frame tubing Kona Race Light Scandium Butted, 4" Travel

I'm almost done building an XC MTB on a VooDoo Sobo Scandium frame. The bare frame is scary light. I expect your Kona frame would be too, especially as the VooDoo's designer also works for Kona.

Freewheel Shimano Deore (11-32, 9spd)

You could save a bit of weight by upgrading to one of the cassettes that uses an aluminum cog carrier: XTR, Deore XT, or HG80.

Spokes Stainless 14g

If you get lighter rims, you could also get lighter double (or triple) butted spokes. Also, instead of rim tape or those big rubber band things, consider Velocity VeloPlugs. They'll reduce rotating weight all the way out by the tire.

[pink monkey]

I'm almost done building an XC MTB on a VooDoo Sobo Scandium frame. The bare frame is scary light. I expect your Kona frame would be too, especially as the VooDoo's designer also works for Kona.

You could save a bit of weight by upgrading to one of the cassettes that uses an aluminum cog carrier: XTR, Deore XT, or HG80.

If you get lighter rims, you could also get lighter double (or triple) butted spokes. Also, instead of rim tape or those big rubber band things, consider Velocity VeloPlugs. They'll reduce rotating weight all the way out by the tire.

Thanks Laura! I have a friend who is going to give me the XTR cassette off his bike before he sells it so i'm set there. Good thinking about the wheels! I didnt even think about the spokes or tape. I heard with the Kona four, they decreased the weight of the frame but then hung heavier parts on it... which was disappointing, but i guess good for now cause it kept price down.

[pink monkey]

I second all the rim/tire suggestions. Just wanted to say how nice it is to see some Kona love on here. I have 3 Konas and I love 'em!

awesome! I'm glad to hear that other people love Konas! I was getting a little nervous about it because you dont see very many Konas around. Even in the shops that do carry Konas I hardly see very many of them. I hope I love it as much as I think I already do!!

[pink monkey]

Skill, schmill! I have precious little of that! When people pass me in races (it happens) and say "Hey - nice bike!" my usual reply is "Yeah but I spent so much on the bike I couldn't afford the legs that match it!" That would be in between all the puffing and panting because it is usually up some rotten hill!

If I bought a bike to match my skill level I might be riding on a Kmart bike! But I did get an absolutely screaming deal on it ($1k off really talks to me) and that opportunity was not going to come again, so I just plunged in and did it. And long after the memory has faded of how it hurt to part with the money, it puts a smile on my face each and every time I ride it! I just grin like an idiot!

And as for the brakes jokes - they won't stop. When I ride with DH he always says "Hey, I'll have a look at those brakes for you when we get home - they must be dragging!" NICE! Ride them all you like - that's what they are FOR!

you are so lucky! if i could have gotten a great deal on it, I might not have been able to resist. That's what happened with my road bike... saw it was pink, fit great, and was a killer deal... I just had to have it! DH's face when i got home was priceless... Good thing my old bike sold so fast otherwise I would probably of been in trouble!! I have never been able go to the bike shop again without a warning or my cc taken away. haha! One of these days I hope to find a used era for a killer price... hopefully after my Kona needs to be upgraded, not before i even get it!! DH would be hurt if I asked to trade his present for me!

Glad to hear that i'm not the only one getting the brake jokes! I'm trying to learn to ease up on them, but then the last time i panicked and slammed on them... which sent me up and over my bike. haha, gotta love it...

[tzvia]

Pink Monkey-
I second what others have said here about the wheels (rotating weight). They have a major impact on the feel of the ride and since they rotate (move) faster than non rotating parts, are where most of your energy is going. Cranks too, to a lesser degree.

Now while I am not a weight weenie, I do think about it, and have been working on lightening my Giant Anthem. I bought lighter wheels (ended up with Easton XC Ones but next time will have some built) and the XT crankset (much lighter than the Race Face that was on before). Between just those two, I lost over a pound! And the wheels make the bike just so much more responsive and easier for me to climb. Tires are another matter, what came with my bike were Kenda Small Block 8s. Yes very light; no very bad for anything other than hardpack. So I gained weight by switching to the F/R combo of Nevegal/WTB Weirwolf Race. Gained back almost all of what I lost in the wheels and cranks but got better loose/sand/climbing and braking.

The handlebar was upgraded to the Race Face Next SL Carbon- lighter than the stock one but not by much- but it does take some of the buzz from the grip, and the seatpost replaced with a Thompson Masterpiece (not the lightest- but the best IMO, and much lighter than the crappy boat anchor the bike came with.) And I just bought the XT shadow rear derailleur (sale at the LBS woohoo). It was much lighter than the LX! And put a lighter, more comfortable Bontrager Inform RL saddle on it.

In the end, the bike is only about a pound less than what it was when I bought it (been doing this over the last year), but it climbs better, corners better, brakes better, is more comfortable at the seat and bars, shifts better (XT Shadow shifts without that CLUNK), and I have a spare wheelset that I can mount those crappy Small Blocks on for hardpack/street riding.

So I really don't think of it as weight loss, but improving the handling and dirt worthiness of the bike, and tweaking it to fit you. That's why I say that I'm really not a weight weenie

[Irulan]

Kona Lisa...

That is about a $1000 bike if you pay retail.
So, light wheels, maybe a $ $150-300 upgrade?
New tires, $40-60 each?
Crankset, $150-600
cassette upgrade $30-150,

(I just pulled some prices off Performance)

ismsho, ride the crap out of the new bike, wear it out, wreck it a few time and then go upgrade the whole darn thing.. A few ounces or even a pound here and there is not going to make a huge difference on an 8 mile grade, but improving your fitness through a committed training program ought to yield results in a matter of weeks.

[Aggie_Ama]

A lot of people I ride with that ride full suspension actually say they climb faster than HT. My husband would like to rebuild his HT for the non-technical courses on his race schedule but loves his full for the climbing courses or the western parts which are all rocky.

I don't have much suggestion on upgrading just what I have heard from others who went full suspension. I ride a HT right now as my first bike.

[pink monkey]

wow, thanks for the great advice, everyone! I never thought i'd get this much feedback!!

I think I am going to wait till i get my bike and do a couple of rides on it before I make any big decisions or pricey upgrades. If i do upgrade anything, it will probably be just the wheels and the cranks. THough, I have a friend who is going to give me a XT cassettee and rear derailleur for free.

Irulan does have a good point - if i did upgrade a lot of stuff, i might as well of gotten my dream era or even the pink myka!! both of which were technically out of my price range.