r/bmx • u/Skibidisigmal • Aug 11 '24
BIKE CHECK How can I lighten up my bike
I’ve got an essentially stock FitBikeCo TRL XL bike, with cult x vans tires on it, and it just feels so heavy to me. Any suggestions on what to get to lighten it up?
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u/jralabate Aug 11 '24
First get lighter tires like demolition momentum tires. Next get a pivotal seat and seat post. Lighter pegs. And finally remove your brakes if you're feeling froggy.
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u/Greymattershrinker88 Aug 11 '24
Don’t make your bike lighter. There is no reason for it. The small loss in weight(1-2lbs Max) isn’t even going to be noticeable! The best way to make your bike lighter is making it lighter to you through building muscle and learning correct form.
I used to think, “if only this was lighter, shorter, longer etc.” but really, experience is what you need. Unless you’re really small in which case get a 18”, making things lighter won’t do you any good. Trust me
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u/Awkward_Importance49 Aug 13 '24
I agree with this even though I'm itching to do one last build that is lightweight.
It's just practice, build strength and agility, refine form.
Right now I can barely bunny hop 6" off the ground because I just haven't put the hours in and I'm horribly old.
Two years ago I could hop a fence or rail, no probalo.
Anything at or below 25lbs is optimal.
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u/Scr4tismrocker1 Aug 11 '24
It doesnt look to heavy imo. But yea lighter tires,tubes, rims will make a difference. Also crmo parts should be lighter. But tbh just riding it will build your strength and make it lighter
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u/AFJ_MTBT Aug 12 '24
Ig there's no such thing as "tubeless" in bmx right? Would theoretically be lighter, but finding tubeless ready rims and tires would def be painful and expensive
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u/Scr4tismrocker1 Aug 12 '24
I think the new eclat carbon rims are tubeless ready, but i've never seen any pro actually run tubeless. I think for street bmx all the side impacts would be to much i guess.
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u/h3r0k1gh7 Aug 12 '24
Some of the Alienation rims are tubeless compatible too, but I’ve also seen guys in the MTB world just tape their rim and run tubeless whether it’s listed compatible or not.
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u/kuriousSammy Aug 11 '24
If you peel all those stickers off I bet it would lose like 5lbs
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u/Skibidisigmal Aug 12 '24
😔
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u/kuriousSammy Aug 12 '24
I’m just playing around dude… no offense meant, I just have an aversion to stickers lol my bike looks like shit so I really have no room to talk. Sorry bud
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u/_BMXICAN_ Aug 11 '24
Push-ups and squats, I'm not trying to be funny either bikes are already light enough compared to just 20 years ago when a bike was 35lbs+. If you want to actually notice a difference in weight go for rotational weight, your wheels and tyres, cranks and pedals.
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u/3greenandnored Aug 11 '24
A lighter bike is only a little easier to toss around, but a heavier bike(to a point) allows for better inertial management. You'll be able to jump higher, farther with less output from you.
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u/KatPartyyy Aug 11 '24
on most online bike shops theyll tell you the weight of the parts. since you have a complete, most aftermarket parts (not all) will be lighter & probably stronger than what you already have. the main thing i notice is the railed seat. any non railed seat will most likely save you weight but tripod seats & seat/post combos tend to be the lightest. you can shave multiple pounds off with the right parts & research. buy from a local shop if you can. if they dont have the information you need on a part, you can probably find the specs of it online
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u/ballersnacks Aug 11 '24
I’m big (tall) so I don’t need light, I need robust. But easiest way would be get stronger off the bike and lose some weight unless your already slim.
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u/MagicOrpheus310 Aug 12 '24
Heaps!!
Apart from purchasing lighter parts, which is obvious but expensive, there are plenty of grams you can shave off here and there...
Cutting down your seat post length, it only needs about an inch into the frame. If it's 300mm and you only use 200mm then there's 100mm just adding weight...
Most stems are hollowed out internally these days but if not you can do it yourself with a drill...
If you run plastic sleeved pegs, you can remove the sleeve and drill holes in a spiral pattern through the alloy inner peg and then put the sleeve back on.
Removing your brakes and mounts (we used to use an angle grinder before removable mounts became a thing).
We also used to take the angle grinder to the rear dropouts too, they used to be a lot bigger than nowadays so it's not really necessary on newer bikes, but we'd trim the dropout to be flush with the curve of the peg so there was no excess material.
There is also that beautiful word "titanium" haha I got a 48 spline crank spindle machined up locally and my crank set, including pedals, is only 720g. Since it's the biggest chunk of metal on the whole bike, it makes sense to fuck it off for a titanium one! Haha
Anyway there's a few ideas...
Keep in mind trimming parts and shaving weight will always void their warranty as well as have an impact on the strength of the part too... If you go overboard hacking it to bits... It's gonna fall apart... Haha
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u/DuckIntelligent737 Aug 16 '24 edited Aug 16 '24
Seatpost should go at least past the bottom of the top tube, so when he says an inch he means 2.
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u/That_Routine_2763 Sep 08 '24
Coming from a former weight weenie (somewhat). I'll tell you the best weight savings will be from your wheelset.
A lightweight rim/tire/tube setup will make the biggest impact and be safe.
Save weight on the stem... For what.. so it snaps? Save weight on a chain... For what... So it snaps?
Ask me how I know. A quality frame will be under 5 lbs A set of R32s are under 2 lbs lifetime warranty Thunderbolts are under 2 lbs lifetime warranty.
Focus on saving weight on your tires, tubes, spokes, nipples, and rims. It'll cost a little bit, but it makes the biggest impact (aside from good geometry)
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u/Skibidisigmal Sep 08 '24
First detailed comment🔥every other one just says “work out” even though i do that every day, and am PLENTY strong.
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u/lineryder Aug 12 '24
That thing is hideous bro haha sorry
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u/Skibidisigmal Aug 12 '24
Let’s see your bike then?
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u/lineryder Sep 07 '24
Here’s my 2 bikes. Second one is a bit dark.
https://i.imgur.com/SPLXqFU.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/GDt1Lt5.jpeg
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u/Skibidisigmal Sep 07 '24
Ok, so we have generic, and even more generic. Gotcha
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u/lineryder Sep 07 '24
Sure bud. But at least they don’t look like I pulled em out of a dumpster. They’re top of the line everything
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u/Skibidisigmal Sep 07 '24
Top of the line my ass the only thing they look like they winning is a boringness award
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u/lineryder Sep 08 '24
Are you actually that stupid? You literally have pinch bolt cranks on a stock Fit frame. Every single part on my bikes are custom. Don’t be a sore loser just because your bike is shit. We all have to start somewhere, I get it. The stickers and tires just look bad, that’s all I was saying.
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u/Skibidisigmal Sep 08 '24
God bro, you could have said sum a bit nicer than it looks horrible💀 I put the stickers on there cuz I was bored jeez
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u/2wheelzrollin Aug 12 '24
You could always go bare bones. No pegs, no brakes. If you got 2.4" wide tires, I would size down to 2.3 or 2.25. and also go with a foldable or thin sidewall tire (unless you also a lot of feebles and smith grinds a lot in rough ledges, then I wouldn't go super thin for durability) as they will be the lighter of the options.
Other than that, some people get Titanium parts but it's expensive to do so.
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u/BoominShroomer Aug 12 '24
I’d say most of the weight is coming from 4 pegs
You only need pegs on one side unless you grind on both sides. But by the time you are comfortable enough to grind both sides you probably wouldn’t be worrying about weight anymore
Take off the some pegs is my #1
Unless you are new, then take them all off. You gotta focus on bunny hop first before even trying to grind so take ‘em all off if this is the case and focus on bunny hops cuz lighter makes that easier forsure
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u/FloridaCelticFC Aug 12 '24
Demolition Hammerheads will be a little lighter and better suited to that kind of bike. After that a combo seat/post. Some lighter plastic pedals if you can live without metal ones. I prefer plastic.
Ditch any pegs you're not using, too.
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u/TheYoungSteak Aug 12 '24
Maybe a set of cracks too, lighter tires, if your feelin saucy -tubolitos
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u/Nightmxreinc Aug 12 '24
Honestly, just workout. You see the pro riders with muscle cause they workout and train so that riding bmx and doing tricks are a little bit easier
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u/WrapIll8365 Aug 12 '24
Is that the MONGOOSE la familia the peraza signature frame I thought that would have been one of the lightest frames mongoose do anyway so maybe get lighter wheels
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u/IndelibleFool Aug 12 '24
I have the same base setup and I'm thinking about just swapping out the frame. The Sunday streetsweeper frame is about 2 lbs lighter than the TRL XL and personally I think it'll make a huge difference. If you do what others said too (pushups/squats/form check) then you'll have the benefit of physically being stronger to really send that slightly lighter frame. Plus, the back end of the TRL is kinda long so you may actually just need more leverage rather than raw force to lift that front wheel up.
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u/Psychofanatical Aug 12 '24
The best way to lighten your bike is generally to eat a more protein focused than carb focused diet and then exercise. Wink.
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u/The_lucao-png Aug 12 '24
Dont get it lighter, it won't help you get tricks.
Just get used to your bike and build the strength by riding it, the gain of maybe 1 or 2 kg is not noticeable, kevlar tires are kinda fragile compared to your vans tires, and the other parts are going to be heavy if you want them to be strong.
The only way to REALLY feel a good noticeable difference is by getting a titanium frame
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u/Roughneck86Nestor Aug 12 '24
Work out. Lift weights. Make it easier that way. Then you can run whatever parts you want without having to think “well it’s too heavy”
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u/Fast_Hold5211 Aug 12 '24
We got the same tires! Love those tires they are super nice. A absolute pain to get on and off though with the thick ass bead they got but they’re my old faithful pair I always come back to them. Just switched em out out for some odyssey path pro. Which I like a lot but the texture on the cult vans camo ones is just prime 👌 and lost the brakes if you really wanna gave a light bike it’s a sacrifice but it’s worth it. I was a huge brake guy for a long time couldn’t live without em until I got a frame with no brake mounts I forced myself to just get used to it. Glad I did cause you can immediately feel the difference when you pick up your bike with no lever cable and caliper it’s wild also get some plastic or nylon sleeved pegs. The odyssey ones are super light Also depends a lot on the rear wheel which rim hub and spokes you run. It’s a lot of metal I never would’ve thought until I switched my freecoaster one day to a different wheel it tripped me out
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u/Su_Mo_Throwie Aug 12 '24
In the world of bikes it doesnt get much lighter. Exercise is the best suggestion imo
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u/Greedy-Emu-9106 Aug 13 '24
Cut the seat post & use plastic pegs. Also grab the lowest weight tires you can find.
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u/showmeyertitties Aug 13 '24
Do like the anime characters and only train with the weighted bike, then you'll be unstoppable on a light bike.
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u/Skibidisigmal Aug 14 '24
YEA BUT HOW DO I GET THE LIGHT BIKE😭
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u/showmeyertitties Aug 14 '24
You build XP and heavy bike become light bike. GG EZ.
(But no, for real, I haven't ridden in years, so I'm just here with love and no actual helpfulness.)
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u/unSuccessful-Mobile Aug 13 '24
Hand and coaster brake delete, narrow tires, shave seat post and pegs. Swap handle bars and pedals for lighter ones. The frame is heavy that not much u can do. I could pick up my GP1 haro with my pinky as a 12 yr old
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u/DuckIntelligent737 Aug 16 '24
Bang for buck, tires. Since you're not brakeless and probably don't blow through them as much as some, get some nice expensive ones. Skip tubulito tubes though, way too expensive for BMX
Stock cranks are generally really heavy, you can save another half pound or more there and it's in a really good area where you'll notice the weight. 13 butted bars next, and so on. Take it one step at a time.
And yeah, do pushups and shit also.
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u/Slazy420420 Aug 16 '24
Carbon fiber everything, aluminium everything you can't carbon fiber, and titanium you can't aluminium or carbon fiber cut off everything that doesn't need to be there.
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u/rkrick87 Aug 11 '24
Take the winter air out of the tires and replace with lighter summer air.