i want to starve my epic

[ajcsk8r]

SO i have a 2012 epic comp 29er and i want to lighten her up but keep her fun when im not racing...... the bike is stock right now except for tubeless and a command post. I know the dropper post is heavy but i really love having the options of the 3 diff. positions!

I was thinking carbon bar/stem combo, stans crest rims, lighter cassette, lighter rotors and new tires. not sure about tires, the bike has the renegade/fast trak combo, although they are real light they are not the best all-around combo!!!

any suggestions/experience is totally awesome, thanks!!! BOOM

[alshead]

Dunno how low you wanna get, but I have Arch EX rims on Hope Pro II's, Command Post, Carbon bar, Egg Beaters and run a 2.4 purgatory up front (control) and Captain 2.2 in back and I come in just over 27lbs on a medium Carbon Comp 29er. Can ride it hard on any terrain.

[enderjs]

I just purchased a small 2013 specialized epic comp and I am going through the same thing.

The low hanging fruit in order besides new wheels are; cassette, handlebar, seatpost, saddle, stem and grips.

Stock:
SRAM PG-1030 cassette - 390g
Specialized XC flat 680mm wide alloy - 228g
Specialized 2014 alloy seatpost - 270g
Specialized phenom comp saddle - 274g
Specialized stem 75mm - 150g
Stock grips - 99g

My future Upgrades:
SRAM PG-1070 Cassette - 229g
Easton EC70 XC Wide - 125g
Easton EC90 Seatpost - 168g
Phenom pro saddle - 192g
Ritchey C260 stem 70mm - 110g
ESI grips - 59g

Difference:
Cassette - 161g
Handlebar - 103g
Seatpost - 102g
Saddle - 82g
Stem - 40g
Grips - 40g

Total difference: 528g

Total cost: $662.00 - best deals I could find.

Pretty expensive for just a 1 lb of savings. I am sure you can go lower with every item I listed but I picked them based on a balance between reviews, cost and weight. My plan is to upgrade as parts wear out or get damaged.

~Jason

[alshead]

For that kind of money, go wheels. The cassette is a boat anchor, but other than that, you're spending loots in places where you get minimal weight savings and hardly any performance increase. You can pick up a decent set of wheels that will save more weight and be MUCH stronger (the stock wheels suck- weak, heavy, poor engagement, and the rear hub WILL fail). Pick up some wheels for @$450 (Stans or the like) and then do the cassette and handlebars and ride with a smile.

[md247]

My wife has the same bike-2012 model. I upgrade to the carbon roval wheels, so natural she got my epic expert wheels which are FAR better than the comps. Saved over a pound in weight on her bike.

FYI, if your rear hub blows out, specialized usually upgrades you to the expert set for free. I would ride them hard for a couple of months.

[mbco1975]

I've done a few upgrades on my 2010 epic, but the most noticeable one by a long way was getting Roval Control SL wheels tubeless with Stan's.

Other upgrades include:
EC70 Wide handlebar
KCNC foam grips
Sytance F109 stem
XT Cassette
Convert to 1x9 from 3x9.

[mbco1975]

My future Upgrades:
SRAM PG-1070 Cassette - 229g
Easton EC70 XC Wide - 125g
Easton EC90 Seatpost - 168g
~Jason

These weights are off unless you are getting the road cassette, non-wide handlebars and 27.2mm seatpost which won't fit your bike.

Add ~200g to this if you are planning on getting 11-36 cassette (360g), 685mm handlebars and 31.6 seatpost.

Also be careful on seatpost upgrades. Specialized bikes come with offset posts. If you are looking at lighter straight posts it will alter the fit of the bike.

[dan4jeepin]

I knocked my 13 carbon comp from 26.48 to 25.6lbs by the switching out.

Caption 2.2 in the front, stock fast track rear.
Stans ZTR Crest 29er with stans hubs
Loaded Xlite 90mm stem (very little in savings from stock)
Cranks brother 680mm carbon flat bar
ESI grips

Crank and Cassette will be next on my list once the current start to wear. I just couldn't see getting rid of brand new ones for the weight savings.

[enderjs]

These weights are off unless you are getting the road cassette, non-wide handlebars and 27.2mm seatpost which won't fit your bike.

Add ~200g to this if you are planning on getting 11-36 cassette (360g), 685mm handlebars and 31.6 seatpost.

Also be careful on seatpost upgrades. Specialized bikes come with offset posts. If you are looking at lighter straight posts it will alter the fit of the bike.

You are right on with the 11-36. I was looking at the 11-24. Did you weight the handlebars and seatpost yourself? I am just wondering because I pulled those weights from the manufactures websites. I know the weights are never the same as what they claim but I can't believe that they are that big a difference. Also the seatpost is 30.6 on the epic.

All in all it seems almost worthless to upgrade this stuff. The cost is outrageous for the limited weight savings. I am just going to get a good wheelset and ride the **** out of her.....

[S-Worker]

Have u weighed your frame alone?

[mbco1975]

You are right on with the 11-36. I was looking at the 11-24. Did you weight the handlebars and seatpost yourself? I am just wondering because I pulled those weights from the manufactures websites. I know the weights are never the same as what they claim but I can't believe that they are that big a difference. Also the seatpost is 30.6 on the epic.

All in all it seems almost worthless to upgrade this stuff. The cost is outrageous for the limited weight savings. I am just going to get a good wheelset and ride the **** out of her.....

No I didn't weigh them myself. Easton website for the EC70 XC wide has the weight of the 610mm width in the specs. If you read the text it actually says 150g. It's not much of a difference though....

You're right about the width of the seatpost / must have had the Monday morning blues When I look at the Easton website for that I just see 200g (31.6) for the set back which I thought was the correct width. D'oh! I was looking at this for myself, but will probably get the Thomson masterpiece setback instead as it's a fair bit cheaper and within a few grams.

Also for the cassette have a look at Shimano XT when your current one wears out. It's cheaper, lighter and works great.

[erichwic]

These weights are off unless you are getting the road cassette, non-wide handlebars and 27.2mm seatpost which won't fit your bike.

Add ~200g to this if you are planning on getting 11-36 cassette (360g), 685mm handlebars and 31.6 seatpost.

Also be careful on seatpost upgrades. Specialized bikes come with offset posts. If you are looking at lighter straight posts it will alter the fit of the bike.

Just to let you know it's a 30.9 seatpost, not a 31.6.

[dirkinho]

frame should be 2500 g like my 2010 Marathon

[stumpjumper782]

+1 on the roval control carbon rims, it will decrease rotational weight, wich will make the bike feel much lighter and nimble than it really is statistically. Just depends upon how much you want to put into it. You can do handle bars and stem, which also make the bike feel more rigid, but stay away from expensive seat posts, they do not lose much weight, and are expensive. Look at a XTR or XX chain, chainrings, cranks, and most components. Another great thing to do for the feel of the bike, really stiffen and lighten it would be to spend $600-$800 on an roxshox XX world cup fork. It has the carbon steerer, for stiffness and ridigity, and will lighten the front, again making the bike feel much lighter than it auctually is.

[S-Worker]

Where u really feel a difference is wheels and fork although it is the most cost intensive change. All other components don' t make a big difference as a single unit. Therefore you must change a lot of things in order to reduce weight.

That' s why i would change wheels first, afterwards fork. This should end up in a weight saving of 1 kg easily. Then you can change all other parts piece by piece and finally shed another 0.5 - 1 kg.

For exact recommendations for all parts we must know
- your budget
- your weight
- your riding style

So i reduced the weight of my wife' s epic more than 1 kg and i have built my last 26" Epic with 8,9 kg. It' s possible but every part has to be carefully chosen according to the above mentioned three aspects. Then it is possible to ride a durable and light machine.