Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

lightest FS 29'er

17K views 91 replies 37 participants last post by  weevie 
#1 ·
OK guys, what's the lightest 29'er FS out there?

Only rule is it must be ridable on a daily basis, so not just a fragile piece of art.
 
#7 ·
Hey phlegm,

A little of both. The question is a follow-on to my earlier upgrade thread. After getting some good advice in that thread I've decided to build up a 29'er FS.

To that end, I'd like to know how far people have pushed the limits of weight on a daily ridable XC bike. I'm not looking for an off the shelf bike, rather, am interested in spec'ing one out piece by piece. So, having a list of some really light builds would be helpful.

I've seen a few on here that were sub 9kg, but that's just what I've found. I assume there are many more sub 9kg bikes out there....I'm just curious how people got there.

I suppose i should have made the subject "list of sub 9kg FS 29'ers with build details."

As for budget, I'd say $5-7k range but that is flexible.
 
#8 ·
Thx for the details.

First, I'd like to give props to rockyuphill who has been especially helpful to me in this forum. Suspect he's a fellow Canadian, but nonetheless his knowledge is invaluable.

I wrote that preamble because I suspect he is a Rocky Mountain guy, whereas I'm a Specialized guy, so a bit of a difference there.

I currently ride a 2011 Specialized Epic S-Works, which, IMO is THE standard for XC. I have some minor tweaks to my 29er, but it stands (with pedals) as 9.71kg/21.4 lbs (size Large). I don't readily have the core frame weight available (for 2011-2013), but it is fully carbon, including the rear triangle which is often alloy on other frames.

I have no idea as to availability of the frame itself, but IMO, it would be tough to beat that platform.

That said, the price is ridiculous (new), and I happened to find a mint used version (more like unused) which is what I'd recommend.
 
#9 ·
First, I'd like to give props to rockyuphill who has been especially helpful to me in this forum. Suspect he's a fellow Canadian, but nonetheless his knowledge is invaluable.

I wrote that preamble because I suspect he is a Rocky Mountain guy, whereas I'm a Specialized guy, so a bit of a difference there.
Yep, another Canuck and definitely a Rocky rider. And props are good, otherwise I am inclined to lean until I fall over. Thanks. :D
 
#11 ·
Look beyond Rocky Mountain, Specialized or Trek...plenty of other brands too.

No, I am not a fan of the above brands.

Ridable bike is sort of a personal thing. I ride XC on a FS 26'' that weights 15lbs and it never failed me in 3 years. Some would not ride it at all.

Chris.
 
#14 ·
My Niner Jet 9 RDO is built up with XX1, Easton EC90 XC wheels, Sid World cup XX fork, Racing Ralph tires. It is an XL frame and weighs 22.2 pounds. There are lighter frames out there but I wouldn't want to compromise any further on my components to sacrifice daily rideablity.
 
#16 ·
I don't really have any business bein' in this conversation because I didn't weigh the bike, but...
I built my wife a 2012 Salsa Spearfish. I used Stan's Crest rims, triple butted DT Swiss spokes, XT cranks, 2x10 drivetrain, Reba Team, Niner RDO stem, Thomson post...
Bike is WAY lighter than my Stumpjumper.
 
#26 ·
If you want a super light bike that is also very CAPABLE, then the S-Works Epic is your game. You can build it with XX1 and get it really light. Maybe take a look at wolf tooth components to get a custom chainring and match that with lighter crank arms. Spiderless perhaps? Used enve wheels with KCNC touchpoints and you've got yourself a rocket.

The framesets are hard to find as I found out when building one a few months back. I've actually got a new 2013 in the box for cheap if you're interested.

But these bikes rip. Great on the downhills and perfect for XC. While not everyone likes the brain, it does save weight with lockout cables and levers. So thats something too.
 
#38 ·
If you want a super light bike that is also very CAPABLE, then the S-Works Epic is your game. You can build it with XX1 and get it really light. Maybe take a look at wolf tooth components to get a custom chainring and match that with lighter crank arms. Spiderless perhaps? Used enve wheels with KCNC touchpoints and you've got yourself a rocket.

The framesets are hard to find as I found out when building one a few months back. I've actually got a new 2013 in the box for cheap if you're interested.

But these bikes rip. Great on the downhills and perfect for XC. While not everyone likes the brain, it does save weight with lockout cables and levers. So thats something too.
The Epic's are amazing bikes. I heard the new S-works is 19 pounds fully built. That's sick. Then again you'll pay close to 10k for it. LOL!
 
#32 ·
2013 S-Works Epic Sram XX1 complete factory bike weighs at about 9.5 kgs for a size s. This is pretty light and can be easily brought down to less than 9 kgs with some easy tweaks like tubeless conversion and lightweight tires, and sub 100g saddle change. 2014 one is lighter even but pricey. One can easily get good prices for 2013 stocks as most dealers are clearing them now. The Epic is no doubt a world champion machine.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I agree with you on the Sworks Epic, but you might be a bit aggressive with your weight estimates. After tweaks (moving to 1X10 and various lighter parts) my 2011 size L got down to 21.42 lbs / 9.72 kg. That includes pedals, ready-to-ride. Maybe newer frames have shed additional weight since 2011.

Re the saddle, lightest I'm aware of is a full-carbon that I use at 115g. If you've found a sub-100g version, please share. :)
 
#41 ·
The epic is a killer race bike, i have had a couple of them. The brain adds a bit weight but works the way it has to do!

The first one is my old race bike, the weight was 9,6 Kg with room for improvements!

The second one is the bike i have now, the weight is 9,7 still room for improvement. But rides like a champ!

I think if you have a endless budget it could get under 9 kg, light but also ends up pretty expensive!
 

Attachments

#45 ·
I've just done a xxl 2014 Rocky Mountain element. 10.27kgs.

Fox ctd 100mm
Enve xc's with RaRa rear and RoRo front
Xtr 10x2 with raceface next sl crankset
Xtr m987 brakes, xt 160mm rotors
Easton ec90 seat post, fizik Antares 00 seat
Easton ea90 stem
Easton ec70 wide bars
Xtr pedals

Dream bike, nice and strong and rides really well.
 
#46 ·
I've just done a xxl 2014 Rocky Mountain element. 10.27kgs.

Fox ctd 100mm
Enve xc's with RaRa rear and RoRo front
Xtr 10x2 with raceface next sl crankset
Xtr m987 brakes, xt 160mm rotors
Easton ec90 seat post, fizik Antares 00 seat
Easton ea90 stem
Easton ec70 wide bars
Xtr pedals

Dream bike, nice and strong and rides really well.
Did you weigh your XTR 987 brakes without rotors?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top