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forum
Better, lighter contact points
I've already swapped out the RS10s for RS80s and lighter tyres on my 2011 CAAD10 105. This saved about 700g. I'm now looking at the C3 bars, seat post and prologo kappa saddle as places to reduce the weight of my bike. I'm about 70kg and 6' 4", so looking at my bike as a place to reduce weight without spending a fortune.
It has pretty much this spec, but 105 brakes
http://www.cannondale.com/gbr/2013/bikes/road/elite-road/caad10/caad10-5...
A bit of research and some weighing show me the following:
C3 Bar: approx 320g
I think can drop 70g easily enough with a new alloy bar at 250g ish for about £60. Tempted by alloy over carbon, cheaper and less prone to damage
C3 Stem: approx 132g - not worth swapping unless I want to change stem length
The T3 ergonova set does look nice though
Prologo Kappa saddle: actual 316g
I seems to be about £100 to get to 200g so £1/g, but my current saddle is a somewhat uncomfortable. A fizik is tempting me, particularly the trial ones from condor.
C3 Seat post: actual 249g
I should be able to save 50g, a 200g post is about £80 £1.60/g but a carbon post will be more comfortable. It's on the longer rides when my bum gets a bit sore / numb, always on the left side.
Not really tempted by changing drive train at the minute, I'll wear it out first and then upgrade, gains made on swapping brakes seem to be very small in terms of weight, though the 6800 brakes look appealing.
£240 for bars, post and saddle would save about 220g, so about £/g and a more comfortable setup. Any suggestions for other things I can swap? Many thanks
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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18 comments
Just be sure to empty your bowel before every ride - bet that weighs more than all these tweaks combined.
Hmm, swapping cranks might go on the list. I think I'll start with the saddle and seat post, get that sorted first. Then see if my summer form warrants any performance related upgrades. A hilly (ish) 19 miles in an hour or 200W for an hour is current form, so not bad, but not cat 2/3 even I suspect,
i'm in the same boat as you. same height but 15kg heavier than you.
also CAAD105 but went for ProLite Braccianos
my upgrade would be on the crankset if i did anything. for the cannondale hollowtech. its about 450g lighter but also much stiffer so gives you other benefits too. Although it is £400 so about the same £ for g saving. on top of that it looks mint.
i don't have the budget or need to do it, but i think this is the place to spend the money as rotating weight has more impact than the rest. so they say!!
I'd say you'll probably feel the most benefit by upgrading your chainset - going up to SRAM red or dura ace (not current gen, maybe 7800 or 7900 to save cash - look for second hand bargains) will not only save you weight, but will be so much stiffer than your current setup. You'll get your power down on the road far better, and gain efficiency far more than losing a few grams around your headset.
As for your saddle woes, if you're getting a sore perineum, maybe you need to look at a saddle with a cut-out down the middle? I really like my Specialized Toupe.
Ergonovas a wicked.
You won't regret.
Who said I was going to get them all
Well seeing as you can afford all these upgrades how about swapping my wallet for yours?
Could be your shorts perhaps?
Have you cut the tag out of your shorts yet? Or peeled all stickers off your frame/rims? Seriously I saw a video of some climbing competition in Yorkshire/Lancashire here last year and they went to crazy lengths to reduce weight including machining holes into their saddles. There is a lot you can do yourself with little cost like reducing you bar tape length either end and removing the bar end plugs, etc. You might end up with an ugly beast though.
Thanks all for the advice, that's why I came asking, as £/g seemed crazy, I'm definitely not a lightest bike at any cost person. Training is a good idea, I'm currently working my way through thesufferfest training programme as a prelude to riding up the Galibier in the summer. So yes, I'd rather spend it on experiences too.
realised I don't have a symmetrical foot position
The pain is on the bit right in between my legs, but only after a few hours in the saddle. Fit other wise is good, no back or shoulder pain, fixed cleat position last year
Come on Simon that 240 grams could save half a wat up a steep climb!!
Change your Chainset asap, save 200+g for <£200, just out of interest what category racer are you?
Just out of interest, if you swapped out the groupset to SRAM Red, you'd save nearly 800g according to this website:
http://www.totalcycling.com/component-weights.html
Maybe cassette and chain when you need as a first step (84g?).
I'm by no means a weight weenie and agree that things like riding around with a full 2nd 500ml waterbottle (500g) all day is far more relevant. Knowing water refill points on a ride is the best weight saver ever.
Conti GP four seasons 25mm in the winter, GP 4000s 23mm in the summer, 220g ish each and I trust them too
Thanks, No money to burn, a few grammes saved for a ti bolt seems crazy when a carried but uneaten gel is 50g.
I'll look at comfort first, changing the wheels made a huge difference, looking forward to puting them back on again, now that winter might actually be over...
In which case save your money and spend it on doing rather than having.
Spending £240 to shave 220g off your bike seems a bit pointless to me - you won't feel the difference, except in your wallet.
Spending £250 on coaching or riding your bike in places you really enjoy would be better value IMHO. Memories are so much more valuable than Ti chainring bolts!
If your bum aches then certainly try a different saddle, see a sports therapist (glute issues?) or perhaps get a bikefit.
What tires and tubes are you running?
I'm not sure there's much more you can do apart from lose any excess weight yourself (if you have any). You gross outlay would be £240 but surely you'd get a few quid back from ebaying the C3 kit? Net outlay would be less than £200.
From a personal point of view, I value comfort way above weight when it comes to saddles in particular. Having said that, the Fizik Arione I have is really comfy and probably lighter than your existing Prologo jobbie.
If you have money to burn, titanium bolts for chainset and other bits will save a few grams (and wont rust).