light weight wheels help

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rezyac

New Member
Hi i am new to this site,
I am looking for light weight wheels for my new bike its not the best bike it a carrera valour mountain bike, And it is 13.5kg i was hopping to lower this with new wheels.

And also was looking at the no tubes tyres but i dont really understand them :s

has any one got some links for wheels £100 around that price, and any info on the tubeless tyres

thank you
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
Afaik there aren't any 26" mtb wheels that are significantly lighter than the typical low/mid range stock wheels at ~2100g/pair (without skewers, cassette, tyres or tubes) that come with many such mtbs. Exception for rim brakes that stands out in my mind is perhaps the Crossride UB at 1700g, but they are £140 or so a pair. The problem though is it has no disc mount so may not be portable onto your next mtb. The UB Disc version is 1900g, which negates the purpose somewhat. Most sub-1700g 26" wheels, custom or factory, start at ~£300 rrp, although you might be able to do better in sales.

In your case since it appears to have 7 speed at the back you might also want to check whether you have freewheel or cassette, freewheel wheels are usually heavier than cassette wheels (including the sprockets).

You didn't say why you want to lighten up or what you generally use the bike for. In any case the first step to lighten up the bike is to know what the existing components weigh, that will give you a baseline and let you know what cost delivers what weight saving.

For most people the best value is achieved by getting lighter tyres/tubes. That I guess is where answer to your notube question may become relevant. Using sealants instead of tubes does allow one to use thinner, light (most use non-UST, because UST tyres are heavier) tyres at low pressure (which is particularly beneficial for speed off-road) without too bothered by punctures. At the extreme this will allow you to use crazy light mtb racing tyres like Schwalbe's Furious Fred or some Maxxis models at around 300g each. Generally the sealant is not much lighter than light tubes such as Maxxis' Flyweight so weight is not the main motivation to go tubeless per se, and they are messier. You don't have to invest in tubeless rims/wheels to go tubeless - look up ghetto tubeless.

If instead you are using the bike mainly for road then a light tyre running at higher pressure might be the optimal solution. Schwalbe Kojak Folding 1.35 is also around 300g a piece, but as the name implies it has no tread whatsoever.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
As RAFN says, tubeless is about off-road reduction of pinch flats rather than weight saving.

Superstar components do their Superleggera wheels on offer at £163 at 1750g a pair of wheels. Run those with say a Nobby Nic and you could save a couple of KG overall. If they would be a saving they also do their basic wheelset with Switch Evo hubs for £130. (2150g)
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=227

Weigh the wheels you have without tyres, tubes, cassette or rotor and see whether you will be saving anything.

Nobby Nic Evo tyres and a pair of lightweight latex tubes would be a good start point.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Scour ebay and STW classifieds and you may be able to pick up a used Raceface Evolve chainset for 60 or 70 quid. They will almost certainly knock 250-500g off your bike's overall weight.

Have a look here, and compare things like bars, saddles, drivetrain to see where you will make weight savings (but wallet hammering once you get the bug.)!
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
Superstar components do their Superleggera wheels on offer at £163 at 1750g a pair of wheels. Run those with say a Nobby Nic and you could save a couple of KG overall. If they would be a saving they also do their basic wheelset with Switch Evo hubs for £130. (2150g)
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=227

I think the OP has V brakes and those Superstar rims have no braking surface? Nobby Nics are great tyres, though nearly 500g for the lightest config I think. I agree chainset+bb being one of the heaviest components like forks is a good place to look for saving (including going Nx1). Cutting serious weight is usually an expensive and frustrating business. :cursing:
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
I think the OP has V brakes and those Superstar rims have no braking surface? Nobby Nics are great tyres, though nearly 500g for the lightest config I think. I agree chainset+bb being one of the heaviest components like forks is a good place to look for saving (including going Nx1). Cutting serious weight is usually an expensive and frustrating business. :cursing:
Whoops. Aye. In which case TJF.
 
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