10 Ways To Lighten Your Bike
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In a world of quadruple tailwhips, double backflips, and 20lb bikes, many people nowadays are going to great lengths to lighten up their bike. Some people say they can ride longer and stronger with a lighter setup because they use less muscle and energy to do things. Others claim the bike whips, spins, and flips easier if it is lighter. Whatever the reason, light is in, so here are 10 things you can do to save some weight on your whip.
1. Remove Unnecessary Parts
Some things that many complete bikes come with that you may not need are: chain guards, reflectors, detanglers, brakes, and pegs. All these things are personal preference of course, but take a good look at your setup and see what you could do without. Just don’t tell your parents that we were the ones that told you to take off the reflectors and brakes. And if your bike has a basket and/or a bell, you probably need more help than this article can give you, so good luck.
Remove all the junk you don’t need off low-end complete bikes. Or strip your high-end bike to the bone.
2. Buy Lighter Components
Some of the first things you’ll want to look at are the more inexpensive parts like pedals, seats, posts, pegs, etc. However, for every part of the bike, there is a “lightest” out there. Start where you can save the most weight for the least amount of money and go from there. A lot of mail order shops even have weights of parts on their Web sites and in their catalogs so you can easily compare several parts, their weights, and their prices.
See, plastic is lighter than metal.
3. Buy Titanium Parts
Titanium spindles, bolts, and spokes are lighter substitutes to traditional chromoly or steel parts. Some companies even have titanium bars and cranks. But remember, titanium is an expensive metal, so these upgrades will definitely cost you.
Titanium axle… Or magic wand?
4. Use 36-Hole Wheels
Yo, old-schooler…48-hole wheels are a thing of the past. 12 more spokes per wheel plus a larger hub means more weight—and more rotating weight. I’m not a physicist or anything, but rotating weight feels like more than what it actually is. So any weight on your wheels will make your bike feel heavier while it is in motion. Don’t believe me? Just ask ol’ Wiki… The Internet doesn’t lie—you know that.
Imagine the two numbers spinning in circles and the idea is much clearer.
5. Use Kevlar Bead Tires
“Foldable” tires, as many companies are calling them, are lighter than traditional steel bead tires. This goes right along with that rotating weight concept we just talked about. And since tires are the farthest thing out on your rotating weight, this will make a big difference in how your bike feels.
You can fold just about any tire, but that doesn’t mean it is lighter. Check the materials (kevlar -vs- metal) and weight to be sure of what you are getting.
6. Get Thinner Or Smaller Tubes
Back in the day I used to use a heavy-duty, thorn-resistant tube lined with the skin of another tube. And back in the day my bike weighed 45 freakin’ pounds, too. Screw that crap man. Be dialed, don’t case or hang up, watch out for glass, and don’t get flat tires. You can buy tubes with thinner rubber that weigh less and even get 18″ tubes instead of 20″ tubes. The thin guys or 18-inchers will still expand enough to fill your tire and will save you a few grams of rotating weight.
Cross section of two kinds of tubes. The one on the left is lighter, duh.
7. Drill Holes In Your Parts
This may be going to the extreme for some people, but I’ve seen it done. Some companies already have holes drilled in various places on their parts and frames. If you are skilled and creative though you can find plenty of places to drill out excess metal and/or plastic. This will definitely void any warranty the parts may have, but dude, you’ll look soooooo hackin’ cool.
This is just one of dozens of places you can drill holes to save weight without sacrificing much (if any) strength.
8. Saw Parts Off
Do your axles stick out farther than the nut? Saw them off. Are your bars wider than you need them to be? Hack off an inch or so on each side. Is your seatpost slammed with 8 inches of extra post inside the frame? Cut that sucker down to a nub. Do you have a bunch of extra spacers on top of your stem? Cut down that steer tube on the forks, my friend. Not running a detangler or brakes? Get rid of those gyro tabs, cable guides, and brake posts. Cutting excess metal will definitely save you weight, and will often make your bike look a little more sleek and sexy.
This is an old photo from an Ian Schwartz bike check we did. Notice his sawed axle and nut. Huh, huh…we said “nut.”
9. Pay Attention To The Little Things
Bolts, spacers, washers, nuts… All these small pieces of metal are things that can be replaced with aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, or other smaller/lighter versions. Also, paint and clear coat will add a little bit of weight to your frame as well. If you are really getting down to the nitty-gritty of lightening your bike, try running a raw frame.
Carbon fiber is very lightweight and very strong. Not that you need a headset spacer to be strong, but you know…
10. Put Your Bike (And Yourself) On A Diet
Seriously, tell your fame to lay off the soda and candy and start making that lard ass bike of yours eat healthier. And while you are at it, loose some pounds yourself and take the quarters out of your pocket. Oh come on, let me see you come up with 10 things. It doesn’t sound as good if you say “9 Ways To Lighten Your Bike.” Don’t like my jokes? Well then you need to “lighten” up. Oh god, I kill me.
Tags: 10 Ways To Lighten Your Bike, Bike Maintenance, How To Lighten Your Bike, Make Your Bike Lighter
Current Issue: July 2009
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LMAO!!!!!!!! you guys just made my day lol
yea lol is that guy wearing casts on his legs, tells you that hes soo HEAVY that he breaks his own legs
HAHAHA I don’t use a BMX bike to BMX i use nothing so its lighter
haha than why are u on this site, haha!….faggit.
GO TO THE COMPOUND BMX CONTEST
I’M ADVERTIZING FOR HIM
hahahahahhahahahha
Perfect. I cant wait to see some 16 year old 90lbs nothing kid with; 22 spokes in each wheel, bare 18″ tubes (no tires), no bar ends or pedal caps, drilled out top and down tubes, and “titanium bars and cranks” doing rad bunny hop tail whips (which would be the first trick this person would learn). Give me a break I think I agree with the last one, if your 25lbs bike is too heavy try badminton because bmx isn’t for you.
well if you can make your bike lighter then why not? sure you can learn to throw around a 30 pound bike but im sure that the same person could do more on a 25 pound bike. no one is a wuss for wanting a lighter bike. thats like saying why work out to bench 200 when you can already bench 150
yea i had a 32 pound haro. i just got a 25 pound kink and i can do much more intead of my norm 180…. i almost got my 360… and i am only 13
Huh, huh…we said “nut.” hahaa
haha. i loved this. i thought there was no reason to get out of bed this morning. maybe i should and lose a little weight!
My bike weighs 20 lbs with no fancy parts. I like it just where it’s at. Perfect weight for me.
yo dude what kinda bike do u have?
fuck u. mirraco is the best
Come on people. Is it so bad now a days that we have to poke holes in our bikes to make em’ lighter? If you are that much of a wimp to cry about how heavy your wittle bike is, then its time to pick new sport. How bout checkers. Think practice, “if I try the whip fifty times a day for a month, then the trick will eventually come to me.” Try keepin your bike heavy for a while, no holes or nothin, eventually you’ll be blastin tricks like you’re attached to the bike itself. You’d be amazed what patience can bring. Then when you get that bonus at work, you can go out and buy the lighter bike you were whining about, and it’ll feel light as a feather!!!!!
I’m thirteen, and my bike weighs 32 pounds. Yeah I got a GT Compe 2006, and it took me forever to even bunnyhop on that thing, but now I can throw that bike around like its nothin.
dude thats like excactly what i had when i was like 12. but it was 40 pounds. then when i got a 29 pound bike it felt like a feather
i have a 2008 GT Compe and it’s really heavy but i like it to much and im not rich so i dont really want to just screw it up right away and why isn’t GT more popular their awsome but bulky
Dude, I love the ‘08 Compe, it is a bit heavy, but sexy as hell. the stock rims are shit, if you buy some lighter ones it helps alot.
same bro… but i just got my new bike…
mm yeah. but i thing for street , is better keep your bike with little more weight you know , coz the hole time you hit you frame in rails, banks, or whatever and if you ar no a pro , you probably can’t not change your frame everytime you want
Lmao. .^_^.
You guys are some fukkin kunts…
Thanks For the Tips Tho Bro’s
I weighed my bike the other day and it weighs about 34lbs. I dont want it to be any lighter. i love it the way it is barely having to fix anything… 48h front and back!
Darn, I just bought 48 spokes wheels.
there’s some good tips, some are kinda crazy but w/e
36 at back just doesn’t work for me
my old front wheel looks like a lays potato chip and is 36
now i got a new rim and go see how it works
here’s another tip: small bars are lighter lol
small bars 4eva!
Sell you kidneys kids then buy titanium with your earnings,
and rotational weight may be a factor but theres still 48 holes in your rim.
occasionally i’ve seen companies like sunday sell titanium frames weighing about 2lbs 4oz, but prepare to sell kidneys and you first born
my bike is 23 and i didnt have to do jack haha. and all yall complaining bout 30lb bikes i have good news. i had a 40 lb bike when i started riding and i couldnt do anything for a year. so i started doing pushups and the bike didnt feel any heavier. the next year i learned 3’s and hop whips. so if you dont wanna cun anything down, GO WORK OUT HOE!
i have a 32 pund bike and im 13 but idk if i should take of sum stuff or just leave it heavy and just buy i new bike in a year or two
your only 13 dude. wait till your balls drop before making that decision. youll get a better feel for the bike through time
hahahahaha
Is this a joke?…I hope its a joke
good article guys
good laugh
why don’t we all just get eastern ti reapers
yeah im 13 my bike is a mongoose from wallmart its like 30lbs so im gunna make it lighter
HA! don’t bother making it lighter. wait until it breaks then buy a new bike…and yes it will break.
eh… I just fill my tubes with Helium
never thought about that.lol
ahahahahaa i laughed so hard when i read that!
you also have to take into consideration if the stuff your putting on your bike isn’t a brittle piece of crap. Or if your really that much of a wuss then you should probably start out with a heavier bike anyways. Matt Hoffman and Mirra helped progress the sport more than any trendy kid with their plastic pedals ever will and look at what they started out on. your bikes really dont need to be that light and brittle, really. If you cant control your bike properly with even a average weight then its your lack of practice; its not the bikes fault.
by the way my brother broke pc’s 180 ing up curbs. ya their lighter but their just a little bit weeker.
Fuck you stupid ass new school kids with your fucking light bikes. You are all pussies!!! You never rode the old chenga when Tony Menach did a single tail whip and that was cool. When Shawn Dorton was your god. He still should be. No drama and all fun. Heave bikes, who gives a fuck, it just ment a stronger bike. When american meant something. Forget all you tiwanesse BS bikes. DIE and Burn. IN HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
ahahahahhahahahah
someday people wonthave a choice but to have light bikes
18.5 LBS EASTERN GRIM REAPER
all you guys coming to this site and bitching at people doesnt help. go ride your bike
shawn dorton still is my god.
Who is that? Is that Robbie Morales? Damm, he needs to get a FIT!
Why not just do some fucking push-ups? This retarded light bike shit needs to stop. I’m tired of purple parts and leotard wearing kids. This is turning more into gymnastics than bike riding.
The problem with FREEstyle these days is that everyone is worried about what everyone else is doing…who does what tricks, what kind of bike they ride, who won what, who lost what.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…
lol wow guys very nice…. my friend got the bright idea to cut out every other spoke…. that didnt turn out well….
In bmx its 10 percent bike 90 percent rider. Even if I had a 10 pound bike I’d still have the same skill level… granted a light bike is easier to bunny hop, a 20 pound bike will only allow you to hop as high as YOUR body can. Its not a super pill its a bike! Stop the whining have fun ride bikes!
Haha, RIGHT>>>Like any of your readers actually Cut their Bars anymore.
That used to be the first Mod anyone would do with a brand new bike.
hey im old school but my 48s weigh as much as 36spokers by using primo 7k rim drilled out pro class style, double butted spokes, alloy nipples, and lightest fly bikes hub . 48 spoke = 2 Lbs even . then use lightest tubes, best/light fold tire and i have the strength to hold up more than 1 day of riding street.
titanium scares me.
If you can´t pull your bike, go to church…
I have found that really, the general positioning of parts will help the bike seem lighter. This is fairly tangent of the real subject, but just recently my friend and I have determined that my bike is lighter than his, and yet the way his bars, stem, and wheel is placed in the dropout, his ride appears to be far lighter and more flickable. Now, by no means do I, or will I ever, doubt that weight is a major factor in the way we ride- especially coming from a physics and engineering major. But you would be surprised to see what you can do by merely distributing the weight evenly. Run big bars, and throw the stem at a far reach with a front load stem, it will seem like an entirely different bike. I hope someone got something out of this.
Sorry everyone, but light bikes are no fad. This has been going on for a while now and it’s not stopping any time soon. Why should we ride heavy parts when a properly designed light part is just as strong if not stronger? As an engineer, I cringe when I hear people assume that lighter is always weaker. This is not always the case.
y=that would be useful if i had a bike……. but mine got stolen
take a dump before you ride
hahahahaha
HINT
This article is a joke. It is making fun of the weight watcher trend.
my fbm cutom is 25 lbs and i think its damn light. if ppl seriously need lower than 20 lbs get some fricken muscles. i took honors classes and when i walk uphill from the bus stop with my 200 lb book bag it rips my calves like a mo fo. now i can suddenly go bigger. maybe cause i got stronger? duh. good point guys, work up to your bike, dont work it down to you. you wont progress.
everyone just chill. blah blah blah. someoneplease blow up the internet, and barack obama while your at it
Ok, this is something i read on the vital forums a little ways back!
To take some weight off your bike, cut your crossbar off about 1/4 an inch away from the weld. then, drill a hole on the other side of the bar so you can look through it. Take a piece of rope and tie one end off, then burn it so it melts together. Run the other side through both holes in your bars, put tension on the rope, and tie a knot on the unknotted side, then melt that down too.
are u freakin serious?!?!
give me a break =p
but yes, weight is important, my bike is 22 lbs =p getting ready to take another pound off, and 3 pounds rotating weight =D
in my oppinion,
lighten up people. its not a joke. just a way to tell people who dont like the weight of their bike, how to make it lighter. all the small things make a difference, just the bearings in your bottom bracket or headset could deside weather or not that tailwhip is gonna swing round or not.
also, i think this article was pretty usefull, but anyone who buys a complete. first thing id do is take of at least you’re bloody front brake, if not both. but your front brake is useless. its only on there cause the shop cant sell you the bike without, well in my county (england) anywayss… but just get all your loose shit off, like brakes etc.
and also… shortening you’re bars and tings is a good idea along with buying lighter parts, and again if you have just bought a complete bike then for gods sake, buy new parts, get rid of you’re standard shit and put some lighter more weary things on, like pedals, and standard shit like that.
by the way… im 13 and ive never weighed my bike in my life,
it WAS a WeThePeople darkness 2007 series, but first of all i changed the back wheel, and sprocket to a 36 hole hoffman bikes cassette hub, with a oddesy light chrome rim and some oober light spokes and my sprocket (chain-wheel) or whatever you call it is a shadow conspiracy pink one xD ive recently sanded and sprayed my frame bars and forks black, looks awesome. so yeah, thats my bike.
and ohh yeah, ive only been riding for a year. but i love my bike so i kinda do know what im talking about, you dont have to listen to me though
hope my ideas of shizzell helped.
cheers for reading,
wtpbmx4life.
do you send some numbers of your magazine to Chile¿?
in spanish please
you are awesome
this sucks
boring
People did the same tricks in 1998 when it was cool to have a 45lbs. bike. S&M didn’t used to make the L.T.F., they made a H.A.F. (figure it out…it’s simple). Watch the movie Ride on…1992 and tell me the difference between the riding between then and now, all with seatposts sticking out 24 inches and 44/16 gearing. Don’t talk about how light your bike is either, when your parents buy your parts , once you have kids and a family to feed talk you can talk sh*t to me about my 29lbs bike and chromoly spindle and lack of titanium. I slid handrails 42lbs next generation dirtbike just as easy as my 29 lbs fit!!!!
light bike are nice in all but the cost lots of money that could be saved and invested in something good.don’t worry too much about wheight as if you dont practice it will do you no good.my bike is light but that does not mean it make me a good rider at all cause my friend do flairs constantly and they bike aren’t as lite as mine so you do the math and go out and ride harder put your i pod on and sesh with so good chill rider and progress will come to those who try.and my bike is 18pounds with no holes and muffie needs to suck my balls and OBAMA ROCKS
the tenth thing should be to lift weights
ride bike grabben boobies!
yo why u guys cherpin saying oh i love the way my bike feels, like stop commenting on shit that doesn’t really have anything to do with people not wanting to change there bike. its for the people that wanna make there bike lighter u fuckin twats..
totally agree
I started on a steel bmx with all steel parts, by the time I got to a chromely, I could rip on it, then I started on a GT Vertigo doing ramps/flat and got good on that, now I riding a Hoffman Bikes - Big Daddy, that must wiegh 50 pounds….less flat, more ramp, it might be dangerous throwing 50 pounds around at 40+ feet, than 25 pounds, but Im happy for now, although I like some ideas like drilling out, I saw a nice piece on Cutting sections of frame out like from the seatpost downtube and the even out of the bottom bracket…crazy stuff, Im dying to try it….
Ha this is funny joke.. You think holes are gonna save weight its just gonna make u hurt and bleed when the shit breaks. HA whoever runs by these rules probably cant spunkishdunts
i agree with dave mirra
take a hot, steamy shit before you ride
wonder what would happen if you filled your tyres with 120psi of helium??
shudda put that for a number 11 lol
SHIT PICKLE!!!!
haha, im runnin an eastern reaper 2 with pretty much all odyssey and demolition parts. 19.75 pounds baby!!!!!
loving these new medial 2.0 Ti cranks though
Dudes just get out and ride the damn bike you own. Ive done some weight saving things but i mean. It doesnt kill me if my bike is to hevey..it grows on you and eventually its just hevey to others but not you. Im trying to remember the pro rider that rides an alllllllll steel bike and not for a joke. He actually rides it. Everytime i think of a hevey bike i think of him
i realy dont care too much about weight,i care more about strength,right now im running an origanal Blackbike.
MAN YOU GUYS GOTTA CHILL. I GOT A 19 POUND DK LEGEND IT’S GOT ALL FREAKIN STOCK CRAP LOADED DOWN ON IT. LIGHT AS FREAKIN BE I GOT IS STRAIGHT OUT OF DAN’S COMP LIKE 3 YEARS AGO. YEA ITS LIGHT AND STILL WORKS FINE HAVENT CHANGED A THING AND I DON’T EVEN HEAR A SQUEAK.
hahahahah aall you guys are gay !!!!!
my sexy ass bike only weights about 17 and a half pounds and i can trow down anything cause its so light. i got 540s flat its incane
how the fuck did u make it 17 lbs???
buy the new gt fly you dont need to exchange steel bolts to titanium because the bolt are allready made out of titatium
44-16 sean burns still rides it. never seen him ride? watch him.
no way thats what i ride i dont care about gear setup as long as it feels good
my bike is heaver then me. =P who cares about waight, tricks take dedecation, not waight.
LMAO. “lighten up”… classic
my bike is 29lbs and its fine the way it is
its more about the rider
i dont care enough to shave weight off my bike, i just ride it
reflectors? those weigh about a fourth of an ounce but it looks cool without them
dude. if your all obsessed with weight go buy an old school racing bike. i got one 18 pounds. mags. hah. so shut the fuck up! and weight isnt that important. yeah. my bike weighs like 25lbs. almost completly stock. S.E. Racing quadangle pro. i just got custom parts from danscomp. now its gonna weigh like 22. whatever. i just needed stronger parts.
theres this kid at my local park and he spent 1.5 grand on a light bike. 20 pounds. he drilled out eveything shaved his frame down to the raw. and drilled out holes in his rim. he snapped that bike. it was funny to watch. so have fun doushebags.
what ever happened to the days of gappin eight feet to procket stall lol.. 44t with custom guard weighin about as much as frames are nowadays
hahaha that fatass..
My freinds bike weighs in at a mere 17 pounds. the crasiest thing about it is that nothing is cut, he runs the thick a$$ tubes, its a 21.75in bike, and he has 48h wheels with double walls. I never thought i would say this but there is a thing called “too light”. i cant ride it its just too light i fall off everytime i try anything. F-ing grim reaper frames My bike has everything cut, running thin tubes, no brakes. and it weighs just about 28 pounds.
Well, I am stand for 6′0″ and weight is 220 so looking not as badly for that so I can doing on bunnyhop and anything else. So, thank God
lol
ahah my friends and i were talking about this the other day. if your really too much of a pansy to whip without a 20 pound bike i suggest you stop riding. go work out or something because thats going to help the most, if your a hundred pounds the bike is still going to make you its bitch when you start throwing bigger tricks. maybe you should just get better.. Dave Mirra threw a double flip back when bikes were like 36 pounds and you never heard him bitching about “rotational wieght”
dude. everyone just bitches… bmx has a lot of different people, from al ot of different places, and we all have our own oppinions and shit, so who cares, let people ride there light bikes, heavy bikes, shitty bikes, nice bikes, idc what it is, as long as were all having a good time right? stop talking shit. go fucking ride.
shit, i have an old Haro Backtrail, my headset wont tighten, i have a walmart backwheel, its bent from doing a 180 up a curb. and it wieghs 28lbs, but i still ride. shit, you people are lame.
those are some good tips
and for those of you who are talking crap on it then mabey you should rethink for the other people out there that might want a lighter bike
so if you have a heavy bike thats not our problem!!!
#15. Don’t run a front wheel, just manual everywhere.
xD nice idea.
Everyting under 26,4 is a nice street bike (:
shut up and go ride
I got an idea! take of your chain, and sprocket, and run 2 front wheels. that should save you about 5 pounds at least!
come on ppl stop tearing each others heads off about it. its a persons own choice what weight there bike is. fuck just chill out and go ride
thanks these tips helped alot im 12 and little like 4′5′ and i have a 16” that weighs 28 pounds
guys.. guys.. guys… its all about my 12 pound all titanium straight goods, custom built. things a tank even with driled out top tube, down tube, bars, cranks, tires, IT STILL puts up wihtt he abuse of street riding…
LMFAO… honesty hwo gives a fuck what your bike weighs, just ride it, learn it…
I perfer feel over weight, but normally a lighter bike feels better.
Yah i just got a ‘’specialized” fuze 3 its awsome
Its so light compared to my OLD AS HECK HARO
I think there just as good as a Kink or Twohip.
ALSO THERE SUPER STRONG!!!
p.s my bro has a Twohip and sias its just as good
Yah i just got a ‘’specialized” fuze 3 its awsome
Its so light compared to my OLD AS HECK HARO
I think there just as good as a Kink or Twohip.
ALSO THERE SUPER STRONG!!!
p.s my bro has a Twohip and said its just as good
Yah i just got a ‘’specialized” fuze 3 its awsome
Its so light compared to my OLD AS HECK HARO
I think there just as good as a Kink or Twohip.
ALSO THERE SUPER STRONG!!!
p.s my bro has a Twohip and said its just as good
PS JAMES FOSTER I WAS JUST WATCHING YOU ON THE INTERNET
another way to lighten your bike is dril hoels in yor seat post
is ptthon a good brand
lol the guy looks like an pregnant elephant
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