I have a 2025 Cannondale Habit 4 with a M6100 12s group.
https://www.cannondale.com/en-ca/bikes/mountain/trail-bikes/habit/habit-4
The bike is an XL and weighs in the 35-36lb range. I'd like to cut some weight from the bike this year and want to optimize where to save the grams.
I'm going tubeless which will probably cut a good chunk down, cassette is a bit of a pig too. Where else should I start looking?
by Lavallee_Lures
26 Comments
It’s much cheaper for the rider to lose weight than the bike.
Tubeless and a lighter cassette are about the only things that aren’t stupid expensive. Maybe a dropper but that’s a few ounce.
Wheelset will make a big difference in how it feels to ride even without much weight loss (I got a set of alloy i9 1/1s on sale and dropped about half a pound per wheel on my Habit 3), after that probably fork but you’re getting out of cost effective with those.
Remember riding more is free and will do just as much.
Carbon wheels, they are expensive af but a huge difference.. rotational mass plus big weight savings. Look into Chinese brands or marketplace/pink bike. I was also able to shed 300 grams off my fork upgrading from a rhythm
Cranks can be a big factor.
GX Eagle alloy cranks are about 650g while x01 carbon cranks are about 450g. For a single component 200g are pretty good and the cost is still manageable.
honestly? the most cost-effective way to cut the weight of a bike is to reduce the weight of the nut on the saddle… after that, it’s a spreadsheet of component weight and cost … some may be worth it for you and some may not. i’d probably look at wheels (not just tubeless, but lighter rims) and gears first, then pedals
If you hate money, the whole XTR drive train is supposedly 500 grams lighter.
https://nsmb.com/articles/xtr-vs-deore-can-you-tell-difference/
A Pike Ultimate will be lighter than the Recon as well.
I’d go through and weigh your disk rotors as well to see if there are lighter options out there. You can also replace all your steel bolts with Titanium ones at great expense for a few more grams.
The thing that livened up my trail bike was carbon wheels even though they didn’t come in much lighter than my alloy ones. But being a 27.5 guy I got them at an exceptional price.
Maybe look into a carbon frame as that one you linked is Aluminum.
Bars, fork, wheels, tires and you
I had a recon fork on my stumpie. It is a boat anchor of steel. I over forked with a fox 36 performance and saved over a pound.
TPU tubes are lighter than tubeless and way less mess.
Chasing grams is a fools errand though.
Tubeless cuts around ~200g. It’s a win/win type of move. The benefits are more than the weight itself though.
Grips are a nice cheap one, tires themselves can save 300-400g if you can run more XC tires (big if there), wheels are crazy expensive as would be going to the drivetrain if you have to start replacing the freehub bodies on top.
Wheels and tires are gonna make the biggest difference in terms of bike feel. That’s where I’d focus.
I have a 2019 cannondale habit 4… the biggest weight loss was getting a Nobl carbon wheelset.
Probably the wheels and rear cassette. They’re usually the anchors in cheaper specs and lighter wheels just make bikes ride better.
And the rider. Get stronger if you’re skinny and less fat if you’re fat.
Reduce rider weight
Take a big crap before hitting the trails
Helium balloons? Like, a lot of them.
A power drill from Harbor Freight
Diet and exercise
Reducing bike weight can be a gigantic chasm of rabbit holes – never ending.
It can be done but at what cost?
I’d like to create a spreadsheet listing the components with prices and weight, then compare what saves the most with the least amount of cost (and yeah, I recognize this is evidence I have no life – ha).
Unlike what some have said, I don’t believe tubeless is a worthwhile weight saver – yes, the majority disagree however, when you take away the sealant, rim tape, and tubeless stem and compare that to the OEM rim tape and tube, is the difference really significant? There is some subjectivity for sure. Riding conditions are different – location, type of bike, type of rider & so forth but, in the last five years I’ve only experienced one slow leak from a thorn – that did create a slow leak, and I was able to finish the ride without any modifications. Then there’s the topping up of the sealant every two or three months and the problem with all the goo when removing the tires. I get it, I fully understand how a tubeless setup has some advantages but I believe the pros and cons of using tubes is better. The weight difference of a tubeless setup, in my opinion, does not outweigh the benefits of using tubes. When I was using tubeless setups, I always carried a spare tube so, where’s the *overall* weight savings when doing that, eh?
Here’s just one of a zillion examples for “how to save weight on a budget:”
If your tires are beefier than necessary, then you can swap them out for lighter weight tires. If you don’t need a 29X2.40 Maxxis High Roller (for example) that weighs 1145g and, if those two were replaced with XC tires 29×2.35 Ikons (for example) that weigh 839g, then you’d save 612g, or almost 21.6 ounces (1.56 pounds).
If you don’t need a dropper (and spare me the hate okay – yes I have used them and yes I understand the pros & cons) then you can save a “significant” amount of weight (the average weight of a dropper is ~600g + routing + lever whereas a CF post is ~300g so, there’s a saving of 300g (probably more without the routing cable and lever) of another ~10.6 ounces, or 2/3 of a pound).
With just those two changes (tires & seatpost), you can easily save more than two pounds. I could go on and on but, modifying a bike with the purpose of saving weight can be done but as others have said, reducing the rotating mass also provides the benefit of faster acceleration that provides not only better performance but a better feel.
Wheelset, fork, cranks in that order.
Those wtb wheelsets are generally soft and heavy. This is the best place to cut weight, as the wheelset is rotational mass. I’d try a reserve alloy wheelset.
Going to a pike up front will cut ~200 grams and get you a much more capable fork.
Your cranks are fine but heavy. SLX takeoffs are cheap on marketplace or pinkbike all the time. You won’t feel a huge difference here but the bike will feel lighter.
Regarding the cassette, I don’t think there’s a huge win here. Deore is very reliable. Maybe grab an SLX cassette off pinkbike or marketplace but don’t think this is going to be a huge win.
Most cost effective would be selling the whole drivetrain and going single speed. Second to that would be lighter tires, wheels, drivetrain components.
On a typical 130/140 XL trail bike the floor is like 32lbs with pedals unless you spend A LOT of money. My advice is to do your tubeless setup and just save money for a better platform. Especially in an XL, you’ll eventually see some $8k+ carbon bike with a top groupset and carbon wheels at half price (or a mint pre-owned). It’s maybe $7k to just buy the parts that come on a bike like that.
Some bikes just inherently FEEL lighter than other despite the weight. My old 150/150 Jeffsy was almost as light as my high-spec 130/140 stumpjumper although the Jeffsy actually felt lighter and more alive. But the chassis is better on the stumpy which results in less “moments” on the trail.
Lightness isn’t everything but if you’re a very dynamic rider it can seem like it’s everything. I’m 155lbs (med frame bikes) with a strong bmx/moto background so if I’m not throwing the bike around at speed – manuals/gaps/bump jumps/etc… then I’m not interested. Heavier more sluggish bikes kinda beat the sh!t outta me.
A Shimano SLX crank is pretty cheap and will likely save you 100-200 grams, especially if you use an alloy chainring (careful not to bash it)
Your wheels are probably over 2000 grams. I got a pair of i9 alloy Enduro S wheels and they are about 1700 grams and can usually be found on sale for a good price.
You could swap out the cassette, and bars. Might save 150-200 grams. Your brakes might be heavy, but I’m not sure. Could maybe save 100 grams.
Tubeless can save weight and rolling resistance for pretty cheap. Tires can also make a huge difference
You could make the bike about 2-3 lbs lighter (and have some nicer performing components) for maybe $800-$1000
Wheels cassette BB
Wheels and tires together can cut 1-2 pounds. You probably can cut an additional pound if you get a lightweight stem and carbon handlebar. If the Rockshox fork has “silver” in the name it has steel stanchions. Nicer forks use lighter weight materials.
Go on a diet, you are the heaviest thing on the bike