# slim my 17.5 lb trek 5200 you weenies!



## bob-e (Jul 17, 2003)

How hard would it be to take a pound off my bike. Price matters, but I'm pretty good at picking up second hand stuff for cheap. 

2002 Trek 5200
oringinal bontrager bars, stem, seatpost
ultegra 9spd group
terry fly saddle w. ti rails--will not change, my booty likes it
FSA energy compact 50/34
Dura-ace 11/23 cassette
speedplay zero cromo
ac350 wheels w/michelin pro light tires

I guess it comes down to the Bontrager stuff and or the Group. Is the bontrager stuff heavy? A pound too heavy?


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## naawillis (Oct 6, 2004)

you could drop almost 100g with different cranks. whatever fsa's sl version is comes in around 500g. your crank is closer to 600. what about cages or a new wipperman chain? DA titanium cassette. ti bolts? cages? you could pick up a new 350g cinelli stem/handlebar combo for a mere $500. your current setup is probably over 400g. what about a new fork or headset? to get into the 15s and 16s you really have to commit the cash and be willing to swap out otherwise insignificant parts. the whole DA group weight savings adds up with 10g here and 30g there, but youll hear different opinions about performance. what about some 1000g carbon tubies? but seriously, the question to ask any budding weenie is "why?" do you live at the bottom and work at the top of alpe d'huez? i feel like many if not most hard core weenies are serious bikers who happen to have the cash to burn on those things. 17.5 is quite respectable. 

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## bob-e (Jul 17, 2003)

Thanks Naawillis. I weigh 100 pounds and only ride 7% uphill grades. I never ride downhill or on the flats. That said per weight weenies my bar/stem/seat post combo is roughly 720g and easton ec90 stuff would be roughly 300g lighter. Not quite the full pound I was looking for, but a reasonable start. I can't figure what my forks weigh. Short of me taking them off and weighing them, does anyone know what my forks weigh? They are the standard forks that came on a 5200 in 2002 (made by trek? bontrager?) Curious as to what the rake is too, if I'm using the right term for how far the forks bend out from the steerer?


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## naawillis (Oct 6, 2004)

*haha*



bob-e said:


> Thanks Naawillis. I weigh 100 pounds and only ride 7% uphill grades. I never ride downhill or on the flats.


great response. you dont need to justify your weeniness to me. yeah, i think you're right about the weight reduction if you were to get an ec90 group for instance. but, especially with stuff like stems and handlebars, lighter is not always better. if you get some 50g stem, its gonna flex like s**t when you're climbing, which is presumably what you're aiming to improve anyway. i, being a bigger rider, would be liable to snap one of those in half in a sprint. i want a light bike too, but not at that expense. i was rereading my original post and it didnt really get my feeling about gram obsession across which is that i am in search of a high performance ride, not a light ride. for me, given my riding style and physical attributes, those are not necessarily the same thing. for others who are featherweights, maybe they're closer. for me, the best way to preserve performance and drop weight is with the drivetrain and wheels. your ac350s are already pretty light. for ultegra ten speed vs. dura ace ten speed with bb, cassette, chain, front and rear ders, and shifters, DA weighs in at 1178g and ultegra is 1413g. its also $250 more. that comes out to about $1/gram.

its been posted on here before by numerous people, but ill quote the old addage which says, "you'd probably feel more of a difference if you took a dump." always classy. 


oh, i also meant to mention brakes. if youve got ultegra brakes, you could trade them in for some cane creek SLs or better yet some zero gravity. those are stupid light, and it would save you at least 100 or 150g. and at a mere $400 why not get some for the whole family?


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## R.Rice (Aug 23, 2004)

The fork is Bontager,I believe.I don't think it would be even worth the hassle.The carbon forks on the Treks 5200/5500s are light.

I think the most cost effective way to shave some weight would be stem/handle bar/seat post.The lower end Bontrager stuff is kinda heavy.You could shave as much as 1/2 of a pound off from just those three(assuming you don't already have a light seatpost).


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## bob-e (Jul 17, 2003)

Thanks all. Looks like too much $ per gram for me to do the bar/stem. I'll probably get a light post because I want one with no setback anyway and then call the bike done. Any tips on a post. I've looked around and don't see many with no setback. Must be light, cheap, strong, no setback, good adjustability, and make coffee.


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## R.Rice (Aug 23, 2004)

bob-e said:


> Thanks all. Looks like too much $ per gram for me to do the bar/stem. I'll probably get a light post because I want one with no setback anyway and then call the bike done. Any tips on a post. I've looked around and don't see many with no setback. Must be light, cheap, strong, no setback, good adjustability, and make coffee.


The USE Alien is really light,no set back.However,I hear the adjustment is not the easiest.


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## AlexCad5 (Jan 2, 2005)

bob-e said:


> Thanks all. Looks like too much $ per gram for me to do the bar/stem. I'll probably get a light post because I want one with no setback anyway and then call the bike done. Any tips on a post. I've looked around and don't see many with no setback. Must be light, cheap, strong, no setback, good adjustability, and make coffee.


 Okay. Bar and Stem. Easy and Cheap. 
Performance Forte Pro stem is 29.99 on sale and weighs 120+ grams.
The Ritchey WCS can be picked up on e-bay for $40+ and weighs close to 130gm.
There are numerous ultra light aluminum bars available for cheap. Everybody has to have the newest version so the older ultra light gets closed out. You should be able to pick up a 220 gm bar for under $60. Hopefully you don't need a 44cm cause you'll get more flex with that- meaning you may have to go heavier.
Used DuraAce Shifters. DA is noticably lighter (in your hand) than Ultegra shifter. This should cost about 200-230 on ebay.
Best Upgrade I have ever made to my bike was the DA front D. So superior to ultegra 9 it's not funny. Not necessarily lighter. Super cheap on ebay.
DA rear derail. is quite a bit lighter than ulteg. Quite rare on ebay and bidding is competetive. I've not been successful in buying one for a good price this winter. Accidently picked up a DA 7400 and it was quite a bit lighter than the ultegra (in the hand.)
Performance Forte carbon seat post is 175gm for @ 80bones. Set back and has cool aero shaping. Have been very happy with it.
Drop out your fork -super easy- and weigh it. Then you will know what it weighs. Good light all carbon forks are expensive. DON'T BY USED FORKS Hard to know if they have been wrecked and carbon breaks catistrophically. If you have (and probably do) a aluminum steerer you can skip the removing and weighing part. You can almost assuredly save 200 to 300 gms. going from alum to carbon steer.
I've got Cane Creek SLs and you can get them for pretty cheap on ebay because they dont stop very well. Switch out the brake pads to cartridge and stopping improves.
Get a light weight seat. 
You should be in the low 16's by then. Probably cost you pretty close to a grand if you are very careful - but then you can sell off your extras to help defray costs.
Good luck and happy shopping!


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