As someone new to bike weight-reduction programs; I'm curious as to what the typical order of priority in swapping out components is... For a very specific example: Cannondale Synapse Alloy, 105 group.

I know I could weigh components, check against published specs and build my own list... but I'm wondering if the collected expertise here could provide opions along the lines of, "On a typical $1100 bike, your biggest bang for the weight reduction buck is normally to upgrade the [fill in the blank] first, followed by the [next] and so on..."

And BTW -- swapping out the frame first isn't an option... :)

FC

Wheels first. At least in my opinion. New light wheels will show the greatest improvment in your bikes performance, if you have the money to change such a pricey part of the bike. Of course, generalizing about "Order of Priority" is not too meaningful as each person will have different factors that decide priorities.

You can take a $500 bike and stick some $1500 wheels on it and it will really ride much better, but...would you want to do that for a $500 bike? You could swap out a heavy saddle for one of those way-light carbon ones and have a sore ass, too...but you would be 'saving weight', right?

One priority I always keep in mind whenever I 'up-grade' my bikes is "How will the 'improvment' actually be to live with, day in and day out"...If you change to a USE Alien seatpost, for example, probably the lightest one around, will you be willing to hassel the stupid adjusting system if you often want to fine-tune your saddle? Or if you get some really silly-light wheels with few spokes, will they hold up to your riding style? Will you have to put them on the trueing stand weekly? Will they actually work for YOU?..

"Light" is cool, as long as it doesn't keep you from riding...Buying a super expensive custom 14lb bike but then not using it "because you might crash in that race" or "It may rain this afternoon"...like that...kinda silly in my opinion..

Don Hanson

Body weight is the cheapest and easiest to loose first.
I would look at wheels next.
Depends on the fork but you could loose substantual weight there depending on what your fork weights.
Pedals.
I have one of those superlight seats and it's actually more comfortable then the padded one I replaced. Have ridden centuries without discomfort.
Handlebars, seat post, stem.
You could switch out a complete groupo to Force, Record or Dura-Ace.
Then you could tune those with upgraded ti/al bolt and derailer kits.
I've seen people with Al bikes strip off the paint and then clear coat it, they claim 100gram savings but I don't know.

Start with the largest rotating part and work your way down to the smallest before even considering any static parts.

Start with the largest rotating part and work your way down to the smallest before even considering any static parts.

Agreed, and to put it more clearly, that means tires, tubes, wheels, shoes, pedals, cranks, cassette, chain. After you get the moving parts that you have to work to accellerate frequently, seatpost, stem, handlebars... are just icing, and won't make much difference, other than carrying your bike up the stairs after your ride.

Agreed, and to put it more clearly, that means tires, tubes, wheels, shoes, pedals, cranks, cassette, chain. After you get the moving parts that you have to work to accellerate frequently, seatpost, stem, handlebars... are just icing, and won't make much difference, other than carrying your bike up the stairs after your ride.

I agree, general, but there are exceptions.

If something wears out, breaks, or is uncomfortable, and you're replacing it anyway, it might be a good time to go ahead and get the lighter part, even if it's "out of order." You hate your saddle? May as well go ahead and get the SLR.

Problem with small changes over time is that you'll likely never notice the difference.

Might hold off on tires, depending upon your road conditions. For really bad roads, that might be one of the last things to lighten.

Take into account the weight difference and bang for the buck of each part, too. Spending $200 to get a 20 gram lighter seatpost probably doesn't make much sense.

Some things should probably go as a set, too, like cassette/chain - stem/handlebar, etc.

Also consider what frame you might end up putting all these light parts on as you accumulate them. Consider bottom bracket size, headset/steer tube/stem size, etc. Don't want to be stuck with parts that won't fit on the frame you want or feel limited in what frame you can buy.

Other than wheels, I'd probably suggest just riding the bike you have while saving money to get another complete bike; then, buy all the light stuff and have 2 bikes.

Great stuff - just the lines of thought I was looking for. Thanks all!