What’s you current weight? How much do you need to trim to hit 10kg?
Currently my spreadsheet points towards 10,25 kg - although I have to deal with the claimed weight of some parts as they got delivered straight to the mechanic. This number doesn’t include stuff like sealant, protective foil, brake fluid and small parts which will certainly add up.
I kept the build more on the down- than on the cross country-side with 180 mm brake discs, a 120 mm dropper and tires worth the name. Dropping some 200-300 g on the wheel-set would move me right on target (hitting an arbitrary number is what wheight-weenidom is about 
).
There are some 1050 g wheels around using Extralite hubs and spokes or slightly sub 1 kg if you dare to move in the realm of pi-rope or Berd. The wheels will not see massive abuse but I don’t want parts I have to worry about every time some ruff stuff comes ahead - that’s why I am looking for some first hand experiences.
How much do your current wheels weigh? There don’t seem to be many robust wheels below about 1200g. Berd/Pi spokes would help and they do look strong if you can stomach the cost.
How many spokes do the extralite wheels have?
For the Roval SL I have only the claimed weight which varies between 1280 and 1370 g depending on the source. I haven’t had the opportunity to put them on the scale. I assume they are more towards the upper end of the range. The Rovals are 24 spokes front, 28 rear.
The Extralite wheels are 28 spokes front and rear.
Carbon seatpost? It’ll save a couple hundred grams. Ultra light unpaddes saddle? Crank Brothers Eggbeater 11 pedals (if you don’t have pedals and sealant, the weight is fake).
I sort of don’t get it. If you’re going DC I’m envisaging you ride trails like me and I don’t think I’d trust that hyper light stuff there for a second.
Alternatively if you are only riding smooth, easy loose over hard trails and ride light then you could save a reasonable amount going to 160mm brakes etc. And as above, you’d be able to run a super light rigid post etc.
From what I’ve seen the real world useable limit seems right around that 1200g mark. Syncros SL etc.
There’s some real weight weenie stuff available, but the people I’ve seen using it (mostly online) seem pretty aware of it’s limitations/are pretty limited in their riding opportunities anyway so aren’t exactly pushing the boundaries.
World Cyclery (MTB radio Podcast people) wailed pretty hard on some Berd spokes. That’s where I’d go with some extralite or whatever hubs and a known entity in terms of rim.
I‘ve been riding dropper posts for more than 10 years so I can‘t spec a normal post although they are insanely light these days.
The saddle will be a S-Works Power which is around 160 g - I could probably save half the weight but I probably wouldn’t be able to ride all day completely unpadded.
I pondered the idea of using the eggbeaters but I couldn’t imagine life without at least a little platform to stand on. For trail use I have 217 g HT magnesium pedals and for race operations XTR pedals with ti axles.
I know that I am trying to square a circle here by building light and solid at the same time. The Evo is planned as a do-it-all instead of an all-out race rig that’s why “standard trail bike features”are indispensable.
I do get that it’s becoming more and more living with compromises when the weight drops below 1200 g wheel-wise - I have yet to get an idea how big the downsides are
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I think the wheels depend on a few factors; the specific make/model, your weight and riding style and the terrain you’re riding in. Being a bigger rider in the 85-90kg range and riding my XC bike as a downcountry/light trail bike, combined with lots of podcasts and listening to a range of riders and their experiences, I don’t want to run a wheel set that’s much less than 1500g. It gets hard to get a burly build under 25lbs without some compromises tho. Good luck - be sure and share final results.
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Factor is now making a FS and HT XC MTB:
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Pricey and no dropper post is a miss with the travel and geo of the bike. Frame only option would be better but that is also and has a DT Swiss Shock.
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Build some nice wheels for the spark
also upgraded the alu bar/stem to the 1 piece carbon fraser combo:
I think I’m done for a while now… 
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Not sure how subject correct this is, but I just refreshed a DC wheel build that I had done a few years ago. For months I’ve been riding on a heavy 35 Race Face wheel set with XC Cushcore insert in the rear, Aggressor tire in the rear and a DHF up front. While this made the steeper lines/trails a bit more fun I was tired (literally) from pushing around that extra weight. So I put my I9 Hydra hub to Race Face 25 ARC rims back on, mounted a Kenda Booster 2.6 with Marriposa Rim Invader insert in the rear and a Kenda Regolith 2.6 up front. Can’t believe how much faster this is, and obviously apples and orange comparison but this 1750g wheel set and that tire combo is even better than I had hoped. These wheels are just fast without being overly harsh.
Yep, the rim profile is not optimized for 2.6 tires and they blow up very round, which, apparently I like. and a 1750g wheel set isn’t exactly XC light weight territory but I think this is going to be my go-to set up for awhile. It’s certainly more fun and I hit an unexpected PR on one of the really tough local climbs…
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I can imagine that’s a big difference… those tires are not for XC/DC riding!
I run two sets of wheels too. (just built up my new XC set and installed 2.4WT Rekon/Rekon Race to test out Maxxis).
Currently I have DHR front and rear on the trail rims which are robust Syncros wheels.
The grip is fantastic and I have to admit to be enjoying the added confidence, but I can agree and attest to the added resistance.
I was sitting on 370W the other day on the tarseal road sitting in the draft of my training buddy who was on Fast Track/Rekon Race 
. The resistance is real!
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Nothing to add other than I’m back in the thread now looking for an XC Racer for 2023. After I discovered a cable has rubbed half way through my BB shell on my Spark RC MY18, I’m looking at a Blur or Epic Evo for Marathon racing as a priority.
Will try to keep the Spark going for as long as possible in the meantime, but all, please check your cable runs under the BB!
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how much does one of those bar stem combo’s weigh? I’m currently running race face 50mm stem and NextSL handlebars. I don’t love the idea fo these all-in-one bars but if I could find a pair that matched my current setup, I’d consider it if the weight savings were reasonable.
Selling my trail bike so I got the green light to use some of the proceeds on the XC bike to drop the weight a bit further. Fun times!
I can relate to this. I have an XC/downcountry bike that I have two wheels sets; an aluminum pair with Minion DHF/Aggressor combo and an carbon pair with Mezcals. It’s is like night/day swapping between the two but I love it. Depends on the day/ride I put on the pair I want.
Interestingly, for me, I am almost as fast on descents with the XC wheel setup. I think whatever I’m giving up in the corners, I’m making up with faster rolling in straightline speed. Curious if you notice that too?
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the syncros fraser ic sl weighs 271 g in 740/70, the same size aluminium stem/bar weighs 496. (weighted myself)
Keep in mind the the syncros bar is build around the cables going through the headset for the 2022 spark. There are many other brands with similar bars these days
Overall, I am stoked on my Epic Evo. I did an 8 hour race last weekend, and achieved my best result in that race ever. (I mean - of course it was all the bike and had nothing to do with Trainerroad… 
) It’s everything I want - spry on the rocky, techy downhill bits and fast on the gravel road climbs. It’s even perfect for a little bikepack racing.
I am coming from years of Ibis’ with dw-link suspension design, which means that I never had to lock out the rear suspension because it was impervious to pedal inputs. This is definitely not the case with Specialized suspension. For the first time, I feel I have to lock out the rear on gravel climbs to avoid bobbing. I admit that I probably just have not dialed in the suspension setup perfectly yet. But - I do enjoy the way the bike handles. The geometry is perfect, with a slack enough HTA and steep enough STA, it pops easily on those occasional water bar launch pads. It’s ridiculously light. I didn’t even go weight weenie and it’s still only 23.5 lbs. That’s lighter than my hardtail, which I am going to sell.
I am wondering how the Ibis Exie would feel, although those were impossible to demo and have long lead times. Specialized on the other hand has a demo center in my area that even rents out smalls, which worked for me.
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