My Epic Evo 7 is also around 22 pounds in a medium.
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I do sometimes keep it in race setupā¦but thereās a lot of riding in Colorado that is just more fun with a bit burlier setup. Most of that terrain never gets raced or if it does, it would be in an enduro and not XC/XCM type riding but the Evo is plenty fun to take out there, just even more fun with some real tires and brakes.
Dropper is a non-negotiable for me here but if I were somewhere else with different terrain Iād probably consider swapping back and forth. I used to when I had an AXS reverb but the weight penalty is so small with the BY that itās not worth the hassle.
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Agreed!
I come across situations where I need a dropper only from time to time (midwestern) and really when I sit back and look at my bike taking it from 21.4lbs to 22.0lbs with a dropper really does make sense (especially since I have other places to loose weight).
But full transparency - I pulled the dropper cable out of the bike already and I REALLY do not want to feed a new one in. I also throw up a little when I see (4) cables hanging on the front of the bike (not saying (3) is that much better).
I thought about going wireless or AXS for the bike, but the weight and cost just dont add up to me. This is a race/fun bike - if it gets scratched, I dont cry.
I have SRAM drivetrain, shimano rotors and Hope brakes. I dont think I want to change this setup.
Shimano rotors belongs in the unpopular opinion thread 
Yeah, half the people in this thread somehow have lighter bikes than the UCI pros.
My XL S-works epic evo is around 25lbs with pedals, cages, sealant.
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My Epic 8 Expert XL is just under 25.5 with XT pedals, cages, and heavy-ish tires and sealant.
It wouldnāt be too hard to make it a ~23.x lb bike, but thereās some heavy stuff Iām not negotiable on (AXS dropper, 28 spoke wheels, powermeter crank). And Iām about to add Flight Attendant, so I should be ~26 lbs after that.
If $ were no object, Iād swap all my GX stuff for XXSL, but it just doesnāt hit my weight to value threshold. If I was walking around with 10% body fat, maybe Iād put more focus on my bike weight. After all the upgrades to my Epic, itās basically the same functionality and performance of an S-works except the extra ~2 lbs of weight (primarily wheels, RD/Cassette, and frame). Iām not saying 2lbs isnāt significant, itās just not $5k+ significant for me (and I wouldnāt swap to the lighter wheels even if it was free).
Thatās pretty common for road bikes. Pros have sponsors and required parts/brands to use. We can use whatever combo of parts we want. Itās way easier for normal consumers to have light bikes than pros.
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My 2023 Scott Spark (120/120) race ready comes in at 22.8 lbs. It has no comprises for weight and a Quarq PM, but Iāve removed the dropper as I donāt need it for MI riding/racing. Also I donāt care for the flex/movement of the Transfer SL. If your XC race bike is over 24lbs itās getting a little beefy and at 25 lbs youāre approaching trail bike.
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Iād disagree. Most pro World Cup XC bikes are 24 lbs, and thatās often with extremely light tires us normals donāt have access to. I actually think at the highest level, xc racers are realizing that heavier, but more capable, builds are much faster than the lightest weight setups of the past. Even at the easy Paris course most riders took the weight penalty of a dropper.
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Yeah my weight issue isnāt the bikeā¦
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+1 on this. Everything (including weight) contributes to performance to some degree, but even on courses with a good bit of climbing a pound of extra weight is about equal to a watt of extra power. Those things arenāt mutually exclusive, but it gives some perspective on how much difference 1-2 lbs makes. Weāre talking about an extra ~15 seconds per pound on a 1 hour climb up a 7% grade at 250 watts. Thatās not nothing, but a fair tradeoff for a more capable bike if those capabilities keep your fresher (more watts) and/or allow you to get around the non-climbing parts of the course faster.
All that said, some people have a mental thing about riding a light bike. If you think a lighter bike provides an advantage over a heavier bike, than that might be enough to make you measurably faster. Whatever works. For me, the fastest bike has very little to do with weight and mostly about all-day comfort and a position that is aero and powerful. My gravel bike is a fat pig (weight wise) and looks like a total fred-mobile, but the setup is fast as furk in my mind. Most of my target events are also 5-10+ hours, so maybe Iād feel different if I was focused on 1 hour XC races.
Yep, I think most of us fall into this. Again, lower bike weight and lower body weight arenāt mutually exclusive. But itās hard for me to feel good about spending a bunch of $ to shave a pound or 2 on the bike when I have that (and more) in useless fat on my body. At least the extra bike weight usually comes with some benefit (dropper, more durable wheels, etc.).
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Womanās gold medalist chose lighter weight. Worked for her.
Iāve seen photos of riders taking of the plastic protectors on their bike to shave grams. I think weight is still a big issue, but with crazy World Cup courses they need the capability despite the weight penalty.
In my experience a lighter bike just feels more agile and punchy. Particularly with racing in the Midwest where hills are rolling, steep but short climbs, tight weaving around trees and constantly needing to reaccelerate the bike weight. I donāt make compromises to the detriment of handling just to get the weight down. However, Iām also not adding weight like a dropper post and tire inserts (what most pros do) if itās just not needed for the races I do. My courses donāt have features like in the XCO world cup or out West and Iāve only ever flatted a MTB tire once in 8 years.
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MTB single track climbing is very demanding. My rides are often 30-50 miles with 7-8k feet of climbing. Weight is a serious consideration, but not at the expense robustness of the setup and dropper is mandatory.
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I think thereās also something to be said about the demands of XCC vs. XCO vs. XCM
Having a light build means more on the circuits than the marathon. That said, for my Scalpel the Hollowgram wheels are lighter than my Astrals, but the latter just feel better even with the same tires. I also wouldnāt go without a dropper or tire liners. So apart from dropper and wheels there isnāt a lot of weight to be dropped without out a very large pile of money. As such, itās back on Wukarfit and smarter eating as the only realistic options for reducing the weight of the overall package.
Does anyone have riding experience on the Mondraker F Podium?
My local shop has gotten in with them and I like supporting local.
Yeah, I could see that. Iāve got a diesel physiology (and I target events that reward that), so nothing I do on the bike happens with much immediacy. Iām most concerned about holding the speed once I have it, not so much about getting up to speed as fast as possible. When I hear people talking about how sluggish an extra 100g on a wheelset feels to āspin upā, I canāt relate. Iāve also done my share of crits and shorter XC thatās more surgy, but have never felt like my bike weight matters when Iām hauling around ~75kgās of body mass. I still think the weight obsession is mostly mental vs. the actual physics, but mental stuff is important.
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Force = mass x acceleration
Regarding physicsā¦ I mean itās literally in the equation.
That said it is rolling massā¦ so it probably isnāt a huge difference but I think it does matter. I mean people are trying to shave watts with aero socks and shaving leg hair and all kinds of stuff. Why ignore this?
For what itās worth Iām with youā¦ I think most would be better off training more but this sport seems to be about chasing marginal gains.
All of it matters, I just think people tend to overvalue the weight side of things. For me, spending an extra $100 an aero speed suit that saves a few watts over a normal kit makes sense. But spending an extra $150 on an XO cassette rather than a GX to save .15 lbs isnāt worth it to me personally. But everyone values different stuff.
To make the math simple, I think of a pound of weight being directionally similar in āvalueā to a watt ( watts gained from fitness, aero, drivetrain, tires, etc.). For most courses with a good bit of climbing, a watt of power output (or saved) and a pound of body/bike weight have a similar effect on time. Iād buy watts or pounds all day at $100 each. But spending thousands to shave a couple lbs is too rich for my blood.
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