Lighter is always possible. With an unlimited budget, tuning enthusiasts could have easily shaved at least another kilo off our test bike. But the lighter part is not always the better one. That's why it's important to think carefully about where function comes first and where you can decide purely on the basis of weight. For example, you shouldn't compromise on any safety-relevant parts. Our setup reduces the weight of the Rocky Mountain Instinct without taking away its temperament.
Rear derailleur: Sram XX1 Eagle rear derailleur with Ceramic Speed OSPWX
The wheel tuning with Ceramic Speed is aimed less at saving weight and more at saving power. Incredibly expensive due to the ceramic bearings.
Gear group: Sram XX1 Eagle
The XX1 Eagle groupset from Sram is the best the market currently has to offer in terms of weight and performance.
Brakes: Magura MT Trail SL 180/180 mm
The Trickstuff Piccola Carbon is considered the lightest hydraulic disc brake in the world. Magura also skilfully combines lightweight construction with stability and top function with the MT Trail SL.
Wheels: Bike Ahead Composites Biturbo RS
It doesn't get any lighter for this area of use. The full carbon wheels with six spokes are the lightest on the market and are also approved for tough trail and all-mountain use.
Suspension fork: Rockshox Pike 150 mm
In order not to conceal the downhill-oriented genes of the Instincts, we even gave the candidate a 150 millimetre fork instead of the Fox 34 with 140 millimetres. Despite the upgrade, the weight has been reduced by 90 grams.
Grips: Lizard Skins DSP Grips
A lot of tuning for little money: the new grips alone save us a whole 78.8 grams for 20 euros. The efficiency could hardly be better. Nice and light, but still comfortable. The perfect tuning grip.
Handlebars: Bike Ahead The Riser light
The weight of the handlebars could certainly have been even heavier. However, the Bike Ahead The Riser light is at the forefront of handlebars approved for trail and all-mountain bikes. Despite the carbon fibre, the handlebars are designed for a rider weight of 105 kilograms.
Stem: Newmen Evolution SL 60
We did not use carbon for the stem. The aluminium stem from Newmen is even approved for enduro use and still saves 29.8 grams compared to the standard stem of the Instinct Carbon 70 thanks to its lightweight construction and titanium bolts.
Saddle: Selle Italia SP-01 Boost Tekno Superflow
The market offers even lighter saddles, but the comfort of the bike should not suffer under any circumstances. The weight saving of 141.7 grams is significant.
Seat clamp: Vecnum tooLOC
Although it only saves 1.6 grams compared to the standard clamp, it is specially designed for use with Vario seatposts. The two adjusting screws distribute the forces evenly, which prevents the guide tube from being compressed.
Seatpost: Vecnum Nivo 100 mm
To fulfil the requirements of an all-mountain bike, a dropper seatpost is of course a must. At 100 millimetres, the Vecnum offers less travel, but also saves 160 grams. The slightly higher saddle was hardly noticeable on the downhill.
Faster through tuning - We have analysed the real benefits of lightweight construction on mountain bikes and how much time expensive tuning really saves off-road in an elaborate experiment. You can read the tuning experiment in BIKE 8/20 - in stores from 7 July!
