Many bicycle brands strive to identify buyers with race participants as much as possible. Therefore, every day people are more and more addicted to becoming like professional athletes. A light bike, on which there are no unnecessary details like a bell, wings and steps, is becoming the dream of more than one rider. To improve the driving characteristics of this unit is quite possible at home.
Why is this needed?
Most bike owners, as a rule, do not even participate in amateur competitions. Their main rival is themselves. To identify with the idealized image of the rider, you can use both elementary ways to improve your vehicle, and more radical, using a drill, saw and other tools. We will examine in detail how to make a bicycle easier.
The lower the weight of your bike, the better it rides, picks up acceleration, rises downhill, and becomes more convenient to drive. To achieve this effect, you must ensure that the unit does not have a bunch of extra parts that you are not using.
Start with tires
To make a lightweight bike, start by working on its wheels. If your vehicle was purchased at a low price, it most likely has wide tires. Their cameras are very heavy and significantly affect the weight gain of the entire mechanism. Replacing tires and cameras, you will help your brainchild to get rid of half a kilogram load.
This point is very important, because excess weight on the wheels of a bicycle can rightfully be compared with the heavy shoes of a marathon runner. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the fact that, making acceleration, the pilot makes a lot of effort to disperse the round parts of his bike. At the same time, relief plays an extremely large role. When you just start the race, you don’t feel the excessive load, but over time it makes itself felt more and more.
Replace tires
In order to improve your light bike, replacing tires, you do not have to spend a lot of money. But when choosing the right part, make sure that it does not have too little weight. The thinner the rubber, which determines its mass, the greater the likelihood of punctures, cuts and tears on the surface.
For summer trips, it is better to take tires weighing from 450 to 650 grams. For the winter, kilograms are optimal. When choosing rubber, consider the diameter of the wheels of your machine. Ideally, under the main coating should be a special layer that protects against punctures.
New wheels
If you want to make a very light bike, you can completely replace the wheels. This item is not as important as installing new tires, but also plays a role in tuning. The level of how smoothly the unit rolls grows from the center of rotation of its elements to their edges. That is, the rim mass plays the largest role, the spokes are in second place, and the sleeve located in the center does not actually affect this process.
A set of a pair of wheels is called a fork. Its typical weight is about two and a half kilograms. A sturdy and reliable kit of 1.7-1.8 kg costs three hundred and four hundred dollars.
More expensive models are lighter. For example, one and a half kilogram welset will cost you eight hundred cu That is, for a fairly small difference in weight, you will have to overpay twice as much.
If you are serious about further cycling, you need to consider the fact that buying quality wheels is a good investment in the future. Even if over time you want to buy a more expensive bike model, this forklift can be equipped with wide rubber, pump it up well and use it for traveling long distances.
Weight and rollability
The lightest bike in the world was made in America from carbon fiber. Its weight is 2.7 kg, and mileage reaches 25 thousand kilometers. Many owners of two-wheeled beauties are trying to maximize bring their offspring to these parameters. At the same time, they are actively debating whether reducing the weight of a bike affects its ability to roll easily.
Many cyclists are of the opinion that these two concepts are interconnected. It is worth noting that when you go up, difficulties in moving around appear not because of the weight of your unit, but because the gravity of the earth prevents the lift. In this case, you have to lift up a mass consisting of your body and the vehicle itself .
It does not matter where the weight is focused: on the frame or in the area of the hydrator behind. A light bike makes any ride (including downhill) easier. Your weight also plays a role, and if you lose a few pounds, it will be much easier to drive your vehicle.
Depreciation
If you want the bike to "lose weight" even more, you can take a few more measures to achieve this goal. If the bike is inexpensive, the next step of its owner after working with wheels is to replace the suspension fork.
This tuning point is able to improve and light tricycles. When choosing a new element, you need to have one hundred percent confidence that the bike is quite modern. Its steering column should fit the size 1.1 / 8 ″.
Otherwise, you will not be able to find a plug made for the parameters that were used before. Replacing this part, you will not only get rid of excess weight, but also significantly improve the cushioning properties of your “horse”.
Striving for the best
Virtually all budget bikes come with so-called fork simulators. This part copes very poorly with its main task - ensuring the stability of the case and mitigating any irregularities. In addition, it is quite heavy. Therefore, its replacement will benefit your bike and add functionality to it.
Many beginners claim that their forklifts work well. But usually people who have never tried a newer model of this spare part say so. A light bike (adult) can be improved by replacing the fork and discarding at least half a kilogram at the expense of it. For this pleasure you will have to spend a considerable amount - about 300-500 cu But this investment is very practical, because it improves the riding characteristics of the bike.
Avoid fakes!
The next step that can be taken on the road to creating the perfect bike is installing pipes (the steering wheel and saddle are held on them). Today you can get great parts of this type, made of carbon fiber. The material is not only very light. It also absorbs microvibrations, so that the ride becomes smoother and more comfortable.
When choosing parts from carbon fibers, you need to be very careful. The fact is that in the market you can stumble upon a large number of aluminum elements made in China, coated with a thin layer of carbon.
The specified parts (and these may be rudders, outriggers and side-by-side seats) do not differ too much in weight from standard elements, although they look much more expensive. You can, of course, take such spare parts, but they will fulfill an exclusively decorative function, without affecting the running characteristics and weight of your horse.
What else should be done?
Having completed all the above steps, you can greatly facilitate your bike. But if the achieved results seem insufficient, and you want to continue tuning, it will take a lot more money. You can replace the transmission, brakes, seat and even bolts. But these actions will help to reduce the weight of the unit very slightly, while emptying your wallet by many hundreds of dollars.
And if you catch yourself by checking the mass of every part of the bike on electronic scales or steelyard, this is a sure sign that it is time to stop. If you follow every gram of your unit, it can go into mania, which is difficult to get rid of. It is necessary to know in all measure and be able to stop in time.
Note!
If you yourself weigh more than 80 kilograms, the new lightweight bicycle parts will break much faster than less dense athletes.
You can apply the same tuning steps as for adults in order to improve the children's bike. Lightweight steering wheel, good wheels and new pins will significantly improve its driving characteristics and reduce weight.
The main rule of such a repair is rational thinking and a practical approach to upgrade. Adhering to it, you can make your bike perfect for any race.