The hunt for grams, It's a disease!
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- In the constant hunt for grams, I ventured into the unknown world (for me) of AliExpress to try and find a new cheap & lightweight headset expander and top-cap from my Open UP Gravel bike.
I ended up finding something pretty sweet for the price in my opinion.
Expander:
www.aliexpress...
Top cap:
www.aliexpress...
(the links above are NOT affiliated)
Instagram:
/ ridesofjapan
Mark: / landoftheridingsun
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Thank you! 🙏
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#weightweenie #topcap #expander
Challenge time! Can you spot all the typos?
I manage to publish the video before I had it checked... of course it would not be my video if it were free of typos 😅
Millimeter!
@@gplama Even my spell checker missed that one 😅
for some reason i laughed out loud at sweaty plams
otsu81 ✅
Pavel Sedlinskiy ✅
at that point you could also just remove the top cap after preloading the headset and tightening the stem...
Precisely my point.
Save both the cash & even more weight.
Sand down the paint of the frame, massive weight saving there !
ZeBen84 how much?
@@lanceoa probably 100-200
@@raphaeltiziani7476 probably more, those fashion frames has bright color and lots of clearcoat
@@raphaeltiziani7476 more like 300-400 grams.
@@your_average_cultured_dude Wow... I should also do it then :D
You deserve more followers for the quality content you put out. Thnx for keeping me motivated to cycle in this long harsh grey winter.
Peter De Ruiter thanks mate! 🙏
Love your style. I forgot it was about the top cap and expander plug... I was looking for your little edit inserts all video.
Haha, mission accomplished 😆
@@ridesofjapan We should have a challenge to find the most obscure, but awesome cycling product on AliExpress.... that won't kill us out on the road.
@@gplama That would be awesome! I leave the "no-brand" power meter to you! 😜
Hej Tobias, saving weight is understandable but don't save weight on crucial parts like these. The expander that you took off is one of the best designs in my opinion because it gives an all around support in the inner part of the fork and mainly it contrasts both stem bolts. With the new expander the top part of the stem is not contrasted internally when the screw is in place and sometimes it can be dangerous. You can find lot of broken forks/steerers video on youtube just because of this kind of compression plugs, wrong torque and a simple pot hole. Obviously a correct torque can limit the damages sometimes but personally I prefer having 20g more for the security.
Michele Trasforini I don’t even have a top cap on all my bikes soo...
@@lilwillie428 sooo good for you. There is people that love ridingi with no helmet too
Pal, exactly what i was Thinking the entire video
Can't get enough of your videos, your content is amazing, even if it's about expander plugs!
worth432 🙏🙏
J&L makes solid quality expander plugs and priced well under $20 weighing in at 6.8g. I've used them on several of my builds with zero issues.
Used your links and bought two, didn't install yet, but quality is good, I think it will work out great. Weight is a bit higher than your's.
plug 1 = 11.8g
plug 2 = 11.9g
cap 1 = 4.9g
cap 2 = 5.7g
Thank you T!
Your humor is great. Keep up with the great videos they have great data.
hey Tobias, this comes right in time. Casually I messed up that piece while trying to play with spacers a few days ago. Actually the new one haven't arrived yet so I have spent the whole long weekend not riding my bike but streching and walking instead. Get relaxed from time to time doesn't hurt anybody, even though I admit I would rather had fun with bike out there in the snow. Keep it up!!!!
It happens to the best of us! Hope you get it sorted asap!
You should watch leuscher tekniks video on expanders and steerer damage. He has really good info on the topic. Happy riding from Denmark
Very helpful. Thanks for mentioning about shopping at Aliexpress. Many folks feel that these chinese components are just cheap knockoff, so I am really pleased that you have bee successful with this. I just wanted to add that I was also able to find the stem that you were using, very affordable and less than a hundred grams too. I am thinking, perhaps if you lightly sand your stem, you may be able to save a few more grams. Though it may alter the aesthetics. Some other parts that you may consider would be the jockey wheels. And also perhaps being more precise with the total length of your hydraulic hose for both yoru front and rear calipers.
Reflective tape instead of bolt-on reflectors. If your local laws permit it. Another advantage is, you don't have to take them off for bike packing, and tape is cheap.
I'm definitely not a savage gram shaver, at least not yet. but i am a bit of a minimalist. I recently took off my center derailleur on an old vintage bike i use for kicks around town, as I barely used the lower gears it didn't seem that necessary. Immediately the bike felt so much smoother and more efficient, highly recommend coveting going 1 by if you don't use the extra gears
My trick on tires:
- If you used clincher, used a smaller size inner tube than the recommended tire size (23c inner tube for 28c tires)..
- If you used tubeless, than don't use tubeless sealants.. The air will still be sealed enough well for a couple hours (Enough for a 5hrs ride..), just fill a little bit more air..
Finally.. Ride on your own risk
Haha, that’s dedication 💪
I'm having a hard time getting my old expander out. I loosen the 8mm bolt, and the stem bolts, but it won't let go of my steerer tube. I even put the top cap bolt back in and grabbed it with pliers. No luck.
Good video on something that is actually affordable and novel at the same time!
Today I confirmed that manufacturer of my bike did not lie/or made a mistake about their finishing kit weigth. Particularly a 780mm low raise handlebar, claiming 440g (my scale showed 438g) which might be THE HEAVIEST ALUMINIUM HANDLEBAR ON EARTH. Overall my bike is heavy and I don't plan on trying to make it lighter, cause I'd have to replace....everything...pretty much. But the fact that even not very expensive bars can weigh 300g just bugs me sooo much. That is 46% heavier. I've actually found an 800mm 293g Bop bar, which is supposed to be a budget sister of Boplight. BUDGET sister at 293g, killing top dog competition. Anyway going tubeless from large heavy tubes + that bar swap will give me ~660g saving for acceptable money and this should be my bike's weigth shedding done.
trim the spacers above them stem to save even more for free! Really enjoy the videos!
Good point!
I would, but I'd like a little bit of flexibility for bike packing.
I had the same disease for a couple of years and one day, I realized that bike is just as light as 190 pounds when I'm on it. But hey, my S-works is still loosing some weight from time to time.
This is the place where I would not go for something like this for safety. I had one carbon fork fail in this place. The expander is good reinforcement of fork steerer. Much better weight saving would be some cassette like 10-42 Sram 1199, which weights under 300grams.
thank you. useful info and you are not the only sick person
Hell yes for cheap weight-weenie-ism! :D
Although this expander plug trick wouldn't work for me since I change my stem position by 2cm quite frequently :-/
Have been looking at light topcaps though!
One thing to check on would be FSA Polycarbonate spacers. They are
Acoustic Gearhead yeah, I’m the same way, I change my stem position for bike packing etc.
I can just about have my stem in the middle here, but having is slammed will not work, then I need to use my old top cap!
I have a few different versions of spacers, But I’ll look in tho those FSA if I get the chance! Cheers 👌👌
I have extralite ultrastar2 expanders on all my bikes 🤣 but now I’m kicking myself for not thinking of aliexpress on the last build!! Thanks for the tip!!
Great video,
I’ve found your videos and channel as a whole really helpful for me, I’ve recently built a bike from the frame up.
I'd like to say use the stem GPS mount to save several grams, but you're already doing so.
The next alternatives may be some cheep Chinese titanium bolts, lighter cloth, cheap Chinese carbon rear derailleur plates with ceramic cogs, and even less tire sealant.
Still, going to bathroom before riding could save more grams!
Although none of the weightweenie tips make sense to me. Just a decent pure road bike would normally be lighter than a gravel bike equivalent. (as long as one doesn't go offroad)
But! imagine loosing the grams on the bike AND going to the bathroom as well 🤓😁
I've switch most if my bots for Ti... But I have some work left on on the seat post clamp 🤔
Excellent entertainment! You're an expanded nut and an artist. Losing weight is a multi-billion dollar business, so you're not the only one out there trying to trim extra fat. For a $150 (difference) you can shave 32 grams with an XTR rear derailleur. The super sexy McFK post gets you another 48 grams savings, you could use a new one anyway. It's only money, you'll make more.
Tickle Fritz that’s the spirit!
I’ve lusted over that Mcfk post in bed many night! 😜
Once again - your intros are art! Yes✌️
You can still save a pretty big chunk of weight with a SRAM xx1/x01 cassette(11 speed 10-42). 419-263=156 grams. It's not cheap since you'll need a xd driver for your rear hub aswell. BUT 156 grams and a heavier gear, sound like a win-win to me!
Baboya Badodata very true, I’m dreaming of the garbaruk cassette... but I’m waiting (probably in vain) for Shimano to release the XTR Di2 12speed 😅
Looks good. Ordered yesterday. Thanks for the tip.
This was a pretty heavy subject..... No problem and I'm here all week :.)
What always gets me about those who say those magic words 'would you trust something made in China' - only they ignore the fact that their bike is made in China and if not that then most of the computing device they posted the comment from was made in China.
Weight watchers anonymous, bro!!! It's your only hope!!!😂😂😂. Makes you wonder why the European and us manufacturers are so expensive though.
Honestly, Chinese components are in general frowned upon way too much. A lot of it is just the same as you get from Western brand (even if it produced in the West). Oz Cycle had a thru axle made via Ali Express. It's basically just a long bolt with specific pitch etc. I think it was around $5, whereas the DT Swiss was $40.
Yeah I found that "Token" in taiwan made some fantastic light and good value stuff.
On the end,you get what you pay
Another great video .......... keep up the good work
I saved 200 grams going with a Bontrager XXX integrated bar on my gravel bike. The bar is 221 grams at 420mm x 90mm
You're in the best place in the world to get lots of light parts. The Japanese bike industry caters for our unique maniac obsession of weight reduction.
you can use plastic garmin holder instead of that cap and save even more grams.
Thank you. I'll try this!
for the weight weenie who doesn't mind checking over their bike most if not all rides, remove 3 bolts out of your disc rotors, make sure the remaining 3 are always tight pre ride, and remove the grease from sealed bearings, replace with a drop of oil, oil often!
Not so risky mods would be, remove the extra 10mm from your steerer tube and slam that top cap to the stem, only tape the bars where you need comfort, and cut off any excess length, do that with your seat post too!
tribalismstudio damn!
with all these tricks I realize I might not me as big of weight weenie as I thought 😜
Rides of Japan I’ve seen even more extreme weenieism! Where friends have removed all unnecessary bolts, not used washers, stripped paint, drilled/machined out “”excess”” material from cranks, brake levers, callipers and the like. 😵 borderline death traps!
You should always make sure that the expander covers the lower part of the stem
You know what’s up, the 6g Garmin mount on the stem for the win!
What's your opinion on the expander height being so much less than the clamp height of the stem on the steerer tube? it is like 20mm expander to 40mm stem clamp area. No concerns? I also ride a short expander, but just wanted to hear someone's elses opinion
Thank you, I will try Tune Xpanda.
Det här skulle kunna bli en serie, "Bästa och mest prisvärda delarna på Ali Express". Skulle gärna se dig hitta riktigt bra styre och sadelstolpe. Har själv köpt en styrstam i kolfiber och lite andra smågrejer från Kina som jag är mycket nöjd med.
Har letat lite lätt efter en sadelstolpe men har inte riktigt hittat något som passar och är nog lätt ännu... Ali Express är en djup djungel dock :)
In my very humble opinion, compression plug isn't exactly the safest of places to save weight. Having said that I support my steerer tube with hopes and dreams
Rim brakes are waaay lighter, tubular tires/wheels as well.
Haha! Excellent filler content. Found you via the S-Phyre video. Was doing the same as you-looking for reviews or any coverage on the shoes. About to do a review of them myself. Digging what I've seen so far, it reminds me of my own vibe. Subbed! 👍🏻✌🏻
Cheers mate! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do ✌️
Nice video mate especially the intro 🤣👍
I can understand people with road bikes and possibly xc bikes worrying about weight, but people on enduro (or DH) bikes that get ridden hard, beaten up/covered with mud trying to hit some magic weight number, I simply dont understand. Just ride your bike!!
Carbon TI disc rotors is the next big thing. The weight is only 79g per rotor.
Luke from TRACE VELO ask you if you are still using the light Aliexpress expender plug in his new video?
How about some lightweight road wheel skewer suggestions.
I know your gravel bike is disc, but figure you have some good advice on skewers.
Thank’s , great videos !
Sorry mate, haven’t use skewers in years... and I had bad experiences with cheap Chinese lightweight ones, has some from kcnc that was okay, but nothing beat the Shimano DA in terms of holding the wheel in place.
No phone, no bike computer and no water bottle. Espresso instead of a big mug coffee before the ride. That saves at least 1.5 kg!
I will do that, and save another 29g in top of that ;)
3T bailoout cassette is nice thing.
220 gr.weight,nice range 9-32...
To adjust the headset it's better do it first with a normal cap, tighten the screws of the stem and then put the top cap monobloc so as not to destroy by an excess of tightening because are much fragile (I broke one Absoulte Black top cap......)
jimix1980 good tip! I’ll keep that in mind!
Try a top cap made by token. Great looking, weighs nothing and eliminates the need for a spacer below the top cap.
Love your videos, the tech stuff is very helpful and your style always makes me smile - but some perspective maybe? I'm just happy to go out and ride (three kids don't leave me much personal time!). Weight of tiny components is a just a little but OCD. 😁
looks like you have used all standard weight saving methods like wheels, hubs, saddle, stem, handlebar etc...... ))
have you tried:
1. titanium bolts everywhere + axles.
2. using 4 bolts (instead of all 6) on brake rotors. very questionable solution!!! but some use it.
3. Jagwire (their ultralight version) cables+housing.
4. Using lighted freehub body.
?
1. Yes
2. Nope, not worth it IMO
3. Nope, not a single wire on my bike
4. Nothing lighter than the Extralite freehubs
Now with that being said, while I am portraying myself as a hardcore weenie (half true and half tongue and cheek)
I still want a capable bike. I’m on disc brakes, I use MTB pedals etc.
I try find that balance between all out light weight without loosing confidence in my bike.
Appreciate all the suggestion though 👍
Across makes a different aproach very liggt
you need extradite stem, darimo bars, darimo t1 loop seatpost, darimo sub 4 seatpost clamp, also can loose weight on saddle.
On my last build I replaced all the stainless steel bolts with titanium bolts
You are brave I got to say that much for you. There is a reason expander plugs are longer. It is not just so your stem doesn't crush the carbon steerer, but there are lateral forces when you put pressure on your bars. The expander helps the steerer cope with those forces so the steerer doesn't snap like Hincapie's did in the Paris Roubaix. That is also a reason why people should not add more than 25mm of headset spacers. I don't want to curse you but consider yourself warned. You may just want to keep that bike on smooth bike paths and keep it under 10 mph to be safe.
One would think the crushing would not occur if the stem bolts are tightened with the expander in, and then the expander is removed afterwards…
Video suggestion: how to draft like Sagan. The way he brakes his rear wheel and skids... nice
Have you tried drilling out your water bottles. I hear you can save quite a bit of weight depending on the size of the bottle😉
It`s funny to watch this meanwhile I am currently building my a steel gravel /adventure bike ( made of 4130 CroMo, double butted tubes, only the frame is around around 3,7 kg) :D
Fun watching you tube👍🏼😊
Dude, I'm not sure this is a safe idea. The expander basically gives the resistance and stability from the inside of the fork tube. This might destabilize the carbon fork and you definitely don't want to hit any potholes with this. Just check the SL7 fork flaws, there were broken forks because of missing stability from the inside.
How much does your bike weigh in gravel and road modes? Ball park is fine, but it’s nice to have some context for future videos.
7.62kg in gravel-mode with the Compass tires... switched those tire out for heavier gravelking ones though, so + 200+grams 😭
I've yet to weight the bike in "road-mode" since I build it up again.
Kabuto Flair helmet is surprisingly light and not too expensive. Might require an Asian head transplant though.
How much does it weigh?
@@ridesofjapan 170 g in S/M and 185 g in L/XL. Seems ridiculous, but I guess we can trust Japan when it comes to safety standards. Decent range of colours on amazon.
Great video mate as always keep them coming. I got a question for you, I got an Open up bike built with Ultegra 8000 groupset.. and hunt 650b wheels. Lovely bike. I’ve been experience and issue where the front rotor is rubbing the brake pads while out the saddle. It does not rub while seating only out of the saddle. I have re-centered the caliper a few times but still got the noise. Rotors are brand new therefore not bend. Have you experienced anything like this? Thanks for your help... cheers...
Hi mate,
I've experienced this mostly after longer descents... usually it fixes it self after a few seconds. Doesn't usually happen other wise. I'm very lightweight though..
Have you tried tighten the thru-axles a bit more? (or even a bit less).
You could also try to center the caliper with a one of the centering tools, or a thin piece of carboard, I use the packaging that come with the brakepads and put in in between the rotor and the pads, squeeze and tighten the caliper.
Can also be worth removing the pads, cleaning the pistons with brake fluid and then push the pistons back in as far as they go, install the pads, and do the centering again and see if it helps.
Rides of Japan thanks for your reply. I’ll try it. Cheers.
Tomas Gonzalez i’m glad you also experienced that- many people i had discussions with told me i’m wrong,
but when you watch Tour down under you can see the fast climbers had rim break bikes,while the discees also had to put
more weight to the summit.There is friction,and the pads always keep pushing to keep the best break piont
When I was motor cycle racing I drilled holes in the motor cover screws and any other screws that didn't have lateral or shear forces on them. Sadly I never noticed any improvements but I felt better.
Hardcore! 😎
I ride with the long expander plug from colnago, because I'm paranoid.
I also buy carbon parts with the highest rider weight limits for the same reasons, even though I'm not that heavy, body weight around 80 kilo.
I solved this problem by using an alloy tube instead of expander.
Pros:
- Lighter weight.
- The tube can have greater stack height, providing better support for the steerer tube.
- The tube could be machined with curved ends to eliminate the stress rising points.
Cons:
- An expander is needed for initial setup to preload the headset. Then with just lightly tightened stem bolts you can swap the expander for the tube and torque the bolts as needed.
- If you happen to loosen you headset out on the road, you cannot preload it (except if you are riding with someone that has an expander on their bike to borrow).
Here's a picture:
postimg.cc/7fHrvg4D
Le Kobiashvili very interesting solution that! Love these kind of hacks, 👌
"Don't ask" 😂 (I didn't, OK?)
It's an obsession!
Nice vid, again!
Why not cut off the upper part above the stem of your fork tube ?
Don't use it anyway or do you want to save it for when your getting old ?
Nice soft/wide light you use as a working light , complements!
Thanks mate!
Hehe... Not saving it for getting old, but I do tend to raise my stem when bike packing to add a bit more clearance for a handle bar bag as well as a more relaxed riding position.
Cheers!
Makes sense!@@ridesofjapan
@@ridesofjapan Get a second stem with rise :)
I'm always watching well.
~~^^~
I'm curious.
Can you use it for the Giants cycle ??
From korea Fan........
Cheers mate!
No, giant has a bigger steerer tube so you can NOT use it for giant unfortunately
@@ridesofjapan Thank you for your fast feedback.
I always support you~~
I hope you will visit Korea someday and get a ride.........^**^
Here.. who would have thought ... anyway you have done it...
I have a question. Where did you get your spacers from? I am talking about the carbon one which has angled pattern. I need a few, thought you can help maybe?
Search for “3k carbon spacer”
Your friend has balls of steel 🤣
for the weenies. i´m going to build a mason bokeh with shimano whrs170 wheels, arione saddle, full deda zero1 packaging, ultegra r8000 with the rx derailleur and some nive pirelli pzeros. which leads up to 8.5kg.. where do you think can i save some weight cheaply? thx
If you sweat into the crown it is carbon, and it would run out the brake hose entry?
Алиэкспресс - наше все! ☻
Do you have light thru axles? Also rotors are area to save some weight (I don't mean those superlight ones that barely have any contact surface), for example I have some can't remember what model but fairly cheap Formula rotor 160mm that weights only 88g, and for my weight 90kg never had issue with breaking, although I don't have such amazing hills as in your area so that might not be route to take.
fuzz1337 the Open UP come with really light thru axles for carbon-ti. So I’m set there.
Regarding rotors I’m on the fence... as much as I care about weight I also care about looks, it’s a constant battle 😅
I wouldn’t mind trying something out in the future though, but it would have to be center lock.
Cheers!
@@ridesofjapan How light? :P
@@suugoi 33 and 25g
eenut crane creek , 9.6 grams
I too suffer from acute weight weenie syndrome 🤓
Crazy place to shave of weight, just insane.
If the fork steerer breaks off on a downhill ride hitting a pothole you are toast.
good job! Do you know what kind of expander comes OEM with the bikes? I think mine is just an small metal spider
I guess it depends from brand to brand. Perhaps in your case it’s starnut on alloy steerer.
I personally would never save weight on critical part that hold your bike together. For example
- compression plug
- stem
- steel bolt
- axle skewer
Generally, I love your stuff, but this is eye-roll worthy.
It is not true that the expander plug resists the stem from compressing the forksteerer. It just sits in the fork and grabs onto the carbon so that you can preload the headset with the topcap. In a aluminum fork you have a starnut which you cannot use with carbon and therefore the expander plug is used. So no worries, your fork will be fine!!
I'm pretty much on the same page as you there... But I tried to cover my ass form the "safety-police" hehe.
I agree that the main function is bearing preload, but I do find that I reach the recommended torque quicker when having the expander in place... so while it might not be necessary, it seems to have that "bracing" effect for the stem. (I'm definitely no engineer when is comes to this however)
Good info for the books, Cheers!
You should watch this short film about compression-pugs: ruclips.net/video/8bSnbjHiFXc/видео.html
Simon, you couldn't be farther from truth here.
@@robertkujawa3504 tell me the truth then
@@plaicknaa Thomas already gave you the truth. Watch that.
Been contemplating Supacaz Supalite 11g bottle cages... 🤔
lanceoa ooh! Nice one!
Doesn’t look like the best option for gravel but perfect for a road weenie 👍
Still happy with the combo? I just need a new one, might just copy yours ;)
Yep, happy with it, but I had to change top cap when I swapped and lowered the stem, the bolt length wasn’t long enough
hi how is the plug holding up? any good after 2 years?
No issues with the plug, but swapped it out when moving all the light stuff to a new bike in December.
@@ridesofjapan I took your advice and go for it..... not bad!! No difference during rides, it's like free grams!! TQ nice video and this thing work. No issues at all after several rides. 5-star upgrade.
now i'm tempted.. but first Thru Axles... any experience there with chinese builds?
Max L sorry, the Open comes with really light carbon-ti axles so never needed to looks for new ones.
Hi Max, were you successful getting some axles from China?
Been a while now, any untoward issues with the expander plug?
Zero issues until I sold the bike (the new owner got the standard expander)
My current bikes has proprietary expanders.
Do those nylon bolts need to be that long...
perkinator64 probably not :)
I need to lose about 15kg before I even contemplate thinking about doing things like this lol
15kg + 20grams even better ;)
@5:20 Actually lol'd. What the hell?