1. Tyres and wheels

A new light wheelset is the most noticeable upgrade. Mavic and Shimano make some of the best off the shelf wheel sets and Mavic probably the best selection of rims on the market. But have no fear there is no need to blow the budget on a new set of superlight wheels. First look at your tyres and tubes. Folding Kevlar tyres are a lot lighter than the heavier steel beaded variety. You can always go for thinner tyres. The larger the tyre obviously the heavier they are. In muddy conditions 1.80in to 2.0in tyres are ideal to cut through mud. Wider tyres are suited to go over mud but the weight increase is instantly noticeable and mud clearance is low (between fork brace/chain-stays is less)

2. Seatpost

Seatposts on mid-priced bikes are designed to be cheap for the manufacturer and to simply get the job done. This is fine as the manufacturer then spends the money elsewhere for a more noticeable performance advantage, hopefully. New, lightweight seat-posts can be quite expensive but you don’t need to go crazy and buy a carbon seat-post!. Carbon posts are top dogs of lightweight technology yet with incredible rigidity, but good news for us is the price of them is forever coming down year after year. A good aluminium seat-post will sell for around £40, a carbon one £60+. If unsure about what to go for or what size post you need your local bike shop is always willing to help, or email us at bucks_mtb@hotmail.com
Remember to measure the diameter of your post, as various sizes are available.

3. Saddle

Manufacturers often save money by fitting budget; heavyweight saddles, the same as they do with seat-posts. You will generally find that one saddle design comes in various models. As the price increases the heavier steel rails are replaced for lighter materials like cromoly and titanium. Lighter rails and a reduced amount of padding will also decrease weight – the more you spend the lighter and more firm the saddle. Some top spec saddles have full carbon shells so don’t expect too  much sympathy on your rear! XC racers tend to be the main users of carbon saddles.

4. Bars

Various manufacturers produce lightweight alloy bars for a reasonable prices; Easton™, RaceFace™ and X-lite™ to name just a few. Standard bars on lower end or budget bikes are often made of heavier cromoly, or just very thick alloy. Riser bars weigh more than straight bars as strength has to be added to the rise. Like most things in life, the more you spend the better quality you get, or in this case the lighter they get. Carbon bars are becoming increasingly more popular and as a result prices are starting to drop. Still expect to pay £70 upwards depending on size, style and purpose.

5. Fork

Alongside all the above suggestions, a fork upgrade is one of the most costly. Air suspension forks are a lot lighter than coil sprung forks, but superlight XC race forks are not designed for heavy riding or jumps, however technology is always bring along a new lightweight tough fork.
When buying a new suspension fork think about your riding style. If you ride downhill then you will probably want  along travel dual crown set; XC a lightweight short travel combo; all day riding a mid travel mountain fork that may have adjustable travel e.g. like our Rockshox™ Duke XC U-turn forks, the Fox Talas, the Rockshox Pikes and Reba forks.
Always weigh up the pros and cons of new forks, and look for reliability and performance instead of light weight.

6. Lose weight!

To lighten your load simply lose weight. You don’t need to be a stick insect to win races, but with weight loss comes stamina. Regular exercise, rides and a healthy diet will undoubtedly help in the long run.