Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
As some of you know, I was on a budget when shopping for my first real, integrated mid-drive, so I had to make some compromises. When I got my Moto Ultra, I was hoping it would be 47 or 48 pounds, but I did need a 48 cm frame-- it fits like a glove-- and based on what I was hearing, I had a feeling it would be what it was: 49 pounds. Not that heavy, but a lot for a 40 Nm motor on an EMTB.
I figured I could drop two pounds if I could find the right tubeless tires, but I kind of liked the stock tires, which were WTB Riddlers (with tubes.) I really didn't want to lose much of the grip on dirt and gravel in particular, or downhill stability on asphalt at 35+ MPH. What made me pull the trigger was when I got a slow flat after getting lost in a dodgy neighborhood; I knew that could easily happen again, and knew tubeless would give me better puncture protection. I had also learned here that wheels were the best place to drop pounds-- unsprung weight and all that, rolling resistance, etc. My LBS recommended the Ikons, which were also at the top of my own list after looking around online, it seemed like I would sacrifice the least and gain the most-- but it was all really academic; people said they had less rolling resistance, but how do I know what that feels like? And so on. I figured as long as I was spending money, why not try a CF saddle as well, because the WTB saddle is nearly 400 grams and that's just unnecessary.
Holy mother of God, what a difference! Previously, my best times on my standard 850 foot climb were on the Trek kit bike-- a hair over 20 minutes, though I think I did 19:40 one run with the throttle wide open. At first, wearing my winter armored jacket, I couldn't do it on the Moto in less than 22 minutes. Bringing less crap with me-- camera, extra sweatshirt I didn't need-- and wearing lighter summer armor, I finally matched the time on my Trek at around 20:20.
After swapping the tires, before putting on the CF seat, I'm climbing that hill in 19:20. Downhill speeds are faster, too: 34 MPH on Vermont Canyon (36 if you believe Strava) where my best previously was 32.5, and it's just as stable. Stability on sandy dirt on top of asphalt has actually improved, which I don't understand, because the Ikons are 2 mm thinner than the Riddlers. There is a tiny penalty in uphill traction on dirt and gravel-- like, I had one very brief wheel spin on each of the steepest dirt and gravel hills I generally take, barely noticeable.
The CF saddle was an adventure-- my frickin' torque wrench does not have a hex the right side, so I used arthritis pain as my torque indicator, e.g., I saw how much pain 5 or 6 produced with the torque wrench, and tightened just short of that without it (the saddle provided no spec for torque for the CF rails). Saddle began slipping on one super nasty uphill dirt single track, so I had to stay out of the saddle until I bonked and had to jump off and push. (I always do on this hill, but each time, I go just a little bit further, and today I got about 30 feet further.) Had tools, torqued to an estimated 8, and it held for the rest of the ride.
The bike has dropped from 49 to 46 pounds, and when you're as close to the edge of the power-to-weight thing as I am, every pound really helps-- though I know the two on the wheels helped the most! For anyone in a similar situation who is thinking of going tubeless due to similar issues, I highly recommend this. I am glad I didn't do it right away-- best to get to know the bike first, and train a bit first IMHO; I waited 250 miles, and I really appreciate the difference.
I figured I could drop two pounds if I could find the right tubeless tires, but I kind of liked the stock tires, which were WTB Riddlers (with tubes.) I really didn't want to lose much of the grip on dirt and gravel in particular, or downhill stability on asphalt at 35+ MPH. What made me pull the trigger was when I got a slow flat after getting lost in a dodgy neighborhood; I knew that could easily happen again, and knew tubeless would give me better puncture protection. I had also learned here that wheels were the best place to drop pounds-- unsprung weight and all that, rolling resistance, etc. My LBS recommended the Ikons, which were also at the top of my own list after looking around online, it seemed like I would sacrifice the least and gain the most-- but it was all really academic; people said they had less rolling resistance, but how do I know what that feels like? And so on. I figured as long as I was spending money, why not try a CF saddle as well, because the WTB saddle is nearly 400 grams and that's just unnecessary.
Holy mother of God, what a difference! Previously, my best times on my standard 850 foot climb were on the Trek kit bike-- a hair over 20 minutes, though I think I did 19:40 one run with the throttle wide open. At first, wearing my winter armored jacket, I couldn't do it on the Moto in less than 22 minutes. Bringing less crap with me-- camera, extra sweatshirt I didn't need-- and wearing lighter summer armor, I finally matched the time on my Trek at around 20:20.
After swapping the tires, before putting on the CF seat, I'm climbing that hill in 19:20. Downhill speeds are faster, too: 34 MPH on Vermont Canyon (36 if you believe Strava) where my best previously was 32.5, and it's just as stable. Stability on sandy dirt on top of asphalt has actually improved, which I don't understand, because the Ikons are 2 mm thinner than the Riddlers. There is a tiny penalty in uphill traction on dirt and gravel-- like, I had one very brief wheel spin on each of the steepest dirt and gravel hills I generally take, barely noticeable.
The CF saddle was an adventure-- my frickin' torque wrench does not have a hex the right side, so I used arthritis pain as my torque indicator, e.g., I saw how much pain 5 or 6 produced with the torque wrench, and tightened just short of that without it (the saddle provided no spec for torque for the CF rails). Saddle began slipping on one super nasty uphill dirt single track, so I had to stay out of the saddle until I bonked and had to jump off and push. (I always do on this hill, but each time, I go just a little bit further, and today I got about 30 feet further.) Had tools, torqued to an estimated 8, and it held for the rest of the ride.
The bike has dropped from 49 to 46 pounds, and when you're as close to the edge of the power-to-weight thing as I am, every pound really helps-- though I know the two on the wheels helped the most! For anyone in a similar situation who is thinking of going tubeless due to similar issues, I highly recommend this. I am glad I didn't do it right away-- best to get to know the bike first, and train a bit first IMHO; I waited 250 miles, and I really appreciate the difference.
