Good question Andrew. I didn't weigh anything when I was doing the swap, but here's what I found online:
Previous setup: 28t oval ring (54g), 11 speed sunrace 46t cassette (570g), DT Swiss steel freehub body (to minimize notching - 107g) = 731g total.
New setup: 26t oval ring (52g), 11 speed SRAM gx cassette (393g), DT Swiss XD freehub body (39g) = 484g.
Savings of ~247g, primarily from the cassette. I suspect I lost a few grams by having a slightly shorter chain, but didn't include that. If you could also run a derailleur with a shorter cage, then that would be another bonus.
I was going to make the same point that Perry did- the clearance you gain running a smaller front chainring is significant. Turns out that it's the bashguard itself making contact much of the time, and if you run a smaller chainring alone you can clear way more obstacles. Absolute Black makes a really nice 26t oval direct mount chainring btw. Aluminum, but I've gotten a lot of riding out of mine and I don't feel like it's an unreasonable compromise on the durability front.
July 29, 2021, 6 a.m. - goose8
Good question Andrew. I didn't weigh anything when I was doing the swap, but here's what I found online: Previous setup: 28t oval ring (54g), 11 speed sunrace 46t cassette (570g), DT Swiss steel freehub body (to minimize notching - 107g) = 731g total. New setup: 26t oval ring (52g), 11 speed SRAM gx cassette (393g), DT Swiss XD freehub body (39g) = 484g. Savings of ~247g, primarily from the cassette. I suspect I lost a few grams by having a slightly shorter chain, but didn't include that. If you could also run a derailleur with a shorter cage, then that would be another bonus. I was going to make the same point that Perry did- the clearance you gain running a smaller front chainring is significant. Turns out that it's the bashguard itself making contact much of the time, and if you run a smaller chainring alone you can clear way more obstacles. Absolute Black makes a really nice 26t oval direct mount chainring btw. Aluminum, but I've gotten a lot of riding out of mine and I don't feel like it's an unreasonable compromise on the durability front.