Lighten up?

[DaveyA]

Could anyone recommend a decent set of wheels or some other ideas to liven up my bike and shave a little weight from it. I am riding a Kona Jake The Snake, 2013 model. Its not bad in its original state actually but, I am still using the original tyres that came fitted, 700x33 Maxxis Mudwrestlers and while they are great for off road and rough tracks I don't think they are helping me on a Sunday road ride with my mates who will undoubtedly be breaking out their good bikes when the better weather comes as well. I've only got this one bike now owing to lack of space, so now I don't have the luxury of a winter bike and a summer bike, this is it.
What I was thinking would be to swap these wheels and tyres with something better for summer and keep this wheelset for the back end of the year.
Wheels at present are Shimano RS10A with105 hubs, fitted with the Mudwrestlers as I say. Its also got a 10 speed 105 12-28, could I possibly fit something lighter or are they horribly expensive?
I know this is an open ended question because I have seen the eyewatering prices of some wheels and obviously I'm not wanting to get in that deep. Just something of decent quality with some improved performance. I think a decent set of wheels and tyres will give me the biggest improvement, shaving a few grammes off elsewhere won't make much difference.
And before anyone suggests it, I myself only weigh 8 -1/2 stone dripping wet so I can't make any savings there.
Many thanks.

 

[MikeW-71]

Changing just the tyres will be big difference anyway IMO. If you can get something like 25mm GP4000S on there, you'll be flying.

 

[Donger]

Changing just the tyres will be big difference anyway IMO. If you can get something like 25mm GP4000S on there, you'll be flying.

I agree with the above - but why not compromise? If you stick something bomb-proof on it, like a Schwalbe Marathon Plus, size 28mm, you could probably still do a bit of light off-roading as well as going faster on tarmac. I like having the option of heading out on the road and coming back by a canal towpath or old railway path. I use 32mm Schwalbes or Continentals and can happily cruise at 15-16mph on tarmac, but can't really stick with the fast guys. A 28mm should do the trick.

 

[tincaman]

Have you a budget to aim for?

 

[DaveyA]

Sometimes we do dodge the busier roads near home using cycle tracks etc so I would like to fit some tyres suitable for that.
Budget-wise, could I expect anything decent for around 250?

 

[tincaman]

Fulcrum Racing 5, 1650grams, around £180 and Michelin Pro4 Endurance tyres in 25mm, 225grams, around £23 each. The cassette is not worth changing, you will have to spend a lot of money to get one that is just a few grams lighter

 

[raleighnut]

Could anyone recommend a decent set of wheels or some other ideas to liven up my bike and shave a little weight from it. I am riding a Kona Jake The Snake, 2013 model. Its not bad in its original state actually but, I am still using the original tyres that came fitted, 700x33 Maxxis Mudwrestlers and while they are great for off road and rough tracks I don't think they are helping me on a Sunday road ride with my mates who will undoubtedly be breaking out their good bikes when the better weather comes as well. I've only got this one bike now owing to lack of space, so now I don't have the luxury of a winter bike and a summer bike, this is it.
What I was thinking would be to swap these wheels and tyres with something better for summer and keep this wheelset for the back end of the year.
Wheels at present are Shimano RS10A with105 hubs, fitted with the Mudwrestlers as I say. Its also got a 10 speed 105 12-28, could I possibly fit something lighter or are they horribly expensive?
I know this is an open ended question because I have seen the eyewatering prices of some wheels and obviously I'm not wanting to get in that deep. Just something of decent quality with some improved performance. I think a decent set of wheels and tyres will give me the biggest improvement, shaving a few grammes off elsewhere won't make much difference.
And before anyone suggests it, I myself only weigh 8 -1/2 stone dripping wet so I can't make any savings there.
Many thanks.

Marathon 28's or32's but keep them inflated to max rated pressure or they can be a bit slow, nice 'n' hard stops this!

 

[DaveyA]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at the wheels and tyres you mentioned.