Bike Weight



Uzzah

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Dec 31, 2010
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How light should a road bike be? My friend has spent thousands buying light weight parts. People can spend money on what they want, but when does the weight of the bike start to effect durability, safety and sanity. It seems like buying stuff for the bike is more fun for him than riding. My bike is light at 15.2 so I may have no place to talk, but when is light enough and how much is too much to spend?
 
I never weighed my bikes. They all have gained weight since I bought them. I would rather have a few thousand dollars than my bike a few pounds lighter. I could always shave three pounds off my bike by leaving my water bottles home.
 
Originally Posted by Uzzah .

How light should a road bike be? [COLOR= #ff0000]There is no correct answer for this as everyone will have there own answer and each will be correct.[/COLOR] My friend has spent thousands buying light weight parts. People can spend money on what they want, but when does the weight of the bike start to effect durability, safety and sanity. [COLOR= #ff0000]With enough cash you can safely build a bike in the 9-10 pound range that is just as durable as a 20 lbs bike but we are talking the $15,000 range. For $10,000 you can build a reliable 11.5-12 lbs [/COLOR][COLOR= #ff0000]bike. Most sub 13lbs bikes are made with less expensive parts and do compromise the durability and safety of the rider.[/COLOR] It seems like buying stuff for the bike is more fun for him than riding. My bike is light at 15.2 so I may have no place to talk, but when is light enough and how much is too much to spend? [COLOR= #ff0000]Again there is no correct number as we all have different budgets and priorities. [/COLOR]
I will say that I am a self proclaimed weight weenie. I would love to and have dreamed about a sub 12lbs everyday bike. My budget does not however allow for a $10,000 build which is why I first came to this forum. I received an email telling me about a chance to win a Guru Photon the lightest bike made. Many of you have seen my reviews as I have spent around 30 hours posting almost 200 reviews. If my just over 25% probability pays off I can afford $5000 build and will build a sub 12lbs everyday bike. Some will think I am a fool and others will think that I didn't spend enough.

bottom line... a lighter bike is all personal preference. Will an extra $3000 and a 2lbs lighter bike make you any faster or better? Well a very insignificant amount but most weight weenies do it for bragging rights or just because they can. People who want that light bike but can't justify it will criticize them.

My 2 cents worth.
 
Remember it's the combined weight of the bike plus rider plus water, repair kit, etc. that matters and then it's really only noticeable when climbing, after all the bike doesn't ride itself.

So a 150 pound rider without extra water or patch kit or anything else that drops bike weight from 17 to 15 pounds saves a whopping 1.2% in terms of power to climb a steep hill at the same speed, taking another pound off the bike saves an even smaller 0.6% while climbing and much less on the flats. The differences are less for heavier riders or once you include a couple of full water bottles, patch kit, clothes, shoes, etc.

How much is too much to spend? Kinda depends on how much excess cash you've got burnin' a hole in your pocket but taking an additional pound off a 16 or 15 pound bike can easily cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. IME that's not worth 0.6% for most folks, but if you're losing your local 30 minute hill climb time trial by less than 11 seconds it may start feeling worthwhile :)

-Dave
 
bottom line... a lighter bike is all personal preference. Will an extra $3000 and a 2lbs lighter bike make you any faster or better? Well a very insignificant amount but most weight weenies do it for bragging rights or just because they can. People who want that light bike but can't justify it will criticize them.

My 2 cents worth.
Just gotta emphasize this.

Guys, we don't need to hear, yet again, stuff like "it's your weight + the bike's weight" or "take a dump or leave the water bottle home to save a couple of pounds" or the worst: "the cheapest way is to lose weight yourself".

Yea, yea, yea, we know that, it's not the point.

We like to build light bikes just because it's fun to do that and they're fun to ride. And, we can afford spending a little money on this fun hobby of ours. Believe me, although I have not always felt this way, if you put even a really expensive bike in context of other hobbies guys have - boating, fishing, golfing, guitars, snowmobiles, atvs, car stuff, audio equipment, christ, flying!.... you name it. ..... a few thousand $ for a bike, while expensive for some (believe me, it's been totally out of touch for me at many stages of my life), really isn't a huge expense for a healthy fun hobby. And for some of us - within what we can afford - it is simply fun to learn about and find parts and put together a lightweight bike.
 
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I was starting to think that I was the only weight weenie on this forum.
 
If you're into competitive cycling then it's important. I'm not so my bike is like 28 pounds with all my stuff on it. Feels light enough though compared to the mountain bikes I used to ride.
 
Originally Posted by MMMhills .

I was starting to think that I was the only weight weenie on this forum.

Your not alone. Thats what keeps it interesting around here. Think of how boring it would be if we never discussed different view points.
 
I am OK with people having light bikes. I am glad it is fun for some to do the research on the parts they want to buy. But PLEASE stop asking me to lift your bike up every time you get a new part. Yes, your bike is lighter than mine, yes I am jealous, yes i wish i had extra money, but NO, I can't tell the difference from the last time I picked it up or the time before that or the time before that.
 
Originally Posted by Uzzah .

I am OK with people having light bikes. I am glad it is fun for some to do the research on the parts they want to buy. But PLEASE stop asking me to lift your bike up every time you get a new part. Yes, your bike is lighter than mine, yes I am jealous, yes i wish i had extra money, but NO, I can't tell the difference from the last time I picked it up or the time before that or the time before that.

haha yeah "you can lift it with just your pinky finger right!?"
 
+1. I have a good friend like that. All I'll say is, you'd better be able to ride like a banshee with your light bike...probably no worse feeling than to be past by another cyclist on a much heavier bike - ask me how I know, lol.
 
Originally Posted by Mpath .

+1. I have a good friend like that. [COLOR= #ff0000]All I'll say is, you'd better be able to ride like a banshee with your light bike...probably no worse feeling than to be past by another cyclist [/COLOR]on a much heavier bike - ask me how I know, lol.
This is the biggest reason that light expensive bikes make me faster. I do not want to be passed by someone else and look like a poseur (the truth hurts /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif) so this alone keeps me on the rollers for a little longer or keeps that interval going til the very end. So I can say that light bikes do make you much faster but not because they are lighter.
 
supose the best way would be to leave your repair kit and water bottle at home and cycle up the the same hill the next day see if its easier ,personly i think your form varies from time to time this has a bigger impact than a few pounds lighter on on a particular day .....
 
There ya go. Every time I see some armchair critic on an internet forum blathering on about how "saving 20 grams won't make you any faster" yadda-yadda-yadda I want to *****-slap the douchebag and say "Hey wingnut, no one said anything about speed, we're talking about weight!" And saving 20 grams will make your bike weigh 20 grams less. End of story.

The problem is that some folks aren't imaginative enough to see weight saving as an end; they think it must be a means to some other end, and then they don't see its value because in those terms its value is indeed suspect. But a light bike is a light bike.

(btw, I'm not a weight-weeinie, my lightest bike is probably over 17.5lbs. But I wouldn't mind a lighter bike so I could more easily lift it over my head to hang it from the ceiling hook where I store it!)

Originally Posted by Camilo . We like to build light bikes just because it's fun to do that and they're fun to ride.
 
Admittedly I consider myself a runner first, and just getting back into cycling after a 20 year hiatus (I use to road race in college). But I know my wife just rolls her eyes when I compare the less than an ounce differences between running shoes. And when I was looking at bottle cages....hmmm, the weight savings between carbon and plastic? So while it may simply be a marginal difference in real terms, for me that psychological edge may be all the advantage I need (I'm a competitive runner for my age group). That said though, I will concede that those not in the sport will simply think I'm nuts or have OCD. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif
 
Originally Posted by Bob Ross .


There ya go. Every time I see some armchair critic on an internet forum blathering on about how "saving 20 grams won't make you any faster" yadda-yadda-yadda I want to *****-slap the douchebag and say "Hey wingnut, no one said anything about speed, we're talking about weight!" And saving 20 grams will make your bike weigh 20 grams less. End of story.

The problem is that some folks aren't imaginative enough to see weight saving as an end; they think it must be a means to some other end, and then they don't see its value because in those terms its value is indeed suspect. But a light bike is a light bike.

(btw, I'm not a weight-weeinie, my lightest bike is probably over 17.5lbs. But I wouldn't mind a lighter bike so I could more easily lift it over my head to hang it from the ceiling hook where I store it!)

Quote: Originally Posted by Camilo . We like to build light bikes just because it's fun to do that and they're fun to ride.

saving 20 grams technically does make you faster though, so you're either way you're in the right. Those people don't realize that while they may feel it's not worth it to have a light bike, for others it is worth it.
 
Originally Posted by Bob Ross .


There ya go. Every time I see some armchair critic on an internet forum blathering on about how "saving 20 grams won't make you any faster" yadda-yadda-yadda I want to *****-slap the douchebag and say "Hey wingnut, no one said anything about speed, we're talking about weight!" And saving 20 grams will make your bike weigh 20 grams less. End of story.

The problem is that some folks aren't imaginative enough to see weight saving as an end; they think it must be a means to some other end, and then they don't see its value because in those terms its value is indeed suspect. But a light bike is a light bike.

(btw, I'm not a weight-weeinie, my lightest bike is probably over 17.5lbs. But I wouldn't mind a lighter bike so I could more easily lift it over my head to hang it from the ceiling hook where I store it!)
Well, you are entitled to your opinion.

Too bad you can't state your opinion without calling others who stated their opinions "blathering idiots", "wingnuts", or "douchebags".

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon13.gif
 
^^ Agreed. Obvious display of poor form. Internet tough guys/img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif - kinda oxymoronic...
 

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