Why are Euro bikes so heavy?

[Tom Nicholson]

Well,

Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at least.

Tom

 

[Jack Davis]

Tom,

I was told by an old Russian physicist that gravity in Europe, (especially Eastern Europe) is
stronger than in the rest of the world. Therefore everything is heavier there. (See photos or
Russian women)

If you exported a bike from Europe to say North America or Central America it would undoubtedly
weigh less. (Especially in Central America where a Kilo almost always weighs less than a kilo.)

I hope this information is some help to you with that puzzling question. If this turn out to be
incorrect, send your emails to the old Russian physicist....not me.)

jd

"Tom Nicholson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
> always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at
least.
>
> Tom

 

[Rocketman]

"Tom Nicholson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
> always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at
least.

They're heavier because they have more mass.

HTH

Rocketman

 

[bentcruiser]

Originally posted by Tom Nicholson
Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy?

Take a long look at them though. The bikes are made for transportation...not just sport. Also note that a lot of Euro bikes use suspension too. Some even come with or equipped to run lightning systems too.

 

[Curtis L . Russ]

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:37:35 GMT, bentcruiser
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Some even come with or equipped to run lightning systems too.

That would be the Rans in Hayes, KS. Very useful there...

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two wheels... Used to live just down the road in
Peabody and Newton, KS....

 

[Tom Sherman]

Curtis L. Russell wrote:

> On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:37:35 GMT, bentcruiser <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Some even come with or equipped to run lightning systems too.
>
>
> That would be the Rans in Hayes, KS. Very useful there...

Never heard of either. But there is a RANS in Hays, Kansas.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

[Gary Mc]

[email protected] (Tom Nicholson) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
> always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at least.
>
> Tom

In the case of the Netherlands and Denmark, I suppose that it is flat enough that weight is not much
of a penalty, so why not use that weight to make a bike that can carry whatever you want. I have
heard just such a case made before.

Germany by contrast is quite hilly to mountainous over much of its geography so I have wondered the
same thing, why are their bikes so heavy. They probably ask the same thing about our cars, trucks
and vans. Maybe it has more to do with what is hot where.

I ride a 40+ lb trike so that I can carry what I want when I want. Maybe they just think
something similar.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Salt Lake City

 

[John Riley]

[email protected] (Tom Nicholson) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
> always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at least.
>
> Tom

Most of them have suspension. Many of them have major curves in the frame tubes, which I think would
require thicker wall tubing. Some of them have fairly sturdy hardshell seats.

BTW if I look down the list of weights in the Hostel Shoppe catalog, it looks to me like _most_
bikes are in that weight range.

john riley

 

[Mikael Seierup]

"Gary Mc" skrev...
> In the case of the Netherlands and Denmark, I suppose that it is flat enough that weight is not
> much of a penalty, so why not use that weight to make a bike that can carry whatever you want. I
> have heard just such a case made before.

Denmark is not flat. Urban legend. Not very tall maybe but lots of crinkly bits courtesy of the ice
ages. ;-) And saying all euro bikes are heavy is just daft. There are lots under the limit he
states. But if you want suspension and fenders and a rack and lighting for practical use it adds up.
You american types shouldn't throw rocks with Bigha around. ;o)

Mikael

 

[Tom Nicholson]

bentcruiser <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Take a long look at them though. The bikes are made for transportation...not just sport. Also note
> that a lot of Euro bikes use suspension too. Some even come with or equipped to run lightning
> systems too.

Even so, they're still heavy for what they are.. I get the feeling that they are significanly over
engineered (or others are under engineered).

I also thought it might be to do with the use of hardshell seats rather than all mesh.

Or perhaps that they are made for general sales and have all kinds of adjustments that I'm not used
too. Like adjustable seats, and booms ect.. (we tend to have only adustable booms here, and full
mesh seats that are integral to the frame to save weight - see greenspeed and trisled bikes ect..

 

[Tom Nicholson]

"Mikael Seierup" <[email protected]> wrote in
> Denmark is not flat. Urban legend. Not very tall maybe but lots of crinkly bits courtesy of the
> ice ages. ;-) And saying all euro bikes are heavy is just daft. There are lots under the limit he
> states. But if you want suspension and fenders and a rack and lighting for practical use it adds
> up. You american types shouldn't throw rocks with Bigha around. ;o)
>
> Mikael

Mikael,

Just in case you thought I was from the northern hemishere... Well Im from 30 degrees (or so) south.

This all came about cause I heard te Rainbow Lyra is 18kg off the rack!! Thats just huge. Really
18kg is far too much for a bike even with suspension. I mean downhill bikes made for thumoing off
cliffs are less than that! Something is amiss in the design if they turn out that heavy.

Tom

 

[Mikael Seierup]

"Tom Nicholson" skrev...

> Just in case you thought I was from the northern hemishere... Well Im from 30 degrees (or
> so) south.

Yup, I spotted the "au" in your ip.

> This all came about cause I heard te Rainbow Lyra is 18kg off the rack!! Thats just huge. Really
> 18kg is far too much for a bike even with suspension. I mean downhill bikes made for thumoing off
> cliffs are less than that! Something is amiss in the design if they turn out that heavy.

18.5 kg even. Thats a fatass bike allright. Only has rear suspension too. The framematerial must be
depleted uranium. But thats probably in the very heavy end of the scale anyway. A standard
Hurricane is 13.5 kg I think. (According to Challenge) A Streetmachine is 34 lbs or 15.4 kg
according to Hostel Shoppe and they are usually considered heavyweights. If you look at lowracers
most are light. Some even incredibly light for steel frames. Like the Flux Z-Pro at 10.4 kg.

My TE-clone (from Poland) has them all beat though. 23 kg and I even got rid of the heavy fenders
and the luggagebox. ;-)

Regards Mikael

 

[Curtis L . Russ]

On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 17:02:58 -0600, Tom Sherman
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Never heard of either. But there is a RANS in Hays, Kansas.
>
>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

Sometimes I don't want to fight with the spell checker, which abhors all capital anything. The only
easy way is to do something like R A N
S.

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two wheels...

 

[Eduardo L P Jr]

Not just bikes... European people wants (and needs too...) durable things. I have an English upright
bike from 1948 (a Phillips female model 28" rimmed 3-speed Sturmey-Archer). To restore it I just
need to re-paint and re-chrome some parts. Durable things almost all times means heavy things. USA
bikes from forties and fifties aren't so durable as the european ones, or when they are, they weigh
almost double the weight...

[]'s Eduardo
--

Ypê Bike: http://www.ypebike.cjb.net/ Ypê Mono: http://www.ype.unicyclist.com/

"Tom Nicholson" <[email protected]> escreveu na mensagem
news:[email protected]...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy? I've not ridden any but they
> always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at
least.
>
> Tom

---
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[Tom Sherman]

Curtis L. Russell wrote:

> On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 17:02:58 -0600, Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Never heard of either. But there is a RANS in Hays, Kansas.
>>
>>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities
>
>
> Sometimes I don't want to fight with the spell checker, which abhors all capital anything. The
> only easy way is to do something like R A N
> S.

My spell checker recommends that "Rans" be replaced with "RANS". I have trained it well.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

[Cornelius Rober]

>>Never heard of either. But there is a RANS in Hays, Kansas.
>>
>>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities
>
> Sometimes I don't want to fight with the spell checker, which abhors all capital anything. The
> only easy way is to do something like R A N
> S.

Oh yeah? Well what about the "lightning?" I'm surprised you missed that one, Tom!

 

[meb]

Originally posted by Cornelius Rober
>>Never heard of either. But there is a RANS in Hays, Kansas.
>>
>>Tom Sherman - Quad Cities
>
> Sometimes I don't want to fight with the spell checker, which abhors all capital anything. The
> only easy way is to do something like R A N
> S.

Oh yeah? Well what about the "lightning?" I'm surprised you missed that one, Tom!

Or you could train your spellchecker to convert RANS or any other proximation to rans just to rub salt in the wounds.

BTW: Ben Franklin used to charge up batteries and run electric motors with a kite in a storm from the lightning.

Maybe if one r a n a kite up in a Kansas storm, one could get enough electricity to charge up the batteries and power you recumbent trike’s electric motor across Kansas without using a sail..

Besides, Tim Brummer still edges most of those Euro bikes on weight.

 

[Tom Sherman]

meb wrote:

> ... Besides, Tim Brummer still edges most of those Euro bikes on weight.

Either the bikes are really heavy, or Mr. Brummer should eat more.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

[John Riley]

Curtis L. Russell <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on two wheels...

Seems like I haven't "seen" you in a long time... Welcome back. As you can see, this place has gone
all to hell... ;-)

john riley

 

[Freewheeling]

Tom:

They're heavier because their mass increases as they approach the speed of light. Heh.

--
--Scott
"Tom Nicholson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well,
>
> Does anyone know why European bikes seem to be so distinctly heavy?
> I've not ridden any but they always seem to be up in the +14kg rang at
least.
>
> Tom