What Do Light Bikes Weigh
- This topic has 29 replies, 20 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by .
Bicycle Weight, The Benefits Quantified. What we are discussing, from a normal all-steel bike to a super-light, barely legal bike is about 4 pounds. This is what we're going crazy about, 4 pounds. Maybe a bit more with a less expensive groups. In any case, given the usual rider-bike package of at least 180 pounds or more.
Just built my missus a tiny 650c bike using a second hand ally frame and bits sourced from ebay and here.
Comes in at 20.5lbs.Is that a good weight? I know there’s scope to lose some from the bars and stem without too much cost, but lighter wheels, frmae and forks will cost loads more.
Posted 7 years agoWeight is cost dependant – if it’s cheap…..
Posted 7 years agoit’s certainly not heavy, I’d take good tyres on my road bike over lighter anyday.
Posted 7 years agosound similar to my GF’s giant defy 2, my cannondale six 105 is claimed at about 18 but then its £1800 and carbon
Posted 7 years ago18 lbs is a decent weight for a road bike. Pro bikes are around 15 lbs. Lightest in the world is just over 6 lbs. For 650c I would’ve thought you’d go under 20 lbs quite easily.
If she has never owned or ridden one and you’ve just built one up especially for her and she’s already complaining, tell her to HTFU and go train harder.
I’ve never actually weighed my road bike, or particularly felt the need to, but now for some reason I really want to know..
Posted 7 years agomy medium planet x sl carbon sram red is around 18
Posted 7 years agoIIRC the cheaper offerings from Spesh Trek etc seem to be around the 21 lb mark.
Generally* around the 2k mark they start hitting 18 lb and get lighter as the price increases.
*They’ll always be a few bikes that are lighter/heavier at a given price point.
So, if it didn’t cost too much to build you’ve done ok.
Posted 7 years ago1. That’s a hybrid, not a road bike.
2. I’ve got the 700c version of that frame, it’s utter ****. Weighs a ton and flexes loads. Well done on getting it down to a reasonable weight for only £300.
3. Grateful, isn’t she? 😉
Posted 7 years agoThat’s a fairly decent weight for a cheap hybrid.
Posted 7 years agoI’d say that was a pretty reasonable weight, certainly if you built it on a budget. I doubt there’s any single place you could lose a big chunk of weight (unless you’ve got an unusually heavy frame or wheels) – it’s usually just little amounts off everything that makes the difference between what you’ve got and a (say) 18 lb bike.
My lightest bike (fast tourer/audax, Mercian 531 frame with Campag Centaur/Chorus/Record mixture) weighs a bit over 22lbs with luggage rack and mudguards, which I think is quite good for a “non-race” bike. But it’s also relatively expensive (probably cost something like £2500 to replace with new parts). In 2006 I had the frame refurbished (was new in 1990) and rebuilt the bike with road/race components rather than the old mix of MTB and road stuff (I used to use it for heavier touring). That dropped around 3 lbs from the overall weight, but using lighter wheels (OpenPros instead of the old touring rims) made a big difference to the feel of the bike. I’d say it “feels” pretty much as fast as some much lighter bikes I’ve ridden.
I wouldn’t worry so much about total weight, but definitely look at the wheels as the first area to upgrade/throw money at – makes the biggest difference to the riding experience, rather than just a number to quote at people.
EDIT Just seen your other post – I reckon you’ve done pretty well for the money. Lose the flat bars though!!!
Posted 7 years agoIt depends.
My first steel roadie was 21 lbs, my next one was 20 lbs, my aluminium road bike was 19 lbs, my current middle aged crisis bike is 16.75 lbs, a Scott Addict..But two full water bottles = 1500mls = 1500g = 3.3 lbs, so overall weight = 20lbs.
20 lbs = 9 kg.
9 kg from a total weight of about 90 kg, that’s me, dressed, is 10%.
So the actual difference between my heaviest bike and my lightest one is a tiny amount when considered in terms of the real world, which is where I do most of my riding.
Posted 7 years agoMy 58cm frame Cannondale Supersix (ultegra)is just over 16lbs off the peg with Look Carbon Keo’s
MM
Posted 7 years agoMy Trek 2.3 is about 19.8lbs. RRP on that was £1,300.
Posted 7 years agoMy cinelli weights 7.5kg which I think is about 16.5 pounds? 8Kg is a good weight for a midrange road bike I reckon. What’s that, about 17.5 pounds?
Posted 7 years agoTell the ungrateful cow to have a dump before she rides it.
And come back and let us know how she responds.
Posted 7 years agoNot a bad weight for that TBH, that frame and the cranks are both quite heavy. Perfectly functional though so hats off for building all that up for £300, good little bike.
UCI set a minimum weight limit for pro road bikes of 6.8kg (15lb) although that rule came in years ago when riders were drilling out alu frames to save weight and then the frames would break. With modern carbon frames and lightweight kit it’s easily possible to build up 12-13lb road bikes. If you go silly and uber expensive then sub 10lb is possible.
My alu S-Works with Dura Ace and American Classics is 16.8lb.
Posted 7 years ago20.5lb for a £300 hybrid is quite frankly bloody impressive.
My road bike, a Giant Defy 2 rrp of £825 last year, is 21lb naked! And for the money, mine was one of the lightest bikes around…
Does she ride mountain bikes at all, and if so, how heavy is her bike and does she complain at the weight of it?
Posted 7 years agoHaving just got a nice light road bike, it is so much more enjoyable to ride than a 20lb plus one.
If you are putting in the miles then its worth the investment in something c 18lbs
Posted 7 years ago6.8kg.
Posted 7 years ago
My road bike is considerably heavier, close to 10kg I imagine. I’m not that fussed about the weight as it doesn’t stop me riding it, having fun and/or taking the odd carbon bling scalp on the climbs.
Maybe she needs to focus on fitness more than anything, bad workmen/women blaming tools and all that. 😉My canyon aeroad is 16lbs 1oz. although if the rider is carrying a few extra pounds it’s all a waste of time isn’t it?
Posted 7 years agoThere are a few 14kg bikes out there, my Pipedream can’t be far off 11-12kg. Not sure of your point… 😉
Posted 7 years agoTo be fair, a number of the top female XC racers weigh sod all and it doesn’t make that much difference – she’s got less mass to carry up the hills.
Considering what you’ve got it seems a good weight.
Posted 7 years agoTyres are Schwalbe Stelvio folding, so fairly
light[b]shite[/b]it took me years not to be tight with road tyres but I won’t be making that schoolboy error again in a hurry.
Posted 7 years ago
The topic ‘What's a 'good' weight for a road bike?’ is closed to new replies.
“How much does your bike weigh?” Surely we’ve all heard this question at the trailhead. But what good is that information? Is a heavy bike a bad bike? Can the riding performance be defined by a number in weight? Or should we perhaps stop weighing our bicycles altogether?
Light is good, heavy is bad, this has been the motto in cycling for decades. In the 1990s this went so far that many riders put their lives on the line every time they went riding due to exaggeratedly lightweight construction. Handlebars breaking was almost as much a part of the daily routine at the time as getting a flat tire. Thanks to continuously improving testing and production processes, however, over the years this problem has fortunately been solved. However, the seeming importance of weight has not diminished.
Yes, it’s true, bikes tend to have gotten heavier over the years
Lightweight Bikes
It sounds like a paradox: A sport in which, for a long time, weight was the decisive factor, technological progress seems to have gone backwards. The fact is that in recent years trail and enduro bikes have become increasingly heavier. Has this ruined the handling? Not at all! As the weight has increased, so too has the handling and they’ve become a lot more fun to ride.
Since the dawn of the mountain bike, it’s been a rapidly evolving beast. In the beginning, it was the suspension fork, then the disc brake, and it all added weight. Followed by dropper seat posts, larger wheels, wider handlebars and so on. Would we want to do without any one of these? Certainly not! And so, over the years, boring bikes that were good only for forest roads morphed into potent descenders, delivering maximum fun on all kinds of trails. Now, you can easily spend a day in the bike park with a modern 140 mm trail bike – a few years ago that was unthinkable.
Frames are getting heavier – but also more sophisticated, stiff and durable
The ever-improving performance of bikes automatically leads to the fact that they get ridden on ever-rougher trails at ever-higher speeds. The logical consequence is increased stress on the frame and, with poor componentry choice, increased wear. It goes without saying that the frame and its bearings have to be adapted for this purpose. A good example of this development is the new Canyon Spectral. “Yes, the new model is a little heavier,” says Daniel Oster, Senior Product Manager. “But it now has the same classification as the Strive, and thanks to the new linkage design, the integrated cable channel, the frame protector and the revised seat post clamp, it’s even more durable and reliable. He continues: “For us, durability and therefore decreased maintenance and the safety of our customers is more important than a few grams. The Spectral is a bike for relaxed climbs with friends only to battle them on the way back down and have as much fun as possible.”
Let’s take another example, it would be easy for Specialized to make the frame of the Enduro or the Stumpjumper a few grams lighter by leaving out the SWAT box, but would that make it more fun to ride? Or isn’t it much more practical to go on your after-work ride without having to wear a backpack, knowing that you have everything you need on board?
Downhill components for trail and enduro bikes
With some aggressive weight saving, it would be easy to build an affordable 12-kg trail bike or 13-kg enduro bike. But who wants to tip-toe down a trail with thin-walled tires? Here alone, you could easily save 500 g, but where would be the fun in that? Another example is brakes. Until recently Shimano Saint brakes were only used on downhill bikes. Now, you’ll see more and more enduro bikes running the big stoppers. And trail bikes now usually have 200 mm brake rotors for more safety and performance. Of course, this increases the weight a little, but increases fun a lot
Despite increased weight, the climbing performance has become better
It is a persistent prejudice: heavy bikes don’t climb well. But which factors really count when climbing? Is weight that important or is it not more a question of biomechanical advantage from a central seating position (keyword: steep seat angle) and efficient suspension? Bikes like the NICOLAI G15, the Pole EVOLINK or the RAAW Madonna prove how easy the uphills can be despite a heavy frame and potent downhill performance – provided the geometry is right. The lightest bike is useless if you’re sat halfway above the rear wheel when the seat post is extended.
More weight for improved downhill handling
For many, it sounds crazy, but a little extra weight in the right places can actually improve a bikes handling. eMTBs are impressive proof of this, especially in really fast and demanding sections their weight conveys an enormous degree of confidence and provides undreamt-of grip through corners. Visionary Chris Porter even goes so far as to experiment with lead weights on his frames for more composed handling. These are extreme examples of course, and certainly not the final word of wisdom, but they’re food for thought in the discussion about weight.
The industry is self-regulating
When a new product such as a new suspension fork is released, one can assume that it has not become any heavier than its predecessor – unless there are really good reasons for it. For product managers, weight is always a factor to consider when developing new parts, as they are in constant competition with their rivals. And bike manufacturers always pay attention to the total weight when speccing their new bikes and thereby push their suppliers not to make their components too heavy. For this reason, bikes made for similar types of riding and with similar spec most often fall in the same weight range.
What do you do if modern trail and enduro bikes are too heavy for you?
But what if, as a rider, you don’t need all this extra performance, safety and durability? What if you’re simply looking for a light bike to ride on gravel roads or to ride up the mountain as fast as possible, and you’re in less of a hurry to get back down? The solution is simple: you buy an XC bike. More and more manufacturers now offer very potent cross-country or touring bikes such as the SCOTT Spark, the Specialized Camber or the Canyon Neuron, which make much more sense for this type of riding.
Weight comparisons have become obsolete
A few years ago, bikes were pretty easy to compare. However, with the introduction of different wheel sizes and increasingly differentiated areas of application, it’s become a lot more difficult. As already mentioned, the weight of a bike can vary by several hundred grams just because of tyre choice or the conversion to tubeless. Looking at the total weight as an orientation has, therefore, become obsolete. If you want to look at the weight of a bike, you would have to do this in a very differentiated way and, for example, compare the wheel weight or the bare frame weight. But that brings us back to the initial question: Is it possible thereby, to determine the riding characteristics of a bike by weight alone? Certainly not! So if you want to know how well a bike really climbs and how it performs downhill, take it for a test ride or read our reviews. It’s time to put the scales away.
What is your opinion about weight? Write me an e-mail: cbayer@enduro-mtb.com
This article is from ENDURO issue #033
ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine is published in a digital app format in both English and German. Download the app for iOS or Android to read all articles on your tablet or smartphone. 100% free!
Words: Christoph Bayer Photos: Christoph Bayer, Fabian Scholz