What's your thoughts on bike and component weight?

[DaveInDenver]

That said, I do enjoy climbing on a lighter bike, particularly one with lighter wheels--the perceived effort is far less though I don't think it makes me much faster...physics always wins...

Any weight lost in the wheels and tires isn't perceived but real improvement. The cost of better wheels is generally a gain in measurable performance.

Whether or not the mass of the rest of the bike matters is a matter of debate. It certainly matters in MTB and cyclocross where you pick up your bike. Lennard Zinn wrote a piece about this, although it's not based rigorous experiments it does seem that the extra weight has some affect.

http://www.velonews.com/2012/05/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/tech-faq-does-bike-weight-matter_220429

It makes sense that your body would be adapted to carrying your own weight and then any extra weight in the bike, backpack or whatever you're carrying requires additional effort, so the less you laden yourself with the less additional effort you're required to expend.

 

[Lilyvick]

When it comes to kids, hey always say that the bike must not weight too much. But as the experience says, it's better not to spread the rumour about bikes. This post is about to beat it.

 

[Weeds]

e-bike

 

[MTVR]

Frame material is not the end-all to bicycle weight. A Reynolds 853 steel bike like the Niner SIR 9, is probably going to weigh a LOT less than a $1,000 aluminum mountain bike.

As a single data point, I recently looked at a $1,200 aluminum Trek 29er hardtail that weighed over 30 pounds.

 

[s.e.charles]

Meh. The difference between a light bike and a heavy bike is roughly three cheeseburgers....

yeah. until I train for the Olympus in 20infinity, my daily dump lightens things more than switching frame material would ever.

 

[MTVR]

For me it's loosing 5 lbs of fat. Much cheaper and then I can have the heavy durable bike intended for the purpose of carrying gear. A heavier bike will help me loose 5 lbs of fat faster so it's a win/win.

If it worked that way, the fittest cyclists in the world would be riding Wal-Mart Huffys, and the most out-of-shape people would be riding Dura-Ace equipped Beryllium.

 

[MTVR]

yeah. until I train for the Olympus in 20infinity, my daily dump lightens things more than switching frame material would ever.

People who ride nice bikes poop too, so that comparison is meaningless...

 

[DaveInDenver]

If it worked that way, the fittest cyclists in the world would be riding Wal-Mart Huffys, and the most out-of-shape people would be riding Dura-Ace equipped Beryllium.

Remember that one time at band camp?











Well, except they were Serrotas. But who's nitpicking?

 

[Howard70]

View attachment 586996

Those "funny bike" time trial machines were so fast because you were alway riding downhill!

Howard

 

[s.e.charles]

People who ride nice bikes poop too, so that comparison is meaningless...

define "nice".

 

[MTVR]

Nice enough that they're not comparing their bicycle to their morning dump...

 

[s.e.charles]

we don't use the word we are attempting to define.

 

[MTVR]

To get back to the subject at hand (bicycle component weight), we used math when building my wife's 20-pound dual-suspension XC race bike.

We calculated dollars per gram saved, and because she is so tiny, we were able to get away with choices that would not have worked for a larger rider, like her 285-gram tires and her 116-gram Scandium handlebar.

Along the way, we learned that buying second tier (XT vs. XTR) components, and buying last year's components, was way more cost effective, with little to no weight penalty, freeing up money for things like her pink-anodized titanium QR skewers.

Using these methods, we were able to build her whole bike for only about $5,000. It would have cost us twice or three times that to do it with current model year tier-1 components.

 

[calicamper]

To get back to the subject at hand (bicycle component weight), we used math when building my wife's 20-pound dual-suspension XC race bike.

We calculated dollars per gram saved, and because she is so tiny, we were able to get away with choices that would not have worked for a larger rider, like her 285-gram tires and her 116-gram Scandium handlebar.

Along the way, we learned that buying second tier (XT vs. XTR) stuff, and buying last year's stuff, was way more cost effective, with little to no weight penalty, freeing up money for things like her pink-anodized titanium QR skewers.

Using these methods, we were able to build her whole bike for only about $5,000.

Key wordS here “Race Bike”
Which case its built to race.

I’m sure there are many racers here but I suspect there are far more bike packers and single track day riders. Bikes like any other toy get modified to either do specialized jobs better or get bought and run in the most economical manner possible to fit budgets and ones limited time to use it etc.

Course there is the other side just being entertained building stuff.

 

[MTVR]

In all fairness,I think this thread actually went off the rails right around the guy in the skinsuit on the disc-wheeled Olympic Time-Trial race bike...