Heavy bike versus light bike

[Banjo]

I don't understand why you have to keep adjusting the gears... the only time my gears need attention is when i change cable.

I have a hybrid with Shimano 8 speed triple with trigger type shifters, dont need adjusting ever once set up but the 105 stuff on the road bike seems to need quite regular tweaking to get it right. Not a big problem really.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I'm not too bothered about bicycle weight myself. Nor is my friend Ol' Ben.

But he is very particular about sabres. He prefers his to be light.

 

[gbb]

Here's a comparison i found years ago...
I had a Raleigh Chimera, chro-mo frame and forks, heavy, Sora 8 speed, rather a heavy bike, but its was never high quality, but didnt cost a lot to buy. I had years of good service from that bike, covered thousands of miles...a bit uncomfortable and jarring on rough roads, but overall..ok.
I then got a 9 speed campag equipped Bianchi, the pre C2C model with the straight top bar, alloy frame, alu/carbon fork. It was like a Rolls Royce compared to the Raleigh.

But, about one year later, it occured to me that if i considered my time to do my usual 40 mile loop on both bikes....there was virtually no difference, 5 minutes maybe.

Give me a light bike any day, it won't neccessarily make you faster, but you'll probably enjoy the ride more, feel more comfortable.

 

[thegravestoneman]

Gonna have to put the butchers on the scales but i can't get it up the stairs, I have to get help to lift it when it falls over. I think I get a good work out doing a 13 mile old rail track ride and I can't carry 8 bags of shopping on my Saracen road bike.

 

[MacB]

Give me a light bike any day, it won't neccessarily make you faster, but you'll probably enjoy the ride more, feel more comfortable.

All things being equal it should be quicker, enjoyment is subjective but it's unlikely to be more comfortable. It wouldn't necessarily be less comfy but that depends on what you're doing. If you ride beyond your fitness levels, which a lot of us tend to do, then the heavier bike can come in to its own. When I'm tired and starting to pedal less and coast more then a more relaxed ride with big tyres is far more comfortable. It's like some saddles are made to be sat on and others to be hovered above, so to speak.

Admittedly you may exceed your fitness levels sooner on a heavier bike.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

my best bike is a Verenti, modern aluminium frame with a carbon fork and SRAM Rival 10 speed set up, it ways about the same as the old 531 framed bikes I used to ride, and isn't as nice to ride as they used to be.

 

[theclaud]

Bunged my allrounder on the scales and it weighs in at 37lbs or 17kg, that's kitted out with full guards, rear rack, front and rear dynamo lighting and a rackpack with tools and spares.

When you say "allrounder"... Don't tell me - as well as getting bunged on the scales it sometimes gets hefted onto a rack, or clamped into a workstand?

 

[ColinJ]

I haven't weighed my bikes but I'd guess that my Cannondale weighs about 18 pounds, my Basso about 23 pounds and my MTB about 30 pounds.

I'd like them all to be lighter because they get used in very hilly terrain where weight is an issue. I'd like a 15 pound best bike, a 19-20 pound 'workhorse' bike and a 22-23 pound hardtail MTB but until I got ill I was about 55-60 pounds overweight so the surplus weight of the bikes was the least of my worries!

It looks like I am not going to be carrying much spare fat on me by the time I start cycling again so I suppose at some point I will start to think about bike weight again. I won't worry too much about it until I am fit enough to do justice to really light bikes, and have the money to buy them!

 

[jdtate101]

Have you considered a CX bike?
I am thinking about buying a CAADX, as light as my road bike but takes a rack and big mudguards/tyres.
It is sort of in between my tourer(main commuter bike) and my road bike(sunny day bike).

Love my CAADX. It's not light, but a lot of the weight is in the wheels and tyres, which can be sorted with cheap upgrades if required. It does have holes for mudguards and caliper brakes so can be a versatile commuter or a full on CX bike. I've left mine as CX and the only upgrade it did was change the wheels to Shimano RS10's, only because they have sealed bearings and my rear hub on the original set exploded after a heavy mud bath ride.

 

[MacB]

When you say "allrounder"... Don't tell me - as well as getting bunged on the scales it sometimes gets hefted onto a rack, or clamped into a workstand?

it's a 'pimp my ride' allrounder so it can't actually leave the garage

 

[theclaud]

I note, unscientifically, that there seems to be some correlation between people who measure the weight of their bikes in old money and people who don't mind riding bikes made of scaff tube with Great Aunt Maud's Christmas cake jostling for room with the anvil in the panniers.

 

[ColinJ]

I think riding a heavy old bike is a bit like walking about in a heavy old body - it beats not walking at all but I'd rather be walking about in my former slim 30 year old body. (Though I am content no longer to suffer from a 30 year old mind!)

 

[youngoldbloke]

I'm now 65 and 61kg, my next bike will be around 7kg - is that allowed at my age?

 

[ColinJ]

I'm now 65 and 61kg, my next bike will be around 7kg - is that allowed at my age?

I hope so, because I will be wanting a bike like that! 61 kg isn't a good idea for me though - 78-80 kg would more like it.

 

[Psycolist]

I post this with a real question about fact, rather than fiction. The scientists amongst you will most likely have the most plausible answer and reasoning, but is it true. I have a 10kg bike and a 15kg bike. If I lose 5kg bodyweight, will my 15kg bike be as easy to ride as the 10kg bike is now ?