Prompted by someone posting a 24.5 pound XL Cotic Solaris the other day I’ve just weighed my bike and was shocked that it weighs 29 pounds!

20 inch Dedaccai Kona Unit 2-9 frame
Rockshox Reba 29 RLT forks
Stans Arch rims/Hope Hubs
Maxxis Ardents 2.25 (tubes)
FSA Afterburner chainset with 32 tooth ring
Thomson post and stem
Fizik Aliante saddle
Easton EA 70 bars
Ergon grips with bar ends
STX cassette and mech
XT rh shifter
BB7 brakes

Its all reasonable kit so how can it weigh 4.5 pounds more than an equally large steel bike?

Have I got duff scales?

heavy frame, heavy tyres and tubes in fact everything is pretty blinkin chunky!

It’s a 29er isn’t it? So bigger frame and wheels with a longer fork – always going to be heavier.
Add in a crudcatcher and bar ends(?????) and there you go!!

Not many bikes get to 24lbs!!

dant, he’s comparing against another steel 29er…

anyway, Ben, 29lbs? – that’s nothing, you’re a big lad.

and it looks ace!

29lbs? – that’s nothing.

29lbs is mahoosive. sub 20lb 29ers is where it’s at dear boy

Yours is an actual weight vs an Internet weight…

And I’d question a steel bike that weighed sub 25lbs.

Plus you probably left the pedals on.

sub 20lb 29ers is where it’s at dear boy

what about 35lb 26ers?

Plus you probably left the pedals on.

and he probably used a set of scales, rather than the slightly less accurate method of taking-a-wild-guess.

Obvious: you don’t own the magic scales, do you ?

(DH inner tubes ?)
I wouldn’t worry – looks a decent & durable bike to me

I think it was me Ben was referring to. I wasn’t intending to willy wave – I was actually surprised it weighed that little, but when you add up the parts list it makes sense. I didn’t intend it to be so light either, but the drivetrain came off another bike and the wheels were a steal. Then I got a bit carried away with the finishing kit. The speck is as follows, but I wouldn’t encourage any one to follow suit – at least not at RRP.

– Cotic Solaris frame, XL
– Hope Headset
– Hope QR seat clamp
– Rockshox Reba RLT 100mm QR15 forks with Push Lock
– Full SRAM XX groupset, including brakes (185/160), with 39-26 chainrings and high mount front mech
– SRAM PG1090 chain
– DT Swiss 240/Stans Crest/supercomp/brass nipples wheels with 36t ratchet upgrade
– Specialized Ground Control tyres (S-Works front, Control rear)
– Easton EC70 flat wide (685mm) bars, Haven 70mm stem and EC90 seatpost
– Fizik Gobi carbon-railed saddle
– Aligator Cables
– Shimano XTR Race pedals
– Specialized Rocca lock on grips

Oh, and it was a new set of Park scales at the LBS. Otherwise it would have been 19lbs 😆

bol – without photo-evidence it doesn’t count

OK, so the weight difference is in the drivetrain, the cockpit (esp with bar ends), the tyres and then all the stuff thats just slightly lighter all adding up. 29lbs aint too bad, were you bothered by its (not that) gargantuan bulk before you found out the weight of the Cotic?

Plus, youll get fitter faster!

Yeah Bol it was your bike and very nice it is too.

I can see a pound or so to be lost (tubes, ergons/bars ends) and your carbon railed saddle, carbon post and XX cassette probably make a nice dent in the overall weight.

I wasn’t bothered about the weight before today/drooling over the Cotic so I shouldn’t be now, just suprised it’s so bulky.

Taken in surprise, and perhaps anticipation of just such a challenge:

I’m not sure much of it makes a hell of a lot of diference to the way it feels or rides. In my experience lighter wheels and tyres make most of the difference, and that can be done to any bike.

There’s half a pound of unnecessary metal sitting on the end of the bars Ben. = ;87)

Don’t get hung up on the weight of your bike… just ride.

can’t see the wheels off the floor or the midget holding it up for so doesn’t count as evidence 😀

XX cassette probably make a nice dent in the overall weight

But the eye-watering cost will mean you can’t see to ride it.
I’d guess there’s a half pound at least on the frame and the same on the tyres.

ben you could easily knock about a 1.5lb off with decent tyres and no tubes

The frame WILL be a fair chunk heavier though, esp considering it has slidey dropouts.

And thus starts Ben’s addiction to weight saving. Welcome to the club… 😈

Fill the frame and bars with helium.
Weigh it without pedals.

Just out of interest, why are bike weights quoted without pedals? Pretty sure i could get my bikes weight down loads if I just weighed it without wheels.

I guess it is because it is a matter of personal preference whether you use one sort of pedal or another. Can’t see why anyone other than a manufacturer would weigh a bike without pedals though.

Sorry Ben. 😳

I bet your’s rides nice though. Light weight can often lead to hassle,

It’s cool Bol, it’s good to have something to aim for!

It’s my 40th next year and something nice is due so a Solaris frame has be added to the list of possibilities.

As for the ride, she’s a little cumbersome on tight switchbacks but aside from that you don’t notice the size.

I can certainly recommend it. I haven’t found anything I don’t like about it yet, which is more than I can say for carbon railed saddles. Bloody thing won’t stay in one place. Back to good old Ti or cromo next time.

There’s a lot of things that’re heavier from what I can see.

– Rear mech and shifter
– Cassette (by a surprising amount)
– Cranks weigh a ton more
– Heavier frame probably (sliding dropouts)
– Bar ends (1/4lb there)
– Tyres that weigh nearly a kilo each
– Big fat saddle
– Especially heavy old style SPDs
– Thomson bits (they’re not light, specially compared to a carbon EC90 post- there’s another 1/4lb)
– Cable brakes (at least a half pound, probably a lot more)
– Heavier hubs

So, erm, everything except the fork. I reckon you’ve got something like this-

1/2lb in the frame
1lb in the drive train
1lb in cockpit
3/4lb in brakes
Rest in the wheels.

My unit 29er is 24lbs……granted it has no gears or suspension but still.
Frame alone 5.8lb!!

29 lbs fries sound a lot for that kona. My BFe is solid, built with no thought about weight and only 30.5lbs and that is with a scale that I’m pretty happy with the accuracy.

I’ve just completed my Large Solaris build today. In SS format it weighs 25lbs. I could save half a pound easily, just by changing the front tyre. I got a bargain set of Sun Ringle BlacK flag wheels a while back on CRC, but changing them to stans crests would be another half pound saving too.

Christ that Kona is gopping. If that was my kid I’d beat it to death.

No one would have your kids though……

My singular ss weighs in at about 28.5 lbs.
But it rides beautifully, so I don’t really give a ….

That Kona is 9lb heavier than this.
It’s not what you’ve got but how you build it up

I would not worry about the weight.

Thomsen elite 27.2 x 330 seatpost only weighs 241g I would not call that alot. I would change the tyres. Continental Raceking Supersonics weight in at 440g or so. That would shave a couple of lbs of striaght away.

One of my 26″ SS is 26lbs in weight but it use 721 rims, 2.3 Vertical tyres, saint cranks and other bombproof kit. I love riding it. Does that make you feel better?

Hey, no need to get personal. It’s only a bike and I’m sure the owner knows it’s ugly. It’s how it rides that counts. I’m sure it’s excellent when he’s on his way to teach his geography class.

Just swapped the Ergon grips for some Specialized Roccas and lost half a pound!

May the weight/money loss begin.