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How's it feel to ride? If it's only on the scales the thing comes up heavy, forget it and ride!
Having weighed a hell of a lot of bikes at races everyone's are heavier than they think. I do quite enjoy shattering dreams!
MSC were at Dalby last week, they told me their £5200 hardtail there was '18.1lbs, just been weighed out the back' I took it and stuck it on my scales... 20.3lbs, I want their scales, then my Epic would be under 19!
Re the sub-18lb Simple: never believe weights based on the combined totals on a spreadsheet, even if they're 'actual' weights, the sum total is always way under the actual weight. That's a pretty special weight even for a rigid SS
I have an anal spreadsheet
😯
It's been said already, but a lot of bike manufacturers are outright liars when it comes to weights.
The thing that prompted me to weigh my bike was the fact that I was in the LBS workshop the other day and they weighed the standard Whyte 19 carbon (XT version) they'd just built and it came out at 22lbs 8oz without pedals, pretty much what Whyte claim.
So how may people only go for a crap when they need to lose weight then?
I used to be an obsessive weight weenie, but after building up a Pace RC300 to 19.5lb (gears and sus fork) and learning that super light bikes ride terribly I don't fret about weights as much.
Around 21 lb is the lightest I'd go on a hardtail, 23-24 lb on a full sus.
Other people may see it differently, but I'd rather have a bike that I am happy riding 100% of the time, rather than something so light its skittish and scary on the downhills. Takes the fun out of riding.
but I'd rather have a bike that I am happy riding 100% of the time, rather than something so light its skittish and scary on the downhills. Takes the fun out of riding.
Too true!
I weighed my 5 Spot at 33 pounds, Coil shock but a fairly middling build weight-wise. I think I read a near-identical build in a mag described as coming in at 29 pounds. Maybe their frame was full of helium.
I'll let you know in a couple of weeks when my S-Works Enduro SL is built.
Shouldn't be far from standard weight, although I will have XT chainset instead of XTR and Hope Tech M4 brakes rather than Avid Ultimates, so I reckon it may be half a pound heavier.
I'm aiming for 28-29lbs for a 6" bike, but will see - if it tips over 30lbs I'll be a tad annoyed.
My flux came in at about 24 i seem to remember - with pedals and lock on grips too! tis quite nice build thou. I was pleased with that!
if it tips over 30lbs I'll be a tad annoyed
You'll get over it.
Njee, your right to a point about the spreadsheet but it isn't going to be out by much more than 50g.
For example building my rear wheel, I had weighed each of the 12 individual parts, down to stan's yellow tape. Once it was built the total weight was within 2g of what the total should have been on paper.
I was susprised myself by the total, but going by your logic, there isn't anything super light its just a lot of light parts 🙂
Plus, the weights are measured un-fitted. Steerer needs cutting, chain will be shorter, hoses will be cut...
Thats another 40-80g in my favour!
Yes I must admit I thought about it afterwards and it's actually quite plausible, I was thinking 17 lbs, whereas it's actually nearly 18, stick some pedals on there and even XTR will take it to 18.5lbs, which makes it 2.5lbs heavier than my Epic, but that has 4" each end and gears!
It's clearly horses for courses on the whole lightweight thing. I like having a really light bike for XC racing, yes it's skittish on the descents, but you expect it, and it makes up for it by being crazy fast on the climbs.
I don't see the point in people who build up Ibis Mojos to 21lbs and stuff, you're just limiting the potential of the bike by fitting fragile kit.
Have you accounted for grease and stuff? 😉
Lads oh lads, even as a qualified accountant I find the idea of a spreadsheet for bike weight slightly disturbing.
I must say even I've never gone that far!
🙂 and the 5 zip ties for brake hoses. The Simple isn't really designed to be built superlight, but it's the nicest singlespeed frame I've ridden and I have got a SS genesis for the burlier days.
To be fair some manufacturers are correct with their weights;
Stan's olympics are 343/344g
King Hubs are as they list
Sram chain is 319g as claimed
SLR Saddle, it even has 135g written in silver writing across the leather, its 149g ffs!
It's more the complete bike weights which are somewhat optimistic.
With pedals and latex, if mine's under 19lbs I'll be happy. It's still only 1/2lb heavier than the Spesh Allez E5 SLX road bike I had a few years ago, and that felt floaty.
I have a cannondale rush size large (carbon one)
and that is easily under 20lbs ....... :D,thats with mavic special wheels
though..
It's an odd business.
I sometimes feel my Inbred [i]should[/i] be light because it isn't 'core. Sadly, it doesn't seem to work like that. 🙂
When bikes get to light the parts cost a kings ransome they become unreliable and need constant repairing which costs more money its a balance between weight reliability and fitness
MSC were at Dalby last week, they told me their £5200 hardtail there was '18.1lbs, just been weighed out the back' I took it and stuck it on my scales... 20.3lbs, I want their scales, then my Epic would be under 19!
Not sure what is worse to be honest, having a spreadsheet with weights, or taking a set of scales to a XC race and weighing random bikes.
I took my workstand to a race, which has scales in it. I was intrigued, as a £5200 hardtail really SHOULD be very very light. It wasn't. I'm half thinking of buying one, so these things are good to know.
It's been said already, but a lot of bike manufacturers are outright liars when it comes to weights.
This is true. I've seen bikes weighed, on proper accurate scales, and seen up to 3lb over manufacturer's claimed weights. Lots of manufacturers leave pedals out of the equation, and compressed air is heavier than a flat innertube! And weights are often calculated by adding up components 'claimed' weights, which, again, are often over exaggerated. And things like cables can be omitted, as can grips.
And individuals often use very inaccurate scales, which under weigh things.
Thing is, getting too obsessive about weights of things is not healthy. Just get out and ride the thing...
Unpainted small frames is quite common as well, makes a difference.
My 20" 853 Inbred built up a lot lighter than my DN6 one (which I've never weighed). I was chuffed. One day I decided to weight it and it turned out to be over 29lbs! It's a great ride and although it's heavy (by the standards of bikes on here) I'd like to make a few comments. I've got a nice plush Bel Air saddle, I could lose a bit of weight there, but what's the point if, as a recreational rider, I ended up with a painful rear and didn't enjoy my riding as much, the same goes for the big, fat ODI Rouge lockon grips. I've got steel middle and inner chainrings, I could lose weight there but I'm not getting the chainsuck I was with aluminium ones. At 15 stone I went for 719 rims over 717s, that's extra weight too but I've yet to need to have them trued let alone broken one. My tyres could be lighter, but I'm not having to stop every few miles to sort out punctures. Oh, and I could change those great big heavy disc brakes for Vs! And a steel frame too? well really!
Of course, you don't want a bike to be heavier than it needs too be, but people's needs differ. As someone who rides for fun, I value comfort and durability as well as good value (I don't have a lot of spare money) and when losing weight compromises these things I do have to think about it.