[Closed] Do people put to much emphasis on saving weight?

yes

Is that time already?

Thanks for the thorough insight 😉

wait whineys

It's not just the XC racers that think it matters. Steve Peat won the worlds by what? 0.6 of a second or something like that, his bike was as light as his mechanic could make it...

as a self confessed weight weenie- Yes, but really can notice the difference. The trick is to lighten the bits that have the biggest performance improvement. Light wheels, forks and frame will always go quicker, futher, climb better and do not have to make the bike a fragile bambi like waif that'll crumple at the first sniff of a downhill.
You either get it or you don't, just the same as ss riding, freeriding, trail center riding etc... It's all ultimately a silly sport anyway so who gives a ****?

i reckon so..
my yeti asr sl comes in at around 21.5 pounds and having ridden my mates one that is around 25pounds i reckon my one is going to gain some weight in a few crucial places. oddly that will be the wheels my ones are just to bendy.

I actually ride better and with more confidence now I ride a heavier bike.

I know Peaty rides a very light bike going dowhill. IMHO for the less talented such as me, heavier bikes are much more stable for riding DH.

I think ultra light bikes like some of the superlight XC models suffer a lot of deflection on rough courses and are a "handfull" when the going gets rough.

My Turner 6 pack is 32 lbs in its lighest setting and I'm happy to ride it all day and not worry about the weight. I used to get sucked into the who weight saving thing year ago with my hardtail but found that it's possible to go too light. The bike didn't feel stable. Still, with me weighing in at a little over 200 lbs, a few lbs on the bike doesn't really make that much difference.

When i rode Lord of the Loops last, I chose my 6 pack over my lighterweight hardtail.

For waht I do, yes, people worry about the weight too much.

The point is though that Steve Peat is also a racer and having a perfect bike to win races is what counts. For the vast majority of people out on the trails, saving a few grams on some Ti bolts is pointless.
weight doesn't concern me much, enjoying riding my bike is more important IMO

Because they can.....better than spending your money on heroin

I think you will find people who take both sides of the arguement on here. Yesterday I rode my girlfriends bike (853 Rock Lobster with Light XC Style build-rebas, carbon parts etc) instead of my own (Genesis Alpitude with All Mtn build-revs, wide bars, big tyres) and really noticed the weight difference.

Uphill it was noticably easier and I was much fater on the climbs than usual, downhill it was fun and nimble and easy to throw around. Made me think about lightening mine a little but it certainly wouldnt be able to take the same abuse as a heavier build-especially with 16 stone of unskilled rider on its back!

My XC race bike I have just spent £1000 making lighter! I was using 06 rebas and 2kg wheels, upgrading both of them should make a big difference.

my winter training bike is a 32lb trance x3 08' heavy, but for training and mucking about in winter, its all you need.

I would say yes, some people take weight saving far to seriously. But for others, they have to do it so that they arent racing people on bikes 10lbs lighter than theirs.

Depends on how much and what cost. If I'm buying components I will always consider weight as a factor but only make it a deciding one if it's significant. If you are only saving the odd gram here or there then it's pobably not noticeable but if you are losing a lb off a pair of wheels then it probably will be. Someones bound to post up and say go to the toilet before the ride and you'll save some weigh but you can do that on a heavy or light bike.

The difference between a 35lb and a 25lb will be very noticeable. The difference between a 25.5 and 25lb bike will probably not.

I've just ome back from a ride in the peaks and I'm about to wash 15 lbs of mud off my bike.

Weight is a factor for me, even when riding an All Mountain bike, but it's always a compromise between weight, strength and cost. Ultimately, I'll settle for sturdy, but I'll go as light as I can afford.

Thus far, I've gotten my 34lb Marin down to under 32lbs and 30lbs is achievable for a relatively small outlay. According to my calculations, I could get it down to 26.5lb but at a cost of circa £3,500!

depends what yer doing ,

my racing bike is 21ish lbs but the bike i use most has 1 gear and weighs 26/27 lbs ....

yes my singlespeed is awesome fun on the downs butmy race bike climbs like a mountain goat on speed once i let someone fast have a shot !

£1 per gram. It's the law.

round my way its more 10 quid for half a gram - if its white

yes, lots of people take it too far. if you are sensible and dont compromise strength or confidence then its all good. for example, my 5 was 33lbs earlier this year. i was running a dual ply rear tire because i was pinching regular tyes every ride even when running tubeless, i had a gravity dropper and a talas 36 and was running 2 and a bash up front. ive knocked 4lbs off by going for a ust rear tire which has held up great, not a single pinch in 2 months, swapped the gravity dropper for an ibeam seat and postt combo as all my mates were stopping to drop their seats anyway, swapped the forks to 150mm revelation as the talas were great on the downs but 130 never felt right for the ups and alongs and 160 was too slack and tall, the 150mm revs feel just right. ive also ditched the front gears for an e13 lg1+ chainguide as i hate using the granny anyway. 28.8 lbs just feels faster and i havent touche anything i didnt want to change such as my heavy pedals that are really grippy, my wide rims, big bars etc...

its currently being stripped, polished and lacquered to see if that doesnt drop a few grammes (and cos i dont like white), theres no way ill be putting any carbon stuff or ti bolts or any of that jazz on though, not worth the worry IMO.

Well wait until you brake something in the middle of nowhere because it's too light, you'll change your mind.

Obviously a light bike will climb better, but lets face it:
if you ride alone it doesn't matter
if you ride in group and the other don't wait for you, change riding buddies 😉

I think things are about right now.

Not very many manufacturers make stupidly light stuff like they did in the 80's - can you imagine the court cases and resulting bad publicity?

I think the industry has grown up a bit - priorities have subtly changed (fun, not speed, comfort, not efficiency at all costs).

I used to break bits all the time in the 80's. Not even bent a rim in, ooh, 10 years?

Think we all agree that lighter is better, but working is better than broken, and solvent is better than skint.

juan - Member

Obviously a light bike will climb better, but lets face it:
if you ride alone it doesn't matter

Not true. A better climbing bike will reach the top quicker and the rider will be less tired. That means it's possible to go further in any given timescale. Maybe not relevant to those who just want to do a quick wee loop of a trail centre I guess.

Doesn't this one always come down to money? Those who can afford it buy good-quality, lighter components. Those who can't need to find an excuse to hide their jealousy.

Doesn't this one always come down to money?

ok next time i fancy shedding some weight from my bike ill shed some fat off me , what percentage should i leave my self with ? 6/8 ? (im 11% atm)

I think its been proven beyond doubt that 1 gram off the bike is equivalent to 1 kilo off the riders bodyweight...or is it the other way round?,I can never remember...

buy titanium bolts

or

Have a big s**t before a ride?

But I still can't help myself buying lightweight shiny things, it's an affliction 🙂

One serious observation that I notice- I have a UCI illegal weight roadbike and the first few rides on it were like "f***in' wowww!!"but after a while the novelty does wear off . Jumping between my other bikes, most of which are way heavier, the most apparent difference isn't the weight but geometry, stiffness and tyres.
( there's always that little demon whispering in your ear "c'mon it'll be pure barry'er if you get it doon tae under 6kg ya radge!" though ) 😀