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Cheap, Light, Strong, yadda yadda yadda....
I know the best place to save weight is on rims and tyres. But what's the value of saving it elsewhere? How much per gram?
I'm looking at 2 rear hubs, seemingly identical. One weighs 360g and costs £45, the other weighs 260g and costs £70. I presume the extra cost is to do with some intricate internal machining, or a higher grade of material.
Is £25 for 100g saving, worth spending? Or spend the money elsewhere on the bike and make sure Ii go to the toilet before setting out on a ride?
Or spend the money elsewhere on the bike and make sure Ii go to the toilet before setting out on a ride?
^^^^
This lol
Only you can really answer that, but as weight savings go 100gm for £25 is pretty good value. Do both wheels and you've shed half a pound off the bike for £50. If shaving half a pound of your bike excites you then it's a good deal, provided they'll still do the job you want them to.
Seem to remember rule of thumb regarding weight saving costs is roughly £1 per g saved. £25 for 100g isn't bad then. Always think if you can get something equally as functional but lighter, and the cost difference is minimal, then why not go for it? Just don't blow all that weight saved by fitting heavy tyres or tubes 😯
rule of thumb regarding weight saving costs is roughly £1 per g saved.
..so not worth it then. I can save myself over £10 by taking a gulp on my camelback early in the ride or putting 10ml less water in it.
Maybe if I raced or couldnt ride 50k or so (or was very rich), then this would matter more.
Is £25 for 100g saving, worth spending? Or spend the money elsewhere on the bike and make sure Ii go to the toilet before setting out on a ride?
or........... spend the money AND go for a dump
Per component it never makes much sense but a light bike is made from light parts and they all add up.
Assuming you're keeping the frame a typical rear wheel + tyre + cassette can contribute almost 20% of the total weight followed by the front wheel and fork.
After this the law of diminishing returns strongly applies and you're looking at stuff such as cranks, pedals, chain, brakes, saddle etc probably ten components to save 10%
Have a go on a lightweight bike. If the lack of heft made it a better experience for [b]you[/b] then buy lighter bits for your bike. If not don't.
I like a light bike, others aren't bothered, 'tis a personal thing.
Spend £25 on prunes then 😆
Can't say I bother with the weight side vs cost. If I can afford it and its what I would rather have then I get it. If i really wanted the heavier one I'd be just as inclined to get that. I'm not racing and I've never sat there thinking 'god I wish x y or z was lighter' so it doesn't bother me, of course someone else will feel differently 🙂
For a hub [b]reliability[/b] is [b]THE MOST[/b] important attribute as getting a rebuild when an unreliable hub dies is an expensive pain in the hoop.
Get a reliable hub and/or make sure spares are actually available (ie bearings and freehub bodies).
Lose weight from beergut and fat ass?
Have a go on a lightweight bike. If the lack of heft made it a better experience for you then buy lighter bits for your bike. If not don't.
Well said.
Personally, I think 100g for £25 is great. Unfortunately mine is light enough that I'm at the diminishing returns stage now, eg, could save 15g on a saddle for £120 if I really wanted to, but not worth it (and I thnk carbon rails would sacrifice some strength)
Lose weight from beergut and fat ass?
Literally? Take a dump... 🙂
I reckon I'll go with the extra £25 (which turns out to be an extra £23 once you take postage into account). It a Novatec rear hub, in case you're interested.
Rims are selected (Velocity A23) as is front hub (SP Dyno). Just need some lightweight and tough 28/32c tyres now....
what hubs? Other things to consider such as ease of adapting axle type (if that is important, is this a road or mtb?), reliability of bearings and freehub, cost of replacement bits and the engagement of the freehub.
I find a light bike more fun to ride. The "just do a pooh" brigade are only half right - it means you have to work less hard overall but doesn't necessarily make your ride more fun (just less effort).
But +1 for messiah on reliability, especially if your riding takes you out to the boonies.
Having spent about £900 to lose about 4lb from my road bike, I think I've decided I'd rather have spent it making it stiffer rather than lighter. Although it is nice to ride 🙂
If there was an easily accessible database of prices and weights for all parts someone could make a bike build optimiser that would show you which parts to pick to get the lightest bike for whatever £ you entered. It would be pretty interesting in a geeky way
If you're not going to be upgrading anything else in the near future then it's not going to be noticeable, or worth the extra expense.
If you've got other upgrades in the pipeline and can knock a couple of pounds off in total then yes.
Too many variables shirley? How would you avoid it always suggesting Furious Fred tyres with 28mm SIDs?
Actually I suppose you could have a list of spec criteria... hmmm.
Its a Novatec D712SB (or the slightly heavier D811SB).
Cartridge bearings are a standard size. I'll have to look into freehubs.
Going on a road/audax bike that will have 135mm rear spacing for mtb disc hubs.
I know the best place to save weight is on rims and tyres.
But there's a huge caveat to that: The last things you want are rims which are too flexible to track well, too skinny to support the tyre size you need or too weak to handle your riding; or tyres which are prone to punctures, too soft of sidewall and/or small of carcass to run good pressures or short of grip.
in case you're interested, I've just bought [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160856824543?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 ]this hub[/url] direct from the seller, bypassing ebay and saving £13 into the bargain.
As for tyres, I'll be asking about that in a few weeks once the wheels are built. 🙂
Lasst wheels I built I did a cost/weight analysis speadsheet for the various components. Made it easy to see the sweetspot of lb saved per £.
Yes, I am single.
Made it easy to see the sweetspot of lb saved per £.
care to share your results?
If I still have it. It was road wheels BTW.
Here it is. If I have time I can look at it and work out what it all means! ~2 years old I think.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ap3-oNOpbZxOdDA1OTBWMXc1VnVXanNkRDlkQ016M3c
oldnick - MemberHave a go on a lightweight bike. If the lack of heft made it a better experience for you then buy lighter bits for your bike. If not don't.
That's pretty much all there is to it. I like light bikes, I just prefer how they ride but it's not as simple as better/worse (in some ways my Soda'd ride better with a few more pounds in it I reckon)
Why would you want to ride a 16kg bike when you can get a 12kg bike that is the same if not better quality?
They both do the same thing, just one takes less energy and/or you can ride further.
b r - MemberWhy would you want to ride a 16kg bike when you can get a 12kg bike that is the same if not better quality?
Because the 16kg bike probably costs about £1000 less.
Has anyone actually ever weighed their own stools?
According to prof. Google the average mass of a turd is 106g
So thats like spending £106 on your bike before a ride if you have one.
wow
I usually take a crap before i go for a ride. Not for the weight saving benefits, but because it reduces the chance of having to wipe my bum with a pinecone mid ride.
Perhaps the peleton will start using laxatives instead of EPO now to gain an edge?
I'm in the camp of "every gram counts" as much as I can afford.
I don't think a 100g heavier saddle makes any difference to my riding or enjoyment at all. I do believe that all of those extra grams adds up to a big dfference as a complete bike though.
I weighed two bikes last week and found one to be 4.5kgs heavier than the other. That's a big and noticeable difference. The frames were the same weight on their own and set-up for XC riding...
It's always a compromise though. I got a steel middle chainring as it lasts longer, and I'll never remove my bar ends because I like the comfort. By the same token I save weight by having lighter tyres and tubes that aren't filled with slime.
Given limited money though I'd spend the most money on trying to save weight on the frame, then wheels and tyres, and then forks.
Because the 16kg bike probably costs about £1000 less.
Why stop there? A 24kg bike would cost another £1000 less than that.
Given limited money though I'd spend the most money on trying to save weight on the frame, then wheels and tyres, and then forks.
Counter intuitively weight weeneis are usualy least bothered by the frame's weight as on a £/g basis it's the worst value. e.g. a 1200g alu frame for a few hundred, or 10x that for a <1kg carbon frame.
ndthornton - MemberHas anyone actually ever weighed their own stools?
According to prof. Google the average mass of a turd is 106g
So thats like spending £106 on your bike before a ride if you have one.wow
Some big *hitters on here claim they lose 1lb with every dump.