Column: Weight For It

Benji argues that weight does matter (but not much). The following column will hopefully unite the warring tribes in mountain biking. From the weenies …

By ben_haworth

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Column: Weight For It

Pretty much agree with all this, but (keeping with the programme) you don’t always need DH casings, so you can still have decent tyres that make life a little easier.

My main thing is how efficient the bike feels. Unfortunately I had a Pivot Mach5.7 carbon, which for me combined magic carpet ride with no apparent bob when standing up. Nothing else has come close since despite lighter bikes, bigger wheels, slacker geo.

 

My bike is red. Everyone knows red bikes trump all others. Weight, heck I’m many stone heavier than Schurter, hence him being quicker.

As soon as you introduce some sort of metric into your hobby, you’ve lost. You’ve turned it into a competitive sport. It’s become about Other People rather than You.

well phrased and i completely agree, though i do like to know how much elevation gain there is in my rides.

you don’t always need DH casings, so you can still have decent tyres that make life a little easier

yep, it depends how heavy your tyres were to begin with. that said,  bigger and sturdier tyres feel much more comfortable and sure footed when descending rough trails.

 

As soon as you introduce some sort of metric into your hobby, you’ve lost. You’ve turned it into a competitive sport. It’s become about Other People rather than You.

Well, that’s complete bollocks for a start. I’m very interested in the numbers but I don’t give a shit about how they compare to someone else’s numbers.

And the main thing about a lighter bike is that it takes less energy to go a given distance, meaning you can go further on any given amount of energy. Of course, there’s a point at which fatigue becomes an issue and comfort often comes at the expense of weight so the equations change. The range of bikes being used for the likes of the HT550 shows how different folks have tried to weigh up those choices.

I veer towards the longevity and comfort side of the equation on my heavy (by many standards) enduro bike. Pretty heavy tyres and inserts means I can run pressures that allow me to do a day at places like Dyfi, taking some big hits to my wheels and still feel pretty fresh and with an intact bike at the end of the day, coil shock adds weight too. My friend on his super light carbon bike, not so much. It also translates to all day rides that have ups and long downs, it’s a happy place for me and my bike. The bike flows really nicely on jump lines and downhills, although how much is due to or in spite of the weight, who knows. 🙂

Well, that’s complete bollocks for a start. I’m very interested in the numbers but I don’t give a shit about how they compare to someone else’s numbers.

a fair point, grumpily made (wink)

The range of bikes being used for the likes of the HT550 shows how different folks have tried to weigh up those choices.

what is an example of a typical winning bike? or is it dependant on the conditions or the preference of the person who wins that year.

i know what the HT550 is, but beyond that i’m completely ignorant, other than it being a long way from my kind of mountain biking.

i once talked to a guy in a bike shop who’d just done the race that follows the rocky mountains (great divide?). i didn’t ask where he finished, but his bike wasn’t light. a steel 29+. though i’d imagine for comfort and reliability.

I have to many friends that are or have spolit perfectly good rides, when chasing their own “Metric” which I’ve now learnt to ignore, it does make me laugh how much they can put themselves down for not getting the KOM etc.

I much prefer the head up approach, see what’s around you and enjoy the ride. This is something I’ve definitely realised with a recent riding visit to  Snowdon with Wildbikes.

What a epic view!

One point, often missed in weight debates, is that in the (my) real world of mountain biking in actual mountains we quite often have to carry our bikes, or at least lift them over multiple obstacles. Weight may not make much difference when pedalling at a constant pace, but it sure does when you have to hump your bike up onto your shoulders or over a gate.