The bike I have now isn't exactly light, 2010 Fuel EX 9, about 27 lbs, definitely not slow or hard work though. Obviously I have had light bikes in the past, I have been riding for 15 years.

Maybe I need to forget this as I currently weigh about 95kg

Like I said above, plenty of seriously overweight people on Weight Weenies using crazy kit, I'd say light riders on light bikes are in the minority!

I'd personally have a Pedal Force over an On One any day, mine was 1240g confirmed weight, for less than £300.

definitely not slow or hard work though

But slower and harder work than a lighter one…

my current infatuation is with the sworks stumpjumper ht – super looking piece of carbon art and having ridden one i can confirm that they are pretty quick even with me on board. to add my tuppence to the weight/reliability conversation – i've got a carbon framed epic which is now sub 24lbs, i weigh 15stone and aprt from the dt swiss cheese rims i've had no issues with bits breaking off etc..

Maybe I need to forget this as I currently weigh about 95kg

You'd be fine on a 23lb HT.

Yeah ZTRs and that's another pound gone. When I've fully KCNC'd it up I'll stop

Njee – I will take this as a slip………

Like I said above, plenty of seriously overweight people on Weight Weenies using crazy kit

If not I could lighten your set up further by removing some of your teeth…… 😈

KINGTUT – Member

Maybe I need to forget this as I currently weigh about 95kg

You'd be fine on a 23lb HT.

That's now the goal 8)

I'd personally have a Pedal Force over an On One any day, mine was 1240g confirmed weight, for less than £300.

But this is where true weight weenieism over rules common sense, the on-one will have a very good warranty and there will be someone at the end of the phone if it does break.

Those Ebay carbon jobbies com with bugger all warranty and you'll have to send it back to China, I'm also dubious of ZTR hubs how serviceable are they what about spares etc?

All very important to me.

.

njee20 – Member
But slower and harder work than a lighter one…

Maybe but I bet I'm fitter than you for it. That's my point, having a light bike as your only bike is pointless. Having a heavier bike to train on and a light bike to race on makes sense.

Njee – I will take this as a slip………

No, I didn't include you in that, there are plenty of folk >100kg on Weight Weenies riding 18lb bikes!

You get a warranty with the Pedal Force, the bloke was very communicative too. I must admit though I was treating it as 'disposable' if it broke I could buy another one and still save money over other frames! I was never planning to keep it long, I can see it's a worthwhile consideration for some though.

The ZTR hubs should be just as easy to get parts for as anything else, they've got several distribution channels, no reason to think it'd be an issue!

Maybe but I bet I'm fitter than you for it.

That would only hold true if we rode up all the hills at the same pace, if you ride slower then it makes no difference, the intensity as the same.

The most disappointing bike I had (weight wise) was this – Even with relatively lightweight kit (carbon bars/post, ti saddle, Crossmax SLs and SpeedKing Supersonics) it still weighed over 25lb. Bloody lovely thing to ride though and that paint job was gorgeous:

If we both went running over the same distance, same route, everyday for a month. I had a rucksack with a 20lbs weight in and you didn't, who would be fitter?

Depends, if I did 6 minute miles and you did 15 minute miles, then me probably.

There's more to fitness than bike weight though, would you like to go for a ride together, we can swap bikes and see what different it makes!

You actually can't see what I'm getting at can you? 🙄
Do you think top xc/road racers train on their nice light race bikes? Errr no.

Flow – Apologies, my post was a little inflammatory.
Whilst I get your point and yes, to an extent my bike is hard work on technical stuff with the rigid forks and thin tyres, I enjoy the challenge. I had a 5-spot and found it just took all the fun out of riding for me, riding this, quickly in a race or for anywhere around the 3 hour mark is a challenge and therefore good fun. I'd rather loose speed having to pick a line through some rocks rather than having to pedal a draggy bike on the fireroads. But each to their own.

As for the bike itself, I've just took these pics and I've yet to clean it from the race on Sunday (I know I know – I've been away with work). The idea was 'functional racebike' rather than 'úber bling' and its going to get a hammering this year with little time for upkeep. Its already done two very wet and muddy races and has held up well with only pads needing to be replaced. Oh, and the seatpost is only that high because the bikes been in my bike stand

For a race bike, a steel inbred isn't ideal but it is very cheap. I think the forks were about £80 and the frame £125. Like I said, i did look at a set of pro carbon forks but I'm a heavy begger (14st) so figured I could loose weight of me before the bike. One thing I would say is that light wheels make a MASSIVE difference. I had a fairly decent set of hope hoops in my StumpJumper and the american classics in this are much much better for racing – they just feel noticeably quicker. Also, look at going 1×9 if you can, or at least 2×9. Saves quite a bit of weight for pretty much no outlay.

There's still a lot of weight that could be saved, a scandel and carbon fork isn't much money and would drop a fair bit. Folding tyres rather than the steels on it would also help, then carbon bars and post but to be honest its light enough for me already. When I've dropped another stone then I'll look into it but for now its perfect. Two second places have made me a happy man!

@ZaskarCarbon
That's disapointing. My heart sunk when I carried out the 'weigh' test, the first thing that went through my head was that this is the heaviest bike I've ever had.
Yours is probably all that fine Canadian paintwork.

Do you think top xc/road racers train on their nice light race bikes? Errr no

Prey tell, what do they train on then?

Yeah they do, you sound as old as me with all this talk of weight/resistance stuff 😉
Fast fast fast fast that's all they care about.

And flange give yourself 3lb penalty points for having carbon rigids, that's cheating even if it is the best single way to loose weight.

You actually can't see what I'm getting at can you?
Do you think top xc/road racers train on their nice light race bikes? Errr no.

Of course I can, but what you're saying is wrong! If you ride a heavy bike slowly up the hills it's exactly the same as riding the light one faster up the hills! A heavy person running slowly won't get fit quicker than a light person running faster (necessarily).

A lot of top XC/road racers do indeed train on light bikes where appropriate! You don't see Armstrong training in the Alps on a steel bike with 8 speed Ultegra and some 36 spoke wheels!

Anyway, I race, I get the bike heavily subsidised so I can race on it, I don't have the money for another bike, so I ride it all the time!

If I had more money to burn I'd probably throw together a Mojo SL or something, but I'd still build it as light as was practical.

Cheers for the extra pics flange.

What are those forks?

I do all my training on my road bike so it makes little difference what this weighs. But I can see Flow's point and I used to be of the same opinion myself, training on a heavy bike to feel the benefit on my race bike. However, on this I can go further, faster which I think gives better race training, a simulation for want of a better word

You don't see Armstrong training in the Alps on a steel bike with 8 speed Ultegra and some 36 spoke wheels!

Heh..

Flange – I have been thinking about getting myself an old (1996 ish) Kona Explosif, with Project 2's for the exact same reason. I would like to go back to roots with a fully rigid.

Winter training camp, is that a custom painted Madone I see Armstrong riding!? He must've concealed 20lbs of weight in the frame 🙄

Those forks are actually steel – Kinesis crosslights or something along those lines. £80 or there abouts, they aren't very light, and not very stiff but you don't have to service them and I haven't bent them. Yet….

Flange – the best username so far on STW…;-)

My bike is at light as I want it to be without getting too flimsy – 22-23lbs – having it "properly" weighed next week to confirm. I'm a whisker under 12 stone.

I'm not wrong, its the same in any sport. Boxers train in 16 oz gloves and fight in 12 oz or whatever, the exact same reasons, different sport.

18.9lb hardtail and 19.8lbs full sus…..both with 160mm rotors,100mm forks and proper saddles.
Weight does count alot
Bruce

flange, indeed. That old stuff about trianing all winter on a heavy hack so you'd benefit on a lightweight come race season is tosh. Riding as fast as you can makes you faster.
I'm in my 50s and I'm faster almost than I've ever been and that's all down to technology and good light kit.

On the rigid topic, I'll be honest and say I got an absolute pasting from them on Sunday. the track was fast but VERY bumpy in places, my wrists were wrecked after an hour. For thetford they're ok but I'm on the look out for a set of F80's for the next round in Essex. Probably doesn't help that I've got my tyres at 50psi!

You do feel a bit smug riding past blokes on £4k FS bikes though, on a bit of fireroad or nice swoopy singletrack you'd be hard pushed to beat a set of rigids…

2-9 Kona kula supreme, rigid weighing in at a svelte 20.4lb.
First ride was last night. Well impressed

I'm not wrong, its the same in any sport. Boxers train in 16 oz gloves and fight in 12 oz or whatever, the exact same reasons, different sport.

Your point was vaguely valid, but the way you were making it was wrong. It's not as straight forward as your bike is heavier, ergo you're fitter. Even if we ride exactly the same routes if we ride at the same power:weight ratio then it won't make any difference!

Shall we just put it to the test over a ride? You've nowt to lose as you're fitter!

19.04g (on the lbs digital scales) admitedly with a toupe gel saddle.

cost about £1100, some new bits some nearly new.

I dont race and I'm a fat bugger, but lighter = better imho

I think on road bikes the argument would hold slightly more weight (pardon the pun) where its pretty much all fitness and endurance. On an MTB, I need to learn how to ride my bike over various types of terrain, and a heavy bombproof bike will be ridden differently to a nice light rigid hardtail so there's little point in me learning on a heavy FS or Front suspended bike if I'm racing on this.

Fair point, in fact riding a longer travel skills compensator and racing sommat a bit more whippet like could probably be detrimental to one's health!

UK…grotty weather…training….

They just don't do that anymore. And don't you dare post a picture proving otherwise.

Alu wheels are the obvious change, but that's more a concession to durability than being weight related.