light is nice, and there is an element of mind games that shouldn’t be ignored,

In the last week, both my boss and myself have put in some miles on a Bianchi Oltre. At 6.8kg with pretty light wheels, a good 1.2kg lighter than my bike, and almost 2kg lighter than my bosses usual bike.

Both of us noticed our average speeds had gone up somewhat, and in his case he did a short reliability ride this morning in under an hour where his previous best was 1:02.

Is it the bike? Is it a placebo effect? Is it the “oh my god this is expensive, I’d better pedal hard to make it look good” factor? Probably a bit of each… Either way its an expensive way to go faster, but a lighter bike seems to work!

I have Pronghorn Mountain Bike and it’s weight is 11.1kg (24.5lb). It’s frame weight is almost 2.4 kg.

Light wheels probably contribute to that oft used phrase “it rides lighter than the scales suggest”

I’ve never heard that phrase in my life! 😕

I’m with aracer on the wheel difference being negligible. This is some interesting reading on the subject – saving weight is good. Saving weight on your wheels is very very marginally better.

“it rides lighter than the scales suggest”

I probably read it somewhere like What Mtb 😳

Look chaps, all this talk of marginal weight loss, and where it is, is detracting from photos of bikes on the thread…. 😉

Compared to some of the bikes on here, mine is rather portly at 8kg on the nose, inc pedals and computer. Most of the excess weight seems to be in fork which is listed at nearly 600g. As much as I’d love to drop another 500g or so, I cant say the weight bothers me, it’s lighter and more comfortable than the previous road bikes I’ve had and making the bike lighter wont really make me any faster.

Another Lemond owner. Previous full steel Lemond Sarthe with full 9sp Ultegra weighted about 9.2kg. Now upgraded to a Lemond Versailles, steel and carbon mix, very nice ride, not super light, but not that heavy. Weight with Time MTB pedals is 8.9kg, which considering it’s all Dura Ace and Ultegra mix (wheels are Mavic Cosmos rims on DA hubs, probably weight about 1.6kg) with reasonable finishing kit is quite heavy. Lighter frame and fork would probably get it down to low 8’s. The Ti Bel Air was now replaced by a Ti Flite.

My CX/winter roadie comes in at 28lbs (13kgs)!

mieszko – Is that Versailles…..carbon seatstays through the seatpost junction and then into a steel front end??

Mtbtomo – it’s OCLV 120 carbon top tube, seat tube and seatstays and True Temper Platinum OX bottom tube, chainstays and headtube. Kind of half carbon half steel. It’s very comfortable, however it’s not that light, frame is about 1.6-1.7kg so weights similar to a low/mid range aluminium frame. But it does look stunning in the flesh, the carbon has a clear coat with silver metallic flakes, looks great in sunlight. Have not seen another one like mine. 🙂

Here is the frame only I bought off here, you can see clearer the carbon and steel:

Someone on STW has a Lemond Victoire, which is like my Versailles but instead of steel it uses titanium. Ultimate Lemond frame. However I’m too poor to make him an offer he could not refuse on it. 🙁

I like! 🙂

I’ve got a Lemond Alpe d’Huez aluminium/carbon frame and forks I’d like to sell if anyone’s interested. 55cm. And some other bits to go with it.