Oh it won’t be 21lb but nowhere near 30. Not sure if you’re saying the Scott Genius isn’t a capable bike for descending? I’d argue it’s pretty good judging by a test ride but have yet to build my one (silly LBS!)

Interesting to see so much quoted in inches and pounds 😉

It’ll be a good bike, for sure. But there’s quite a difference between something like that and proper big bike. Have you ever owned a ‘big’ bike?

No I haven’t but it was you that said 6″, are you now looking at something bigger?

I saw a carbon bottle cage on CRC the other day, it was £40!! But it’s a bottle cage….. It’s job is to hold a big, heavy bottle full of water. I don’t get it. I ordered one that cost £1.95.

I’m 90KG and have always had light bikes which I ride hard. Never broken any components at all and don’t know anyone who has

😯 You’ve never broken anything? And don’t know anyone who has broken a component?

That is so surprising that I’m forced to conclude either:

a> you’ve only been riding bikes about 7 minutes (I know this isn’t true from the Kona thread)
b> you have no friends who ride bikes other than to the shops
c> you’re fibbing
d> you are blessed with incredible amounts of luck and should PM me your thoughts on lottery numbers…

Obviously I say all that in jest, but I am genuinely surprised!

I could pick any one of my biking friends and every single one of them has broken something at some point (some more than others), and I have a string of snapped/bent/cracked/exploded frames and components from the last ~20 years longer than I care to write down.

FWIW, I’m 78KG and don’t ride that hard but I’ve broken as much stuff on sub 20lb XC race bikes as I have on ~28-30 Trail bikes and more stuff on >35lb DH bikes, and you really don;t want to know how many things I’ve wrecked riding trials, but thats more the nature of the riding than fragility of parts.

I like things to be as robust as necessary and as light as possible, while costing sensible amounts of money, so I tend to use parts where those lines intersect, sometimes slightly further in one direction than the other but I won’t use a light part simply to save weight if it means the performance will be inferior.

I’m trying to get the weight of ebike batteries down 😉

richardkennerley – Member

I saw a carbon bottle cage on CRC the other day, it was £40!! But it’s a bottle cage….. It’s job is to hold a big, heavy bottle full of water. I don’t get it.

TBH I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t use bontrager cages- £11 for the basic composite one, holds bottles like glue but easy to use, weighs only 12g more than the carbon one. Just close to perfect really. (I bought a carbon one in a sale, because ZAMOFAGUH 12 GRAMS!, and it’s light and pretty and works exactly the same). Awesome kit tbh

TBH I don’t really understand why everyone doesn’t use bontrager cages

I must be the exception that proves the rule, Bonty RL cage is the only cage I’ve ever lost a bottle from, and it was a Bontrager bottle so you’d hope it would work!

Ooh I dunno, never used their bottles 😆 Maybe all the bottle-fu goes to the cage.

My bike weighs 13.3kg but when you add water bottle, tool bag behind saddle, mudguards, lights, etc. they all add up and suddenly it feels nearly as heavy as a downhill bike

Couldn’t tell you what my current F/S weighs, more than my previous one that’s for sure. Current one has 1″ more on the rear and 60mm more on the front. Current one is quicker and much more enjoyable everywhere I ride.

Yes it’s got carbon wheels and light kit on it, but it’s got 2.5″ tyres, how much difference is weight savings going to make in the long run.

These days I tend to think if its faster, who cares what it weighs?

I’m thinking of adding a dropper post but they weigh nearly 1Kg ? Is it worth adding that much weight ?

But then I’m thinking the disadvantages of not having a dropper post can be so knackering (for example riding with the seat up all the time, or having to faff around with the Quick Release wasting time and energy) that riding a slightly heavier bike with a dropper post would save energy overall ?

I’m thinking of adding a dropper post but they weigh nearly 1Kg ? Is it worth adding that much weight ?

What dropper are you thinking of getting? Reverb is 500-550g.

Anyway, BITD weight was all you could go on. Nobody ran forks cos those that existed were a bit shit. Tyres were just tyres, no dual ply DH, no XC semi slick, no beach racing slick special.

What is now ZOMFG 1° slacker HT angle how did I ride my old bike I must buy a new one was once ZOMFG 0.1lb lighter, and it made about the same amount of difference.

I even remember a phase when 29ers were niche when people on here would obsess over fork A2C heights (for a given suspension travel). Weight still matters, it’s just bikes have more bits to make them work better.

It’s pretty impressive how light you can get a (reasonably functional) bike if you really try, but the progress has been getting the bikes that ride well to a reasonable weight, not just pushing down the weight of a rigid 26er with cantis.

grannyjone – Member

I’m thinking of adding a dropper post but they weigh nearly 1Kg ? Is it worth adding that much weight ?

Typically they’re closer to 600g.

It depends on you really- not everyone drops the seat that much. And it depends on feel too. Personally, I like riding more with the seat down, it gives you freedom to move which as far as I’m concerned is freedom to ride properly. And being able to always have the seat at the right height is simply free flow- it’s not just about dropping, it’s about raising too.

I often say this but it’s true, I like rigid mountain bikes, because riding without suspension is fun. But I still put a dropper in my rigid bikes, because riding with the seat up just sucks.

But if you’re racing XCO then maybe not. I like them for endurance xc racing becuase it’s basically ease- I burn less energy on the descents and can ride faster, safer and arrive at the bottom in better shape. And I enjoy it more, which is important if you want to go at it for hours.

The descents are a lot more knackering when riding with the post up. But it’s also knackering having to keep getting on and off and faffing with the quick release every few minutes. I can only imagine that despite adding 600g to the bike, the ride would be a lot less tiring overall. I think I’m going to find out sooner or later and get one anyway. 600g is nothing compared to how much weight water adds. This is the main issue that I have with weight. A 1 litre bottle full of water weighs just over 1kg and then any more than that it’s probably going in a camelback adding weight on my back (which is even worse than having weight on your bike – unless you have to lift your bike over a lot of fences like anyone who rides in the Rivington area has to – repeatedly!).

You’ve never broken anything?

OK, now you mention it, I did break some TNT cranks in 1997. These were from the days when people thought CNC machining aluminium for cranks was wise. They broke due to poor design and not while riding either. You’re right though I have broken something and in that instance it probably was because it was designed too light.
I also broke the original yellow bridge on those Judy SLs in the Kona pics, hence the red one (quick replacement, and in the 90s more colours were better!). This was when I rode into a fire road gate at speed while drunk, so not really a MTB issue :oops:.

I don’t think either of these really count – I probably should have said I’ve never broken anything while properly riding. I must admit the m9000 carbon levers will probably break if I hit a tree again, but they didn’t last time I did so 😯

I’ve broken 1 Hope Hub in 30 years of riding. It cracked when in use on my commuter, so really it broke rather than me breaking it.
I also own an On One Fatty and a 1999 mount vision. Both of which should have broken by now.
Clearly I’m either a superbly talented rider or a mincer.

Some interesting thoughts and opinions.

FWIW I was a serial bender of rims in the 90s. I cleared out my dad’s shed a few years ago and there was a pile of tacoed rims in one corner from back in the day.
Oh, yeah and I snapped the brace on a set of Judy SLs.
Lightweight bars were my nemesis. Since my first pair of braced risers in about 1998 I haven’t looked back!

After my initial comments I actually went and weighed my Dialled Love/Hate SS – it’s actually 27lbs on the nose. I do know though that my Krampus weighs north of 31lbs, but if I had to choose one to ride all day? Krampus every time 🙂

Let’s be honest, people obsess less about weight these days because the marketing folk aren’t using that particular feature to sell bikes at the moment. That’s probably down to the fact that larger wheels weigh more than 26″ ones.

My ICT weighs in at 35lb but was still the bike I chose to ride over other lighter bikes for most of the last year. However, I’ve just spent the money I got from selling my Smuggler on a Canyon Dude. The aim being to move all the bits over from the ICT and (hopefully) end up with a bike that rides the same but weighs a couple of Kg less. It will be interesting to see whether the lighter bike actually feels any better (or worse) to ride than the heavier one. The main reason for the switch was to make it easier for hike-a-bike sections and for lifting it onto the roof rack. And because new bikes are always good !

A reverb only adds 600G if you didn’t have seatpost to begin with.

Its more like 400g

I’ve got weight weenish tendencies but adding around a pound for a dropper is a compromise I’m happy to make. Silly light tyres are also to be avoided

I’ve got weight weenish tendencies but adding around a pound for a dropper is a compromise I’m happy to make. Silly light tyres are also to be avoided

This, it’s why my xc bike weighs as much as it does. Swapping out a carbon fixed seatpost for a 170mm reverb (if that weighs 560g I’ll eat my shoes) had me twitching a bit, but it’s worth it. Same with tyres that aren’t see through. Doesn’t matter how fast light tyres are if they keep getting punctures.

I’ve been riding for nearly 25 years. I bent a rim when I was 18 and trying to do 180 bunnyhops; I bent the replacement doing the same thing; and a seat post with a known design flaw snapped on me in about 2003 ish.

Think that’s it.

tomhoward – Member

This, it’s why my xc bike weighs as much as it does.

Mine’d be respectably light if I was a proper XCer. But right now it has a minion on the front, 760mm bars, flats, and a 150mm dropper post 😆 Oh and a saint shifter obviously. I’ll do some parts shuffling for races but it’ll keep the dropper, the bars and the flats.

@ RP be interested to hear how that works out. What are you doing with the ICT?

In terms of getting back on topic. My main ht is approx 3 lb (so make that nearer 4 lb) heavier than my other ht but still I prefer the way it rides.

@ RP be interested to hear how that works out. What are you doing with the ICT?

Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be a long and rambling post with more details than anybody could care about once it arrives 🙂

I’m not at all sure that it will be any better than the heavier ICT to be honest. It could just be an expensive mistake. So, I’ll keep the ICT until I’m happy with the Dude then (hopefully) move it on (or sell the Dude if it turns out to be worse!).

I’m a bit annoyed* with the weight of my rigid Salsa, about 26lbs. Mostly because I couldn’t afford light wheels, and 29er wheels are either heavy or really really expensive.

* but not really, since I love to ride it and that’s what counts

… something about having a big poo before you go out….

I’m a bit annoyed* with the weight of my rigid Salsa, about 26lbs. Mostly because I couldn’t afford light wheels, and 29er wheels are either heavy or really really expensive.

* but not really, since I love to ride it and that’s what counts

I’m more annoyed with my commuter, as it weighs 4kg+ more than my road bike, and about the same as my HT (possibly even a bit more) despite having very light one piece carbon forks (I know, a very selective consideration of the bike but my HT has comparatively heavy suspension forks on) (due to hub dynamo, rack, lights, commuter tyres, quite heavy road disc brakes, mudguards, no money spent on making anything lighter, fairly basic aluminium frame). It’ll be slightly lighter when I put the summer tyres on, but still same ballpark. And the frame’s nice and stiff for when I’m heavily laden.

Can’t really alter it as it does it’s job well.

This, it’s why my xc bike weighs as much as it does. Swapping out a carbon fixed seatpost for a 170mm reverb (if that weighs 560g I’ll eat my shoes) had me twitching a bit, but it’s worth it. Same with tyres that aren’t see through. Doesn’t matter how fast light tyres are if they keep getting punctures.

Naaaa.

You see a lot of bikes being ridden around with pounds of extra weight attached that add’s nothing to the bikes durability (or save money). Dropper post, garmin, go-pro, beefy tyres, ‘trail’ pedals, lock-on grips, when you’re riding round a trail center that sort of stuff can easily add upto 3lb of extra lard you don’t actually need!

Thick tyres in the Peak or Lake district – absolutely bordering on essential

Thick tyres on the NYM or a trail center – pointless waste of weight and money

Dropper post, I have a reverb and I like it, but it’s heavy, and sometimes I question whether I lose more time raising/lowering it than I would just pedaling harder with a fixed post down/up for the length of the trail.

Garmin at a trail center – it’s not like you’ll get lost

Go-pro – at least not every ride.

‘Trail’ SPD’s – I can’t stand them and have no problems with 520’s (or XT if I’m feeling flush).

Grips – lock-ons weigh HOW MUCH! Even cheap BMX grips save a whole lot of weight and don’t slip. Foam grips are even less again.

Salsa has rigid forks weighing 590g or something stupid. Bike should be lighter than it is… grumble grumble..

Having grumbled about that.. I did run it with Rebas for a while adding some 2-3lbs. It was just faster all round!

How a frame is built matters much more than overall weight. A quality butted frame made from proper tubing from a good manufacturer sized to fit the rider will ride much ‘lighter’ than a cheap carbon mass produced frame.

Even cheap BMX grips save a whole lot of weight and don’t slip.

LOL. Until you go out on one properly wet ride, or plant the bar in some damp ground. I prefer the feel of rubbery grips, the plastic sleeve you can feel through lock ons isn’t nice, but it’s a price worth paying for the grips not sliding about.

I’ve played about with the weight thing quite a bit over the last 3 years. I like reliability and I’ve picked lighter and stronger to keep things that way. I “like” a 30lb (13.6kg) all-in bike. I feel it when it’s more. A lighter one is not always better though. Alpine started out at 14.3kg and was a bit of a pig to ride up hills, Five started out 13.6kg. When the Alpine got to 13.6kg it started to feel amazing and it’s hovered around that all in weight since.

A 12.6kg all in Five 140mm FS with Carbon wheels and 650g Nobby Nics.
verses
A 13.6kg all in Alpine 160mm FS with Carbon wheels and Magic Mary 880g (it’s 100g over spec) / Minion DHR2 3C 760g.

Which one should be quicker up the hill?

By a good chunk of time it’s the Alpine. 30s or more on two or three different climbs on it’s first ride this year with those beefier tyres on. I set climb PRs which I haven’t come even close to for a year.

I can only imagine it’s increased frame stiffness and pedal efficiency doing it or tyre rolling resistance rather than weight? Maybe I’ll try the Five with the wheels + tyres off the Alpine and see.

I had ridden Mary / DHR2 in 2015 and loved it then I went tyre buying nutty in 2016 looking for faster lighter setups. I had some bad crashes in 2016 so I’m reverting setups to 2015’s good one in the hope I can have the best chance to stay rubber side down for longer this year.

Weight, wheel size, tyres, bikes. Funny things. It’s probably not the bike though… it’s probably more what’s sitting on top that counts. Fun to experiment though. When it feels right it feels right. I just wish I’d leave it alone when it does!! Doh.

Seeing as I now appear to be carrying an extra 10kg round my waist I don’t fuss over component weight like I used to but if I was still up for 24hr solos yes of course I would, even if it was just for the psychological peace of mind

LOL. Until you go out on one properly wet ride, or plant the bar in some damp ground. I prefer the feel of rubbery grips, the plastic sleeve you can feel through lock ons isn’t nice, but it’s a price worth paying for the grips not sliding about.

The tinyest dab of superglue solves that, but it’s only been an issue with foam grips when they start to go baggy.

None of my bikes currently have lock-ons and none have slipping grip issues. I used lock on’s from when they first appeared (late 90’s?) as at the time they were necessary, but 20 years on they must be making them from tackier rubber because even just using whatever the LBS has in it’s BMX section works fine.

Last time I used lock-ons was Ergon grips when recovering from an injury which is a different issue.

Even cheap BMX grips save a whole lot of weight and don’t slip.

I’ve used foam grips for years – in fact, the same actual grips for many years, they haven’t gone baggy. The Ritchey WCS ones. Super light, cheap as chips and comfy.

Although despite having used them for about 16 years on various bikes, I only just discovered that they are quite a bit thicker on the top than the bottom, so which way up you put them makes a big difference 😳

philjunior – Member

LOL. Until you go out on one properly wet ride, or plant the bar in some damp ground. I prefer the feel of rubbery grips, the plastic sleeve you can feel through lock ons isn’t nice, but it’s a price worth paying for the grips not sliding about.

I use the ESI foam grips, never had a problem with spinning even in proper manky conditions. Did get a wee bit of looseness at one end once, on some shiny carbon bars, but on someone on here’s suggestion I threw a wrap of cloth tape round the bar and that worked a charm. But I don’t use them for weight loss, I use them because they’re ace grips.

The downside is, they’re not tough, they soon look pretty haggard from crashes and even just laying the bike down.

Although despite having used them for about 16 years on various bikes, I only just discovered that they are quite a bit thicker on the top than the bottom, so which way up you put them makes a big difference

I didn’t know that, I’ll have to check! Are you sure it’s not just where they’ve compressed down?

Off road, anything I can still lift over a fence after an all dayer.
Sub 28 is about fine for me, ideally a bit lighter.
Wife’s ally hardtail is about 23lb and so much fun on steep stuff, feels effortless.

On road, not that fussed.
My tourer weighs 30 odd lbs, but it’s designed/built for a job and it’s fun to ride.
I can ride it comfortably for much longer distances than my 22lb road bike, if a bit slower uphill.