Mountain Biking - Advise on Mountain Bike Weight???

Hi Guys,

I bourght a new Kona Hoss a few days ago, I got the 2006 model for $997AUD. I will be using the bike mainly for commuting, riding along
the pavement most of the time and grass also, and I also want to use it to go along trails and
do small jumps/bunny hops etc. I bourght the bike because it is tough enough for this.

However I have been having second thourghts about the bike, and thinking of changing it to
the Kona Caldera because it is a bit lighter, does this really make a difference?

The 20" Kona Hoss is 15.4kg (33.9lb), the 20" Kona Caldera is 14kg (30.8lb) -
I do like the Kona Hoss cause it's a tuff bike.
I'm not going to be entering any mountain bike races. I'm 91kgs and 6'3" tall.

Would the 1.4kgs (3.1lb) difference between the bikes (Kona Hoss compared to Kona Caldera) make any major difference in riding up a hill and picking up speed (if the same rider was to ride them and both
bikes had the same tyres on)?

Or am I just concerned about these precise details for no apparent reason?

Or is it the type of tyres you use that matters more in picking up speed?

Any thourghts would be appreciated.

Thanks

unless u race weight is not that big of a deal. u really won't see the differance between 1k for ur style of riding.

Hi Guys,

I bourght a new Kona Hoss a few days ago, I got the 2006 model for $997AUD. I will be using the bike mainly for commuting, riding along
the pavement most of the time and grass also, and I also want to use it to go along trails and
do small jumps/bunny hops etc. I bourght the bike because it is tough enough for this.

However I have been having second thourghts about the bike, and thinking of changing it to
the Kona Caldera because it is a bit lighter, does this really make a difference?

The 20" Kona Hoss is 15.4kg (33.9lb), the 20" Kona Caldera is 14kg (30.8lb) -
I do like the Kona Hoss cause it's a tuff bike.
I'm not going to be entering any mountain bike races. I'm 91kgs and 6'3" tall.

Would the 1.4kgs (3.1lb) difference between the bikes (Kona Hoss compared to Kona Caldera) make any major difference in riding up a hill and picking up speed (if the same rider was to ride them and both
bikes had the same tyres on)?

Or am I just concerned about these precise details for no apparent reason?

Or is it the type of tyres you use that matters more in picking up speed?

Any thourghts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Well first if you already bourght it then most LBS will have a tough time returning it if there's no problem with it. If it wasn't ridden at all and is still brand new they might return it, possibly with a small restocking fee. But if it visibly has any miles on it then don't count on them returning it or even exchanging it for a Caldera. I had second thourghts about my bike but I ended up deciding I had the right one.

As far as the weight difference the 1.4kgs should be only noticeable if you rode each bike up the same hill on the same day for comparison. It wouldn't be a huge difference. If you think about it, if you lost 1.4kgs off of your body weight how much would you notice walking up a hill weighing 91kgs vs. weighing 89.6kgs.

Speed is the same thing, the 1.4kgs difference in bikes shouldn't have much of an affect on speed. Going from aggressive knobby tires to street slicks will have a very big difference. If you're mostly riding pavement and a few trails you could get street slicks or semi slicks. I run semi slicks that are a little more geared toward off road. I used to run smooth street slicks but any bit of mud or wet grass and you get little to no traction, so I'd rather lose a little efficiency and stay upright. They are still pretty good on road though.

Just ride it.

Thanks guys

Don't worry about it if you are not going into racing. And for small jumps, it won't make much difference.

lose 3.1 lbs of bodyweight and you should be fine

Sometimes having too light a MTB is a bad thing, as you sometimes trade part life for lightness.

Get the hoss and after 2 or three weeks you will drop those three pounds with no need to pay for the weight improvement.

Ricardo

I never raced, but 30 years ago I was a weight weenie,so I still watch weight.
If you are concerned about total bike weight-don't be-as folks point out here 3 lbs of bike weight isn't much especially with a 200 lb rider-233 lb rider.bike weight.
Wheel/tire/tube weight will make a noticeable difference in your acceleration.Anytime you are changing you speed or traveling uphill you are accelerating or fighting against an accelerating force.
If you race, or just want to keep up with your buddies get light tires, tubes and rims. Light pedals,cassettes, and cranksets would help a tiny amount, but tires,tubes,and rims are a much bigger deal when accelerating or climbing.
Buy a frame because you like the feel/riding quality-within reason the weight won't matter.Same story are most other components-except for components that spin-starting with tires/tubes/rims,spoke nipples/rim tape.
Luck
Charlie