Mr. Jim

Hello, I usually do not post here i hang out in touring and commuting. However I have a question from a friend, he is looking at new trek mountain bikes and is wondering as to a resource for weights? The website does not list these and he is curious as to where he can get at least an approximation.

Wordbiker

What pricepoint is he looking at? If it's entry level, tell him to be less concerned with weight and more with whether or not the bike is durable.

A number of years ago at the peak of NORBA membership numbers the bike industry was driven by racing. Everyone was looking for the lightest thing available for an advantage over their buddies. Manufacturers responded by publishing bike weights in their catalogs to boost sales...and this started a war.

One would list the weight of their mid-sized bike, another would list the smallest size. The first would respond by then speccing their stock bike with super skinny tires and lightweight tubes that just about any rider would toss for something more reliable, #2 responded by flat out lying about their weights, blaming inconsistencies on "manufacturing tolerances". If you ever wondered why people started weighing their bikes without pedals "because the consumer should have the choice"...there's where it started.

After experiencing a metric ton of warranty issues and consumer dissatisfaction with frames and parts that broke, just about all the mainstream manufacturers have actually gained weight throughout their lines. This is a good thing as it means bikes are built for trail riders that plan to own their bikes for many years, not just a race season or two.

Unfortunately the weight-weenieism has permeated the consumer consciousness as some sort of universal advantage, and if manufacturers started listing bike weights again, they'd lose a ton of sales even if their weights were within a reasonable range of other less scrupulous builders lying about their weights. My answer to a customer asking, "How much does this bike weigh?" is often, "Well, how much did you expect a $300 bike to weigh?"

Mr. Jim

Good point and thanks for the post. He is trying to determine wether or not to rebuild his old bike and has a quote on doing that that is very reasonable. He was comparing to new bikes and didn't see weights listed anywhere. I am unfamiliar with Mt bikes and didn't know about the weight issue. I'll tell him to not worry about it.

Wordbiker

You're quite welcome Jim.

Yeah, please let him know that if the only thing preventing him from rebuilding a viable bike is weight compared to a new one...he's not likely to save a whole lot. If he did, he might regret it later on down the road. The fact that his old bike is rebuildable should say worlds about durability versus weight. I don't expect we'll see many carbon fiber bikes from this era 20 years from now.