bruce19

I have to take my bike in for some work today. And, I've always wondered what it actually weighs. So, I took everything off it including pedals and put it on my Park scale. This is a Columbus Spirit steel frame with CF fork and Ksyrium Elite wheels in size 55. I was pleasantly surprised.........16 lbs. 12 oz. Not bad since a Domane I was looking at was only a couple oz. lighter.

Lazyass

What components?

cyclebycle13

So you took everything off? What was left on the bike when you weighed it?

rpenmanparker 

I think he means all the accessories.

CafeVelo

I'm always surprised at weight statements like this. My steel bike is 21.something lb, and without spending a ton of cash I couldn't really drop the weight more than a pound or so.

rpenmanparker 

Keep in mind we are talking about no pedals, computer, or bottle cages (or anything else hanging on the bike like a tool bag) for a "showroom" or "catalog" or magazine review weight. The way such a weight is achieved is with SRAM Red group, <1,300 g wheels, 210 g tires, light tubes, 150-160 g seat post, 110-130 g stem, and <225 g bars. Since saddle is so personal, I wouldn't say what to do there, but something below 230 g will do the trick.

That way my old time steel frame with carbon fork builds up to 16.25 lb. It should be even easier with a Guru modern steel frame.

CafeVelo

That's my point. Sub 1300g wheels (which I couldn't ride at 185-195 lb anyway) means $$$, just like all those other components. Lightweight stems and seatposts cost a fortune for what they are. I could get a pound off my wheels reasonably, but campy chorus isnt exactly heavy. I'm assuming a pound off the wheels and maybe a pound from stem/seatpost/bars. That's easily a $1,000+ venture and I'm still at 19 lb.

I never understood weighing bikes without pedals, you can't ride them like that. I get new bikes that don't have them, but one you already have?

GlennR

Why take things off?

Your bike weighs what ever it is with everything you take on a ride... minus yourself and maybe the water bottles.

So leave the pedals, bottle cages, computer and saddle bag on if you really want to know what it weights.

If you're looking for the frame only, then remove the wheels, groupo and crank.

rpenmanparker 

That isn't all correct. My 1,270 g Al clinchers cost under $500. The FSA OS-99 stem with obsolete graphics can be had very lightly used on ebay right now for $30, so cheap that I don't have the energy to sell the two extras that I have sitting around. Yes the bars can be pricey. The Thomson Masterpiece post can be had for about $70, and besides being light, it is a damn good post. Red is...well, Red. i would ride it even if other groups weighed the same. I just like it.

Perhaps you would get a fairer estimate of the plus cost of lightening if you planned a whole new bike built on your frame and compared two versions, a new light version and a new standard version. Using the methods I describe, I doubt the difference would be $1,000. That is when I lightened my steel bike, when I was totally rebuilding it.

As for no pedals, it is just a convention. You know what your pedals weigh, so just add that to the advertised weight of the bike. The point is many folks compare their bikes to what they see advertised or reviewed. You can't do that sensibly if you insist on including stuff that isn't on the showroom bike.

rpenmanparker 

You aren't getting the purpose of the weighing. It is not just to know how much your bike weighs, it is to know how it compares to other bikes. So there has to be a standard configuration for comparison. Hence using the showroom condition for comparison. The same stuff can then be added back to the weight of either bike to get the real total weight as you would ride it. What do I care how much your bike weighs the way you ride it. I wouldn't use your pedals, cafes, computer, tool bag. I want to compare to the base bike.

GlennR

I know what my frame weighs along with the gruppo, wheels, pedals, saddle, tires, tubes and so on.

But if you really what to know what the bike you ride weights, you need to weigh it complete... minus variables like water bottle.

GlennR

So let me understand... you're comparing weight to help decide on what bike to buy?

What's the weight difference needed to override a better fit, better value or better components?

What about two similar bikes but one has Sram Red and the other Dura Ace Di2?

I understand you need a "standard" to compare but what the point?

pdedes

My breezer venturi frameset will likely be 16.5 lb complete. SRAM red, 10 sp, so it's compatible with all my of bikes. With some targeted purchasing, my entire budget is $1300. I have a wheelset for it, so not pricing that in.

rpenmanparker 

No, I'm weighing my bikes to know how they compare to the gold standard that is currently sensible and possible which happens to be the Trek Emonda SLR. But you have just changed the discussion from how to weigh bikes and how to lighten them to what is the value of doing that. And I should add that you have also thrown in a side of which parts are better, Shimano, SRAM, or Campy. Way too much has already been said about those topics, so I will respectully decline to get inolved in it here.

rpenmanparker 

Is the frame cost included in that $1,300? That is some really targeted purchasing! You score 20 atta-boys.

GlennR

Never said which is better, just that Di2 is heavier than Red... for example.

BTW... i have a SLR, but mine weighs more than the factory spec since I have Zipp 303s.

I just don't understand the point of removing the pedals. But then there's a lot of things people do that I don't understand.

So let's ride.

rms13

My sub 1300g clinchers from China cost about $300 and my 1989 steel bike with steel fork is around 20 lbs with 5800 and without trying too hard to keep it light.

pdedes

Got the frameset for $400

Lazyass

Yeah, I don't know. His wheels aren't really that light.

bruce19

SRAM Red except for SRAM Rival shifters.

bruce19

I do. It is ready to ride. Except for pedals, of course. It has a San Marco Concor Racing saddle FWIW.

dr_lha

I thought the Venturi was a pretty hefty frameset. 16.5lbs will be pretty impressive with that IMHO. Maybe I'm wrong.

rpenmanparker 

No it is light compared to the 4.75 lb or so that my 531 frame weighs.

bruce19

I weighed my bike for a couple reasons.......I have a new Park Tool scale (always a curse), I was curious to see how much weight I was adding with all the "stuff" I ride with, and when I looked at a Domane it was listed as 16.79 lbs. w/o pedals, so apples to apples. My Guru as ridden weighs just short of 19 lbs. I'm not trying to build the lightest steel bike ever. But, I did note that bike and rider weigh approx. 204 lbs. so the best place to save weight has nothing to do with the bike.

dr_lha

I had read that the frame + fork + headset came out at over 6lbs. Not super heavy for sure, but there are much lighter steel frames. $400 is a steal though, I'd be very tempted.