tomalenn

Is the fixed gear bike weight really that important? If im a beginner and has only 500$ mark in terms the weight of my bike that Ill be buying shouldn't it have like a weight limit example dont buy fixies 25 pounds higher something like that? and frame wise? material? disadvantage and disadvantage of having a chromoly or hi-ten steel? Stuffs like that.

prooftheory

Depends, are you carrying it or riding it?

tomalenn

of course im riding it man. u just want to know that advantages and disadvantages of such materials that will cut weight if it cut weight is it durable? something like that.

prooftheory

It was a serious question. You get people who are carrying their bikes up 4 flights of stairs and for them a 17 lb. bike is way better than a 24 lb. bike. Most of the difference you'll notice in bike weight is in rapid acceleration and not really as much in dealing with hills. Most people find that the weight in the wheels makes a bigger difference than the weight in the frame. Once you get to a chromoly frame the comparative advantage of lighter materials is less because steel can give a smoother ride. There aren't a whole lot of fixed gear weight weenies though. I'm not sure why that is.

tomalenn

thats what i need to know man so steel is smoother ride? im like here in my home and i just want to ride like for exercise like theres a 10km park from my home that i want to go everyday for exercise and im not using much stairs if youre thinking about me carrying my bike all the time.

Scrodzilla

veganbikes

I want to be a fixed gear weight weenie someday. My goal is to build a sub 10lb bike at some point when I drop some serious weight and make some more serious cash. I figure if Rodriguez can build a 13lb steel framed geared bike, a ten pound fixed gear shouldn't be that hard.

SpeshulEd 

If you're riding the bike for exercise, wouldn't a heavier bike provide you with a better workout?

D1andonlyDman

My experience is that my 18.5 lb Carbon Fiber bike climbs about 5-10% faster than my ~ 21.5 lb double-butted steel bike, configured similarly, with me as the rider, depending upon the gradient I'm climbing. For anything other than climbing, the performance difference is negligible. That 5-10% difference in climbing performance translates to maybe a 2% speed difference overall on the amalgam of all the terrain that I ride.

Noli Timere

It's much cheaper to lose the weight off you instead of the bike and you'll get the same result.

Night_shift

In other words, Weight wienies are as such because they need that 2% edge in a race. For me, you, the OP, the lurker, and the government shill reading this weight isn't too much of an issue. I would love to have a sub 15lb beast; That being said all my bikes are 20-24 lbs.

SpeshulEd 

I always thought weight weenies were just doing it for internet cred.

CliffordK

The bike that is on the road gives a person a much better workout than the one stored in the basement.

Get a bike that you like and enjoy riding.

JeremyLC

Hi, government shill checking in. (okay, government employee...) Anyway, I bought my Cross Check without much concern for its weight. It's heavy. I took a hundred pounds or so off of me, and that made a huge difference. I bought my BMC Teammachine SLR02 with a bit more consideration for weight. I can definitely tell the difference a couple pounds makes.(*). Of course, the idea of me winning any kind of race is laughable.



*) They're both 105 groups, both 50/34 rings. The Surly has an 11-25 9sp, while the BMC has an 11-27(?) 10sp.

JeremyLC

ftfy

habilis

I haven't weighed my home-built fixed gear bike, but I can feel how much weight came off with the derailleurs, gear cluster, rear brake, etc. Fixies are lighter by their nature. I also replaced steel wheels and handlebars to alloy. It still has a cottered steel crank, but the fixie is lighter than my fairly light geared bike. It's also faster because the drive train is simpler - less drag.

tomalenn

and more importantly your frame? because the frame is like the body and gets all the weight from the bike is yours chromoly or hi-ten? if talking about other gears such as wheel and bars i can change that easily but the body? thank you for your reply man!

tomalenn

heavier bike means smoother ride? so you think if exercise wise i should get a not so light bike? you suggest?

tomalenn

thank you for the reply sir so youre saying that if im going for a climbing style bike id go for much lighter? well theres no uphill much here in my place more road. so having a heavier bike around 21 to 23lbs is okay for me? you think?

tomalenn

thank you i will your replies enlighten me guys thank you all.

tomalenn

so you mean its just not on the bike? and more on the person riding it too? but thats why im buying to cut me some weight.

D1andonlyDman

As far as climbing is concerned, lighter is certainly better, but not to the point that the frame flexes noticeably, because if you climb standing up on the pedals, significant flex means loss of pedaling power that is not transferred to the wheels. In the case of my personal carbon fiber bike, it is not only a few pounds lighter than my steel bikes, it is also somewhat stiffer laterally - those two criteria combine to make it a more efficient climbing machine than my other two bikes - but I certainly have not done any rigorous analysis to determine how much of the benefit is from weight, vs. stiffness. but my personal belief is that it's mostly the weight difference, because while it's stiffer than my best steel bikes, they are also pretty stiff too.

T13

You said yerself that you are a "beginner". You aren't even gonna know the difference in an 18lb bike and a 25lb bike. Get a ****ing bike, and go ride it.

tomalenn

okay man. lol whats with the hate? i just dont want to waste money on something im not sure of. chill dude.

tjkoko

The heavier the bike, the smoother the ride. My Dutch Azor weighs 50#, smooth riding, and is a b***h to life for mounting in my Feedback Sports bike repair stand. However, my 1992 Rockhopper isn't at all difficult to mount.