Originally Posted by arctos
Thanks Machka for asking an important but often overlooked question.
On the Divide Ride my 15 year old rigid cross bike and equipment weighed under fifty pounds. Bike 25# w/full fenders and F/R racks. Equipment weighed 20# w/2 front panniers and a rear rack dry bag stuffer;no rear panniers. I weighed 215# before my bike tour diet plan.
Other Divide tourists I met were pulling or pushing overloaded trailers or panniered bikes up passes that I could ride only because of the reduced weight not because I was well conditioned(not) or young(60) or strong(not). The lighter weight also I believe prevented mechanical problems like broken spokes and rims that I noted on other cyclists' bikes. I had one flat tire. I have been touring like this for 30 years because it works for me in all weather trail and altitude conditions-sea level to 17000 feet-so far!
I never really thought much about the difference weight makes until about a month into my tour, I left everything in camp, and rode up a 4 km hill to a scenic outlook. Up till that point I had walked just about everything in sight, and would have walked that 4 km hill too. But I cycled right up it! It was then I realized that lighter is so much better!!
On that tour I carried:
- Front panniers: 4.5 kg each (10 lbs each)
- Carradice bag: 6 kgs (13.2 lbs)
- Handlebar bag: 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
However, I would very much like to figure out a way to reduce that even more.