Originally Posted by rpenmanparker

OP, there is much contention about how a bike should be weighed, but if you are comparing to standard catalog or showroom weights, you need to strip the bike down. Yours is not so heavy without pedals, bags, computers, cages, mounts, and loads of other crap you are including (lights?, reflectors?, pie plate?). Look at how a bike is pictured in a catalog or on the manufacturer's online site. That is also how it was weighed to obtain a value for the catalog or a review. So everybody's 14 lb bike really weighs 16 lb (more or less). Sure folks on the 41 quote weights for bikes just as they ride them, but without you knowing what all stuff they are carrying, you can't compare to that.

Here is what to do: weigh the bike as is. Then take off everything down to showroom state. Weigh again. Now you know your bike's real weight and your riding equipment differential. When you read about a bike in a review or advertisement, you can compare your bike to it with the basic weight, and you can figure what it would weigh on the road if you were riding it.

So you probably have an 18+ lb (showroom state) bike for less than a $1000. That is actually quite respectable.

What to do next: most effective lightening is the wheels, especially the rims, tires and tubes. You will really feel the removal of that weight. Lighter hubs don't affect the feel of speed nearly as much, but should be considered also. Easiest weight reduction after that is stem, bar, post. I don't include saddle because comfort is so important, it is not wise to just change it for weight.

Then you get to group set and finally frame and fork. Some people would put frame and fork first, and I don't disagree. Thing is, you can get your bike pretty easily down to 15-16 lb and still be riding a steel frame.

Anyway enjoy your quest.

Robert