Dougie D

I am an ex-weight weenie. My carbon fiber bikes now collect dust while I ride my ever increasing stable of old steel bikes. I much prefer being able to bomb over potholes and not have every little bump on the road rattle me. However, I am mercilessly mocked by my riding buddies. I know I am not alone. I am not a unicorn. I want to see your 25 pound plus bike that sees a lot of miles. Mine is my latest acquisition, a 1980 Miyata 610:

base2 

No body mocks me when I ride my 40 pound 1974 Schwinn Varsity on a gravel century or do ride leader duties for a dozen people in the 18mph group.

I'm tempted to mock the carbon bike people in the 12 mph group, but then I realize 2 things: karma sucks, & it wouldn't be "professional." Likewise can be said for not showing up on my 1979 Worksman. It would be construed as a mockery.


That being said when I lead the 20mph group on my Cervelo, sometimes I get my a$$ handed to me by a few really motivated riders. So I guess at some point it doesn't matter what you ride.

Bike weight matters, but not as much as saddle time & having the chops to silence the haters.

John E

I do not consider a typical vintage 10-12 kg lugged steel-framed road bike to be "heavy."

"Heavy" would be my first bicycle, a 1950s Schwinn "middleweight," with 26x1.75 tires and a cantilever frame.

Wildwood 

A 'heavy' lightweight.
But chrome headlugs.
Will be gifted this year to an old friend.
I don't weigh my bikes.


Every bike needs at least 1 outstanding feature - unfortunately, not the tubeset on this one.

squirtdad

I have never seen a workman Sting Ray before........sweet

Andy_K 

Agreed. Most of my bikes are around 23-24 pounds. None of them quite meet the OPs 25 pound benchmark but give me a couple of water bottles and I'm there.

I've got a 1973 Nishiki that weighed in around 35 pounds with its original components, but I definitely didn't love that. I'm rebuilding it with allow wheels and a newer drivetrain and I think it's going to come down to 26 pounds or so. It's still a bike that I'm building for scenarios where I think the bike will probably be stolen if I leave it alone.

top506

32 pounds of fillet-brazed goodness.

Top

canklecat

No bike under 30 lbs should feel heavy to ride. Maybe lifting, sure. That's when I notice the difference between my 30 lb Univega and 25 lb Centurion -- lifting them. My Centurion Ironman weighs about 25 lbs as I ride it and doesn't feel heavy... until I hit some hills. After test riding a Specialized Tarmac last week I realized what I was missing on climbs -- that Tarmac felt like it was doing the work for me. But for what a Tarmac costs it ought to be quicker -- at 10 times the price of my perfectly good Centurion.

Dougie D

gugie 

Damn, ALL of my bikes are 25# +

Ironfish653

My ironically named '76 Bridgestone SuperLight: 28 lbs of diecast Japanese al-u-min-i-um. I gave up the 38cm classic drops for a 600mm riser and it totally transformed the handling of this long-wheelbase, raked out roadster. No quite sit-up-and beg, but comfy. Kept the 52t big dog, so you can still shove it down the road with some authority. It's become my go-to townie / path bike. I do so many errands on it, I'm seriously considering a front basket or 'pallet' rack.

The Golden Boy 

I think so as well.

I think my Trek 730 would probably be around the 22 pound mark- if it were built up now...

USAZorro

I spread the love around the stable, but the hippie-bike is the heavyweight (until I clean up the too-big Superbe that was my uncle's)

Slightspeed

I've got a 26 lb. Super Course that I absolutely love riding since I built it up last year. I also have a 17 lb. Culprit, carbon, Di2 with disc brakes that I also love to ride. When I look at the yearly mileage for my bikes, the miles on the these two are almost equal. It's not about the bike, it's about how much fun you have riding them. I enjoy them both on medium speed club rides, 15-17 mph avg. I'm usually the only guy on steel, but it's fun keeping pace with the more modern ones. I've also got a steel Legnano that can easily keep pace as long as the hills aren't too big, with its combination of weight and old school gearing. At one time I was the only guy with Di2 and disc brakes, not any more. There is a stretch of road out in Santa Paula, CA, that I'd rather be on the Raleigh, with its Cadillac ride. I had to laugh one day, while riding the Di2 Culprit, I reached down to grab the non-existant bar end shifters. Not easy living in two worlds, but it is fun. The important thing is not what you ride, but that you ride. Heres the Raleigh.

Colnago Mixte

I love those old Raleighs, especially the generous tire clearance. I think I'm running 38's here, IIRC. You can't beat that Reynolds 531 ride. They barely changed these bikes year to year. Mine's a Competition, I think a '76. Cost $500 in 1976, so this was definitely a rich kid's bike.

jamesdak 

Out of 29 bikes I've only got two that "heavy". Well 3 if you count the old English 3 speed but....

The Fuji S12-s is the first one. My "Cadillac" 650b cruiser for days I just want a cushy ridge.





Still a work in progress but looking pretty good.<br/>

The other is the 1972 Peugeot U-08:

beicster 

I have this one down. I am a heavy bike rider who rides heavy bikes.

Kilroy1988 

This is my heaviest bike at the moment, methinks. It doesn't have any gears and weighs roughly 30-35 pounds. It's a 1951 New Hudson Silver Arrow - a base model all-steel bike with straight gauge 531 main tubes.

I've averaged 17-18mph on 20+ mile rides but usually take it out for more leisurely excursions.

- Gregory

Murray Missile 

Haven't done a century on it but it's seen some gravel and last year's Clunker Challenge 100. My '74 Varsity Deluxe "Big Bird" tips the scales at 41 lbs.

fliplap

Wildwood 

A lightweight road bike frame does not become a 'heavy bike' just because people run fat tires (anything wider than 28mm), racks, fenders, lights, mirrors, kickstands, panniers, bags, electronic gadgets, and/or anything else you may require to transport.

You just chose to make it something other than a lightweight. Which is fine.

I also think it's funny that members talk about frame material/quality while running fattie tires that totally negate any frame material qualities.
Running 32+mm tires at 80psi = 531 or SLX might as well be hi-ten, except for the weight penalty.

clubman 

'42 CCM twin tube. Gotta be over 45 lbs and it rides nice. To the store. 3 blocks away.

Kovkov

Mine are between 15 and 18kg. Don‘t know if that‘s considered heavy but they are faster than many carbon bikes on climbs .

HTupolev

32mm+ tires at 80PSI are pretty stiff for most riders. And squishy tires don't totally negate how a bike pedals.

jamesdak 

Took out the Peugeot today for an easy little ride. Feels pretty nice to cruise on. Finally swapped out the junk Duro tires for some nice Panaracers and dropped one pound, 3 ozs off the bike.