Was I really lugging that thing around?
 

I'm nearly done with my Cannondale XR build. I'm not entirely happy. There are a few parts that have just come out heavy and uglier than I want. One spot is the stem, where I bought a quill to threadless converter that must have weighed half a pound. Another is wheels and tires... I got heavy duty wheels and hybrid tires, and with racy wheels and tires I could save three pounds. So it's not really mountain bike heavy but it's not really road bike light either.

It's not nearly as heavy, though, as my Super Sport with all its steel components, where the crankset and pedals together weigh six pounds! Or my MTB with its useless cheap suspension fork.

Have you ever hefted a part you've taken off a bike and thought, wow, have I really been lugging this thing around all this time?

Just the motor. ;)

But it's interesting that I have two nearly identical bikes, except one is laden with all of the commuter encumbrances, and the other is stripped down. The stripped down one is certainly a lot more fun to ride in good weather when I have nothing to transport.

not so much a part, but after a ride I picked up the bag of clothes I had been wearing and was shocked by how much it weighed.

For a commute? I'm trying to increase resistance, so I'm *adding* weight or distance.

The only "heavy" part on my bike is the N360, so not really. :)

- Andy

Same here - 2 Bromptons one with no fenders or rack and ultralight parts. Certainly "feels" more nimble and fun, while the other is a heavy but versatile monster. I always take the light one out if I can.

ya, on a tour, one of my buddies tossed a big rock in my pannier while i wasn't looking. funny guy. :(

I think you might be surprised on a piece-by-piece comparison. I'd guess that your hub is about the same weight as the inexpensive cassette and freehub and RD it replaced. Your bike weighs thirty-plus pounds unloaded. A racy road bike weighs about half that. It's not one part that makes the difference, it's differences in all the parts.

I'll always account for by far the heaviest extra weight on the bike. I could easily stand to lose 20 pounds and it would benefit me in far more ways than less weight to drag around.

I changed my crankset and was surprised at how heavy the original parts were: all-steel triple chain rings with chain guard. It's easily twice as heavy as the crankset I replaced it with.

It was Lugging You around, you weigh More.

Wait, people weigh stuff? As a mountain biker, I usually go for grip, durability and long lasting function, over weight. At 235 lbs, stuff breaks. Great if you are racer weight.

I have a Disc Trucker that I custom built as an ultra-commuter machine, but it was a pig and I didn't like riding it. I removed the rack and changed the IGH to a derailleur, which I'm sure trimmed a few pounds, but it's still a pig and I still don't like riding it. The wheels and tires are pretty heavy, but it's not worth replacing them. It's a functional rainy day bike, and I have lighter bikes for dry days.

The hub weighs 5 and a half pounds. It has solid steel spheres inside, and its full of friction fluid. The input and output discs are also about 2x thicker than a standard gear sprocket.

http://static.testbike.hu/images/prp...-2011-NO.5.jpg

- Andy

I found about 15 pounds of pretty rocks in my saddle bags after returning from a trip to the beach with my 9 year old.

lol And now they are a part of her permanent collection? I remember those days.

Shimano stops listing weight for most parts below Deore 9-speed level where the RD, cassette, and hub add up north of 2 lb. I'd bet the Altus or Acera level that comes on your equivalent bike is around three. So it's a 2.5 pound difference, not a 5.5 pound difference, and so your bike is 35ish rather than 30-some pounds. That doesn't excuse all the other components.

The dyno hub is probably another pound, then the lighting system another pound, then the cranks which are probably another half pound more than a more svelte set (pedals too). The thing i like about the SE tripel, is that even with a dyno hub, fender, lights, and rack, it will still be under 30 lbs.

- Andy