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Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

My Commuter's a Porker!

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Old 08-28-05 | 07:09 AM
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The road bike guys like to talk about their sub-18lb bikes.

Heh... I have my Soma Double Cross set up for commuting with a lot of heavy stuff on it.

I just weighed it... 35.5 lbs including Brooks B17 saddle, heavy duty wheels (Mavic T519 touring rims with db spokes and XT hubs and Panaracer Pasela TG 700x28 tires), Sugino XD 46/36/26 triple, 11/34 XT cassette, Speedplay frogs, 105 FD and XT RD, 105 brifters, 2 bottle holders, rear rack, pump, Niterider HID headlight/taillight/battery, fenders, computer, Carradice Barley bag (with maps, tire repair stuff, spare tube, tools, SQR mount) and a full Polar water bottle.

That's like TWO of those lightweight road bikes... but this is my only bicycle, set up for all-weather daily riding, including all the crap I normally carry. The only time it actually *feels* heavy to me is when I have to carry it up stairs.

Anyone else here care to post your "real world, ready for the commute" bike weights? If you do weigh yours, please make sure it's "ready to ride", the way you leave for your commute on it.

The easy way to weigh it is to use a bathroom scale. Weigh yourself. Then pick up the loaded bike and weigh yourself again. Subtract your weight from the total and you'll have the bike weight.

Here's a picture, dressed for battle:
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Old 08-28-05 | 07:29 AM
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Haven't weighed my Trek 420 fully rigged, but it's just under 26 pounds without anything at all on it.
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Old 08-28-05 | 07:46 AM
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You're in heavy company if you speak to people with fully loaded commuters. There are ultralight commuters, but ultralights IMO are not everyday commuters, only fair weather commuters.

My hybrid Giant Cypress SX that stock weighed something like 23 lbs is now somewhere around 37. Can't remember if that's with all the stuff I carry to work. I think it is. Must be.

On clear days without chance of precip, I have a single speed road bike that I use with a messenger bag. It weighs about 18 lbs, but then my messenger bag probably weighs 10 lbs on my back.

I enjoy both. The heavy one is perfect for those days when the weather is bad. The single speed is fun on the other days. But the 18 lb difference doesn't seem like that much.

Nice Soma!
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Old 08-28-05 | 08:09 AM
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I think this will be an interesting thread if people post their real-world weights. I don't think we have a buncha weight-weenies here. ;-)

If I can get the money together I'd like to build a SS too. My commute is pretty flat and during nice weather it'd be nice to ride something like that!
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Old 08-28-05 | 08:17 AM
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53lb when I ride out the door
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Old 08-28-05 | 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Cyclaholic
53lb when I ride out the door
Whoa! Care to elaborate? Maybe I need to be carrying more stuff!
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Old 08-28-05 | 08:23 AM
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A SS is cheap. Look in Craigslist for a mid-80s road bike that fits and looks good. Strip it of it's gears and see the single speed/fixed forum for gear options. I bought my 1985 Trek 460 for $100 and spent an extra $60 on the conversion.

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Old 08-28-05 | 08:43 AM
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Originally Posted by michaelnel
Whoa! Care to elaborate? Maybe I need to be carrying more stuff!
Cheap hardtail mountain bike with suspension forks. Uses fairly heavy (therefore cheap) components. I built a 20 watt light system that includes a 7.2 Ah sealed lead-acid battery which is also quite heavy because I needed 5 hours a day of light due to my long commute being over 60 miles round trip all in darkness during winter. has a Topeak beam rack & trunk bag with a bunch of spares including 3 inner tubes. 2 water bottles, lunch, change of clothes. So my commute is more like touring than commuting
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Old 08-28-05 | 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by bsyptak
A SS is cheap. Look in Craigslist for a mid-80s road bike that fits and looks good. Strip it of it's gears and see the single speed/fixed forum for gear options. I bought my 1985 Trek 460 for $100 and spent an extra $60 on the conversion.



Niiiiiice

what does she weigh?
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Old 08-28-05 | 09:32 AM
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Bsyptak, I'd kill for your cranks and a pair of brake levers like that... What are they?
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Old 08-28-05 | 11:14 AM
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i have a trek 7200, i weighed my rack trunk on the UPS scale at work and it came to 15 pounds or so with my ulock, pants, lunch, coins, and other stuff.

i try to leave the u-lock at home when i can, but then i can't make a spur of the moment errand if needed
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Old 08-28-05 | 11:31 AM
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A lock isn't part of the gear I carry routinely while commuting, although sometimes I add one Ortlieb pannier and a u-lock and cable if I know I will need to stop somewhere and/or carry something.

I usually don't do spur of the moment errands during my commute unless it is a place where I feel like I can just bring the bike in.

Surprisingly few places object when I just waltz in with the bike, too.
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Old 08-28-05 | 11:49 AM
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My "piggy" is an old Schwinn World Tourist (made by Giant for Schwinn)
lugged steel framed , fendered, steel wheeled bike I bought new.

I've added.......
nashbar rack
jannd trunk
jannd econo panniers
nashbar frame bag
pair of scooter mirrors
small light duty windshield.
nashbar handlebar bag
small battery powered speakers
am/fm cassette in bar bag for tunes
mud flaps with naked ladies on them
adjustable stem
new vibe damping handgrips. (getting HARD to find now)
bicycle sized yellow triangle "slow vehicle" sign at rear
bike club bike lock
front pannier rack
Mesinger seat w/crash rail and springs fore & aft

Total weight.......
62lbs!!!!

Last edited by Nightshade; 08-29-05 at 05:04 PM.
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Old 08-28-05 | 12:10 PM
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OK, you guys are starting to make my porker look puny!
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Old 08-28-05 | 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Cyclaholic
53lb when I ride out the door
61-63 pounds (depending on seasonal clothing change/packed lunch) when I commute daily 24 miles r/t. 48 pounds without black bag (clothing change, tools, poncho, lunch) and water.
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Old 08-28-05 | 01:27 PM
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... amazing!
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Old 08-28-05 | 01:47 PM
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ouch!!!! I think I hurt my back
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Old 08-28-05 | 02:05 PM
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I don't know exactly. But when I commute you can figure 40 give or take after you throw in the work clothes.. When I tour it's a few pounds more.
I'd love to have one of those sub-20 pound bikes for group rides.
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Old 08-28-05 | 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by late
I don't know exactly. But when I commute you can figure 40 give or take after you throw in the work clothes.. When I tour it's a few pounds more.
I'd love to have one of those sub-20 pound bikes for group rides.
I assume that group rides and commuting are mutually exclusive activities with often conflicting requirements for most suitable equipment.
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Old 08-28-05 | 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
I assume that group rides and commuting are mutually exclusive activities with often conflicting requirements for most suitable equipment.
That depends on what time you're riding to work.
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Old 08-28-05 | 02:59 PM
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I can always strip 10lbs off my bike fairly quickly if I want to ride a lighter one. Problem is, the stuff that's on there is stuff I feel like I *need* on there. For instance, even though I have relatively flatproof tires, I still carry a patch kit, spare tube, levers, and a pump. Kinda the old "belt & suspenders" thing I guess.

I hate not being prepared to handle at least the most likely problems, so even if I had a sub-18lb technobike I'd still feel naked riding more than a few blocks from my house (basically, walking distance) without some of the stuff.

I *have* stripped all the extra stuff off and ridden the bike, and it's fun, but I was nervous until I got home. Besides, I ride for fun and fitness, and a heavier bike is actually better for fitness riding IMO.

As for group rides? I'm too slow and too much of a curmudgeon to ride with other people.
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Old 08-28-05 | 03:11 PM
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You guys are nuts! My Dahon folder is around 23lbs out of the box. I haven't weighed it with lights and such on it, but my new main light list at about 2lbs and my red blinkie just a couple of ounces. I switched the stock pedals for SPDs but the weight difference is negligible.

Of course I carry stuff in my backpack when I ride, but I can't imagine there's more than 10lbs of stuff in it between repair stuff, a set of work clothes and a water bottle (and I have an ultralight biking backpack). So I guess my "commuting setup" comes out to probably no more than 35lbs. Light.
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Old 08-28-05 | 03:26 PM
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So far in *this* particular buncha folks, the mid-30lb area seems to be at the low end of the range.

I'm surprised, I thought my setup was heavy.
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Old 08-28-05 | 03:32 PM
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Havent weighed my bike but it must be in the 30lbs area. I live on the second floor at my apartment complex and it sucks having to carry it up and down. Its extra sucky when I have my pannier loaded with grocerys and a backpack on also. Real work out to get up
the stairs!
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Old 08-28-05 | 04:09 PM
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About the 1985 Trek 460 SS above, I haven't weighed it properly, but I guess around 18-19 lbs, as my Road bike is 20ish and this one's lighter.

The cranks are original equipment double SR cranks with the outer chain removed and the inner moved to the outside. Oddly, though this is a Shimano drivetrain, the BCD is 144.5, which is Campy BCD. Makes it a little harder (read: more expensive) to try out different sizes of chainrings. You can go online to www.vintage-trek.com and see the specs for the crank and bike in general.

The levers are Tektro RX 4.1 time trial levers. I got them for $20 for the pair, which seems to be about the going price in the US. The Cane Creeks are even nicer, all black, and about $5 more. But I was ordering other stuff from 1 place and wanted to get it done.
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