What's "too heavy" for a commuter bike?
11-21-10 | 08:00 PM
#76
The space coyote lied.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 48,902
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From: dusk 'til dawn.
Bikes: everywhere
Sorry to get existential about the topic. I see the joy of using the Xtracycle. I know I could get some serious grocery shopping done with it powered by human calories instead of using the car which is available to me. Yet someone else on the other side of the world or on the next street over is forced to make this same trip by bicycle and wishes he had a machine to do it.
Same answer for me. My other options are taking two different buses to get 3.8 miles at a cost of $2.20 a day or skateboarding or walking/running.
11-21-10 | 08:16 PM
#77
Am I exploring a different question? What equipment/weight would be reasonable to you if the bicycle was the ONLY transportation available to you? Maybe it's the same answer.
11-21-10 | 08:36 PM
#78
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,055
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From: Riverside, CA
Bikes: Lynskey R230 DA DI2 ENVE 3.4 SES, 6KU Fixie, Cheap Aluminum Slapstick Trainer only bike
... Yet someone else on the other side of the world or on the next street over is forced to make this same trip by bicycle and wishes he had a machine to do it.
Am I exploring a different question? What equipment/weight would be reasonable to you if the bicycle was the ONLY transportation available to you? Maybe it's the same answer.
Am I exploring a different question? What equipment/weight would be reasonable to you if the bicycle was the ONLY transportation available to you? Maybe it's the same answer.
Those people who are forced to that situation most likely don't have extra time/money/willingness to spend time on some internet forum relating to bicycle most likely.
11-21-10 | 08:41 PM
#79
Old. Slow. Happy.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,797
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From: Boulder County, CO
A bike is "too heavy" if you can't carry it up stairs (and you must do so).
A bike is "too heavy" if, with the stock gearing, you're unable to climb the hills on your commuting route.
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from completing your commute in the time you have available (yes, that is entirely subjective).
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from enjoying your commute, and you commute strictly for "enjoyment."
A bike is "too heavy" if, with the stock gearing, you're unable to climb the hills on your commuting route.
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from completing your commute in the time you have available (yes, that is entirely subjective).
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from enjoying your commute, and you commute strictly for "enjoyment."
11-21-10 | 09:01 PM
#80
Have bike, will travel
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,286
Likes: 317
From: Lake Geneva, WI
Bikes: Ridley Helium SLX, Canyon Endurance SL, De Rosa Professional, Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Schwinn Paramount (1 painted, 1 chrome), Peugeot PX10, Serotta Nova X, Simoncini Cyclocross Special, Raleigh Roker, Pedal Force CG2 and CX2
A bike is "too heavy" if you can't carry it up stairs (and you must do so).
A bike is "too heavy" if, with the stock gearing, you're unable to climb the hills on your commuting route.
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from completing your commute in the time you have available (yes, that is entirely subjective).
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from enjoying your commute, and you commute strictly for "enjoyment."
A bike is "too heavy" if, with the stock gearing, you're unable to climb the hills on your commuting route.
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from completing your commute in the time you have available (yes, that is entirely subjective).
A bike is "too heavy" if you find that its weight prevents you from enjoying your commute, and you commute strictly for "enjoyment."
My first commuter was about 33 lbs. It was a great bike that helped eased me into cycling.
I soon wanted a little more performance and began riding for fitness. My bikes each now weigh less than 24 lbs, before racks or fenders. There is no real reason to haul around a bike much heavier than that, IMO.
11-21-10 | 09:34 PM
#81
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 8,101
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From: Minneapolis
For me it is just the opposite. It's not weight in and of itself but a slower bike leads to poorer conditioning for me. I worker harder when I get rewarded by more speed. Otherwise I just gear down and slow down. I go through this every winter. Even though winter riding is harder work and I do it on a slower bike with studded tires, my fitness will decline because it's not worth the extra effort for me to go .5 mph faster.
11-21-10 | 10:13 PM
#82
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Minneapolis
I'm trying to relate bicycle commuting to the idea of what bicycling meant to me when I was 7 years old. It was both the best available form of transportation and a physical play activity, sometimes independently and at other times simultaneously.
I enjoy cycling, but at the same time I want commuting by bicycle to be as simple as putting on my coat and helmet and rolling away down the street. It would be almost as though I was choosing to use an automobile, different only by method and hopefully nearly as fast.
Millions of people around the world hop on their bikes to go to work and get stuff done without even thinking, "oh joy, I get to do this on a bicycle." In the pics above where people are transporting raw goods and appliances by bicycle the reasoning is, "I have to get from A to B and this is the best tool available to me." They may not be finding joy. Many of them would probably rather have a car or truck (or donkey!) but they can't afford it or it is not available. Every day I see dirty looking guys riding their BMX rides and whatever junk through the city, even in winter. This is not joy of cycling as an activity, it is necessity for them.
Sorry to get existential about the topic. I see the joy of using the Xtracycle. I know I could get some serious grocery shopping done with it powered by human calories instead of using the car which is available to me. Yet someone else on the other side of the world or on the next street over is forced to make this same trip by bicycle and wishes he had a machine to do it.
Am I exploring a different question? What equipment/weight would be reasonable to you if the bicycle was the ONLY transportation available to you? Maybe it's the same answer.
I enjoy cycling, but at the same time I want commuting by bicycle to be as simple as putting on my coat and helmet and rolling away down the street. It would be almost as though I was choosing to use an automobile, different only by method and hopefully nearly as fast.
Millions of people around the world hop on their bikes to go to work and get stuff done without even thinking, "oh joy, I get to do this on a bicycle." In the pics above where people are transporting raw goods and appliances by bicycle the reasoning is, "I have to get from A to B and this is the best tool available to me." They may not be finding joy. Many of them would probably rather have a car or truck (or donkey!) but they can't afford it or it is not available. Every day I see dirty looking guys riding their BMX rides and whatever junk through the city, even in winter. This is not joy of cycling as an activity, it is necessity for them.
Sorry to get existential about the topic. I see the joy of using the Xtracycle. I know I could get some serious grocery shopping done with it powered by human calories instead of using the car which is available to me. Yet someone else on the other side of the world or on the next street over is forced to make this same trip by bicycle and wishes he had a machine to do it.
Am I exploring a different question? What equipment/weight would be reasonable to you if the bicycle was the ONLY transportation available to you? Maybe it's the same answer.
You are exploring some interesting questions. I have two bikes now, but if I had to go car free and choose between the two, I'd pick the heavier one. By the same token if I was given a stipend of several thousand to spend on a new bike I'd probably try to find one or have one made that was as light as my current road bike (which isn't all that light) and use a trailer when I had alot to haul.
It's not all about performance either. People don't seek lighter laptops because they perform better, it's because they're more convenient and easier to handle/transport.
11-22-10 | 01:26 AM
#84
Tawp Dawg
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,221
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From: Anchorage, AK
Bikes: '06 Surly Pugsley, '14 Surly Straggler, '88 Kuwahara Xtracycle, '10 Motobecane Outcast 29er, '?? Surly Cross Check (wife's), '00 Trek 4500 (wife's), '12 Windsor Oxford 3-speed (dogs')
My first commuter was about 33 lbs. It was a great bike that helped eased me into cycling.
I soon wanted a little more performance and began riding for fitness. My bikes each now weigh less than 24 lbs, before racks or fenders. There is no real reason to haul around a bike much heavier than that, IMO.
I soon wanted a little more performance and began riding for fitness. My bikes each now weigh less than 24 lbs, before racks or fenders. There is no real reason to haul around a bike much heavier than that, IMO.
I soon wanted to do more with my bike; to carry groceries, to carry school books, to ride in the winter, in the rain, in the sleet, in the slush, in the dark. And I wanted the bike to be easier to maintain, to be more reliable. So I ditched the shock fork for a rigid steel fork. I added racks. I added fenders. I bought lights. I bought studded tires. I picked up a disc compatible frame. I wanted it to be there when I needed it, so I bought a lock. And it still rides like a bicycle. It's a joy! I find it difficult to not arrive sweaty and out of breath wherever I go, because it is still so much fun to just crank away, even with 40 lbs of groceries on the back.
No matter what I do to modify my bike, I'll always ride it for fitness, for my wellbeing. It elevates my heart rate, makes me breath harder, makes me enjoy life more. It burns stress from my mind and fat from my body. Where the bike performs less, I find myself performing more. My sturdy, reliable, utilitarian bike weighs 48 lbs with racks, fenders, lights, lock, and winter tires; none of which I'm willing to remove to get a "base weight", which would be pointless anyway since I never ride the bike at its base weight (although I do know that the lock and chain weigh nine lbs, not that it matters). And I see no reason to bother with a bike less useful/lighter than that, IMO.
11-22-10 | 01:39 AM
#86
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: YEG
Bikes: See my sig...
I do have to agree that unless you are racing and / or live in the rockies weight is rather irrelevant... a solid bike fitted out for commuting will curb out in the mid twenties and might get into the low thirties depending on equipment.
People who have to carry their bikes up flights of stairs have special considerations.
People who have to carry their bikes up flights of stairs have special considerations.
11-22-10 | 08:44 AM
#87
Have bike, will travel
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,286
Likes: 317
From: Lake Geneva, WI
Bikes: Ridley Helium SLX, Canyon Endurance SL, De Rosa Professional, Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Schwinn Paramount (1 painted, 1 chrome), Peugeot PX10, Serotta Nova X, Simoncini Cyclocross Special, Raleigh Roker, Pedal Force CG2 and CX2
This upgraded 1987 Trek 400 Elance is my commuter and rain & winter bike. It's about 25 lbs as seen here.
11-22-10 | 04:38 PM
#89
Old, but not really wise
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 814
Likes: 0
From: Fairfax, VA commuting to Washington DC
Bikes: 2010 Kona Dew Drop (the daily driver),'07 Specialized Roubaix (the sports car), '99 ish Kona NuNu MTB (the SUV), Schwinn High Plains (circa 1992?) (the beater)
This thread caused me to check weight. With rack, fenders, miscellaneous accessories, but no bags or day to day gear, my ride is about 35 Lbs. Adding my panniers packed for today added another 20 lbs, for a total loaded weight of 55 lbs. I know I have carried an additional 5-10 lbs of gear on occasion, but sometimes I go lighter, too.
I have to move the bike up and down short stairs daily, without panniers, and once or twice a week I have to do a full flight each way (also unladen by panniers). Today I rolled/ carried the bike out with the panniers, and the steps were quite a pain. I could not easily have loaded the bike on my car's bike rack with the panniers in place. Admittedly, the balance is part of this, with so much weight to the rear.
From this, I can conclude that 35 lbs is acceptable. 55 lbs is too heavy for comfortable lifting/ carrying -- not impossible, but really uncomfortable. Less would be great. More could be tolerated, if there was no lifting/ carrying involved.
I have to move the bike up and down short stairs daily, without panniers, and once or twice a week I have to do a full flight each way (also unladen by panniers). Today I rolled/ carried the bike out with the panniers, and the steps were quite a pain. I could not easily have loaded the bike on my car's bike rack with the panniers in place. Admittedly, the balance is part of this, with so much weight to the rear.
From this, I can conclude that 35 lbs is acceptable. 55 lbs is too heavy for comfortable lifting/ carrying -- not impossible, but really uncomfortable. Less would be great. More could be tolerated, if there was no lifting/ carrying involved.
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