majwell

I found a good deal (25% off MSRP) on a 2012 Felt F55x with a professional fit (Guru DFU), however relative to many bikes out there, even cheaper Felts, this is fairly heavy (21.82 lbs). I have also found a 2012 Foundry Auger Disc B2 for $2250 with no fit, and a 2011 Trek Cronus CX for $2200 (with fit but not on a fancy machine). Do like Shimano shifting more but could get used to SRAM probably.

I won't be racing but doing workouts, trails and just for fun. Someday I may do a race for fun, but as of right now that is not a primary concern. Should I be concerned about the weight? Is it worth the extra money for a Carbon frame if I am not racing?

StanSeven

It depends on how you use the bike. The weight makes a big difference if you ride technical courses, especially with lots of steep uphills and lots of sharp curves. Every time you get off and pick up the bike to carry, you'll notice a couple of lbs. However if you just ride on flat, level terrain with some occasional dirt, weight won't affect you much

fietsbob

Racing courses with a lot of stairs and hills? carrying the bike..

it's your wallet .. workouts will still make you work..


I have about 30# around my middle I dont need.

Cfiber

The more overweight the cyclist, the less he should be concerned about the weight of his bike. Also, even a very fit cyclist who's not racing, doesn't have to be that concerned about the weight of his bike's frame material either.

Andy_K 

No.

When you start racing if you are doing well and want to do a little better, then you can worry about weight. Until then, just ride it and enjoy.

grolby

Should you worry about weight? Let's consider an extreme example - all things being equal, should you choose a 20lb bike or a 40lb bike? Obviously, the 20lb bike will be easier and more pleasant to ride, and even if the 20-pounder costs more, it's probably worth more to you.

The point is this: OF COURSE weight matters, and it should be among the factors you consider. I'm really tired of this idea that weight is a silly or somehow shallow factor to factor into thinking about bikes, or even that you should only concern yourself with it after you've demonstrated some arbitrary level of skill that somehow justifies caring about weight. The reality is that lighter weight makes a bike nicer to ride, period, and easier to carry as well.

But the trouble is that there's no easy answer - weight matters, but the differences aren't as extreme as 20lbs (though even 3lbs feels very different between two bikes), and it's one of many factors you might consider, including geometry, price, components, and so on. I would think about weight, but if you're getting a killer deal and saving money is important to you - that might be worth a weight penalty. For what it's worth, my cross bike - which I race - weighs 23 lbs. Weight is important, but a real bike that I could afford was a higher priority than an imaginary one that weighed 5 lbs less. So obviously there are other factors to consider! But if I had the means, I would go lighter in a heartbeat.

majwell

Thanks for the comment, already made my decision actually and I did go lighter mostly because I found a great deal and was getting a lot of bike for the money. Weight was one factor, but I always dreamed of owning a carbon bike and figured if I spent that extra money I would be happy for a long time as there wouldn't be much to desire in terms of components, weight, etc.

Been out a few times and it does ride like a dream.

martinus

This IS the only forum where weight really, really matters ... After all cx has barriers and stairs, where you have to dismount and carry/ run with the bike. ( dont do that mtbs, road bikes, tall bikes, hybrids whatever... ) If you plan on cx racing or even *just*, entering a few ... Def get the lightest bike in your budget, maybe save up for an even nicer ( lighter ) one ...

flargle

The logic above reminds me of that bit from The Rider where Anquetil allegedly would transfer his bidon from bike to jersey for the tough climbs, to keep his bike as light as possible. Weight is probably no more nor less important for CX than any other racing discipline. Whether the bike is under you or you are under it, Newton's 2nd Law still holds. All else equal, lighter is better, but all else is not equal, especially in CX. If you were thinking strictly in terms of race performance, save the money for a second bike (and some beer money to bribe someone to run your pit), more tubulars, etc.

Yes, you sometimes have to carry your bike up a hill. But you have to carry yourself up EVERY hill, and you probably have much more opportunity to shed weight off your body than your bike.

BTW I'm not saying bike weight does not matter. It's just that the bike weight game quickly reaches diminishing returns.

nice_marmot

Just upgrade your engine.

lenA

isn't a lighter bike usually a measure of quality too?

fietsbob

Of course there is the Single speed class at the races, to do..
lighter because there are no extraneous parts.. one gear, and the brakes..


Lighter above a certain median price, the grams shaving gets expensive ..

$350 a pound OK for your wallet? [friend's Trek Madone came out like that.. ]

martinus

Sounds good, but ... your legs carry your body weight ( all day long ) and your arms carry your bikes weight
...

meanwhile

Define "quality" - some very light weight bikes have frames that have traded off a deliberately shortened lifespan for lower weight.

If you are buying a bike for work outs, don't worry about a weight difference. Do worry about fit. BUT be very wary about professional fitting: "professional" means "piad for" not "of assyred competence." A lot of fitters will try to force you into an aggressive racing position - but these are much less fun to ride in and can be bad for your back. Without a lot of knowledge about the fitter I wouldn't consider a professional fit of any advantage. Also: are they offering to just to adjust the bike or to change parts like stems and bars to get the right fit? If it is the first, then tell them to get lost.

Google "bicycle french fit" to seem some options - and when in doubt, do for the most relaxed fit.

meanwhile

It's worth reading this:

majwell

So I ended up buying a lighter bike (Trek Cronus CX) for more than just that reason, I bought it because it was a very good deal (50% off) and would pretty much leave me nothing to desire where as the Felt, even with the fit I saw myself wanting an upgrade eventually. So why spend $1500 now only to want to spend $3000 in a few years, why not spend $2200 now and be happy for quite a few years to come.

That said the professional fit would have been cool but thinking back I think I got a fine fit from the guy who I bought it from (who races CX). I don't know how good of a pro fit I would have gotten with the Felt because they specialized in Tri Bikes (most likely why they couldn't sell a CX bike) and also it would have been the least expensive bike they had so how much time/effort they would have spent into fitting it may not have been much.

This all went down a while ago and I have put a few hundred miles on my Trek and it is great to ride, fits well (no pain in back, legs, etc.) so I am very happy.

meanwhile

Well, yes: getting a cross bike fit from a cross rider is much better than from a triathlete. Enjoy the bike - although you don't have to spend $3000 for a bike just to get a fun, safe bike for a workout: that's more serious racing level investment. But if you can afford it and like the bike, great.

martinus

Lol, test should be repeated until ( longer ), the test riders cannot produce the "extra" effort to make up for the " handicap" / weight dif... Print results then.

Since this is the cx forum, people don't walk off a cx course half way through the race, because they can finish.

Andy_K 

I'm sure that happens, but I've had two professional fits (at two different LBS's) and both times the fitter talked me into a less aggressive position than I wanted. The result has been good.