How to weigh a bike?
05-26-20, 04:49 PM
#26
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Originally Posted by Last ride 76
I'm glad that turned out not to be a picture of your garage...
Last edited by GlennR; 05-27-20 at 12:33 PM.
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05-26-20, 06:05 PM
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Originally Posted by ivangohome
What's the best makeshift scale for weighing a bike? Kg or lbs, doesn't matter.
I ask as I have recently acquired a good-condition Supercycle Hooligan Downhill MTB, and I suspect it's in good-condition because no one can ride it due to the weight.
I ask as I have recently acquired a good-condition Supercycle Hooligan Downhill MTB, and I suspect it's in good-condition because no one can ride it due to the weight.
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05-26-20, 06:24 PM
#28
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For more precision, use Phughes technique, but put a 1Qt zip lock freezer bag in your pocket. Weigh yourself and bike, step off, add one ounce of water to the bag, step on. Repeat until the scale reads the next pound up. You and the bike weighed the first figure plus (16-X) ounces, where X is the number of ounces of water you added. A pint's a pound, the world around. Now whether the scale is accurate is another challenge. My Park scale doesn't always give the same number for subsequent weighings of the same object.
Good luck
Good luck
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05-26-20, 06:39 PM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
I mean simpler and easier as it pertains to fitting an accurate and repeated weight.
05-26-20, 08:53 PM
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Within a pound?
Originally Posted by Kapusta
Plenty of hanging scales in the weight range you are looking for online for under $20. Mine is 60 lbs max.
Bathroom scale (you+bike minus just you) will get you within about 1 lb.
Bathroom scale (you+bike minus just you) will get you within about 1 lb.
I forget what the warrantied accuracy of My bathroom scale was, but i measures in tenths of a pound. If I weigh myself (158.2) stepping on and off 3 times, and then pick up my bike on the last time and do that twice (177.2) both times I would say that the bike weighs pretty close to 19 lbs. not 20 or 18. Not even 19.5 or 18.5, probably between 18.8 and 19.2 lbs and very possibly even closer . While there may be an overall error of a few lbs. in my weight, (and in my weight plus the bike's weight),, the magnitude of the error in the weight of the bike should be roughly 1/8 the size of the overall error, (19/167.7)x(Gross Error)
Something like that anyway....
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05-27-20, 02:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Last ride 76
I forget what the warrantied accuracy of My bathroom scale was, but i measures in tenths of a pound. If I weigh myself (158.2) stepping on and off 3 times, and then pick up my bike on the last time and do that twice (177.2) both times I would say that the bike weighs pretty close to 19 lbs. not 20 or 18. Not even 19.5 or 18.5, probably between 18.8 and 19.2 lbs and very possibly even closer . While there may be an overall error of a few lbs. in my weight, (and in my weight plus the bike's weight),, the magnitude of the error in the weight of the bike should be roughly 1/8 the size of the overall error, (19/167.7)x(Gross Error)
Something like that anyway....
Something like that anyway....
Plenty of bathroom scales read out to the first decimal place, but do not measure with accuracy of that level.
Also, if there is an error of 1lb in your weight and an error of 1lb in the you+bike weight, then the error of the.bike weight could be anywhere from 0 to two lbs.
Try this sometime; weigh yourself with an empty water bottle, then do so again with varying amounts of water in the water bottle and see how accurately the scale shows fhe difference.
I’m sure some scales are good enough to do this. But most typical affordable home digital scales are not. At least the few that I have used.
Last edited by Kapusta; 05-27-20 at 02:49 AM.
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05-27-20, 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
You are confusing precision with accuracy. No, I wasn't. Repeating the weight test, and getting the same value, shows it measures x weight accurately to weigh x. I'm not saying anything about how much I actually weigh, just that the scale reads my weight unchanged, and the total combined weight also the same. Therefore, subtracting one from the other should be relatively accurate, in actual pounds,(As I know I'm around 160, and the bike is sub-20.) More likely to be accurate than weighing either separately.
Plenty of bathroom scales read out to the first decimal place, but do not measure with accuracy of that level.
Also, if there is an error of 1lb in your weight and an error of 1lb in the you+bike weight, then the error of the.bike weight could be anywhere from 0 to two lbs. . You are making an assumption that any inaccuracies in measurement fluctuate randomly, rather than a particular type of error (either absolute, or on a percentage basis). I took multiple readings, that did not vary thus, if there is an error in absolute terms,it is a consistent error.
I have no way of knowing whether a reading of 158.2 is accurate or 177.2 is accurate in absolute terms. However, they are likely to be closely correlated. knowing that in absolute terms, the scale is within a few pounds.
Try this sometime; weigh yourself with an empty water bottle, then do so again with varying amounts of water in the water bottle and see how accurately the scale shows fhe difference. Here you may have a point, though again, I am less concerned with individual gradations of 0.1 lbs. I will weigh myself and myself with 2 gallons of water, Results tonight if batteries are still working
I’m sure some scales are good enough to do this. But most typical affordable home digital scales are not. At least the few that I have used.
Plenty of bathroom scales read out to the first decimal place, but do not measure with accuracy of that level.
Also, if there is an error of 1lb in your weight and an error of 1lb in the you+bike weight, then the error of the.bike weight could be anywhere from 0 to two lbs. . You are making an assumption that any inaccuracies in measurement fluctuate randomly, rather than a particular type of error (either absolute, or on a percentage basis). I took multiple readings, that did not vary thus, if there is an error in absolute terms,it is a consistent error.
I have no way of knowing whether a reading of 158.2 is accurate or 177.2 is accurate in absolute terms. However, they are likely to be closely correlated. knowing that in absolute terms, the scale is within a few pounds.
Try this sometime; weigh yourself with an empty water bottle, then do so again with varying amounts of water in the water bottle and see how accurately the scale shows fhe difference. Here you may have a point, though again, I am less concerned with individual gradations of 0.1 lbs. I will weigh myself and myself with 2 gallons of water, Results tonight if batteries are still working
I’m sure some scales are good enough to do this. But most typical affordable home digital scales are not. At least the few that I have used.
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05-27-20, 08:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Khaled123
Could stand on a scale and hold your bike and then without bike and see the difference?
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05-27-20, 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
I just leave it in there.
05-27-20, 12:13 PM
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Of course, the bathroom scale method depends on whether you are strong enough to lift that Supercycle off the ground. I would seriously struggle to do that
Last edited by alcjphil; 05-27-20 at 09:31 PM.
05-27-20, 12:19 PM
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How about bringing it to a LBS and asking them to weigh it?
05-27-20, 12:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Last ride 76
Originally Posted by Kapusta View Post
You are confusing precision with accuracy. No, I wasn't. Repeating the weight test, and getting the same value, shows it measures x weight accurately to weigh x. I'm not saying anything about how much I actually weigh, just that the scale reads my weight unchanged, and the total combined weight also the same. Therefore, subtracting one from the other should be relatively accurate, in actual pounds,(As I know I'm around 160, and the bike is sub-20.) More likely to be accurate than weighing either separately.
Plenty of bathroom scales read out to the first decimal place, but do not measure with accuracy of that level.
Also, if there is an error of 1lb in your weight and an error of 1lb in the you+bike weight, then the error of the.bike weight could be anywhere from 0 to two lbs. . You are making an assumption that any inaccuracies in measurement fluctuate randomly, rather than a particular type of error (either absolute, or on a percentage basis). I took multiple readings, that did not vary thus, if there is an error in absolute terms,it is a consistent error.
I have no way of knowing whether a reading of 158.2 is accurate or 177.2 is accurate in absolute terms. However, they are likely to be closely correlated. knowing that in absolute terms, the scale is within a few pounds.
Try this sometime; weigh yourself with an empty water bottle, then do so again with varying amounts of water in the water bottle and see how accurately the scale shows fhe difference. Here you may have a point, though again, I am less concerned with individual gradations of 0.1 lbs. I will weigh myself and myself with 2 gallons of water, Results tonight if batteries are still working
I’m sure some scales are good enough to do this. But most typical affordable home digital scales are not. At least the few that I have used.
You are confusing precision with accuracy. No, I wasn't. Repeating the weight test, and getting the same value, shows it measures x weight accurately to weigh x. I'm not saying anything about how much I actually weigh, just that the scale reads my weight unchanged, and the total combined weight also the same. Therefore, subtracting one from the other should be relatively accurate, in actual pounds,(As I know I'm around 160, and the bike is sub-20.) More likely to be accurate than weighing either separately.
Plenty of bathroom scales read out to the first decimal place, but do not measure with accuracy of that level.
Also, if there is an error of 1lb in your weight and an error of 1lb in the you+bike weight, then the error of the.bike weight could be anywhere from 0 to two lbs. . You are making an assumption that any inaccuracies in measurement fluctuate randomly, rather than a particular type of error (either absolute, or on a percentage basis). I took multiple readings, that did not vary thus, if there is an error in absolute terms,it is a consistent error.
I have no way of knowing whether a reading of 158.2 is accurate or 177.2 is accurate in absolute terms. However, they are likely to be closely correlated. knowing that in absolute terms, the scale is within a few pounds.
Try this sometime; weigh yourself with an empty water bottle, then do so again with varying amounts of water in the water bottle and see how accurately the scale shows fhe difference. Here you may have a point, though again, I am less concerned with individual gradations of 0.1 lbs. I will weigh myself and myself with 2 gallons of water, Results tonight if batteries are still working
I’m sure some scales are good enough to do this. But most typical affordable home digital scales are not. At least the few that I have used.
05-27-20, 12:32 PM
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Using a bathroom scale and weighting your self and then holding the bike is the easiest way. BTW ---DO-- take the bathroom scale out in the garage and put it on concrete. Further I would suggest that most of today digital bathroom scales are probable more accurate than some fish scale.
The reason I say concrete is to get an accurate weight. Dont believe me, weigh yourself in the living room on the rug, and then in the bathroom on the hard surface and see the difference.
The reason I say concrete is to get an accurate weight. Dont believe me, weigh yourself in the living room on the rug, and then in the bathroom on the hard surface and see the difference.
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05-27-20, 04:02 PM
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Makes it easier to wash in the shower.
05-27-20, 10:00 PM
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Originally Posted by phughes
Weight yourself, pick up pick up bike, weigh yourself and bike, do the math.
05-27-20, 11:03 PM
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I tried that & it worked OK, but I use the ~$15 fishing scale a lot.
More accurate, I think. Always gives the same reading to tenth of an ounce.
More accurate, I think. Always gives the same reading to tenth of an ounce.
05-28-20, 12:01 AM
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Originally Posted by phughes
Is it really difficult to stand on a scale and lift the bike? I never found it to be a problem.
Now, for getting the weight into pound and ounces, a separate scale is necessary.
Now, for getting the weight into pound and ounces, a separate scale is necessary.
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05-28-20, 12:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Bill in VA
Or use a calculator or the Google weight converter... Saved you the cost of a scale.
05-28-20, 05:27 AM
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Originally Posted by phughes
Gee, I can figure ounces in my head, but if the scale only reads pounds, and rounds off to the nearest pound, the math is irrelevant.
05-28-20, 06:10 AM
#48
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
...
or just crazy: say 40 lbs and if someone challenges, make them weigh it.
or just crazy: say 40 lbs and if someone challenges, make them weigh it.
05-28-20, 06:28 AM
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I just ride my bikes.
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05-28-20, 07:34 AM
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Is there really much difference between 30 and 31 pounds?
