preventec47

Shelby, I have used that phrase before with friends and it has never worked out well. But you got me there as for all the advantages of heavy bikes, I cannot assert that they are easier for smaller weaker people to lift and hoist around :-)

CargoDane

Why don't you weigh both yours and hers?
Also, as for things "working", that alone does not necessarily equal "good quality". Maybe cones are too tight (if it has them), maybe there is some other drag somewhere in the system, making it harder to use. Maybe her tyres are underinflated, or maybe something completely different.

But as for the dead weight, at least try to weigh yours and compare it to hers. It would give you a good idea about relative weights. Try her bike even if it doesn't fit to see if you can feel resistance. Try lifting it in and out of her car, to see if you can tell a difference.

I think the following needs to be preserved:

Ironfish653

Bad news for you; a Bianchi Avenue is a steel-framed hybrid. That black bike in post#19 is what a Mountain Bike looked like 30 years ago, because it's an actual mountain bike from the mid 1990's

Also think again: The 3rd bike in post #19 , the one with the skinny tires and drop bars, is the heaviest one of the bunch. It's a 1976 Bridgestone, that weighs in right at 30 lbs; 6 lbs heavier (20%) than the black Cannondale MTB, that has lights, a rack, and a suspension fork. All of the components are pretty typical for what you'd find on any other Japanese road bike from the 70's, the weight is in the frame. No, it's not steel; it's aluminum. Japanese bikes tended to be a little over-built then. But you can't tell just by looking at it.
Typically for new bikes, more expensive bikes tend to be lighter than less expensive bikes. When you're looking at used bikes, you have to have an idea of where it was priced when it was new. In most cases, the components (rear derailleurs are easiest) will tell you whether it was a high- or low-end bike.

I don't know what you'd need to be welding for. Most components are mounted to the frame by way of bolts. You can update old bikes pretty easily. Wheels, derailleurs and shifters mount and work pretty much the way they have for the last 40 years or so. The question is Why? especially if this is a 'budget' build. Taking a 40-year old bike, and buying up all the components to bring it to 'modern' specs (say, the last 5-10 years) will more often than not, cost more than just buying a complete, used bike that's 5-10 years old, no wrenching required.

preventec47

I am not familiar with luggage scales. I assume you set the scales on the floor and lay the luggage on it and see the weight. Is that really
any different than floor bathroom scales ? I was thinking of holding the bike and stepping on bathroom scales as the easiest method
of weighing bikes.

preventec47

I agree 100 percent. I was just commenting on a very light bike that I ran across and converting to what could be "safely" used by a below average skilled rider.
In my opinion it is very unsafe (for certain kinds of riders ) to take a hand off the handlebars to reach way down to move a shift lever when a shift is needed.

cycler56

Agree with that.

hsuBM

ask your Local Bike Shop for downtube shift cable stops. They’re $10-15 and bolt right on in place of downtube shifters so any of the other types of shifters can be used.

Does she actually shift gears or is she like most casual riders in that she has found a gear that works for her and just leaves it in that gear? If she’s a normal casual pedaller, gears are extra weight and complexity.

A quick easy solution for her might be https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...-bmx-bikes.htm

70sSanO

They are a digital hand held scale and cost $10 on Amazon. Bought one for a trip and have used it to weigh bikes. The strap for the suitcase handle goes around the top tube. You do need to find the balance point.

John

Ironfish653

Again, I question the cost value in 'converting' a vintage bike as a 'budget' build. Do you have a stash of parts (or access to one) or will you be buying what you think you need to do this conversion? The parts to convert a drop-bar 'Ten-speed' with downtube shifters to a flat-bar bike with shift levers on the bars will probably run $75-$100, although with the current situation, getting parts is kind of a crapshoot.
Starting with an old $150 bike, and adding $100 in parts (provided it needs nothing else, like a tires, a chain, or a saddle) puts you at $250, which will put you into the range of a lot of 2000's era bikes, which are already set up the way you're looking for, won't require as much work (if any) and will probably be lighter, to boot.

Garfield Cat

How to shop for a light weight bike:

Its more fun and rewarding to shop for a new bike that has the newer technology. Light weight and all. Costly? Of course, but that's the way it goes.

When ordering (picking out) a new bike, regardless if its a road bike, or endurance, you can get it "as light as possible". You just need to know your dealer and how dealer can match up the components and framset to make it "lighter". Costly? Of course.

But is it worth it? Of course.

preventec47

Ironfish... You hit bullseye ! Absolutely, all you have to do is go to Craigslist to see hundreds of used bikes ready to ride with no work at all. My problem
is not knowing which are lightweight for my buddy's girlfriend. Again, earlier i was just reminiscing about the only used very light bike that I ever recall running across.

preventec47

Thanks for that info about the cable stops. I never knew how you could upgrade old bikes to newer shifting methods. That saves having to replace the derailers
and sprockets and probably new rear wheel etc. I see, just keep everything in place and put new shifters on the handlebars and connect it all up.
Sounds like a great way to upgrade the old ten and twelve speed racers. About my buddy's girlfriend.... you know sometimes you see someone really
working at something really hard and you just want to help them out. I think what she has is a "Specialized" hybred about 20 years old and she is always working those
grip shifters like crazy. Not just a lazy sightseer. She might like a new bike but she loves the way the one she has works all except for loading and unloading.
and for what its worth I have gained a new found respect for grip shifters while watching her ride which I have never had a chance to get familiar with on any bike
I ever rode.

Toadmeister

Typically a $150 bike isn't going to be light, you get what you pay for.

Weigh her current bike.

CargoDane

Precisely. It isn't that hard. Or even try to merely lift it and then his for "feel". Or try to do what she attempts to do on her own. I haven't read that any of those things have actually been attempted yet.