alkaiden

its a GT aggresor and I weighed it at 36lbs. is it heavy?

btw, it has a front suspension the frame is hard tho

mtnbiker66

Oh yeah,that things a pig.

[bEn]

I've always wondered how heavy my bike is. How do you do it?

LowCel 

I use this scale from Feedback Sports. It is very accurate which also makes weighing the bikes a little depressing.

cisted

Or you could try standing on your scales at home with and without your bike. Then work out the differnce.

LowCel 

Yeah, that will get you within a pound or two, which is close enough for most people.

cisted

Alternatively you could take your bike completely apart and then weigh each individual component on your kitchen scales.

LowCel 

I actually do that before I build them.

Al.canoe

About 4 or 5 years ago, light was in. My old hardtail was reviewed as a poor climber because it weighed 31 lbs. Back then three inches of suspension travel was considered good for XC. Now, the cycle media is promoting 5" travel and 34 to 35 lb bikes for XC to make the old light bikes appear obsolete. They rave about how a 34 or 35 lb bike climbs well.

For me, 36 lbs is too heavy to be fun but, that's a personal thing. My full suspension weighs 29.5 lbs. A 5 lb increase in weight makes one climb about 4% slower on a 7% grade according to a program I found on-line. But more important to me, you can maneuver a light bike in the technical stuff a lot more easily.

Al

trekkie820

I weight myself, then pick up my bike and subtract. My bike weighs 23 pounds. Yes, 36 pounds is heavy for XC, light for DH

alkaiden

is it true that the weight only affects my climbing ability? It doesnt affect the speed if the road is level yeah?

C Law

Who cares?

Are you racing with it?

do you have 10% bodyfat?

The bike is marketed as an ''all mountain'' hardtail. I would think mid thirties is to be expected.

I like my bike light to an extent, but I would prefer durability over weight any day of the week but I am a big guy and have never lacked power.

But like 66 said, that's one fat pig you got there.

C Law

of course it does, but it hurts most when climbing

Al.canoe

For road, weight on the level won't affect anything until you accelerate. Then it's a big liability. I went from a 35 lb steel touring bike to a 23 lb ti (w rack, bag and lights) bike based on a cyclocross frame and I'll never go back to more weight even for the flat lands. It's just more fun to ride light and that includes body weight.

Al

Al.canoe

Unless you are into the big hit stuff, anything over maybe 26 lbs for a hardtail for XC means cheaper not stronger. My 29.5 lb Specialized FSR (full suspension, all air, w fenders) is up to anyhting in XC even for a heavy person (180 lb) like me. Nothing wrong with cheaper either.

Al

sherpaPeak

with my limited experience this is what I think.

weight really matters depending on the type of riding you are doing. Are you racing? then, yes 36lbs is heavy.

What type of riding do you do? if you do XC and speed is your goal. then yes you can get a lighter bike. But, that will cost you more too. I think aggressors does its intended job pretty well.

for me, I take havier bike as a challange. I think if I can ride the havier bike as fast and skillfully as I would a lighter bike, it will make me stronger. that said, I am not racing against anybody. and Speed has never been my goal. I like the technicality of mountainbiking and try to get better at tackling technical trails every time I go out. so, weight is not a problem for me.

I see one confusing trend amongst riders around me. and this is not intended to anybody, its just an example or illustration to make my point. I see heavy riders who are crazy about light weight bikes. they would strip every single ounce from a bike to make it lighter. but, when it comes to their body weight, they were not as careful. often I see them dowing donuts and mugs of hotchocolate after a ride.

Suppose, if a biker weigh 205lbs. and his/her bike weighs 35lb. if he loses 10lbs, that will help a lot. now if you think about it, you have a bike bike that weighs 25lbs. and you can lose that 10lbs faster by riding that 35lb bike. it will also make you stronger.

Now, some of us dont have the luxary to lose that 10lbs. for them, Save money and buy a ligter bike. or swap to a ligher component group.

this is my bias position about weight.

alkaiden

Im 176cm 150lbs, 8% bf

and I dont take part in races, but I would definitely like my bike to go faster. I just like my bike to be able to travel from on place to another place faster and I look the breeze against my face, Im quite addicted to speed if you ask me. I also like to pass roadies on the road, well the slower ones :-)

thanks for all ur input

cryptid01

Not sure I totally agree - If I have to carry a 35 lb bag of garbage to the curb, dropping 10 lbs off my bodyweight will not make it as easy as if the bag of garbage weighed 25 lbs.

sherpaPeak

whats the specification on your Aggressor? all the components? that might be helpful for an effective suggestion. thanks

mcoine

I do think that heavy sometimes equals cheap, which equals poor durability. So, high end, lighter parts sometimes last longer. My bike weighs about 22lbs, and there are a few parts I will eventually replace taking it down to about 21. Thats light for a front suspension(70mm) bike, but there are lighter bikes out there. Now, I don't race, and I am light as well, maybe 150lbs, so I don't generally break things.
A lighter bike will always accelerate and handle better in xc riding, plus when you go over the bars and the bike lands on top of you, it will hurt less!

leonardotmnt

That's partly because when riding a bike the bike is much more a part of you than if you are carrying a bag of garbage. Plus in one the thing is carrying you whereas in the other you're carrying the thing. If you drop 10 pounds you can maneuver yourself better on your bike but if you drop 10 pounds it doesn't necessarily mean you're stronger and more able to carry your bag of garbage. Basically if you drop 10 pounds it makes yourself easier to propel on the bike.

mcoine

No, I think you are carrying the bike, especially in off road riding. You have to maneuver the bike and put it where you want it. Its much easier to do with a light bike. I've ridden heavy bikes and light ones, the difference is very easy to see.

Al.canoe

Yup, I agree. There is such a thing as live weight and dead weight when it comes to maneuvering and getting through the technical stuff. The live weight (the rider) has to move the dead weight. The heavier the dead weight the harder it is to control with the live weight. A heavier guy will likely be able to throw the heavy bike around more easily than a light guy to get around or over roots and rocks and tight turns at speed.

When it comes to climbing, the heavier guy pays two penalties: (1) just moving more mass against the acceleration of gravity (force = mass x acceleration) and (2) he's taxing his cardio vascular system (includes his aerobic capacity) more if he's heavier due to excess fat. Bigger low-fat guys have bigger lungs and cardio systems, but they still suffer a disadvantage due to the restraining force of gravity on climbs.

Al

Al.canoe

That's what I meant when I made the comment that light bikes are just more fun. A heavy bike makes it a chore. Light wheels (at the rim mostly) have a dramatic affect in putting the bike where you want it also. Much more than I anticipated

Al

Flak

Im no weight weenie, so i think a sub 30lbs bike is good enough for someone that isnt racing.