bananabacon

is 2230 grams of a frame and fork without any equipment added considered heavy for a road bike?
If this is heavy what is light for someone on a budget? like $500-750 used $899 new

Thanks

Bunyanderman

That is pretty heavy, most modern carbon frames are under 1.5kg for the frame/fork. If that includes an aero seat post (integrated), then that is more reasonable. Light frame/fork are around 1.2kg for reference.

You would get a really nice aluminum frame for $900, and it would be lighter than the 2.2kg you are referring to.

halfspeed

For modern carbon, it's certainly not light. In your budget, check out Pedal Force. Pedal Force super-light carbon bicycle

rms13

You can get a sub 1000 g Chinese frame on eBay for about $500

bananabacon

I see those around all the time.
But are they really worth the investment?

rms13

At that price I wouldnt call it an investment. A lot of people are riding them , the only downside is if you have a problem you have to pay to ship it back to China. On the other hand, aluminum CAAD10 frames are about 1100 g and can be had used for $500 or less on eBay all the time

bananabacon

I owe around $350 quid at a bike shop. I have a Giant Stance 27.5 2 on Layaway for $1150
But they a red Synapse for decent chabbo I would have to walk back in and look. They also have another Cannondale roadsickle for $849 on sale from $1249. So I'm coming across as a basket case but as I learn I'm becoming stir crazy with my naive decisions. ultimately I'm not concerned about coming across as a basket case as by the end of the day I gotta do what is best for one.
blah but that Giant stance 27.5 doh.. DOH!!

pdedes

I'm standing in my b-boy stance

rms13

Quid? I thought you were in Boston

Marcus_Ti

Odds are you could stand to lose more than 1KG of body weight.

As such, the extra 1KG of frameset weight you might carry around is only relevant or meaningful if you're going up 12 flights of stairs to your apartment.

rpenmanparker 

Wrong. It is meaningful to anyone who thinks it is.

Stucky

You could get a really nice road bike, used, for that kind of money- especially in aluminum (And high-end used AL trumps low-end new CF). Would be like the difference between a new Kia or a used Ferarri.

StanSeven

People keep saying this here. A lighter bike is still lighter regardless of a riders weight. It's like saying someone should lose weight instead of buying a car with a more powerful engine.

Marcus_Ti

Exactly. A car's engine is where the power comes from. Getting seats that are 10lbs lighter in your minivan won't do much.

A lighter bike is still lighter...but IRL it only really matters (apples to apples) going up flights of stairs. 180lbs of me plus 18lbs of bike versus 180lbs of me and 20lbs of bike (1 kilogram) is a whopping 1% difference. I or you or anyone would get more losing 2lbs of body weight (or more accurately the gains in general fitness from losing that weight), than from spending $500+USD to get a 1KG lighter frame. Of course, day to day, body weight can vary 1KG day to day depending on the person. Take one bottle of water instead of two next time you ride and see if you can tell a difference.



Placebo effect is strong in how much difference 1KG of frameweight equals IRL in anything other than going up stairs. I say that as someone who actually did shoulder a 20lb bike up 12 flights of stairs to my apartment (way faster than weighting for the lift) way back when.

Mickey2

I didn't know they made carbon frames weighing 2230 grams? I read some where the old racers with Reynolds 530 tubing weighed less than 2000 grams. Thats' 1950s bikes, maybe with out fork, but still?

WhyFi

If you're pedaling at a smooth, constant cadence on a straight stretch of road, you're probably right that many wouldn't notice a difference. As soon as you're frequently and rapidly changing the orientation of the bike (side-to-side in hard efforts/sprints, flicking in and out of turns, etc), I'd be shocked if most *couldn't* tell the difference.

Stucky

I'm certainly no weight-weenie, but why pay good money for a heavy bike....when the reason light bikes are expensive, is because they are light. If you're gonna pay light-bike prices...get a light bike. If you want a heavy bike, go to Walmart

I don't even see the sense to making a CF bike which weighs more than it's AL or steel counterpart.

Elvo

This frameset weighs 2300 grams:
https://www.racycles.com/product/detail/7255

Stucky

It's the Mondrian paint scheme...

Red=fast
Mondrian=heavy.

...or could it be that the weight includes bars; headset; bottom bracket and crank?

Sy Reene

Lighter bikes should cost less, since they take less material to make. It's all a marketing scam.

gsa103

He's quoting the weight for frame+fork (+headset?), so the standards are higher. Something like an Emonda SL (mid-tier) is about ~1500g for frame+fork. The best I could find on an Emonda S is about ~1200g for the frame only, so ~1800g for entry level carbon. Having said that, 2230g is more like a 29er mountain bike frame weight.

Mickey2

It makes sense, even if quality steel tubing isn't too heavy, carbon still has to have weight advantages. Carbon can be super strong, but I have no long term experience with them. I'm trying to gather some data on how long they generally last before anything starts to crack.

BoSoxYacht

+1. Pedal Force is a reputable company, with excellent customer service.

BoSoxYacht

rebel1916

So much stupid in this thread.