Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

How much should my hi-end bike weigh?

Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

How much should my hi-end bike weigh?

Old 10-24-21, 10:55 PM
  #26  
bike whisperer
 
Kimmo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 9,533

Bikes: https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=152015&p=1404231

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1520 Post(s)
Liked 716 Times in 508 Posts
Seems a bit heavy for a bike with rim brakes and tubulars.

This bad boy is 6.24kg / 13.75lb... fifteen years old, too.



Originally Posted by tbenjaminsen
Maybe a second stealth CF wheelset is the way to go, although I can almost hear the sound of a massive amount of money flying out from my wallet 😂
These 49mm Caden tubulars are 1080g the pair, AU$1800

Last edited by Kimmo; 10-24-21 at 11:01 PM.
Kimmo is offline  
Likes For Kimmo:
Old 10-24-21, 11:29 PM
  #27  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 1,964
Mentioned: 23 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2644 Post(s)
Liked 474 Times in 344 Posts
Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Lose the fugly wheel stickers and save a gram or two, and gain respectability to boot! Good Lord, they are hideous!

Keep in mind, anything under 15lbs means nothing as it can't be used in a UCI event.
You could still bring it to your local weekend worlds ride.
LarrySellerz is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 12:56 AM
  #28  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,853
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1067 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 259 Times in 153 Posts
Originally Posted by Kimmo
Seems a bit heavy for a bike with rim brakes and tubulars.

This bad boy is 6.24kg / 13.75lb... fifteen years old, too.



These 49mm Caden tubulars are 1080g the pair, AU$1800
The frame is 15 yrs old but nothing else is.
Dean V is offline  
Likes For Dean V:
Old 10-25-21, 03:20 AM
  #29  
bike whisperer
 
Kimmo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 9,533

Bikes: https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=152015&p=1404231

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1520 Post(s)
Liked 716 Times in 508 Posts
Originally Posted by Dean V
The frame is 15 yrs old but nothing else is.
So? It's common practice for people say stuff like, my 15/7/2yo bike, is it? It's an obviously pimped 15yo bike.

The rear brake is from the 80s, if that's of interest.
Kimmo is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 07:49 AM
  #30  
Senior Member
 
Andy Somnifac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,297

Bikes: Too many.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 174 Times in 86 Posts
Should? According to physics, it *should* weigh as much as it says when you put it on a scale.
How much do you *want* it to weigh? If the scale says more than you want it to, find lighter components.
__________________


Andy Somnifac is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 08:43 AM
  #31  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,767
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6882 Post(s)
Liked 10,873 Times in 4,637 Posts
Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Keep in mind, anything under 15lbs means nothing as it can't be used in a UCI event.
I'm guessing the OP isn't riding such events.
Koyote is online now  
Old 10-25-21, 08:44 AM
  #32  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,767
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6882 Post(s)
Liked 10,873 Times in 4,637 Posts
Originally Posted by Kimmo
So? It's common practice for people say stuff like, my 15/7/2yo bike, is it? It's an obviously pimped 15yo bike.

The rear brake is from the 80s, if that's of interest.
There's the joke about the old woodsman who brags that he's owned the same axe for 20 years: "I've only replaced the head twice, and the handle three times!"
Koyote is online now  
Likes For Koyote:
Old 10-25-21, 08:56 AM
  #33  
Senior Member
 
MinnMan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,735

Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4266 Post(s)
Liked 2,938 Times in 1,812 Posts
Originally Posted by Andy Somnifac
Should? According to physics, it *should* weigh as much as it says when you put it on a scale.
How much do you *want* it to weigh? If the scale says more than you want it to, find lighter components.
Factually accurate and totally unhelpful.
MinnMan is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 10:20 AM
  #34  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,410

Bikes: 2017 Specialized Allez Sprint Comp

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 850 Post(s)
Liked 344 Times in 247 Posts
Just looking at your build, I would say that, unfortunately, you have a bunch of fairly expensive and fairly light components all leading upto a fairly light bike. There's no silver bullet here.

Darimo T1 Loop Seatpost Aero/Not round ? Darimo Carbon

Darimo will make you a 95g seatpost that will probably save around 100g. You can also get their sub 200g bar-stem that they just announced. That will probably shave off a solid 100-200g.

The wheels seem to weigh 1470g. Quite portly for a set of tubulars. The cadens are a good choice if you want something aero. Their 25mm wheelset weighs 940g so you'd lose a solid 500g. ax lightness sells a similar wheelset for double the price that saves you another 100g.

You can save another 150g on the crankset. Maybe 50-100g on the saddle if you get a berk or something. You can get a one piece cassette that will shave off 70g. Ti/bolt-on skewer, at least up front. Etc etc. WeightWeenies is a better place to inquire about this.

so I just mentioned several thousand dollars in "upgrades" that will save you *maybe* 1.2kg. Is it really worth it?

Personally, the first upgrade I would make is a BBinfinite or hambini bottom bracket. A stiffer bottom bracket is both cheaper and more noticeable than any of these upgrades. Then I'd look getting nicer tires. Weight isn't everything. The rolling resistance, comfort and stiffness of a bike matter just as much, if not more and can usually be improved with a lot less money.

Last edited by smashndash; 10-25-21 at 10:47 AM.
smashndash is offline  
Likes For smashndash:
Old 10-25-21, 11:06 AM
  #35  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,853
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1067 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 259 Times in 153 Posts
Originally Posted by Kimmo
So? It's common practice for people say stuff like, my 15/7/2yo bike, is it? It's an obviously pimped 15yo bike.

The rear brake is from the 80s, if that's of interest.
Nice bike though.
I had a 2014 TCR SL and now have a 2020.
Dean V is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 12:39 PM
  #36  
Senior Member
 
PeteHski's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 8,175
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4274 Post(s)
Liked 4,712 Times in 2,911 Posts
Originally Posted by Koyote
There's the joke about the old woodsman who brags that he's owned the same axe for 20 years: "I've only replaced the head twice, and the handle three times!"
Trigger's broom for the UK guys!
PeteHski is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 06:28 PM
  #37  
pan y agua
 
merlinextraligh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 31,275

Bikes: Willier Zero 7; Merlin Extralight; Calfee Dragonfly tandem, Calfee Adventure tandem; Cervelo P2; Motebecane Ti Fly 29er; Motebecanne Phantom Cross; Schwinn Paramount Track bike

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1428 Post(s)
Liked 697 Times in 353 Posts
Originally Posted by base2
Varsinental project

IMG_0599 by Richard Mozzarella, on Flickr
It actually weighs less now with the heavy Race 28's safely on a hook in the garage & HED Belgiums installed instead. (Sorry the pics are upside-down. They're right at the Flickr site. 🤷‍♂️ )

Touring Geometry frame modification

This bike now wears a tandem fork with a more appropriate 50mm of rake & cantilever brakes. Also it's running GP5000TL clinchers & a standard Ultegra drivetrain instead of the JTek Shiftmate8 powered road/mountain mishmash. 6500 miles so far since that thread wound down. No issues. I haven't weighed it since the reconfig.

Edit: 28.4 pounds as ridden with the Velocity A23's. About a pound less with the Powertap Amp G3 wheel set that just aesthetically ugly AF on this bike. Not bad for a 47 year-year old size 58, hunk of gas-pipe. Even if I do say so myself.
for the love of god why?

After that effort and expense, you still have 28 pound bike with a gas pipe frame that rides like a turd. Same time and effort on any generic Chinese frame would be a dramatically better bike.

My first 10 speed was a Varsity and the bike had its place, but there’s no way that electoweld frame is worth putting coin and sweat into
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
merlinextraligh is offline  
Old 10-25-21, 07:20 PM
  #38  
I am potato.
 
base2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 3,073

Bikes: Only precision built, custom high performance elitist machines of the highest caliber. 🍆

Mentioned: 28 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1764 Post(s)
Liked 1,578 Times in 910 Posts
Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
for the love of god why?

After that effort and expense, you still have 28 pound bike with a gas pipe frame that rides like a turd. Same time and effort on any generic Chinese frame would be a dramatically better bike.

My first 10 speed was a Varsity and the bike had its place, but there’s no way that electoweld frame is worth putting coin and sweat into
In both cases, it is no more complicated than: "Because I could."

The prompt for the 28 pound green one was because on another bike I commuted on, the fully weighted panniers made it ride like trash with the load necessarily behind the axle to avoid heel strike. The Schwinn was a low cost way to see how a long wheel based bike would ride with the panniers in front of the rear axle & still be far enough behind to avoid heel strike. The result was when fully loaded was the CG rested between the bottom bracket & the seat clamp. The 70 degree HTA, the effective 73 degree STA (from the zero setback post) & 66mm trail made for a brilliant stable gravel/touring bike that"ll support tubeless 42's. The 19-109 gear inch range never left me wanting for more gears. I did my first gravel century on that bike.

A Schwinn Varsity's geometry is not that different than that of dedicated gravel bikes now. It just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same...What's old is new again.

The red bike that weighs 25 pounds is my wifes commuter bike. I did that one to prove it can be done. For the love of the project. Just to be different. To save an old thing. To indulge sunk-cost tendencies. Take your pick.

As an added bonus, her bike, being a Schwinn; It presents a low-theft risk in the bike rack at her work where it lives 13 hours a day, 4 days a week. People see the head badge & keep right on walkin'

As for my bike, I like showing up to group rides & dropping the hammer with out all the loaded expectations & bias that my Cervelo loads into people. That -ish got real old. The Schwinn is disarming & approachable.

Last edited by base2; 10-25-21 at 07:58 PM.
base2 is online now  
Likes For base2:
Old 10-26-21, 01:26 AM
  #39  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Tromsoe, Norway
Posts: 33

Bikes: 2014 Mondraker Factor XR 29er, 2017 BMC SpeedFox 01 XT/XTR, 2017 BMC Teammachine SLR01

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by Koyote
I'm guessing the OP isn't riding such events.
You are very right, Sir
tbenjaminsen is offline  
Old 10-26-21, 01:42 AM
  #40  
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Tromsoe, Norway
Posts: 33

Bikes: 2014 Mondraker Factor XR 29er, 2017 BMC SpeedFox 01 XT/XTR, 2017 BMC Teammachine SLR01

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by smashndash
Just looking at your build, I would say that, unfortunately, you have a bunch of fairly expensive and fairly light components all leading upto a fairly light bike. There's no silver bullet here.

Darimo T1 Loop Seatpost Aero/Not round ? Darimo Carbon

Darimo will make you a 95g seatpost that will probably save around 100g. You can also get their sub 200g bar-stem that they just announced. That will probably shave off a solid 100-200g.

The wheels seem to weigh 1470g. Quite portly for a set of tubulars. The cadens are a good choice if you want something aero. Their 25mm wheelset weighs 940g so you'd lose a solid 500g. ax lightness sells a similar wheelset for double the price that saves you another 100g.

You can save another 150g on the crankset. Maybe 50-100g on the saddle if you get a berk or something. You can get a one piece cassette that will shave off 70g. Ti/bolt-on skewer, at least up front. Etc etc. WeightWeenies is a better place to inquire about this.

so I just mentioned several thousand dollars in "upgrades" that will save you *maybe* 1.2kg. Is it really worth it?

Personally, the first upgrade I would make is a BBinfinite or hambini bottom bracket. A stiffer bottom bracket is both cheaper and more noticeable than any of these upgrades. Then I'd look getting nicer tires. Weight isn't everything. The rolling resistance, comfort and stiffness of a bike matter just as much, if not more and can usually be improved with a lot less money.
Thanks a lot - this is really helpful!
Will have to consider these tips, although the question you ask "Is it worth it" is the most relevant here.
I'm leaning towards just keeping the bike as it is, maybe keeping it simple switching the tires and likewise considering a potential BB switch down the road (pun intended)
tbenjaminsen is offline  
Old 10-26-21, 04:45 AM
  #41  
bike whisperer
 
Kimmo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Melbourne, Oz
Posts: 9,533

Bikes: https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=152015&p=1404231

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1520 Post(s)
Liked 716 Times in 508 Posts
There's the weight on the scale, and there's how light it feels.

A low number is nice, but what you really want is your bike to feel light. Tyres, rims, seat and post, levers and bars. Make those light and your bike will feel light.
Kimmo is offline  
Old 10-26-21, 06:51 AM
  #42  
Senior Member
 
PeteHski's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 8,175
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4274 Post(s)
Liked 4,712 Times in 2,911 Posts
Originally Posted by tbenjaminsen
the question you ask "Is it worth it" is the most relevant here.
When you already have a 7.3 kg bike including pedals then the answer is almost always no. Especially if there's still low hanging fruit to be had off the bike.
PeteHski is offline  
Old 10-26-21, 09:06 AM
  #43  
Advanced Slacker
 
Kapusta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,187

Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2749 Post(s)
Liked 2,516 Times in 1,422 Posts
200g lighter than whatever yours currently weighs.
Kapusta is offline  
Likes For Kapusta:
Old 10-26-21, 10:55 AM
  #44  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,758
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3192 Post(s)
Liked 2,460 Times in 1,489 Posts
Originally Posted by Kimmo
Seems a bit heavy for a bike with rim brakes and tubulars.

This bad boy is 6.24kg / 13.75lb... fifteen years old, too.



These 49mm Caden tubulars are 1080g the pair, AU$1800
First thing I noticed was the drop handlebar tree in the left of the pic. I didn't know such a tree existed.
seypat is online now  
Likes For seypat:
Old 10-26-21, 10:59 AM
  #45  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,758
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3192 Post(s)
Liked 2,460 Times in 1,489 Posts
Originally Posted by Kimmo
There's the weight on the scale, and there's how light it feels.

A low number is nice, but what you really want is your bike to feel light. Tyres, rims, seat and post, levers and bars. Make those light and your bike will feel light.
Cheapest way to make your bike feel lighter is............do lots of pushups every day.
seypat is online now  
Old 10-28-21, 02:05 PM
  #46  
On The Road Again
 
bike eagle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: DFW area, TX
Posts: 186

Bikes: Specialized Sequoia

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 299 Post(s)
Liked 53 Times in 35 Posts
Personally, for as much as they cost, I think that modern high-end bikes should have a negative weight. Instead of a kickstand, they should come with a mooring line to keep them from flying off into the sky.

😁

Seriously though, to the OP, nice job on the build.
bike eagle is offline  
Likes For bike eagle:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.