Right now, with all of my goodies on it, it is around 35lbs. It is an Aluminum bike with the lowest quality Shimano components. So what would be your recommendations on upgrades to make the bike lighter or faster? THanks!

ride the **** out of it, while saving up for a lighter ride. theres not going to be any cost-effective way to lighten up that bike. you will end up spending wayyyy more than its worth to lighten it up, and it will have a terrible resale value if you decide to sell it afterwards.

Cheapest way?

Buy a new bike

+10

Depends on these "goodies". If it is a lead weight...

If your bike weighs close to 35lbs, even if you change out your wheelset and components, your frame is still going to weigh a ton, and now you just hung $2000 worth of parts on a bike and it still weighs in over 20lbs. Save your money up and look at buying a mid level bike. You can easily find bikes in the sub 20 lbs range for under $1500

+1 to just getting a new bike

+1

And in the meantime, don't worry about weight. Unless you're racing, it won't make a big difference to your performance. Far less than the rider position and tire type, for starters....

Ok, so I guess I will just save up for my next bike! Bacciagulupe, could you elaborate on the importance of the rider position and tire type? Thanks!

35 lbs.-- WHOA
If that is a road bike with an aluminum frame, I can't imagine what else you must have attached to it! Maybe if we had a picture...

It's got to be either a Denali or a mountain bike.

It's a Schwinn Varsity from Wal-mart. No more explanation needed

I would imagine that if you ride more, lose body mass, the total package is lighter.

As for buying a new light bike, if you have a performance shop near by, look for 2005 and 2006 model bikes at a reasonable discount. My Fuji Team Pro is 20lbs even with pedals/saddlebag/tubes/air/computer/cages/bottles (empty). Price can be had for 1100-1200.

Well, here's the scoop.... Basically weight only matters at two points: when you accelerate, and when you are fighting gravity. Even then, weight won't make a huge difference. You don't usually accelerate enough on the flats for weight to be a big factor. 15 extra pounds on the bike (or rider) would mean that you'd climb a 5% grade about 0.5 mph slower. That is obviously a big factor in a race (or a very fast group ride), but not a big deal to most road cyclists.

Your primary opponent for performance is in fact friction, first from the tires on the ground (rolling resistance). Skinny, slick tires will have minimal friction, therefore better performance (but are less comfortable than wider tires).

The second form of friction is with the air, aka drag. The more upright you are, the more drag, and the slower you will go. However, you also need proper fitness to stay in a more aerodynamic position.

Got a drill?

lose weight fatty

If you really wanted to do something with the Schwinn, I'd start with the tires, but only if the wheels are 700c. They are easy enough to replace. Next I would replace the front wheel. You may ask why not the back, but the rear wheel needs to be compatible with your gearing system and your gears may or may not be compatible with any decent wheel/cassette.

After wheels, which are almost not worth it on the bike anyway, I'd say get a new bike.

Next I would lose weight on the engine. Since you don't say how heavy you are or aren't I don't know if this will help.

I would argue with the analysis of 15 extra pounds not being a big deal. Try putting a 15 pound weight on your average modern sub 20 pound road bike and see how it feels. I remember what it was like putting my 25 pound kid on my mtb. It really slows you down. And that 25 pound kid is 5" taller than me now...

Take off the kickstand

its much cheaper to lose weight than it is to upgrade components. and youll feel better too.

Please do not upgrade that bicycle.

Yep, I got a 19 lb road bike for $900

Wheels

You can upgrade to a lighter set of wheels and later move them over to your new bike, should you get one. Till then, the lighter wheels will make your bike lighter, accelerate faster and maybe even handle better.

Besides, we all can use an extra set of wheels.

yep +1

Get some cool lightweight wheels and quality 23 mm road tires with a high t.p.i weighing 230ish grams. They wont make your bike much lighter, but will greatly make you feel better. While you're at it, get a 10-speed campy 'Record' or 'Chorus' gruppo with carbon cranks and skeleton brakes. Ride your Schwinn and then buy a cool carbon frame from eBay and swap everything to it.


its a win, win.

As someone who has ridden a 32.5 lb bike over 5000 miles in the last year, there isn't much you can do besides just getting a different bike. But do take off the kickstand, I feel it's basically useless. Shave off the excess body weight. I can't complain that my bike is 16 lbs heavier than a pro racing bike when I've got 30+ lbs of dead weight myself.

Finally, STAY OFF THE HILLS. A 30 lb bike will feel like a 60 lb bike when it's on a 9% grade. I've got a lot of little 100 ft rolling hills around me and I pay dearly every time I meet one. Otherwise, on the flats, it isn't as much of a liability. Downhill, it's like being shot out of a cannon.

Lose some weight! If you're 15lbs over your norm that's like strapping another bike on your back when you hoofing it up a hill. I didn't want to hear it the first time the guy at the shop told me that but it's true and it's a free "upgrade".