Since I am a nerd, I wondered how hard this is to do. Using the Internet, looking at only new parts, I mentally put together the following: Nashbar Alum/carb frame in 58cm (I own it so I know its real piggish weight), full carbon fork, Athena groupset with carbon crank and levers (using total cyclings listed group weight), Pro PLT bars, stem, and seatpost, Charge Titanium railed spoon saddle, Open Corsa tires and Vittoria tubes, hand built wheelset with X-ray spokes & kinlin 270 rims (built 24/28 for my girth).

Total weight:15.17 lbs. Total price: $1943, including shipping, tax, and headset bought at my local LBS. All parts were new, and used current discounts at internet retailers. With Nashbar, wait two weeks and get 20%, but I did not cheese that in. So 14 for $3k, especially using e-bay and used parts, does not seem difficult.

All of this took about 18 minutes to find.

there are build templates on weighweenies that show you how to build a bike that *actually* weighs a certain target amount, measured by multiple people with scales.

many of them involve cheap chinese carbon tubulars. shocking, I know.

Build that and put it on a scale, and I guarantee you that will find the actual real world weight to be significantly above the spreadsheet weight.

I totally agree, and am in no way saying bike companies can or should do that. Was only commenting on how easy it is to source a bike based exclusively on weight. My 19.25 lb Cinelli should be two pounds lighter based on build specs, but its not. This weekend it will all be switched to Campy Centaur, which should lighten it significantly, but I will not weigh it, nor will I care. :thumb:

It sounds like a good exercise to pursue, but I caution you it might be hard to make that list of parts come out to 15.17. In additon to things I think you might be underestimating, I don't see any mention of hubs, stem, cables or tape. I have no wish to discourage you from undertaking such a project, but I wouldn't be surprised if you find the completed bike weighs about 17 pounds.

You don't mention the actual weight of your frame, but I would guess at least 1,800 g. That is nearly 600g heavier than my Giant carbon frame, so all else being the same (which is not according to your parts list) and even believing my 14.0 lb (which most folks on this thread don't) you would run over your 15.17 substantially.

There are certain obvious choices (not necessarily cheap) for lightening a road bike, but then there are some really good value lightening approaches. Your Kinlin rims are certainly one of them. If you want a sturdier, stiffer, stronger rim than Kinlin 200s but want to avoid a huge weight gain, the 270s are kind of a magic trick. Ihave built several sets of wheels on the 270s. They are a fine choice. The other place to really shave weight is the hubs. Lots of lightweight hub choices these days. bikehubstore.com is a great resource especially if you don't want to spring for American Classic or the really high priced offerings. As far as groups are concerned, in Athena you have one of the lightest choices for a group not at the top of the OEMs line. You can get a similar weight more cheaply with SRAM, I believe, but it is hard to talk smack about Campy. If you have it or can fit it into your budget, more power to you.

As folks have already pointed out in this thread, something peculiar happens when you actually build the bike rather than just add up the part weights. The finished product is usually heavier than the sum of the parts. Obviously something nearly always is forgotten, hard to estimate (like the cables), or the published weights are much lower than what you actually get. Whatever, it pays to be skeptical.

And please don't forget I built the two bikes I am writing about between 2 and 4 years ago. Group prices have skyrocketed since then. I don't think I could bring my two bikes in for less than $4,000 each now.

Did we ever get a pic of the bike on a scale? I started reading this thread but gave up and just scrolled the pages looking for the pic. I'd sure take a few grams to have Dura ace over SRAM.....

Like I said to Merlin, it was all light hearted mental exercise. I was surprised that the math said 15.17. Weights were for full wheel build, including rim tape, and stem, bars, and seat pillar were all Pro PLT parts (my nod to Shimano). The actual frame weight is 3.22 lbs (1465g)in 58cm, as I own it and have checked. Cable weights included in groupset weight from Total Cyclist. Tape and headset weight were fudged in. I did not compute air volume and weight (probably couldn't without cracking a 20 yr old text book :lol:). I really just wondered what one could spec with $2k and a 15 lb goal.

The Cinelli weight of 19.25 lbs I mentioned was with spare Shimano and Microshift parts, high spoke count fairly heavy wheels, and all season tires. It will now be full Centaur (less Veloce shifters), hand built 1600g wheels, and Rubino Pro slicks. I may actually have to weigh it when I'm done, because all the weight weenie talk is getting me curious.

And I am certain if I tried to build the version I mentioned, my wife would shoot me with the addition of a 4th bike.

I stand corrcted. You really have counted up all the odds and ends. And that is quite a respectable weight for an Al/C frame. Just might come in where you predict. As far as the four bikes are concerned, i have made that mistake and regretted it. Too much of a good thing. Good job.

With all the talk about weight,I was wondering how accurate digital scales are,I know cheap scales are off a half pound are more,what about scales at LBS's.I know there are accurate scales,but don't know if shops have decent scales

Electric balances are certainly subject to inaccuracies; nothing is perfect. But they are in another class altogether compared to old fashioned balances and scales. If the balance is properly zeroed, I would trust it for the purposes of judging bicycle and component weights. Maybe + or - a tenth of a pound or so. Not worse than that.

This thread is a fantastic example of how a VERY simple question with VERY easy answers can get horrendously twisted and contentious due to egos, strong personalities, and general forum silliness. Fun in the 41...

So OP, you do now see why manufacturers don't always build lighter, right? Question answered fully, yes?

Thanks for checking in on me. I do understand the reasons given by various responders. Some I find more credible than others, but that is the nature of debate, right. All in all I have a good appreciation of the belief positions among the forum members which have informed by own opinion. That is exactly what I hoped to achieve with the original post, so no complaints.

Two more things to say: first look out for pictures of my bikes on the shop scale around the middle of next week as promised and second I'm sorry that my original post was so easy to be misconstrued. I know rhat my own responses would have been much less aggressive if my motives had not been so energetically challenged right from the start. In any case I am ready to move on. Thanks again.

OP, you've probably heard it bandied about it various forums, "Pics or it didn't happen." Very true here, for good or bad.

When you're back next week, post a pic of your bike. Very simple. Most of us here simply want to see it. Most of us here would believe the veracity of the scale reading. Most here aren't suspicious to think that the pic was doctored or photoshopped, unless the specs were entirely out of whack.

I do know that a rider in my group ride last week brought a titanium Lynskey Helix/Enve fork/seatpost/Di2/Dura Ace C35's, and he simply shrugged that it weighed in around 16lbs, ie. it really didn't matter to him.

So post your bike pic, thanks.

Why the pressing need to prove evidence of a wild boast like this?

(Also in Addiction - June 2012)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png

Here's the pics, such as they are.
 

Okay, so as promised, I am back home from my trip, and got the carbon Giant into bike shop condition for weighing. My belief is that means all equipment except no pedals, no bottle cages, no computer or computer mounts sensors, magnets, etc. You can disagree with me, but that is what my claim was based on. Just like you would have bought the bike. Nothing more or less. Here is a pic of the bike and one on the shop scale. My local shop is a strange place and I couldn't get a decent pic. Lots of back lighting and the angle was all wrong for getting a full shot of the bike and the scale in the same pic. This is the best I could get. I will let you know that I did Photoshop the pic to lighten the image especially the scale reading, so you could possibly see it. Sorry but that is the best I can do. In any case, believe it or not, 13.86 lb. Done and done as far as I am concerned.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255644http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255645

Gorgeous bike! Not only light, but sharp, too.

Glad you stuck with this thread, but ready to roll is how I weigh my bike.

Depending on your pedals and cages, you actually have a bike that's somewhere around 14.5 to 14.75 pounds. However I do see that your method is probably the same as magazine tests, as new bikes don't come with pedals (unless low-end, then very crappy platforms) or bottle cages.

That's a good-looking bike at any weight.

Sure, I know there is a divergence of opinion about this, and that's fine. As it happens I did weigh it ready to roll also, and it came out 14.61 (right in the middle of the range you guessed).

I'm glad I stuck with it also. Live and learn.

Thanks

Thanks to folks for the kind remarks. Always pleasant to receive a compliment.

Nice bike but it's totally useless without pedals :) /sarcasm

Dude, you totally failed at taking proper, BF approved bike photos!! The horror, the horror... :D

Those orange valve caps gotta go.

Rpenmanparker. I just got back into town and read this today. I found your initial post interesting and thought-provoking, which I think is the spirit in which it was offered. I was pretty surprised, too, at how nasty and questioning a lot of people got right out of the gate. A fair number of people seem to want to lord it over other people at times on this forum, even when it often turns out they don't know much about much. Probably is boring at their job. I assumed you were being straightforward at the beginning. Maybe no pedals and cages threw some people, but 14.61 lbs. is good no matter what. I guess a lot of people just like to be snide. Good job on the bikes, and thanks for the original post. It just does show what you can do with normal parts. I think more reasoned discourse would be a plus generally.