whitemax

Always wondered how much those steel bikes weighed as they rode crazy fast back then too. The wheels of course weren't nearly the quality they are today either. Anybody know?

datlas 

I am sure others can chime in, but I recall that the bikes the pro's rode in the 1980's were about 21-22 pounds or so.

whitemax

That's what I would guess but I haven't read it anywhere so I thought I'd throw it out there to see if anyones knows. That begs the question of how fast those guys could have ridden in the mountains with bikes as light as they are today.

RollCNY

When I worked in a shop in the mid 80's, it seemed like 19-20 was doable on a top end bike. Memory may be fading, but I recall my '86 Lotus Prestige was 22 lbs, and had mid-level components but not stellar wheels.

gregf83 

Less than 5% faster.

waterrockets 

My '91 Bridgestone RB-1 was 22 lbs, for $750, with an Ultegra mix. At that time, there were stock steel race bikes in the 18 lb range for sure. I had a friend with a steel Bontrager MTB with the old gold RockShox that was only 21 lbs.

datlas 

A few pounds off the bike does not make much of a difference.

whitemax

Then why have the weights come down so much? Try riding up a 12 mile climb at 6% average incline and I believe you'll find it does make a difference.

StanSeven

Lighter weight doesn't really increase overall speed that much but does make a difference in those monster climbs. A few seconds per mile on a ten mile climb adds up.

Edit" whitemax, you beat me to it

merlinextraligh

I had a 20lb Zuess Competition in 1975 that was pretty light, but not the lightest bike available.

My 1989 Paramount OS was 19lbs with some fairly heavy wheels.

The components haven't gotten all that much lighter (I had a 140g Huret Jubilee derailleur on the Zuess) just better. And you've added some weight back on deep sectioned rims,power meters and integrated shifters.

CF frame versus high end lugged steel frame is about 2lbs difference. Steel fork with steel steerer is about a pound difference.

So, late 80's race bike could be built up around 3lbs above the current UCI weight limit.

whitemax

And I would add, it makes a difference when you have another 50 miles to go after said climb in terms of the energy one has left to finish.

Ferrous Bueller

Sometimes those bikes pretended to be steel, but were actually disguised TVT carbon. Around 18lbs.

MKahrl

Look at the overall average speed increase in the Tour de France with the increase in human performance factored out (Do this by charting the speed increase in running performance). The noticeable speed increases were caused by the introduction of aluminum rims/components and derailleur authorized (30's), and introduction of PED's (90's). Bicycle Quarterly did an article on this.

WxGuesser

i recall one time kicking a guys ass up a hill... he was probably 15 lbs heavier than me... as he flew by me on the decent we were both somewhat good riders.... hey yelled at me... gravity is a *****.. so i suppose the weight going downhill helped a little..

thehammerdog

If I recall the 17-19 lb mark was cutting edge..I was always told to take a dump and lose a few if weight was the issue

Ferrous Bueller

That was more likely a matter of ratios.
You power/weight was higher than his.
His power/drag coefficient was higher than yours.

whitemax

That goes without saying but has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the weight of the bike.

Commodus

I think 17 was doable if cost were not an issue...but this is the wrong place to ask. Ask the C&V guys, you'll get some actual answers.

robertkat

What wheels are you referring to? I know a few wheel builders that might have something to say about this. An argument can be made that the rims especially were of exceptional quality and NOS are highly valued and sort after.

whitemax

I stated that wrong, they were of very good quality I'm sure but not as aero and as light as what is out there today.

topflightpro

Google can be useful: https://felixwong.com/2010/11/tour-de...-bike-weights/

carpediemracing 

Remember that the UCI weight limit was made with steel framed bikes in mind. So 6.8 kg or 15 lbs is about what they considered to be a safe/durable low weight bike.

My race bike in 1992 was about 17 lbs (it may have been lighter but I won't claim that - we didn't have very accurate scales back then). My prior bike from 1989 was maybe 18 lbs. Both were Cannondales, both sported 280 gram 28H tubular rims (the same wheels actually). The later bike had Ergo levers, the earlier one a bar end on the right, downtube on the left.

My current bikes have frames which are very similar in construction to my 1989 frame, i.e. welded aluminum. My current bikes, with race wheels, are 16-18 lbs. I use heavier pedals (Looks) and heavier wheels (aero carbon). The cranks are significantly lighter due to the BB30 specs, the fork is also much lighter, ditto the stem/headset. The other stuff is similar, incrementally lighter but similar. I use the same saddle as back then, same type of tires, so some things didn't change.

Cat4Lifer

My 54 c-c Scapin, bought in 1990, equiped with Ultegra 7- speed, Mavic Open 4 CD 32-hole rims was around 21 - 22 pounds. I read that Hampsten's '88 7-Eleven bike weighed about 19.69lb, without pedals. You can read about it here.

rpenmanparker 

I agree with the 20-22 lb range for the better bikes of the 1980s. Funny thing is that is has always been two steps backward (heavier) and one step forward Just about every drive train improvement has added weight (SIS, STI...). Same for brake caliper design improvements. And increases in number of gears from 10 to 22. It has only been when advanced materials like titanium and carbon and CAD-CAM have come into play that the increases in weight have been more than overcome by the decreses. A great example is the SRAM Red cassette: 10 cogs but lighter than any 5 cog cassette of the early 80s due to the ingenious design and machining out of one piece of steel. Also weight reductions have come from a change in attitudes. We no longer (all) think we have to ride 36 spoke wheels built like tanks. Similarly we are not shocked by oversize tubes anymore. On the other hand lots of folks think that it all about the lightweight frames, but I am rebuiliding a ca. 1990 steel frame (4.75 lb w/o fork) into a bike that will come in at just about 16 lb. I'm am using very ordinary parts by today's standards. So it is not just about the frame material and design.

Robert

IcySmooth52

Every pro rider blood-dopes these days. That's what changed averages.