Bike weight
Guinny
Posts: 10
hi folks
considering buying a cheap road bike, weight states as 11.4kg.
is this a lot?
also would I notice much of a difference as a complete novice in a few kg? I will be riding for fun and fitness, not going to bother about times, average speed and all that jazz (though from seeing how addictive it can be this will more than likely change!)
cheers
Kev
considering buying a cheap road bike, weight states as 11.4kg.
is this a lot?
also would I notice much of a difference as a complete novice in a few kg? I will be riding for fun and fitness, not going to bother about times, average speed and all that jazz (though from seeing how addictive it can be this will more than likely change!)
cheers
Kev
0
Posts
Nonetheless since you don't want to run in competitions and probably never cross the Alps, a fitting geometry is a lot more important than weight.
My Allez weighs close to 11 kilos (I would guess, have never weighed it) but I weigh 67. This means that the combined weight of me and the bike probably weighs less then a lot of people without a bike! At low level cycling the rider weight will be a lot more significant I would say!
BTW, I can guarantee you will shortly be worrying about times and improving etc. I bought my bike in Easter with the same attitude as you, just because I liked getting out in the countryside and the freedom of it all... Now I'm always thinking about it, most of my plans are now based my plans to go for a ride! And I love it!
+ Quicker up hills
- Slower down hills
+ Less energy used for controlling the bike (attcking hills off the saddle/sprints etc)
- Less control in the wind (especially crosswinds). You'll be blown about more.
+ Quicker acceleration, therefore, higher max speed in an all-out effort from zero.
- Expensive
A pretty common disease among cyclists.
Please don't get me wrong as I'm not starting
I ask as a total beginner but am genuinely surprised a lighter bike will be affected that much. I've just bought a much lighter bike (about 2.5kg lighter) and whilst I fully agree with the handling etc. I weigh 75kg. Does this really not outweigh the 2.5kg saved on the mass of the bike ?
It seems illogical to me but again I'm a complete novice so am just interested in the rationale.
Cheers
D
The Allez is very light - don't know the official weight but it's signicantly lighter than the Stumpy (maybe 18lbs?) but I think fitness and strength are much more important than shaving a few grams off your bike.
2.5kg or 5.5ibs is quite a lot.
Try going for a run carrying 2.5 bags of sugar and tell me if you notice the difference.
I think more than the bike it is the wheel's profile.
Now just need to convince the Mrs that buying me a bike (with the health benefits) is a good idea!
I'm no expert and couldn't quote any science but I certainly find my cheap / heavy training bike to be more stable on downhills than either of my lightweight speed machines. In terms of responsiveness though it's like riding a barge in comparison to the other two.
I can imagine that would be true for running as you have to support all of the weight but cycling is surely different as most of the time you have already generated some momentum.
2.5kg is only 3% of the total mass so can't imagine it makes that much difference for regular riders (like me). I guess I'm just coming from it from the viewpoint that I barely notice the change between the moment I set off on a ride i.e. carrying 2kg or 2 litres of water, and afterwards when I've drunk it all.
My old mtb was based around a jump frame so stupid geometry for riding around, the fit was okay and it weighs about the same as my new bike which feels so much lighter.
Carbon 456
456 lefty
Pompino
White Inbred
Yeah, don't get me wrong. My new bike feels so much more responsive but it seems hard to imagine that taking 2.5kg off the total mass of a bike can have such a difference (downhill) when you strap 10x more mass to the bike i.e. me.
The same goes for the statement about wind. The human body is less aerodynamic by far when considering the profile of the bike frame so don't understand why you would be affected more by having a lighter bike. In terms of CoG it can't change by much so is difficult to understand why you would be more unstable experiencing a cross wind.
Anyway I apologise for the ramblings and also for hijacking the thread.
Guinny.
I've had a cheap and cheerful road bike for a while and have really enjoyed getting out and about on it and whilst getting into cycling I have enjoyed not really worrying about weight etc. As Lance says it's not about the bike so while getting cycling fit I'm not sure it really matters how much your bike weighs.
However, I've now gone down the slippery slope of buying myself something rather light and nimble. I think it comes to us all so enjoy the innocence of a straightforward road bike as it probably won't be long until you'll be thinking about carbon and exotic groupsets
How about this one?