Does the weight of your bike really make a difference?

def_defyr

I can ride farther, if not faster, on a lighter bike. So yeah, that's a difference I can feel. At a certain point aero comes into play, i.e. a more aero slightly heavier bike should make up for the weight with efficiency gains.

What's "too heavy"? 10kg for a road bike and I start really feeling like I'm pedaling a slug, especially on hilly/mountain rides. I've been riding 8 to 9 kg fully loaded (2 water bottles) bikes for a while and that's what I like. I'd love to have a go at a sub 7 kg bike someday...

shortfall

How much farther can you ride on a lighter bike?

rik.j.rayner

My two road bikes are a carbon fibre aero framed bike weighing in at 7.7kg (Fulcrum 3 wheel set) and a Ti 'sportive' framed bike at 8.1kg (Dura Ace CL24 1380 wheel set) - I could probably swap wheels and get the aero bike down to 7.5kg or so.

For me the biggest difference isn't speed but handling and comfort - the aero bike is much more responsive to acceleration and changes of direction, even a small difference to your body weight, much more akin to a super sports road motorbike, where the Ti bike is more comfortable, eats the miles without undue fatigue. Thanks to the wheel set and a carbon rear triangle it's no slouch when it comes to acceleration, and it's more sure footed and planted in the handling stakes. A sports tourer if you will.

Both are probably classed as reasonable in the weight stakes, neither are super light.

Can I tell the difference between them when it comes to climbs - not really!

Kaiser Sose

Getting your weight down is the best thing to do. Worrying about a few ounces weight on the bike if you’re a lard ar** is prioritising the wrong issue. As I know only too well at 108kg. When I am 3st lighter -on the same bike- the difference is miraculous. I hope to be 3st lighter soon.....

fenix

I emptied out my cycling wallet the other year. I had about £20 in coins. Took them out. Didn't notice any difference but had plenty of cash for cake. Anyone remember cash ? Those were the days.

bompington

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

pblakeney

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

Depends on the length of the climb though surely?
I went through 6 bidons on one alpine climb on a hot day.

mfin

Often people just think in too binary a fashion. Weight, all other factors taken out is simple to work out the effect of with physics, and a bike being half a kilo lighter is only going to make a small difference when climbing.

The truth really is most people tend to look at weight when deciding a bike purchase, one vs another, getting attracted to low weight being an advantage. So many other factors come into play that weight is not that important, even in isolation it's a tiny part of the experience once you're picking between two bikes of at least similar ballpark.

Two totally different frames will simply ride differently. Some will have much better power transfer than others, climb more efficiently, handle brilliantly, feel involving and exciting to ride. These characteristics of a frame can't be measured as simply as weight, or really can't at all. So I your average Joe wants to make an informed decision by looking at numbers, when none of those numbers will actually tell you how that frame rides.

As people have mentioned, a complete change of wheelset from a heavier one to a lighter good set is often a consistent injection of feel and responsiveness to a bike, that is true.

It's the same with aero, getting obsessed with designs is not the right mindset, it's just a convincing yourself process that you'll likely be doing. Some of those designs will not be as involving to ride as others, not something that can have a number attached to it.

How a bike feels and handles is much more interesting, and something that has to be experienced.

fenix

I think I'll base my next bike choice on whatever is the nicest colour.

(Pretty sure Mr Bomp was being silly up there ?)

zest28

As a guy who is running an aero bike with 60mm deep section carbon wheels and disc brakes, I’d say hell no.

In group rides I am actually one of the fastest climbers despite the others riding rim brake lightweight climbing bikes and it is always me and an other guy who has to wait for the group to catch up.

Aero > lightweight anyday. Especially for dropping those 30 mph or 45 km/h e-bikes.

Now if you are racing and your race happens to be only climbing, then get a lightweight climbing bike for that particular races ofcourse for those marginal gains.

zest28

leemolyneux said:

Each to there own, and what your cycling for really? if its just a nip round the block then weight doesent really matter, a lighter bike is a nicer and easier ride, especially if your going on long and inclined rides. It will knock minutes off your journey too. 👍

I had a 5.8kg lightweight climbing bike and it was definetly not easier and nicer to ride than my current aero bike.

The lightweight climbing bike was super twitchy and unstable. Just not fun and sometimes quite scary if you go fast in a descent.

I do not miss that bike after I sold it.

fenix

zest28 said:

As a guy who is running an aero bike with 60mm deep section carbon wheels and disc brakes, I’d say hell no.

In group rides I am actually one of the fastest climbers despite the others riding rim brake lightweight climbing bikes and it is always me and an other guy who has to wait for the group to catch up.

Aero > lightweight anyday. Especially for dropping those 30 mph or 45 km/h e-bikes.

Now if you are racing and your race happens to be only climbing, then get a lightweight climbing bike for that particular races ofcourse for those marginal gains.

Are you just fitter than the others ?

I don't believe that the bike makes a huge difference. You don't see each stage of the Tour won by the same bike as it's so much better do you ?

First.Aspect

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

A serious rider would toss the bidon into the crowd.

There was a time when a friend and I dumped bottles, pumps and helmets at the roadside to tackle a long local climb (collected on the way back, obs).

I know. It was a long time ago, we were young, stupid and our cycling heroes were on TV without any of that stuff.

ugo.santalucia

The other day I went to the garden centre and ended up buying 6 bags of soil. Overall, probably 120 kg of mass. I tell you that pushing that bloody trolley to the exit was a nightmare... and there were no hills to climb. Physics say it should be easy, once you get to speed, but it's not, and no amount of inertia was of any help... as physics doesn't account for friction on the surface and load on the bearings.

Anecdotally, as I lost 6 kg, I am faster on the flat as well as on the hills..

mrb123

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

You should of course transfer the bidon from cage to back pocket for the climb to make the bike lighter (copyright Bernard Hinault)

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

A serious rider would toss the bidon into the crowd.

There was a time when a friend and I dumped bottles, pumps and helmets at the roadside to tackle a long local climb (collected on the way back, obs).

I know. It was a long time ago, we were young, stupid and our cycling heroes were on TV without any of that stuff.

Everybody must have seen riders discard as much weight as possible before a climb at some point, right down to gels wrappers? Yes, some people are that stupid.
As for buying a frame based on colour, red. We all know red is faster. 🤣

N0bodyOfTheGoat

For more modest level riders, weight trumps aero somewhere around 4/5% gradient.

For stronger riders, the crossover is around 7.5%.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/road.cc/content/feature/lightweight-v-aero-which-best-227520?amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/at-what-point-does-aero-become-more-significant-than-weight-316952/amp

DeVlaeminck

Yes I think it makes a difference especially on rolling rides where you are sprinting over short sharp hills - people always seem to measure it on long steady climbs but it's that repeated acceleration up sharp rises where I think you notice it most.

webboo

I find having a light bike really helps when you have a mechanical related strop. It’s easier to throw it in a field.

pblakeney

webboo said:

I find having a light bike really helps when you have a mechanical related strop. It’s easier to throw it in a field.

Or simply park....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YKC_hDg2Zg

bompington

mrb123 said:

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

You should of course transfer the bidon from cage to back pocket for the climb to make the bike lighter (copyright Bernard Hinault)

My post was, as the pretentious say, an hommage to this famous tactic. Previous repliers might just have taken it a bit too seriously...

pblakeney

Ah well, if you had simply used that it would have been clearer. 😉
As pointed out, I have witnessed some ridiculous examples.

ugo.santalucia

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

For more modest level riders, weight trumps aero somewhere around 4/5% gradient.

For stronger riders, the crossover is around 7.5%.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/road.cc/content/feature/lightweight-v-aero-which-best-227520?amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/at-what-point-does-aero-become-more-significant-than-weight-316952/amp

This is nobody's real world experience. Most famous cols in the Alps and Pyrenees average around 7% and yet you don't see riders' times ranking by CdA, but always by Watt/kg, so it's all nonsense.

By memory, the National Hill climb was won on a time trial bike only when run up the Cat and Fiddle in 2002... that averages just under 4%... so there's your tipping point for stronger riders

iantr

rik.j.rayner said:

...
Thanks to the wheel set and a carbon rear triangle it's no slouch when it comes to acceleration

I’ll give you the wheel set, but if you think that the material from which your rear triangle is fabricated makes a difference to how your bike accelerates, you’ve read too many bike reviews..!

mr_mojo

For me it all depends where the weight is on the bike. Worst place to have excessive weight is the wheels, that is if you are climbing.

imposter2.0

mr_mojo said:

For me it all depends where the weight is on the bike. Worst place to have excessive weight is the wheels, that is if you are climbing.

Much previous discussion on this topic. It actually makes little or no difference where the weight is.

nbuuifx

I notice a big difference lifting a heavy bike onto the bike rack 😁

It is interesting to read this though. I've got an oldish Trek 1000SL which I like too much. I've been contemplating getting rid and getting something newer, lighter, faster etc. However in reality there is probably nothing wrong with it. I think it comes in at about 9.5kgs but as I weigh roughly ten times that I don't think anything much lighter will make much difference.

I make it feel light by riding my MTB on the road route every so often 😁

teisetrotter

Of course the lighter you are the more of a percentage it gives you. So I weigh around the 62 - 65kg mark. I broke my super-duper light bike, but with its mega light wheels I had it down to 6kg. My other bike is 8.5kg. When I came out of winter I'd lose 3 kg and lose another 2.5kg ...... that is nearly 10% off and boy on the steeper climbs I certainly new the difference. I certainly didn't need anything bigger than a 25 on the back that's for sure.

ugo.santalucia

These days it is safe to ride a bike that is roughly 10% of your body weight... if you are heavy, that's easily done, the problem is being able to afford one if you are light...

singleton

bompington said:

I always like to finish the water in my bottle before the last climb of the day so its weight in the bottle cage doesn't affect the bike so much.

You don't need to drink it all - just put the bidon in your pocket and make the bike lighter...