How light?

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 The New NickB 09 Jul 2019

Ribble have sent me an email advertising a 5.4kg bike. They want £9k for it, which seems a lot for a Ribble, but to be fair it has Lightweight Gripfelsturm wheels.

I am aware of some bits of exotica which weigh in at sub 4kg, but realistically how light would you want a bike to go?

I built a bike a few years ago with a target of getting it under the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg, it wasn’t difficult and the bike weighs 6.5kg with pedals and bottle cages. For less than the fancy wheels on the Ribble. I could go lighter, the Dura Ace pedals probably carry a 100g weight penalty compared to some pedals, my handlebars are alloy, my tires are clinchers and the tubes are just standard cheap ones. I just don’t feel any need to go lighter.

My very light bike is a complete indulgence, built as a 40th birthday present to myself. Anyone feel the need to get a 5kg bike?

Post edited at 22:08
3
 Dave B 09 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I've just gone from 11.5 kg to 7.5. That'll do me. 

 summo 09 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

My merida is around 9kgs, add in me at 84kg, some food water and tools on longer runs that takes it upto say 92/93kgs... spending a fortune to take the total outfits weight down to under 90kgs seems pretty pointless. I could just buy a nice enduro bike for the money instead. (n+1)

 jethro kiernan 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I built my bike up, 7kg with ultegra and dura ace wheels, bearing in mind the average middle aged punter has 5+Kg going spare I’m going to concentrate my efforts elsewhere 

and I believe the next bike will either be a mtb upgrade or gravel bike weight is less of an issue

 the sheep 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Being a sub 100kg person would probably help more than a lighter bike in my case 

 Marek 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Unless you're hill-climb racing, buying a super lightweight bike is like buying an expensive watch. Might give you a nice warm feeing (if you're tht way inclined) but won't make any material difference in terms of performance. It'll be more fragile, more expensive to maintain and you'll worry about every bump and scratch. At least a watch will hold some resale value after a few years.

However, if that's what gives you pleasure then why not? There are worse things to do with excess money! And better of course. I've just swapped from a lightweight carbon race bike to a considerably heavier gravel bike (courtesy of a careless driver's insurance). More practical, it opened up masses of new riding for me, but on the other hand I was very fussy about getting the right colour (with the inevitable delay). So, practical and indulgent - it's all about what matters to you, rather than anybody else. Have confidence in your own judgement and opinions. In something like this, they're the only ones that matter!

OP The New NickB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Marek:

I hate the term gravel bike, but I have an XC. It’s great fun. 

I think there is a tipping point with road bikes at about 8kg where they start to feel heavy, for most riders the difference between 7.5kg and 6.5kg really won’t be noticeable.

I enjoy riding my light bike, but you are right that it does feel a bit more fragile than my old aluminium Cannondale.

 Marek 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Call it what you like! It takes 28mm slick to 43mm knobbly tyres and has lots of mounting points. And a nice colour.

I tried lots of different bikes after having my SuperSix smashed and surprisingly found little correlation between weight and 'apparent speed and fun'. Lightweight endurance bikes (carbon Synapse, Domane...) seemed particularly boring. By far the most fun *on the road* was a low spec CAAD12. Probably no faster though. But then I don't race, so what matters? So at least in my experience and for my purposes  *weight* is not a good indicator of a 'fun bike'.

But like I said, it's all very personal (if you're not racing), so go with your own feelings and damn what anyone else thinks.

Removed User 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I have no experience of super-light bikes, but I assume at some point stiffness becomes an issue that will take pleasure and performance away?

Rigid Raider 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Weight and stiffness definitely make a difference. My all-year bike is a 2014 Roubaix, which was designed for comfort and is fine even on 100 mile rides. It weighs about 8.5 kgs and it's steady and reliable and riding solo I usually average 14.5 mph on a hilly ride.

My 60th birthday present to myself was a Bianchi Specialissima, which I bought after testing one at the Cyclist magazine track day. It weighs 6.4 kgs, is stiffer and has a slightly lower position than the Roubaix. It definitely rolls along and climbs more easily and it descends like a hooligan bike but after 50 miles I begin to feel quite tired in the arms and shoulders thanks to the stiffness and the lower position.  My ride records show that it improves my average speeds by 1-2 mph without any extra effort. So horses for courses really.

 nniff 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I have more bikes than I need.  One at 7.2kg (aero carbon), one at 8kg (Stainless with carbon forks, bars and seat post) and one at 11kg (alloy 'adventure bike', aka long distance London commuter).  There are more, but moving swiftly on.  In practical terms, the stainless one is the most comfortable to ride, but there's not much to choose between that and the carbon one.  The carbon one is quicker, but it has no flex in anything.  The 11kg one is a pig up the hills in comparison.  Hard to tell with the other two which is quicker up the hills, especially as the stainless one has an 11-25 cassette still on it after the Tour of Cambridge (and wasn't that an unpleasant day out).

All of them have alloy wheels, so if i were minded to I could get the weight down there a bit, but if N+1 were to be 6-and-a-bit kg I'm not really sure I'd feel it but I'd know I was better in all regards   However, I can't get my head around carbon wheels and rim brakes in the UK.

On the other hand, a 7kg Ribble bike with 4kg of electric motor and battery stuck inside it?  The long distance commuter part of me says N+1 for the winter!

Now for my question:

The stainless one has just had its wheels rebuilt.  It's as silent as you like when seated, but stand up and start honking up a hill and the spokes on the rear wheel sound like a beam engine in a Cornish tin mine.  Tensions are right.  Any suggestions?  Next to try is some anti-seize grease where the spokes cross each other

In reply to The New NickB:

Out of interest, what frame / groupset/ wheels did you go for to build your bike?

I'm toying with the idea of buying a Canyon Ultimate CF slx or evo frame and building that up, but as you hinted (40th BD present) it isn't particularly cheap to go very light. 

Rigid Raider 10 Jul 2019
In reply to nniff:

Yes, my rear Mavic Ksyrium used to ping where the non-drive side bladed spokes crossed each other in close contact. My son's Ksyrium did the same. The front wheels and the rear drive sides are radially spoked.  After a while the noise stopped, I guess because the spokes settled against each other like the boughs of a tree that touch.  

I did ride a friend's stainless steel frame / carbon fork Starley and found it butter-smooth. A cynic would say that thet's because the tubes were flexing like noodles but it felt nice to me and looked stunning.

 it624 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Commuting to the Uni of Bath (up a 1.5km hill at 9%), I have gone from a 13kg hardtail to a 8kg road bike, and the difference is night and day, but as Greg LeMond put it, 'It never gets easier, you just go faster'.... If your regular rides are as hilly as mine, I think a bit lighter is better - sometimes it makes the difference between having to get off or not!

I think sub-5kg would be too unnerving to ride on a daily basis, especially around potholes, but it would be great for the hillclimb season....

 TobyA 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Vaguely related... for some reason I decided to ride to work on Monday on my road bike, a nothing particularly special now 8 year old bike, alloy with 105 groupset. It weighs I think 8.6 kgs. I normally ride to work on my gravel bike which while much newer is according to the Boardman website 10.5 kgs. 

I took the pure road route which I sometimes do being on 25mm slicks on the road bike. Going to work with the big down hill it was interesting to see I wasn't really any faster than on the gravel bike or on my old CX bike which was my commuter until last summer. But coming home and going back up the hill without feeling like I was really trying I smashed my previous best time up the hill - and its a decent hill, never super steep but keeps going - the full Strava segment says 5.4 kms and gaining 160 mtrs. I was over 2 minutes faster than my previous fastest, (17.11 against 19.31) and most of the other couple of dozen times I've had strava on going up there I've been well over 20 minutes. I'm not fitter than I was when I've done it in the last couple of weeks and probably less fit than in 2015 when my previous fastest time was from, a year I had to cycle a lot. Does 2 kgs less in weight make that much difference? Actually, I didn't take my laptop home with me which I normally do - so maybe 3 kgs lighter. In winter all the bikes weigh more with lights and mudguards on them and me wearing more, but my other faster times were summer. 

I suppose there is a law of diminishing returns at some point though... or at least the cost starts going up massively to get small decreases in weight?

In reply to The New NickB:

I'd be inclined to say that if you can afford it + have space etc, Then go for it. I'll be jealous/happy for you in equal measure.

 Dark-Cloud 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I have just moved to Di2 and Discs on a Giant TCR Advanced Pro from an older TCR Advanced and all this has made my new one heavier than the old by around 1kg i reckon, i can't detect any discernible differences in them, in fact the newer one seems to climb better as its a lot stiffer. Would still like some lighter wheels for it though

 summo 10 Jul 2019
In reply to TobyA:

I think I gained 1kph (average over 60km route done a week apart) just through a good bike fit. Perhaps it wasn't the lighter bike, but your position? 

 GraB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to nniff:

Spokes pinging like that are usually a sign that the wheel builder hasn't stress relieved the spokes during the build. Not at all uncommon if its a machine built wheel, but if you've paid the extra for a hand built wheel I think you'd be right to be a bit disappointed. I'd expect to have to true it up once the spokes have settled down.

It might also be down to them not oiling the threads on the nipples or the rim holes during the build. Both also likely to result in the wheel needing to be trued up. 

Post edited at 10:30
Rigid Raider 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Yes, true, if you ride the new wheel and get a burst of pinging noises it's the spoke nipples settling to take the twist out of the spokes because the builder forgot to do it. But that should stop within a few revolutions. I think the OP was referring to the noise you sometimes get from crossing spokes moving against each other.

Rigid Raider 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Instead of lighter wheels why not treat the bike to some cotton-wall tyres like Veloflex Open Corsas or Masters? They really are the best high-performance hand-built tyres and if you go even further and fit latex inner tubes you will love them; they grip like a grippy thing and ride super-smooth. They are made in the Vittoria factory and Vittoria's Open Corsas are the same tyre. Too fragile for commuting though.

 https://www.veloflex.it/eu/clincher-tires

 GraB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to TobyA:

I'm using my Kinesis for most of my riding at the moment. Not heavy especially (I think around 9.5kg to maybe 10kg and a big frame also) but not light for a road bike. I've used it for the 3 peaks CX for the last 4 years and will do again this year and I've also just ridden it around the NC500 in 5 days on 32mm slicks. It was great for that ride, easy enough on all the hills (I didn't have especially low gearing on it either: 50/36-28/11) and super comfortable for all day riding. Its easily the most fun bike I've ever had - way more than my old Orange 5 MTB and a fair bit more comfortable than my road bike. Its super stable at speed on the road with not a hint of a wobble, really stiff when you need to push down hard on the pedals and a pretty comfortable ride for all day riding. If I change anything before the 3 peaks in September it'll be to change the seat post from an aluminium Thomson one to a more compliant carbon one. But that's more to do with trying to get a bit of relief from the harshness of the 3 peaks than normal riding conditions. 

I really don't think weight makes much real world difference once you get below 10kg. And as has been said above, aluminium really does not have to result in a harsh ride. 

Post edited at 11:10
 Dark-Cloud 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Rigid Raider:

Yeah could do, i'm a big Conti fan though but currently running the Giant OEM ones tubeless, so when they are done i might swap back to tubed something or other

OP The New NickB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to nniff:

I’ve stuck with allow wheels, to be honest 1300g a pair feels almost too light at times, so I certainly won’t be spending big on some     carbon wheels to save 300g.

OP The New NickB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

I’m not buying it, I just wondered if there was much market.

In reply to The New NickB:

Well in that sense my first response defines the market

OP The New NickB 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

The frame is a Flandria, which despite the iconic Belgian name, is painted up Chinese carbon distributed out of Preston. No different from Ribble, Dolan and Planet X. I’ve been pleased with it and unlike say a Colnago C64 frame wasn’t £5k.

I’ve got Dura Ace 9000 throughout and Fulcrum Zero Nite wheels.

 Dark-Cloud 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

> ........ Colnago C64 frame wasn’t £5k.

C64, drooooollll.

I was so near to buying one but sense prevailed and i paid £2K less than a C64 frame for a Giant with Ultegra Di2, Discs and carbon wheels, it's still not a C64 though

In reply to The New NickB:

Sounds very nice!

 Marek 10 Jul 2019
In reply to TobyA:

So, I had a couple of hours spare this morning - though I'd try a test: Multiple laps of a 4.55 mile undulating loop, 220ft of climb, at a 2-hour-purposeful-ride level of effort (I don't have a power meter). Odd laps on a road bike (Trek 1.5, 9.2kg, 25mm GP4k @ 60/70PSI) and even laps on a gravel bike (Kinesis Tripster AT, 10.2kg, 40mm Maxxis Ravagers, tubeless @ 30PSI). One warmup lap then six laps, no significant traffic, left turns only, good tarmac, wind <5mph, ridden on hoods, no coasting, no honking, no red zone, bike effective reach/stack pretty much the same.

Difference? About 20-30 seconds per lap (~17mins, getting slightly faster over test), so about 2-3% faster on the road bike. Other observations: (a) I seem to be hitting the 11t sprocket about the same point on the downhill on both bikes; (b) the steep climb felt about the same on a 30t sprocket on the road bike as the 32t on the gravel bike (didn't use the 34t). I was definitely faster on the gravel bike road round the sharp bend at the bottom of the hill - braked later, harder and didn't slow down as much (better tyre/road traction and hydraulics brakes on gravel bike).

The difference surprised me - I though it would be more - the road bike felt faster, more 'whizzy' and agile. The gravel bike was much more staid and 'barge-like', but then it is set up to be stable (more trail via adjustable fork dropouts). The Maxxis tyres are also defiantly at the 'aggressive' end of the gravel tyre spectrum - not what I would have chosen for a road ride (if I could be bothered to change them).

So the perceived difference in speed didn't really translate to much on the clock. I don't think I had any particular bias in the sense of wanting one to be better than the other - I have some long road rides ahead of me (i.e., 8h per day) so I was interested in understanding the tradeoff between speed and comfort.

Well, I thought it was interesting...

 krikoman 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Unless you're racing, I've never seen the point in going light, same as climbing gear to be honest.

I ride to get / keep fit, a bit extra weight on the bike is nowt compared to what I could save by losing a couple of kg off me!

I see a bit more weight as a bit more exercise, I haven't gone to the extreme of some bloke who climbs at our wall with a weight vest on, but that's more expense, maybe it's just cos I'm a tight wad

 Dark-Cloud 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Marek:

Would probably feel a hell of a lot faster with 100psi in your road bike tyres, any particular reason why 60/70 PSI ? That's pretty much flat in my book.

 Marek 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

> Would probably feel a hell of a lot faster with 100psi in your road bike tyres, any particular reason why 60/70 PSI ? That's pretty much flat in my book.

Yes, it would feel fast, bouncing off every ripple in the tarmac! 100PSI is way too high - technically I should be on 70/80PSI to avoid squirming and pinch flats, but I've not had a pinch flat in years, so I favour a smoother ride over a couple of Watts saved. One thing I've learned is that 'feels fast' is not the same as 'rides fast'. 

 felt 10 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I bought an Emonda SLR the other day, half price new. 640g frame. Fantastic gossamer feeling going uphill but very bumpy on less than super-smooth roads. 

 webbo 10 Jul 2019
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

> Would probably feel a hell of a lot faster with 100psi in your road bike tyres, any particular reason why 60/70 PSI ? That's pretty much flat in my book.

The current research suggests bigger tyres and lower pressures have less rolling resistance.

 JimR 10 Jul 2019

 In reply to felt:

I’ve got a Cervélo r5 vwd which weighs about 6.7kg. It’s a lovely bike to ride although I think aero matters more than a couple of 0.1 of a kg. I think good light aero wheels make a bigger difference. I’ve got mavic carbon cosmic pro sl which I really like. I’m getting tempted by  a Sram  etap upgrade at moment though keep on telling myself that it’s a lot of dosh just to lose a couple of wires

 nniff 10 Jul 2019
In reply to GraB:

The rear wheel’s been back for a check-up. Bit more oil on the nipples, but no dice yet. The first time round (Chris king hubs, but different rims)  it made the same noise. Different builder then too.  Settled down after a while. Anti-seize grease next I think

 nniff 11 Jul 2019
In reply to nniff:

My noisy spokes - Well, anti-seize grease has made a minor improvement, possibly.  No stealth sprinting for me for a while until it settles down

In reply to Marek:

> Yes, it would feel fast, bouncing off every ripple in the tarmac! 100PSI is way too high - technically I should be on 70/80PSI to avoid squirming and pinch flats, but I've not had a pinch flat in years, so I favour a smoother ride over a couple of Watts saved. One thing I've learned is that 'feels fast' is not the same as 'rides fast'. 

100 rear 90 rear is good for me but I am quite heavy (80 kg) it also means I don't have to worry about pumping again for a week or two ass 80/70 is just about tolerable.

 Marek 11 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

> 100 rear 90 rear is good for me but I am quite heavy (80 kg) it also means I don't have to worry about pumping again for a week or two ass 80/70 is just about tolerable.

Sounds about right. I'm under 70kg (just), so textbook says 70/80 but I prefer to ride 60/70 (for longer rides) and just check the pressure before going out. Actually, just remembered I've got a 28mm on the back (25mm on the front), so a bit more margin where it matters. I have tried riding with 80+, but on typical roads round here it's just too unpleasant and ultimately tiring.

In reply to Marek:

I tend to use 23 mm tyres although I'm switching to 25 (bikes won't go any larger) and I tend to run lower on the larger tyres

 nniff 12 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

90 for me for 23mm and 25mm.  100 I find a bit too skittery on bends for fast descending if the tarmac is not silky smooth (so not in the UK really).  80 (decreasing to 60) on my 28mm commuter; the decrease in pressure being due to idleness, at which point it all feels a bit vulnerable to manhole cover edges.

All with a 72kg soggy carbon thing plonked on top.

 mutt 12 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

> Ribble have sent me an email advertising a 5.4kg bike. They want £9k for it, which seems a lot for a Ribble, but to be fair it has Lightweight Gripfelsturm wheels.

> I am aware of some bits of exotica which weigh in at sub 4kg, but realistically how light would you want a bike to go?

> I built a bike a few years ago with a target of getting it under the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg, it wasn’t difficult and the bike weighs 6.5kg with pedals and bottle cages. For less than the fancy wheels on the Ribble. I could go lighter, the Dura Ace pedals probably carry a 100g weight penalty compared to some pedals, my handlebars are alloy, my tires are clinchers and the tubes are just standard cheap ones. I just don’t feel any need to go lighter.

> My very light bike is a complete indulgence, built as a 40th birthday present to myself. Anyone feel the need to get a 5kg bike?


I've ridden quite a few different road bikes over the years including a very light Scott frame with Kysium wheels. My current bike is Giant Advanced Pro 0 which has tubeless OEM wheels and dura ace throughout. I love it. Its 7.2kg but I don't see any real advantage of going lighter. The tubeless wheels spin up so quickly which makes a big difference when I'm pulling away at the lights on busy junctions. On the open road of course light rims are to be avoided.  Saving another 2 kgs in frame and components probably helps in the hills, 2% faster up the hill would be a good estimate but then again i'd prefer lighter rims so I can accelerate at the top. Never-say-never. Maybe next time I'll try for 5kgs

 The Potato 13 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

damn it! I randomly weighed my road bike yesterday and was pretty chuffed that it came to 9kg (focus cayo carbon 2009 frame) until I read this thread. Then again the rear wheel is a deep alloy clincher which is 1.1kg on its own.

My Gravel (off road drop bar if you prefer) is 10.5kg which feels a bit sluggish compared to the Focus but then its alloy rather than carbon which is think makes a big difference for me.

Still whatever makes you happy!

I would be uncomfortable on anything less than 7kg I think just due to the psychological fear of failure not based on any testing.

Post edited at 18:00
 Marek 13 Jul 2019
In reply to The Potato:

I have a similar pair of bikes and cames to the conclusion that 'feels sluggish' is just that, a feeling. Actual measured speed was only 2-3% lower for the gravel bike. Of course the right feel is important - it's undoutably nice riding an agile nimble bike, but don't assume it'll be that much quicker. On a long day out in the saddle it can get to be more tiring.

Post edited at 22:13
 The Potato 14 Jul 2019
In reply to Marek:

True, I've not done more than 55mi on the gravel bike but 115 on the Focus felt about the same, but then feelings are very subjective. I don't use any tech to measure my performance other than a clock.

Post edited at 00:52
 malk 14 Jul 2019
In reply to The Potato:

> I would be uncomfortable on anything less than 7kg I think just due to the psychological fear of failure not based on any testing.

looking at that Pinarello F12 frame snap like a twig yesterday on a low speed corner puts me off going full carbon. how light do Al bikes go?

 wbo 14 Jul 2019
In reply to malk:  probably as light as you want but they'll be unfeasibly fragile, far worse than carbon. 

 Marek 14 Jul 2019
In reply to malk:

> looking at that Pinarello F12 frame snap like a twig yesterday on a low speed corner puts me off going full carbon. how light do Al bikes go?

Yeh, I was surprised by that.

My carbon Cannondale SuperSix (1st gen, pre-Evo) was damaged by a careless car driver (crack in head-tube) a few months ago.  It wasn't worth repairing, so I took it too the tip, but decided to make it *obviously* dead so it wouldn't get 'recycled'. Started wacking it near the crack with a 5lb lump hammer. Nothing, the hammer just bounced. Eventually managed to get some flaking of the surface layers, but the head tube stayed intact. Some builders next door saw what I was doing and came round. The second one (big guy) eventually managed the cave-in the head-tube but had to really put some effort in. Fair to say that we were all pretty impressed how much punishment a ~1kg carbon frame could take.

If I was going for a lightweight bike, I'd think I'd still go for carbon rather than aluminium (although I think the CAAD12 is a lovely bike).

If you are not too bothered about a bit of weight, then Al is indeed a perfectly good alternative (as are steel and titanium). It becomes more of an aesthetic rather than engineering choice.

In reply to malk:

> looking at that Pinarello F12 frame snap like a twig yesterday on a low speed corner puts me off going full carbon. how light do Al bikes go?

It certainly gives one pause for thought. 

Funnily enough I was looking into this recently and current thinking, seems to be, that aluminium can be as good as carbon, these days, but for the same level of performance you will pay less for the Al bike

 TobyA 16 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

Yesterday Google on my phone, in between real news stories of Trump being a racist arse (again), gathered loads of stories about the new Cannondale CAAD13 for my perusal. The gist seemed to be they're really great and show how good aluminium can be (and that Trump is a racist arse).

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/road-bikes/cannondale-caad13-force-...

Last summer when I was in Finland an old mate who works in a bike shop arranged for me to borrow a Cannondale CAAD12 so I could do some nostalgic rides around where I used to live. I thought it looked a bit of a funny shape but riding it was superb. I've always been a bit sniffy about the big brands and how the components they put on their bikes at a price point are always much lower than what you get on a smaller brand or shop-own brand bike, thinking some people seem willing to pay a load just to have the right brand. BUT that bike did make me realise that frames maybe aren't all basically the same!  So perhaps Cannondale are the masters of Al frames?

Post edited at 11:19
 Frank4short 16 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I've recently built up a new gravel(ish)/do everything bike. I decided to go with a ti frame as i've wanted one since i was a teenager. Anyway with relatively pedals on it comes in at 8.8kg which includes new continental gr5000 tubeless tyres in 32mm which are also quite heavy. 

Suffice to say if i'd really been chasing weight i could have built one very similar spec with a carbon frame for probably the same price that came in at maybe 7-7.2. But then again i'm relatively heavy and in the current configuration it's pretty much light, bomb proof and completely off roadable with just a change of tyres. So i'm pretty happy with that.

In reply to TobyA:

Used to have a Cannondale R400 (1996 pre- CAD era) nice bike, frame was only 2.8lbs which is still pretty light by today's stds

Post edited at 12:01
 webbo 16 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

Not that light most modern frames are under a kilo.

In reply to webbo:

When I was buying a few years back 1100-1200g seemed the norm (at my price point)

 webbo 16 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

The current Focus Izalco Max is 890 grams.

 Toby_W 16 Jul 2019
In reply to JimR:

Are you my long lost brother?  I have a Cervelo R3 sl weighing in at 6.5kg and have also been eyeing up the etap stuff, very elegant. I agree about aero being more useful though I think someone told me every kilo makes 45s difference on a 10km climb.  No doubt you could work this out with some basic physics!

Cheers

Toby

In reply to webbo:

And rather pricey. My R400 was equivalent of £1480 today, when I bought it.

 Ceiriog Chris 16 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I bought a gravel bike earlier in the year from Planet X, it weighs a ton to be fair, but doesn't distract from my enjoyment of it at all 

 webbo 16 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

What’s price got to do with it.

 kevin stephens 16 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

I’ve just spent a few evenings swapping my Ultegra R5600 10 speed groupset for R8000 11 speed. I’m pleased to say this has reduced the bike weight from 7.46 kg to 7.25 kg including pedals and bottle cage; exactly 16lb in old money. That seems ridiculously light to me and I wouldn’t want to go any lower. However I’m expecting the nicer overall feel and closer gear ratios to make more of a difference on my local Peak District hills than the weight saving  

In reply to webbo:

When it comes to lightness and quality for the lightness I would have thought: 'Everything'

 webbo 17 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

> When it comes to lightness and quality for the lightness I would have thought: 'Everything'

I’m puzzled by this as you are the one complaining that to buy light and quality it costs more.

In reply to webbo:

I'm not complaining at all. I just thought the R400 was a light bike for the price and (the frame bit) would not be overly heavy even now given the price.

 GrahamD 17 Jul 2019
In reply to malk:

> looking at that Pinarello F12 frame snap like a twig yesterday on a low speed corner puts me off going full carbon. how light do Al bikes go?

On GCN show today, they were suggesting that the bike was run over by the following car, not in the crash, in which case snapping like a twig is probably reasonable !

 MischaHY 17 Jul 2019
In reply to The New NickB:

Reading this thread and pondering the fact that my girlfriend and I just ordered bikes weighing 21KG a piece.... 

They do have motors though! 

In reply to MischaHY:

> Reading this thread and pondering the fact that my girlfriend and I just ordered bikes weighing 21KG a piece.... 

> They do have motors though! 

At that weight you'll need 'em!

 malk 17 Jul 2019
In reply to GrahamD:

thanks for info- i thought the following bike may have run over it but fair play with a car. carbon bikes back on wishlist a friend is offering a crashed carbon frame but not sure to accept..

 MischaHY 17 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

It's mad though how it negates the weight difference. Had a play on a friends EMTB recently and you can absolutely cruise along at 25km/h despite it weighing in around 20KG. Serious game changer considering it means lots of bike fun whilst remaining a light endurance exercise. No sabotaging of climbing strength gains for this boyo! 

 webbo 17 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

It wouldn’t matter if you got it free as it’s still heavy compared to modern frames.

In reply to webbo:

Yes heavy compared to modern frames on bikes that RRP at 3-4 times the price (the example you gave). What are you not getting?

I a world where bike frames are free, yes, I'll have the one they use in the Tour thank you.

Post edited at 09:23
 webbo 18 Jul 2019
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

> Used to have a Cannondale R400 (1996 pre- CAD era) nice bike, frame was only 2.8lbs which is still pretty light by today's stds

This is what you posted and my replies having been saying this is not a light frame by today’s standards. Yet you keep banging on about cost.

If we were discussing price per grams/ozs it might be relevant but the thread is about how light.


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