Does bicycle weight really matter?

[damian]

Maybe I am missing something out but if I weight say 75kg with my clothes on (I don't intend to cycle naked) then worrying about a bike being 19kg or 25kg seems not to make any sense?
Maybe a 6% difference giving you an extra couple of miles range?

If that is right then I don't need to take weight into consideration

 

[Roger R]

Good point

 

[trex]

One of the first things most people do is to lift the bike.

 

[Nealh]

Weight doesn't really matter unless of course you are lifting it about a lot but generally I ride mine instead of carrying it .
5 or 6kg isn't going to make to much difference and most bike tend to be 20-25 kg, the direct drive hub drives are heavier so some of these can be about 28kg. My lightest is about 17kg a mtb for off road and my heaviest is about 26/27kg a 700c hybrid with all the kit on it m/guards, panniers, kick stand,lights etc etc obviously the weights are noticeable one being nimble and the other a work horse.
Its a numbers thing 19 sounds better then 25, choose or convert a bike to suit the needs you want it for road type weight not an issue but trail or proper off road bike needs to be light as poss.

 

[damian]

One of the first things most people do is to lift the bike.

That's what I did, without thinking why. Hopefully it'll spend 99.99% of the time worth the wheels on the ground.
I don't intend lifting it very often and if I do I can lift 25kg really enough.

A bigger issue might be whether or not I can turn it over without breaking the lcd if I were to get a puncture!

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Weight effects handling lots, especially badly distributed weight at slow speeds. Its not just about carrying the bike.

 

[the_killjoy]

It is not so much the weight but the fact it is unsprung weight. Even your weight on the saddle is partially sprung as your body isn't rigid.

 

[Yamdude]

Of course it matters, i've never known anyone say 'I really wish this bike was a bit heavier'
I can feel a huge difference between pedalling my light unassisted bike and pedalling my Ebike thats twice the weight.
Less weight, easier to pedal to assist the motor, better range outta the battery...... and of course if the battery runs out you want light as possible.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Yes weight is important. Adding 7-8kg to a bicycle increases stress on components that may not have been designed to support extra weight. Tires and brakes for example.

It affects handling - this may be sensed more by an experienced bike rider rather than someone new who has only ever ridden e-bikes or heavier vehicles.

Parking, going through doors, getting on and off a train regularly.

The other day I stripped the bike down so that I could work on the bottom bracket and was surprised just how much easier it was to manipulate. And I use mine every day...

 

[flecc]

This also affects personal weight versus bike weight. Extra bike weight is far worse than extra personal weight for anyone in the normal body weight range. The reason is quite simply that one's muscles automatically adjust to one's weight. This is due to the fact that living with a body weight is full time exercise in carrying that weight through all activities, whatever that weight is.

Added weight to a bike is not self-correcting of course, we feel the extra weight through the additional effort necessary.
.

 

[Artstu]

Heavy bikes don't get blown about as much on very windy days.

 

[D C]

A bigger issue might be whether or not I can turn it over without breaking the lcd if I were to get a puncture!

Bar ends are good for that if you have room to fit them, adds weight of course!
Dave.

 

[flecc]

Bar ends are good for that if you have room to fit them, adds weight of course!
Dave.

Indeed, fit them inboard if the outer bar parts aren't available. These were featherweight BikeHut ones from Halfords:

 

[Emo Rider]

A light bike will only make your ride noticabley easier if you were riding a heavier bike before. Yes it is true, there are some right tanks out there that would take two men and a boy to pick up but most types of ebikes weigh a couple of pounds more or less than the competetion. Not enough to make an appricable difference.

What I find is that the same people that wanted a light bike come into the shop for their six week adjustment service have 40psi in their tyres and 20psi and a chain badly needing lubrication when they have their six month service. They sometimes have had the front wheel off and put it on crooked causing brake rub.

 

[SteveRuss]

My Boardman Hybrid Pro is reportedly 9.5kg. It's dead easy to put on the roof of my car and easy peasy to carry up the steep steps to my house.

My Kalkhoff is nearly two and a half times that weight and both of the above processes are a challenge to say the least. I still however fly up the steep hill to my house (with shopping in the pannier) at a speed far in excess(and with greater ease) than the Boardman therefore I believe the weight of a pedelec is not so much an issue as with a non assisted bike.

The Kalkhoff coasts much further which I find is a bonus..

 

[eHomer]

I always used to wonder about this, with the lycra mob looking down their noses at anything that added "wasteful" ounces.

It does seem quite logical that any weight comparison percentage difference should be on the whole "rolling" package, ie with the rider's weight included, (95 kilos in my case).....

I have eight bikes ( ) and a recumbent trike and use all of them regularly, so I'm used to a wide variation in bike weight.

It's quite true that it's the handling that is more noticeable rather than the pedaling effort for a few extra kilos.

Funny thing though, my lightest bike is a "Bob Garside" unpowered true racer, and it is much easier to pedal than my other unpowered bikes, even though they're only a few kilos heavier. I don't use as much as the others though, because on my bumpy country roads the ride is so much harsher.

 

[Croxden]

Heavy bikes don't get blown about as much on very windy days.

I agree with this but find the Delite more stable than the Haibike. I can't account for this, there can't be that much difference between the two.

 

[flecc]

Funny thing though, my lightest bike is a "Bob Garside" unpowered true racer, and it is much easier to pedal than my other unpowered bikes, even though they're only a few kilos heavier.

That's chiefly for the reason I gave above on this link, bike weight does matter very much, each added kilo is really felt. There will also be small contributions to easier running from the slim tyres and better geometry of a racebike.
.

 

[RobF]

I agree with Flecc.

Lots of cyclists say losing a kilo of bodyweight has the same effect - and is cheaper - than shaving a kilo off the bike.

But it is far from the same, a lighter bike by a kilo or two is much easier to pedal than a heavier bike with a lighter rider.

Having said that, cycling is much easier if you have a significant amount of weight to lose and can manage to lose it.

 

[james@justebikes.co.uk]

Maybe I am missing something out but if I weight say 75kg with my clothes on (I don't intend to cycle naked) then worrying about a bike being 19kg or 25kg seems not to make any sense?
Maybe a 6% difference giving you an extra couple of miles range?

If that is right then I don't need to take weight into consideration

I agree. At least I did up until last week when I tried a 13.5kg COBOC. Mind boggling. We have demo models for those who like to see for themselves what a difference 10kg makes.