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Bike weight vs. rider weight

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Ukalum93

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm 5" 10", 210 lbs and looking for my first road bike. As you know weight is a large factor in the bike design, materials and cost. However, at 210 lbs, will buying a bike that is 16 lbs be noticeably faster than a 20 lb bike. Or, if I dropped 5 lbs is it an even trade off?

I'm looking for a bike that I can (shrink) into and keep up with the local riding group, with about $2k to spend. I like what I have heard about the entry level carbon bikes from Trek, but am unsure if I will see any significant benefit from all arson, vs only a carbon fork. The weight of the bike seems it should be the least of my worries. Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Don't worry so much about the bike weight. Buy a bike that you will ride, fits you and fits into your budget. 2014 Specialized has an Ultegra Allez 11spd that retails for $2400 or 2200 I can't remember. That is a lot of bike for right in your price range. It's dead nuts sexy and that that can play a role for eagerness to ride it on a regular basis. Then a by-product of you riding will be loss of body weight and it becomes a win-win. Good luck and have fun with your search.
 
#3 ·
If you only own one bike and don't have anything to compare it to, then middle of the road bike will do you fine. If you have a chance to really ride a 16 lb bike and then you really ride a 20 lb bike, I am pretty sure you will have a "no brainer" decision on your hands. If you do any climbing, I can almost guarantee that the lighter bike will be that much more fun to go hammering up hills. I am about your height, but around 190 lbs. I have a few bikes; one carbon, one steel, one titanium...all with carbon forks. The steel is about 20 lbs, the ti is about 18.5 lbs, and the carbon is about 17.5 lbs. They are all in a good ball park and a blast to ride. Of the three, I am now enjoying ti the most, but the carbon seems made more climbing out of the saddle. I don't race so fast is a concept without a measurement.
 
#5 ·
Being heavier than you I can say that weight doesn't matter that much until you start racing fast corners, which is the only time I notice a difference. A lighter bike feels like it flicks better between corners but that's about it. If you're not going to be carving corners, I wouldn't worry about it.

Similar with wheels. There seems to be a sweet spot for most people about what wheel weight feels right to them. Ex-racer that is not my weight (220-ish) likes the 1600 gram range, which is where I tend to like things as well. My race wheels are less and they feel a little odd but they're also tubulars when I train on clinchers so there's a difference in that respect as well.

Keep the bike under 25-ish lbs and you'll be fine, kind of where it seems to be a little more noticeable, for me at least, with the side to side movement of the bike when out of the saddle.

I'm a fan of carbon, because I think it rides nicer. I don't like aluminum road bikes unless they have wide tires to help with the road buzz, it's just my preference. Steel rides nice as well, I just don't like the fork on my steel bike, too much flex and scary in fast corners but I'm used to the corner carving race bike since that gets 90% of my riding time these days. I think a steel frame with a carbon fork would be perfect, probably where I'll end up when all is said and done.
 
#6 ·
Ukalum93 said:
However, at 210 lbs, will buying a bike that is 16 lbs be noticeably faster than a 20 lb bike. Or, if I dropped 5 lbs is it an even trade off?

I'm looking for a bike that I can (shrink) into and keep up with the local riding group, with about $2k to spend.
Click to expand...
Assuming exercise plays a role in your dropping 5 pounds, it's not even at all. You're better off dropping it off your body than you are the bike.

A big percentage of a bike's weight comes from the wheels. And most riders, if they get serious about it, tend to replace stock wheels after a while anyway. So even if you want to shrink you bikes weight along with your bodys weights it's not like you need to get a new bike to do that.

Get a bike with a decent frame that fits you percectly it and don't worry about what the bike weighs. Any modern frame is 'light enough' by far.
 
#7 ·
A 16lb bike will only be noticeably faster than a 20lb bike if it's got a stronger cyclist on it.

Work on losing the weight and becoming a stronger cyclist and don't worry about the bicycle weight. A lighter bike ain't gonna help you keep up with the local riding group, your legs have to do that.
 
#8 ·
Just as a matter of principle, I always buy bikes that weigh less than I do. :D

Ukalum93 said:
The weight of the bike seems it should be the least of my worries. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
That's it exactly.

To give an example, I use all my bikes to commute. My long loop to work is 16¼ miles. On my sub-20 pound club ride roadie, I typically arrive at work in 56 minutes.

On Mondays, I haul in all my lunches, fruit, and work clothes for the week, plus several library books. (Working at the public library, library books are an occupational hazard.) All that goes on my cyclocross/touring commuter, that tips the scales at 32 pounds even before I hang the panniers.

When loaded, it's easily twice the weight of the club ride bike, (and considerably less aerodynamic) yet it takes me only five to seven minutes more, typically, on the same 16¼ mile route. And that's with the Monday aches and pains from the weekend club rides.

So unless you're racing or climbing a lot, a couple of pounds of bike weight offer only bragging rights. For real world, non-professional riders, it's not that big a difference.

And for me, how would my life be improved if someone else carried all my stuff to work on Mondays, so I could take the roadie and save those five to seven minutes?
 
#9 ·
For a first road bike, focus on the bike fit first. It would be best to go with an experienced shop to help set you up.

I assume that if you are looking at Trek, you are thinking of something like the Madone 3 with somewhat heavier carbon fiber. It sounds like a good bike. I suggest you make sure it fits 25mm tires, though, which I would highly recommend at your size. They will be more comfortable and no slower than the standard 23s.

FWIW, I ride a steel bike, probably 18-20 lbs with 25mm tires, and I'm 120 lbs. And I'm pretty fast for my age.
 
#12 ·
Personally, I would get a decent entry level bike endurance bike (which is a bit more comfy) and ride the snot out of it. Then when you loose some weight reqard yourself with a nicer bike.

That way you will know if you will actually like cycling, get any falls/spills out of your system (hopefully) and you will know what you want in a bike.

Nothing worse then spending money on something just to find out you don't quite like it as much as you hoped or wishing you had something different. Plus gives you something to work towards if you do get bit by the cycling bug :D
 
#15 ·
looigi said:
Don't sweat the bike weight. Decreasing rider weight makes a bigger difference than decreasing the bike weight by the same amount.
Click to expand...
My experience is exactly the opposite. Losing 20 lbs off my body didn't make that much of a difference to me. Going from a 35lb to a 15lb bike is a night and day difference in feel.

Perhaps if you were using percent lost it would be different. 10% loss of body weight would be more noticeable than 10%loss of bike weight.
 
#16 ·
nealric said:
My experience is exactly the opposite. Losing 20 lbs off my body didn't make that much of a difference to me. Going from a 35lb to a 15lb bike is a night and day difference in feel.

Perhaps if you were using percent lost it would be different. 10% loss of body weight would be more noticeable than 10%loss of bike weight.
Click to expand...
I imagine the loss of 20 lbs of body weight wasn't instantaneous while the loss of 20lb of bike weight was. That would make the latter more noticeable than the former, IMO. I lost far more than 20 lbs, btw.
 
#17 ·
nealric said:
My experience is exactly the opposite. Losing 20 lbs off my body didn't make that much of a difference to me. Going from a 35lb to a 15lb bike is a night and day difference in feel.

Perhaps if you were using percent lost it would be different. 10% loss of body weight would be more noticeable than 10%loss of bike weight.
Click to expand...
What kind of bike was the 35 pounder?

A 35lb beach cruiser compared to a 15lb racing bike will feel quite different.
A 23lb racing bike compared to a 18lb racing bike, not so much.
 
#18 ·
The total weight of a bike is the result of a lot of factors. Lighter wheels and tires (rolling resistance probably matters more than weight) make a much larger difference in feel than a lighter frame or components - so not all 18 pound bikes will feel the same. Wheels need to be accelerated on a regular basis, and lighter wheels accelerate more easily. Additional weight on the frame/components really only matters when you climb hills (you are effectively carrying your bike up the hill), but on flat roads the additional weight makes negligible difference in performance. So don't get too wrapped up in overall weight, care more about where the weight is distributed on the bike (i.e. buy a heavier frame with lighter wheels, as it will out preform a lighter frame with heavier wheels that is the same overall weight).

Also, find a bike that rides well and fits you well, and don't be overly concerned with weight. Weight is one of the lesser important factors to be concerned with when buying a bike - unless the bike is a complete tank the difference between a few grams (or even a few pounds - with the exception of the wheels) is not likely something that you'll notice. If you're not convinced, ride the same route with two full-water bottles and then again with one bottle; see if you feel significantly faster without the extra water bottle (which easily weights more than 750g).
 
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