Weight of commuting bikes

[newbikeorupgrade]

My current bike weighs 15 kg and is 8-10 years old with a bearing bb I'm worried if I get a new bike/lighter better bottom bracket faster wheels ect I wont get as much of a work out? I don't want to put on weight with a new bike???? Any advice?

[Mulger bill]

Ride further or aim to reduce your times for the same distance. Find some hills. Eat less.

Something there should do it for you.

[gretaboy]

Can have a heavy bike and still put the weight on and not have a hard workout. Regardless of bike, it is up to you to decide the intensity of your ride. I found going from a heavier bike to a lighter bike, I actually enjoyed my riding much more, tended to push myself a bit more too as it was more enjoyable. As a result I started losing the k's.

[Ozkaban]

Can have a heavy bike and still put the weight on and not have a hard workout. Regardless of bike, it is up to you to decide the intensity of your ride. I found going from a heavier bike to a lighter bike, I actually enjoyed my riding much more, tended to push myself a bit more too as it was more enjoyable.

+1

I went from a Trek hybrid (~15-16kg) to an alu Oppy (~10kg), and I find I enjoy it more and push myself harder

As a result I started losing the k's.

Well, I haven't got there yet. Something to do with eating too much crap

The calorie expenditure difference between a lighter bike and a heavier one would be stuff all. You're still carting your mass and whatever you're carrying. For me it's 85kg or me and about 5kg of backpack. Plus the 10kg of bike makes roughly 100kg, or ~105kg for the hybrid. That's only 5%-odd difference. Not going to gain a whole lotta weight based on that.

Cheers,
Dave

[the grid]

Ride further or aim to reduce your times for the same distance. Find some hills. Eat less.

Something there should do it for you.

Oh eat less its that easy ...thx

[kiso]

"It doesn't get easier; you just get faster” - Greg Lemond

You'll have more fun on the lighter bike, and you'll ride more. Win-win!

[nayfen]

get the new bike and ride the long way. it will take the same amount of time!

[Xplora]

"It doesn't get easier; you just get faster” - Greg Lemond

You'll have more fun on the lighter bike, and you'll ride more. Win-win!

Can't disagree with this at all. Your efficiency is greater on a lower weight bike, but the nature of gears is that you control the effort in the ride. You can start aiming for more big ring riding on hills, faster times or faster speeds. I personally feel that more efficient bikes are much more enjoyable to ride at the END of the ride, rather than the middle. The more efficient the bike, the easier it is to ride when you're absolutely knackered (bad nutrition, bad sleep, or hard day at work can do it). That keeps you in the saddle and wanting to continue riding, which is way more important.

[jules21]

i ride a 15kg MTB on my commutes. the "you'll ride more" thing doesn't work on a fixed commute - actually, i already lengthen mine to get more riding in.

as i use a lot of shared paths, i consider a slower bike to be a safety feature.

[Comedian]

My commute bike is 15kg dry. By the time I add a water bottle and panniers it is usually somewhere between 20 and 27kg.

[Johndec]

For what it's worth, the Trek 7.3 Hybrid I bought 6 months ago and already relegated to "ride down the shops" duty due to upgradeitis, weighs in at 11.73kg with pedals, bike computer, metal bottle cage and a "comfort" saddle that is at least 100-150g heavier than the one that came with the bike. I'm guessing it weighed in at ~ 11.5kg when it left the factory. BTW, it didn't take me long to realise that comfort saddles are anything but after a couple of hours... I broke in a Specialized Toupe on this bike and moved it to my roadie when I upgraded. 198g of comfort!!

[Cruiserman]

I broke in a Specialized Toupe on this bike and moved it to my roadie when I upgraded. 198g of comfort!!

I just broke a Toupe (the carbon reinforced (yeah right) plastic chassis) luckily there was a large choice of saddles in the marketplace and I now have the comfort of riding on an SMP.

[Phil]

Lynskey Dry weight 7.9kg.
Rack and panniers today 21.4kgs.

And without exagerating 2kg of that are the locks and cables.

[Comedian]

Running light panniers today... 7kg so all up 22kg today.

[Comedian]

Running light panniers today... 7kg so all up 22kg today.

[newbikeorupgrade]

i ride a 15kg MTB on my commutes. the "you'll ride more" thing doesn't work on a fixed commute - actually, i already lengthen mine to get more riding in.

as i use a lot of shared paths, i consider a slower bike to be a safety feature.

I would agree but the temptation is for a new bike...
Do you use disc brakes? Never had them before...
Wondering how important they are...
I commute in all weather including thunder storms.

[Mulger bill]

I went from commuting on a slickshod hardtail MTB with discs to a roadie. My first decently wet ride had me checking out disc equipped dropbar bikes as soon as I got to work.

Your first wet ride on disc brakes will convince you that they are the best commuter item you can get. No waiting for the pads to scrape the rims dry enough to provide retardation in a Jesus moment while your eyes and rectum expand to dinner plate size...

Check out the Kona Honky Inc or Meridas CX bike and search the forum for owners. I'm 100% sure they will back me up.

Disc brakes rawk!

[queequeg]

I went from commuting on a slickshod hardtail MTB with discs to a roadie. My first decently wet ride had me checking out disc equipped dropbar bikes as soon as I got to work.

Your first wet ride on disc brakes will convince you that they are the best commuter item you can get. No waiting for the pads to scrape the rims dry enough to provide retardation in a Jesus moment while your eyes and rectum expand to dinner plate size...

Check out the Kona Honky Inc or Meridas CX bike and search the forum for owners. I'm 100% sure they will back me up.

Disc brakes rawk!

Tell me about it. Since I got my Lynskey Cooper CX, it has rained about 50% of the time I have used it! No more brown trouser moments in the wet, but I have had a couple of close calls with "purple ice". That stuff is slippery, even with a rolling speed of 2km/h!
Yesterday was a fun ride into work. Went under the M2 at Beecroft into what I thought was only shallow surface water. Instead, I found the bike in water that was up to the bottom bracket, and i had 50m of it to ride through! My feet go a bit soggy, being underwater for half the pedal stroke!

[teak81]

I have a mountain bike that i set up with panniers for commuting. I now hate it because it is so heavy. And i have a road bike that i also put the panniers on hate : it too. Now i have reverted to a backpack, and i am also deciding to buy a new road bike now.

[jet-ski]

Tell me about it. Since I got my Lynskey Cooper CX, it has rained about 50% of the time I have used it! No more brown trouser moments in the wet, but I have had a couple of close calls with "purple ice". That stuff is slippery, even with a rolling speed of 2km/h!
Yesterday was a fun ride into work. Went under the M2 at Beecroft into what I thought was only shallow surface water. Instead, I found the bike in water that was up to the bottom bracket, and i had 50m of it to ride through! My feet go a bit soggy, being underwater for half the pedal stroke!

What's purple ice? You gotta go faster through the puddle and just lift your feet up as you coast through

[Baalzamon]

Thorn Raven Nomad base weight 19kg, add clothes, shoes and rain gear ontop. No panniers mind you, I've got carradice saddlebag. But I think it's pulled my nose of my saddle up

[newbikeorupgrade]

I went from commuting on a slickshod hardtail MTB with discs to a roadie. My first decently wet ride had me checking out disc equipped dropbar bikes as soon as I got to work.

Your first wet ride on disc brakes will convince you that they are the best commuter item you can get. No waiting for the pads to scrape the rims dry enough to provide retardation in a Jesus moment while your eyes and rectum expand to dinner plate size...

Check out the Kona Honky Inc or Meridas CX bike and search the forum for owners. I'm 100% sure they will back me up.

Disc brakes rawk!

Yeah you see i'm looking at the merida T3 at the moment...
But I say to myself disc brakes could save my life...
What is the price of that???
I've test rode disc brakes in the dry and was amazed.
I use a backpack and have a heavy lock.
I've gone from wanting a a road bike (to dangerous with skinny tyres/braking power/sliding in the wet) to a fast communter and now I want disc brakes with the 52/11 gear ratio... I can understand the need for panniers sometimes but avoid them if possible...

[queequeg]

Tell me about it. Since I got my Lynskey Cooper CX, it has rained about 50% of the time I have used it! No more brown trouser moments in the wet, but I have had a couple of close calls with "purple ice". That stuff is slippery, even with a rolling speed of 2km/h!
Yesterday was a fun ride into work. Went under the M2 at Beecroft into what I thought was only shallow surface water. Instead, I found the bike in water that was up to the bottom bracket, and i had 50m of it to ride through! My feet go a bit soggy, being underwater for half the pedal stroke!

What's purple ice? You gotta go faster through the puddle and just lift your feet up as you coast through

Well, tis a bit hard when the puddle is lke this:



Purple Ice....otherwise known as Jacaranda Flowers dropped all over the ground. When it gets wet it turns to sludge that has zero friction. It is like trying to ride a bicycle on an ice rink.

[jasonc]

Tell me about it. Since I got my Lynskey Cooper CX, it has rained about 50% of the time I have used it! No more brown trouser moments in the wet, but I have had a couple of close calls with "purple ice". That stuff is slippery, even with a rolling speed of 2km/h!
Yesterday was a fun ride into work. Went under the M2 at Beecroft into what I thought was only shallow surface water. Instead, I found the bike in water that was up to the bottom bracket, and i had 50m of it to ride through! My feet go a bit soggy, being underwater for half the pedal stroke!

What's purple ice? You gotta go faster through the puddle and just lift your feet up as you coast through

Well, tis a bit hard when the puddle is lke this:



Purple Ice....otherwise known as Jacaranda Flowers dropped all over the ground. When it gets wet it turns to sludge that has zero friction. It is like trying to ride a bicycle on an ice rink.

It's ok, we in Brisbane understand. MOST of my commute path was under water in January for a few days...

[jet-ski]

good photo!! and I'm glad I don't come across much purple ice then!