What does a very light bike feel like?

[Fishbike]

Over on the classifieds there is a thread about a fairly light parlee originally claimed to be 10 pounds but apparently actually 14 and change. But uber light bikes do exist. Anyone ride one? What does it feel like?

[weisan]

It depends on how much you weigh.

[Bentley]

This should be moved to General Discussion, really not for Classifieds

[ultraman6970]

Doesnt matter how light it is, I weight so much that is irrelevant to have a light bike 4 me.

[mktng]

it feels amazing. until you realize it doesn't make you a better or faster cyclist. just a poorer one. :P

[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by mktng

it feels amazing. until you realize it doesn't make you a better or faster cyclist. just a poorer one. :P

You lose weight off the bike and your wallet simultaneously.

[RAS72]

I have a weight weenie (13lbs racer) and a tank (21lbs gravel).
I prefer the tank.
It just rides better. But it may also be the way i ride these days - slow...

[bicycletricycle]

In my experience they feel really great the first time you pick them up or when you have not ridden it for a while. After a couple rides they feel the same. They always feel awesome when carrying them up the stairs.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

In my experience they feel really great the first time you pick them up or when you have not ridden it for a while. After a couple rides they feel the same. They always feel awesome when carrying them up the stairs.

So much ^^^this.

A few years ago I left my 2006 all carbon Cannondale Synapse down at my parents house in Arizona, where I go to ride maybe twice a year. I'd never thought of my Synapse as a particularly light bike ...but I guess compared to the two steel road bikes and one aluminum gravel grinder I have it home, it is.

Because every single time I go to visit mom & dad, that first moment when I pull the Synapse off the ceiling hook in the garage there's this cognitive dissonance of "holy crap, this bike is so freakin' light!!!"

Every. Single. Time.

And then 20 minutes later when I'm riding down the road that sensation is gone, and it's just a bike, and I wish it rode as nicely as the heavier bikes I have at home.

[oldpotatoe]

Agree that riding 1100g tubulars feels nice, but when you factor in the higher RR of tubulars, the loss of pressure over the course of a ride (latex tubes) and of course the lack of practicality... I don't see the gains as being all that as advantageous.

-the 'higher' rolling resistance of tubulars is lost in the noise..kinda like alloy chainring bolts vs steel, lighter but still, steel not 'heavy'.
-you lose about 20 psi over 24 hours....so even on a 5 hour ride, you only lose
about 3-4 psi...
-practicality is in the eyes of the beholder. For some, tubeless is pretty 'impractical' to set up and use too...

I don't see any advantage to using tubed, clincher tires other than the ability to change a punctured tube on the road.....ACK!!! No, not meant to be a tubular war thread, it's not even winter yet....

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

-the 'higher' rolling resistance of tubulars is lost in the noise..kinda like alloy chainring bolts vs steel, lighter but still, steel not 'heavy'.
-you lose about 20 psi over 24 hours....so even on a 5 hour ride, you only lose
about 3-4 psi...
-practicality is in the eyes of the beholder. For some, tubeless is pretty 'impractical' to set up and use too...

I don't see any advantage to using tubed, clincher tires other than the ability to change a punctured tube on the road.....ACK!!! No, not meant to be a tubular war thread, it's not even winter yet....

You can lead a horse to water........

[slambers3]

when did it become commonly assumed that clinchers were “lower rolling resistance” than tubulars? Maybe some clincher tires, on wide rims, while running *ahem* latex tubes....

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by slambers3

when did it become commonly assumed that clinchers were “lower rolling resistance” than tubulars? Maybe some clincher tires, on wide rims, while running *ahem* latex tubes....

Are you asking when it became common knowledge, or when it became known to those actually paying attention? It originally became known to those who actually measured it in the 1980's, but old ideas die hard, so many didn't accept for about 20 years. Now it is generally accepted by everyone.

Note 1: Clinchers have lower rolling resistance than tubulars when both have similar casings and treads.

Note 2: It is possible to build tubulars with thinner casings and treads than clinchers so that they have lower rolling resistance than clinchers - but these tires are very delicate, and basically only suitable for racing on velodrome tracks with very good surfaces.

[Heisenberg]

it depends.

it depends on your weight. it depends on your power output. it depends on your riding style. it depends on what the bike is made out of, and how it's made, and what it's built with.

generally speaking a lighter bike is going to climb better than a heavier one. duh. it might feel more sprightly, if it's built well and the geometry is agreeable to such behavior.

generally speaking a lighter bike is going to descend worse/handle worse in a variety of conditions than a heavier bike, because less mass, but also less mass to dampen vibration and smooth chatter, even with optimal handling geometry and fit.

of course, this is a highly variable question, one that can't be answered simply by saying "my 9.7lb Parlee descends like a dream", or "i have a 14lb steel bike".

i'm a powerful, bigger (~175lbs) rider who likes to go fast down hills. i've ridden a large gamut of bikes (argonauts to baums to lightweights to mosaics to factors and everything inbetween), and find that while an ultralight bike tends to have that first-sensation acceleration jam that we all prize, ultimately there's a tradeoff (for a rider like me) when i start drifting under ~15lbs, wheel dependent. flex becomes a thing, road feedback becomes a thing, getting tossed around on descents definitely becomes a thing. holding a line is key, and often a lighter bike will struggle with that, especially one built with hyperlight wheels.

the tactile sensation of continued ascent was far worse on my 14lb factor o2 than on my 18lb pegorichie lugged steel bike (same wheels - hyperons), and actual times were just about the same.

ymmv. i get the sense a lot of folks talking about their superlight bikes are smaller folks who don't suffer the same issues. like all things with bikes, it depends on YOU and how you ride/what your dimensions are.

[colker]

Lighter weight/ mass is more relevant on a mountain bike dealing w/ technical singletrack than on a stage race road bike. Unless you are a 135lbs rider climbing Mt Ventoux.