What does a very light bike feel like?

[Blown Reek]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Are you sure this is down to the car beeing light? It does not match my experience (tho i have none with the i3). Perhaps its more a question of the i3 beeing a short and high car vs beeing light and nimble?

Considering that Miatas are about 750-1000 lbs lighter than an i3, I'm thinking weight isn't the issue.

[rlanger]

My current ride started out well over 8kg and over the course of the last 3 years, I've gotten it down to just barely over 7kg.

I'm pretty much the same weight, which is to say relatively lean at 70kg and 178cm, and I gotta say that the bike is much more fun to ride now than it ever was.

But I do wonder if there is a point of diminishing returns when dropping weight on the bike.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by rlanger

My current ride started out well over 8kg and over the course of the last 3 years, I've gotten it down to just barely over 7kg.

I'm pretty much the same weight, which is to say relatively lean at 70kg and 178cm, and I gotta say that the bike is much more fun to ride now than it ever was.

But I do wonder if there is a point of diminishing returns when dropping weight on the bike.

But how did you reduce it those 1-2kgs? Could be a lot of things other than just 'lighter'....design, wheels, materials, etc..that makes the ride 'more fun', but also lighter but not necessarily funner cuz lighter. Generally speaking, lighter is just................
Lighter....

[Mzilliox]

i have a 14.5lb bike and a 18lb bike i ride a lot. im 145-150lbs

the 14.5 lb bike is easier to ride and faster on any road course. it just is, and its especially faster going up. but if im riding over 40 miles, the 18lbs steel bike is more comfy, and not so heavy it cant climb.

so whats it feel like to ride a light one?

different than a heavier one. nice, lively, jumpy.

[zap]

Light bicycles (w/ sub 250g seat and seatpost) swish easier when riding out of the saddle.

I find that light tubular wheels....sub 1200g.......requires one to stay on top of them more on the flats. I had 1100g tubulars years ago and felt they were only good on steep climbs. I'd say the sweet spot for wheels is around 1400g with reasonably light tires and tubes.

[benb]

I have a lot of PM data on my heavy bike and light bike... the light bike is at least 2mph faster for similar average power over the same course. It adds up to a large difference on a 100+ mile ride. We're talking 10lbs of weight difference along with better wheels & tires and the bike is a bit more aero. No real difference in body position though so aero is probably not significant.

The light bike stays more comfortable the whole time.

Maybe the only light bike inconvenience is gusty crosswinds? But that has a lot to do with wheel choice and less so with the actual mass of the bike/wheels.

Oh yah, cost is a big negative of lighter bikes.

[rlanger]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

But how did you reduce it those 1-2kgs? Could be a lot of things other than just 'lighter'....design, wheels, materials, etc..that makes the ride 'more fun', but also lighter but not necessarily funner cuz lighter. Generally speaking, lighter is just................
Lighter....

Very good point. It certainly isn't just the reduction in weight that makes the bike much more fun to ride. But I can definitely feel the difference that the reduced weight makes, and it feels better to me.

Most of the improvement in ride quality though comes from a big step up in the quality of the wheels. And moving from Ultegra 6800 mechanical to DA 9150 Di2 definitely increased the enjoyment level for me.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by rlanger

Most of the improvement in ride quality though comes from a big step up in the quality of the wheels. And moving from Ultegra 6800 mechanical to DA 9150 Di2 definitely increased the enjoyment level for me.

What wheel parameters improves ride quality? Is it weight? Stiffness?

[shoota]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

What wheel parameters improves ride quality? Is it weight? Stiffness?

Depends on your riding style but, yes, weight is huge.

[benb]

Originally Posted by tuscanyswe

Are you sure this is down to the car beeing light? It does not match my experience (tho i have none with the i3). Perhaps its more a question of the i3 beeing a short and high car vs beeing light and nimble?

Yah I think this is just the i3 probably having badly tuned/price engineered suspension components + maybe it has run flat tires which hurt ride quality. Maybe it has big heavy rims + heavy run flat tires which increases the unsprung weight. The i3 *is* an impressively light vehicle for what it is, it's sub-3000lbs which is super impressive. It's the only vehicle on the road with a carbon monocoque frame AFAIK that doesn't cost more than the average house. Some of the modern Minis are really impressively light they were like 2500lbs when they came out... but they don't carry a hybrid drivetrain like the i3. BMW had to cut costs somewhere to come out with a $45k hybrid that has a carbon frame.

There's no reason for a lighter vehicle to have worse ride quality. I don't think it's true for bikes or motorcycles either. Motorcycles get progressively better ride quality as they get more racy. A Harley is heavy, horrible ride quality. A Sport-Tourer type bike is significantly better. A Race Replica has a ton more money thrown into it's fully adjustable suspension, inverted fork, lighter wheels.. magic carpet ride when it's adjusted correctly. Absolutely amazing stuff.

Neither of my bikes is in this crazy 10-13lb range.. I have a Trek Domane that is just shy of 17lbs and I have an All City Space Horse that is 25-27lbs depending on setup. The Domane has drastically better ride quality, it's just a much better bike period.

I can't be bothered to spend the money to make my nice bike any lighter. It doesn't even have Dura Ace or Record, etc.. no carbon rims. Just not worth it for me.

[GParkes]

I don't care what my terraplaned Kirk with SRAM Force and good carbon tubulars weighs............the ride is perfect. Period. If I want to go uphill faster, I lose 3 kilos and train harder. Really pretty simple.

[Hilltopperny]

I am a heavy rider. Even in top shape I’m at least 185-190lbs and it’s been years since I’ve been south of 200lbs.

My preference is for a 17-20lb bike. I’ve had a couple built much lighter 14.5 being the lightest and they were great for climbing and I didn’t feel unsafe descending. Light bikes feel very snappy at first, but with continued use the benefits dont seem as noticeable.

I like a more solid feel underneath me and have an affinity for titanium and fat tires which ends up being 18lbs for my road bike and 19ish for my disc gravel bike.




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[bicycletricycle]

in my experience, amazing at first and no different after a couple hundred miles. Except for when you are carrying up stairs.

Originally Posted by 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?

[Hellgate]

I really can't tell too much different between my 23lbs PX10, and the 15.9lbs 333fab. Interestingly, the PX10 climbs as well on very steep climbs as the 333. I figured it wouldn't. And that is a 42x24 vs. a 39x29 also. Go figure...

[vincenz]

A lighter bike feels more agile and reactive. You could weigh 150 lbs or 300 lbs, a light bike would still give that sprightly “performance” feel that is missing in a heavier bike.

I’ve found that I like bikes in the 15-16.5 lbs range. Anymore and it starts to feel a bit more sluggish. I weigh about 155 lbs so this works for me. I’ve not tried a bike below 15 lbs, but I believe it will start to lose more composure and ride quality on flats and descents as I started to experience that at the lower end.