So today after coming back from a bike ride I happened to have a set of luggage scales around and so decided to weigh my two main bikes and riding kit as I would typically use them. So in this case we have my winter/touring bike a Genesis Croix de Fer along with my typical winter riding kit (longs, waterproof jacket, etc.) compared with my summer bike a Cervelo R5 with just shorts and top (and a windproof). In both cases the bikes are as I will typically ride them so the weights include full water bottles and the tool kits I carry with each, spare tubes, pumps etc. (note these kits are not the same for each bike, I tend to carry less in summer). I've also included my helmet (same for both), shoes (different) etc. I was rather surprised at the difference. So here are the figures...
Winter Summer Bike 15.52 7.5 Clothes 2.09 0.67 Shoes 0.97 0.62 Total 18.58 8.79
All the figures are in Kg, so almost 10Kg difference between my two cycling set ups. I know many will ride the same bike year round (and I use my touring bike a fair bit in the summer as well), and that others will have a much lighter bike than mine that they use in the winter, but I wonder how the above compares. I know that it probably doesn't make a huge difference, but I must say I'm looking forward to summer!
Recently, this realisation has made me carefully consider the weight of all the little things. And so I finally got around to sorting out my road toolkit. It is nearly ready to show here. A lot of thought has gone into this!
Have you done anything clever to reduce the weight of your toolkit?
Another thing: when I go out for a fun ride (that’s most of my rides), I no longer take wallet or phone. This saves me nearly 0.3 kg! That’s easily enough to afford a frame pump. (In fact, I could afford two with that weight saving.) And I do still take the Zéfal HPX on most rides, because my super-lightweight Blackburn Airstik SL is little more than useless with high-pressure 23 mm tyres. Probably I should have got a slightly heavier pump than the Airstik SL.
Leaving the phone and wallet at home takes a burden off my mind, too. Recommended!
Does your Cervélo really weigh 7.5 kg with toolkit, tube, and full bottles? That’s light. You could probably try harder with your winter bicycle, though.
It does indeed all add up! My winter bike is pretty much my touring bike with 32C tyres, mudguards, heavyish wheels/rims a rear rack (I did remove my front rack to save some weight!) and a toolkit that has everything I think I might need to fix problems on tour. It is a heavy bike, but it rides really nicely and I've been very happy riding it over this winter.
Yep that Cervelo weight is as I would ride it including a full bottle of water, two spare tubes and a minimal set of tools and a mini pump that can actually pump the tyres up to get me home. When I built that bike I did try pretty hard to keep the weight down (it seemed a shame not to given that the frame is so light). So I have a pretty light set of (low profile) wheels, SRAM force/red components etc. but I didn't go totally over the top on it.
I think the thing that surprised me the most was how much stuff like clothes, phones, overshoes, and the rest adds up!
Ignoring the additional clothing, the difference between my steel summer bike and the winter bike (well the one I use the most as it has mudguards etc) is almost 6kg, which is not as much as your difference. (15kg ish v 9kg ish, the latter with no guards, skinner tires, no disc brakes, no rack and no dynamo, also M+ v durano tires)
I have not weighed my clothes but I only wear my winter boots in very cold conditions as they feel significantly heavier than my normal spds with wool socks. I was really surprised how much they effected (probably mostly in my head) my pedalling stroke when I was tired and getting home after work.
So maybe my carbon plaything doesn't get used from October to April but my other bikes get used year round. I would certainly hope that the CF is lighter than the metal bikes after spending lots of £'s on getting it to a reasonable 7.4kg.
By comparison my steel 'audax' is 10kg and the CX 10.5kg. These weights are as I ride each of them, not loaded for a trip - mudguards, racks etc as appropriate are included. All my bikes have a similar tool kit of pump plus levers, multi tool and tube in a seat pack. Water isn't included but that'll be the same add on for each of them of course.
Clothing - well once again it's the same stuff whichever bike - it's hardly a surprise that bibs and a jersey weigh less than thermal tights, jackets etc. The only clothing difference is shoes - lightweight carbon road shoes are much lighter than my touring shoes/boots - again it's not seasonal but machine specific.
Me - much as I never intend to, I do put on winter weight. If i'm lucky it's just a couple of kg but it can be as much as 6kg difference.
Riding 'light' in summer I could easily see an overall difference of 10kg or more depending on weather/bike choice. It's hardly surprising I ride better in the summer when the weather helps too!
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
foxyrider wrote:So maybe my carbon plaything doesn't get used from October to April but my other bikes get used year round. I would certainly hope that the CF is lighter than the metal bikes after spending lots of £'s on getting it to a reasonable 7.4kg.
By comparison my steel 'audax' is 10kg and the CX 10.5kg. These weights are as I ride each of them, not loaded for a trip - mudguards, racks etc as appropriate are included. All my bikes have a similar tool kit of pump plus levers, multi tool and tube in a seat pack. Water isn't included but that'll be the same add on for each of them of course.
Clothing - well once again it's the same stuff whichever bike - it's hardly a surprise that bibs and a jersey weigh less than thermal tights, jackets etc. The only clothing difference is shoes - lightweight carbon road shoes are much lighter than my touring shoes/boots - again it's not seasonal but machine specific.
Me - much as I never intend to, I do put on winter weight. If i'm lucky it's just a couple of kg but it can be as much as 6kg difference.
Riding 'light' in summer I could easily see an overall difference of 10kg or more depending on weather/bike choice. It's hardly surprising I ride better in the summer when the weather helps too!
Winter weight if only ! It's our last day here in Tenerife and both my wife and I are determined to lose weight when we get back home. I definitely felt my extra lumber trying to unsuccessfully climb to the top of mount Teide. With regards to bicycle weights I was riding a Ridley Fenix and it made me realise once again how much more fun it is to ride a CF bike rather than a steel tourer so when we get back I will definitely be using my one more. Still it's also made me realise that whatever you ride it's so great being a cyclist.
whoof wrote:With a lot of people there is another weight factor. What they weigh in the summer and winter.
I have lost half a stone since x mas, back to my summer weight , from 154 to 147 lbs 5 % weight loss , just got to start working on my fitness now .
John Wayne: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on... I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
