‘Weight premium….’ Oh how things change….

[scant]

found it, sub 14lb hardtail. https://www.pinkbike.com/news/building-the-worlds-lightest-29ers.html

 

[scant]

just announced, 760g frame https://www.pinkbike.com/news/ridley-release-new-raft-and-probe-rs-xc-bikes-2023.html

so yeh you can get 35lb big travel enduro bikes that can clear 40ft doubles & ride world cup DH, but you still get plenty of light weight bikes

 

[Peachy!]

found it, sub 14lb hardtail. https://www.pinkbike.com/news/building-the-worlds-lightest-29ers.html

Just had a quick butchers... & I thought we were mad!

 

[2manyoranges]

Ah the contemporary weight weeny project...that's pretty exceptional to say the least. Yep, read all about that. But that is NOT a standard 'most people can buy it' rig.

18 bikes No9 = 29.7 lbs
Shand Shug = 29.1 lbs
Stanton Switch9er = 30.4 lbs

These are pretty standard weights these days and even then are considered pretty expensive, up-market bikes, and certainly so to the person on the Clapham Omnibus. And quite a bit more porky than I was riding in the 1990s. I am simple pointing out an historical change, I am NOT complaining, since I love contemporary bikes. And it simply means I have to be a more fit, which is no bad thing.

 

[scant]

my 120mm xc fs rig is lighter than my fat chance titanium was in 94. my hardtail is a lot lighter, despite rrp being less than the fat chance BITD. value for longevity at least got a lot better, stuff lasts a lot longer now.

most people can buy? yeh mtb went crazy expensive. thats a different conversation

 

[scant]

@Peachy! yup, the extremes of weightweenism (sp?) is pretty nuts. everyone needs a hobby!?

 

[moonlite]

All those custom carbon parts must have cost a bit. Would be good to know the total cost of each bike. Then we could do a dollars-per-gram calculation and do a direct comparison with our own bikes.

 

[averagebiker]

The good news for me is that I have no desire to do the riding that modern bikes are designed for/capable of. So dropping thousands on a lightweight version has no appeal.

I ride bikes of all sorts in order to explore, both on and off road. I got all my jumping and lunacy out at an early age on BMXs!

So 90s rigid steel MTBs suit me (and in my view are the pinnacle of MTB) and dare I say it........turn away if you are retro sensitive.......Gravel bikes are great too

 

[benjabbi]

@2manyoranges you've picked a select niche to focus on, the steel 'hardcore hardtail'. If we go back in time and pick say a DMR Trailstar (arguably the grandaddy of this type of bike), add a Z1 Bomber, some wide rims (for the time) say Mavic 521s, robust tyres maybe Michelin Comp 16/24s, that bike will easily top 30lbs.
Comparing a modern hardcore hardtail to a mid 90' XC bike and saying it's heavier is hardly a fair comparison.
There's many different categories of mountainbike and lightweight XC is still very much alive.

 

[grey-beard]

I've never bothered about weight savings on any of my bikes, but have you all see the current pro downhillers adding weights to there bikes?