How heavy are modern bikes in comparison?
- Thread starter J.T.
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my Proflex 857 recently weighed in at 27lbs and in it's day (14 years ago) it was a high end full-sus bike.
new full sus bikes of a similar pricepoint appear to be around the same weight give or take a couple of pounds, yet they have much more suspension travel, disc brakes, more gears etc etc.... in all a "better" bike.
I don't think you can really compare your RTS to your friends modern full-sus bikes effectively, I'm guessing they bought their bikes new and bought new parts for them at todays prices? whilst I'm also guessing you got your frame 2nd hand and fitted a fair amount of used (yet light and pricey when they were new) parts?
No doubt they have more/smoother/more adjustable suspension and very effective disc brakes, more gears etc.... in effect they are "better bikes".
*by "better" I mean more efficient and effective in the job they are designed to do.
new full sus bikes of a similar pricepoint appear to be around the same weight give or take a couple of pounds, yet they have much more suspension travel, disc brakes, more gears etc etc.... in all a "better" bike.
I don't think you can really compare your RTS to your friends modern full-sus bikes effectively, I'm guessing they bought their bikes new and bought new parts for them at todays prices? whilst I'm also guessing you got your frame 2nd hand and fitted a fair amount of used (yet light and pricey when they were new) parts?
No doubt they have more/smoother/more adjustable suspension and very effective disc brakes, more gears etc.... in effect they are "better bikes".
*by "better" I mean more efficient and effective in the job they are designed to do.
FairfaxPat
Senior Retro Guru
My 1991 Funk hardtail with RockShox fork and V-Brakes weighs 25 1/2 pounds and my 2009 Fisher HiFi Pro Carbon weighs 25 pounds with disc brakes and 5" of travel and tubeless tires.
bryan555
Retrobike Rider
My 1994 Pace RC200 is sub 20lbs, but has light parts, only one gear and rigid forks.
It goes pretty fast up and down hills, and when I try heavier modern bikes with suspension forks they seem rather hefty and hard to hop about. That said, once I've gotten used to that they are faster down the hills where it's rough. And I have ridden a 29er which was set-up 1x9 with 100mm fotks that weighed about 19lbs. That was VERY fast!
I haven't ridden a full susser for long enough to comment, but I guess the extra weight is worth it if you're into downhilling fast over rough ground.
It goes pretty fast up and down hills, and when I try heavier modern bikes with suspension forks they seem rather hefty and hard to hop about. That said, once I've gotten used to that they are faster down the hills where it's rough. And I have ridden a 29er which was set-up 1x9 with 100mm fotks that weighed about 19lbs. That was VERY fast!
I haven't ridden a full susser for long enough to comment, but I guess the extra weight is worth it if you're into downhilling fast over rough ground.
J.T.":1557xwl6 said:Pace RC36 Evo forks help, also got Thomson components and Full XT
There's nothing particulary light or special about those parts so i suspect that the load cells in the scales you are using (assuming you are using the electronic type) are outside their accurate measuring range.
SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum
Old School Grand Master
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First came the mountain bike...then came the effort to produce a mountain bike that weighed 23lbs like a road bike....the came liability concerns...hence today's overweight bikes. As has been pointed out many above the braking systems, wider tires and heavier fully frames and forks are to blame for the added weight but in the end it's all to protect the manufacturers from litigation and supposedly the riders.
silverclaws
Senior Retro Guru
I haven't a clue how heavy my bike is, and furthermore, I don't really care, as I am non competitive, but weight I believe promotes fitness. If one has a heavy bike and wants to ride it, one is just going to have to do so weight regardless, get fitter is the only option and true key to it all, the fitter one is, the more one can enjoy their bike.
Yes, I do lighten my bikes, by swapping out steel for aluminium, but that is more to do with the other properties of the metal rather than the weight, aluminium bars for example provide damping for the front end in lieu of a soft stem or suspension fork.
My riding style is to pick a route as it is presented, not bludgeon the bike over whatever comes at it, and slam on the anchors when the bike can't cope.
Yes, I do lighten my bikes, by swapping out steel for aluminium, but that is more to do with the other properties of the metal rather than the weight, aluminium bars for example provide damping for the front end in lieu of a soft stem or suspension fork.
My riding style is to pick a route as it is presented, not bludgeon the bike over whatever comes at it, and slam on the anchors when the bike can't cope.
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