Is Light Weight Worth The Money? | Are XC Bikes Too Light?
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- Опубліковано 17 лип 2024
- Do you really need a lightweight bike? It's a question pondered by many corners of the mountain bike community, from top-end racers after the best performance, to the trail centre riders who are beginning to question the efficiency of their bike. Anna is here to shine some light on the subject and find out just how much the weight of her XC bike influences the clock across a range of terrain.
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
0:00 - Do You Really Need A Lightweight Bike?
0:46 - The Test Explained
1:34 - The Bike In Question
2:11 - The Climbing Challenge
5:27 - The Singletrack Challengee
8:13 - The Downhill Challenge
10:01 - Results & Conclusions
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Are you at all fussed by the weight of your bike? Would it be something that would play a factor in a purchase or would you seek to make a bike lighter after purchase? Let us know your thoughts! 👇
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Lightweight bikes are faster on the climbs and faster at reducing your bank balance then.
So the conclusion is as usual when it comes to bike - don't stress it, if you're not racing just enjoy the ride. Unless you're one of those few people who are all about KOMs and race their own dog during a walk then a heavier, cheaper bike will be as enjoyable as a light, expensive one.
Totally agree 💯
I'd like to see the test run again with heavier bike used for the first run and lighter on the second.
Also, it seems the dynamics of the bike changed enough to throw you off just a bit so maybe a week of riding your bike loaded to become accustomed to handling differences. I still expect the heavier bike to be slower, just think reversing the order in testing and adding in a familiarisation period is warranted to solidify the validity of the testing.
I was also thinking that how the weight is distributed on the bike must count for something. If its evenly distributed on the frame and other parts, it must be a better riding experience.
It’s never too light if I break my back everytime I’m trying to lug it from my apartment to the downstairs haha
The biggest quick fix would be on rolling masses. Lighter wheels and XC tyres would make a difference I would of thought?
Good comparison and test 👍
No power readings to compare?
Very interesting there but as you would expect the result to be. There really needs to be power data & output differences on those same tests, that would show which was truley the best. But less wieght is always in my mind the best approach but I'm a roadie too, so there might be a little bias there! So I really would like to see that done agian with a power meter data too decide once & for all.
I suspect that it depends what the build of the rider is. I'm a skinny, light bloke and I've always noticed the difference of weight especially the wheels / tyres. However if you're a big powerful bloke I'm sure the weight is less noticeable and the extra strength of slightly heavier components is probably well worth it.
Didn't expect these results! Interesting.
Awesome video Anna
Great video. Really interesting. Thanks for sharing 👍
I've never understood the point of worring about the weight of a bike, yes i realise that having a lighter bike would be nicer, but on my diet i've lost 26lb which is 12kg, so the difference between an xc and a normal bike or even a carbon is wasted. I've got another 42lb 19kg to go, so by the time im at my target weight, I would have lost 30kg, which really makes the bike weights irrelevant.
Keep up the good work, respect for what you’ve accomplished too. I find it hard to diet and need to lose fat, I train very heavily in the gym, and cycle as often as I can, my weight is fairly stable, but I’ve gone down a notch on my belt, so I’m happy with that. Though losing the 12 extra kilos I’m carrying around would be nice…
Well done guys, keep going, stay strong!
Great video 😃 Anna is the best 😃
A heavier wheel/tyre set will make the biggest difference in performance than weight randomly strapped to a frame.
Just about to get an XC bike (normally ride enduro) and I'll be putting a dropper post on - the extra 400g's won't really slow me down uphill, but will massively speed me up going down!
Cost is probably going to be the biggest divide between which direction someone decides to go with bike weight. If someone is competing, that's a very different motivation for cost. If someone is not competing, then the decision will be made on the basis of experience. If they like the feel of a slightly heavier bike over a featherweight, then the experience means more than a few seconds on a clock.
What trail is this? Looks nice. Great video Anna 😁
Always enjoy your down to Earth, straightforward presentation style. For dirt I have a Trek Supercaliber and I LOVE it.
Lighter bike for up and down trails is a great experience. I wonder how you would have time with a 24-25 lbs short travel/down country bike.
Fun video. I wonder if the large differences in time are due to your relative light weight. That 3kg difference wouldn't be as large for me at 90kg, but for you at probably half of my weight, it's a much bigger impact.
I was reading this as like so true, and ouch her bike with 3kg is heavier than the Trek Slash (enduro mountain bike) I'm building, at moment looking at XC tyres but with enduro tyres be 12.5kg, I was looking at analog suspension 11.2kg (XC tyres) Vs digital suspension 11.5kg (xc tyres)
I am interested in test with moving the additional weight from the bike to the rider. As in this case some runs with the weight on the frame and a few runs with the same wight in a backpack.
I remember working out in the 90's the cost at around £1/gram for upgrading to lighter weight components. Considering the cost of a lightweight xc bike saying costing £3-4000K and you ride it both weekend days so /24 = £145/ride in bike cost alone and if you sell your bike every year for the next latest and greatest at lets say you're lucky at 1/2 its original value thats almost £75/ride in original retail for the bike alone... Not to mention most serious cyclists would have a few bikes in the garage. Is light weight worth the money - sure, if you can justify the original cost and the price of maintenance / upgrades.
Wouldnt the rotation weight from the lighter wheelset matter more than 3kg of weight strapped to the frame? The less expensive hardtail has way heavier wheels than what you have. Id love to see if that matters
8:50 we have one race in my hometown, where there is a very long descent. It's not really technical, more like an unpaved road. And since I have my lighter weight bike, I don't break at all before the end of the section, but I had to do that with my heavier bike
While I love to watch the channel, I come rather from the roady world (kind of), and some time ago the videos hosted by Alex and Ollie from GCN convinced me that a bike's weight doesn't really matter as much as one would think, and I'm convinced not only by the shown tests (let's say they are not always supported by statistics - those are usually singular rides) but also by the science behind them (physics and computer modelling). I guess this translates quite well to the gravel world too, but I do wonder if there is a way to test the effect of weight more rigorously in the XC world. The tests provided in this video suggest this effect might be greater than on the road, but again, this may need more statistical support.
I'm curious about your power for each of your run. Did you have to put more effort with the bike weighted?
I guess the opposite. Otherwise I can't explain the 12% slower time on a not so technical uphill, if change in overall weight is maybe at 5-6%.
Wich chainring size do you run on your Canyon Exceed CFR?
The more vids Anna does the more comfortable she seems in front of the camera, complimenti. Another informative vid, though instead of lightening my bike, I’m just going to have to ride more and get fitter… oh well…
Did u up the tyre pressures? once the weight was added. Otherwise rolling resistance would matter alot. Surely
My 91 steel GT Korakoram is my lightest bike. Lighter than my cyclocross bike, and a lot lighter than my NS Clash dirt jumper/trail bike
I don’t really care too much about the weight of a bike… I care more about having fun!
Cheaper and more practical alternative for a lot of people. Lose 5kg of body weight. I climb hills heaps faster at 85kg compared to when I was 115kg.
I have never timed a ride, but use fatigue and how far I can travel as the measure of enjoyment. By that measure a lighter bike wins every time.
Weight is the first thing I look at. I go off and on road with the same bike, and where I live there is nothing but hills, I don't enjoy dragging more weight than needed. The test should have included how much watts was used to determine effort. For a person that is not so fit it is noticable.
Same thing in motorcycle racing. Of course a lighter motorcycle will be faster... But the weight of the rider is much more significant. shaving off a few ounces of metal probably will help win a race, but the rider is important too
a short guy that's very skinny and strong will be faster than a some one with 20 or 30 more pounds of bones and guts.
Training muscle, gaining stamina will help but some people are born with a body types for racing at the top levels
I for one can say maintaining speed on a 35lb kona vs a custom 16lb gravel absolutely makes a difference. Im sure tires came into play along with gearing but the effort definitely was noticeable. Both take effort climbing but the carbon bike did it fast. Acceleration is way faster on the carbon. Funny thing, a titanium gravel bike with carbon wheels that weighted more than the carbon accelerated faster.
I'm in the 'Ti is Magic' camp; I have no way to explain it, but every ride on one is better.
You was right about the acceptation, but wouldn't say lighter keeps momentum better at all
Just snapped a "lightweight" bike right in half Saturday. Just right in half at the top tube and down tube. Wasn't the biggest jump by any measure. My buddy just came down a little wrong.
Don't think I've ever seen that happen on an old school chromoly fame
Heavy duty is heavy
Light duty is light
It's not the same to add extra stuff to increase bike's weight. Wheels rotate. Additional spinning masz would have pros and cons. Additionally weight distribution matters. This comparison isn't reliable, but shows somewhat. Idk what, but probably someone can find it out :D
I was definitely climbing faster on my xc bike yesterday. Not faster on the downs.
i wonder what it would be like if the weight difference was more drastic, say a carbon xc bike compared to an entry level aluminium xc bike
Come to kicking horse in Golden BC for great mountain bike rides see you soon
No doubt about it its faster i just built a 9k fully rigid xc carbon/ti race bike. its a damn rocket.. up and down..
Awesome bike ❤
Now repeat the test over a 4-6 hour endurance race. THIS is where the gaps are much larger.
🤔mine ia 14kg, I have no problems
I don't get too bothered about saving grammes when I carry a small rucksack with water, spare tubes, tools etc which weighs over 2kg, makes a mockery of the whole thing!
You didn’t mention tire pressure, my gravel bike rides much smoother and better control with lower tire pressure
Adding 3kg on the frame is nit the same as 3 kg in the components and, ofcourse, if this components are in rotation as the wheels, tires, crank pedals and cassette😉
Personally I'd go for the heavier, maybe better equipped, aluminium bike rather than the carbon one. It will also give me some peace of mind regarding durability
I was first in my local clan to get a Mongoose carbon bike in 1995, I had issues with delaminated frames then switched to a Cannondale F700 aluminium in 1996. Since I've had two other carbon bikes that failed on me, the last one was a 2017 Cannondale... I still have my 96" F700 and most aluminium bikes after that...
Gearing defeated the purpose of adding lightness while removing reliability and security.
I survived the 1990's mtb scene, barely
When the small ROCK Deflects the Bike.
the BIG problem for this video its common xc bikes weight average 13kg to 15kg, dont know how my xc carbon fiber bike weight 11.60kg maybe cuz its cheaper that the exceed
I’ve never weighed my bike, but I also don’t race it. I have a hardtail that I know is lighter than my full sus, and I am way fast on my full sus. With that being said my handle skills are horrible so the full sus makes up for that.😂
"So thick, and so firm".... Ooh matron 😉
The only thing that makes a difference when it comes to weight? Is wheels n tires. Everything else is pointless.
Do u have ask your bike : am i heavy ???
Light weight is easier to de accelerate too so for me light weight is king
Can't justify the cost pinching grams when I'm still 20 pounds overweight
I think the rider weight also plays a big part. The heavier the rider the less the weight of the bike matters.
Fr tho
My friend put this bike together for his son and before I knew it he was done ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L When the son came to put it together he was surprised to see it was already done. All he had to do was take the bike to get air and be on his way. My friend did not have any major problems putting this bike together; small issue was putting one of the brakes on straight; however when the son got home he was able to fix it. The bike rides well gears move correctly; good bike for the price. Wrote review after the son took the bike. Sorry.
Oh I wondered why all the XC pros weren't carrying lead. :/ In our next test we will be dropping an apple to see if it goes up or down.
But they do use 30 mm id rims 2,4 tires and dropper post, so not all about low weight at all🤷♂️
@@wonderwatch2239 Yes just like it's not advisable to lose weight with no seat at all, or just wheelie around with one wheel...but nobody is saying that...but it is best to have the lightest version of what you can afford as long as it's strong enough.
I can’t believe this is was even tested 😂 #commonsense
Light weight Top Range XC bikes are irrelevant at best and here's the reason.
$15,000 Top range XC bike are about 1.5kg to 2kg lighter than it's $4,000 low-mid range counterpart.
Meanwhile in the real world, most can afford rich buyer of the top range model is usually 15-20kg overweight.
It hasn't floated away yet - so not too light. 😉
Doddy?
Lighter is the best
What glasses is she wearing?
Weight doesnt matter….its all about your legs!
Wucp grátis!!
you just take shit before a ride and you got a carbon bike
Nope
Also lose some body weight too less fructose in diet and u go faster :) !!!
Get rid of carbon and go plastic frames for XC!!! I want to buy a newer car not a bike at same price!!!!
These experiments prove nothing. doing a climb with a lighter bike first, depleting energy and incurring muscular fatigue and lactate buildup to then do it on a heavier bike would mostly produce the same result. Especially if the rider is not a high level or fit athlete. Plus the breaks in between do more harm than good (fatigue + being cold). I have ridden XC races with a 25lb bike for 12 laps and had faster climbs on every consecutive lap. Bikes climb well when your body is trained to suit the bike period. going much lighter than your regular bike makes the bike skid around and dance around the trail on climbs instead of staying planted and maintaining a good rhythm.
A lighter bike comes with better components and tires, in this comparison everything is the same and the weight is put on a few parts of the bike. This comparison is really ridicules
They pump out videos on a nearly daily basis. It's hard to keep coming up with ideas.
"light bikes really are quicker". That is a very definitive statement for the most unscientific test ever. I put a heavier fork and slower rolling tires on my bike and I'm much faster. Confidence and grip. Also, you just randomly threw weight all over the bike. The weight distribution would make a HUGE difference. That's not even mentioning that bigger breaks would have helped on a heavier bike. This was a very silly video.
Idk but you can hook me up pls