But the carbon cage will cost significantly more. A metal bottle cage might weigh only 30 grams more than a carbon one. An inconsequential component might go under the microscope and hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars could be spent to save less than a pound. Some riders might begin to believe that a matter of a few grams will be the difference between a great bike and a mediocre bike. Trimming off excess weight can become an obsession. Of course, bikes aren’t rockets, but plenty of riders treat them like that. Aerospace materials are made to be as strong and light as possible to balance the equation, and they’re hugely expensive because of it. Because of this problem, minimizing rocket weight is paramount. For example, increasing a rocket's payload by only 5% may require a massive 130% more fuel to move it. As the amount of weight they want to move increases, the rocket fuel required to do so increases exponentially. When sending objects into space, they deal with the “tyranny of the rocket" equation. Rocket scientists are the world’s ultimate weight weenies. Shop road bikes The high cost of lightness It may surprise you to learn that it's also rarely the most important factor. Let’s take a deep dive into the subject of bike weight and look at the costs, value, and what real riders think about saving weight on their own bikes. Weight is only one factor of many that affect bike performance. ![]() As consumers, we can control and modify road bike weight in ways we can’t with variables like stiffness, aerodynamics, or geometry.īut does bike weight really matter? Weight weenies would say yes. ![]() ![]() We can put a bike on a scale, get a number, and determine that a smaller number is “better.” We can spend money on new components that save more weight. When it comes to improving a bike’s performance, weight is tangible. It’s the primary motivation of "weight weenies," people who count grams obsessively. Many cyclists dream of having the lightest bike possible. Is your heavy road bike making you depressed? You’re not alone.
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