[Blathma]

Not our own weight but the weight of the bike, components, wheels, etc...

Short of a bike tipping the scales at 50 or more lbs, it doesn't matter to me. Obviously my concern is more about build quality and robustness.

My last rig was just over 40lbs.. felt light to me, or at least didn't notice the weight at all. New rig I think is close to 40lbs as well, again even with the monster 29x3 tires, doesn't feel heavy or sluggish to me. Buddy has a carbon bike, very light. Took a quick spin on it, I could feel the difference in mass but not enough to matter to me, maybe if I had to race or slog out a couple hundred miles. Did not like the rigidity and transmission of every pebble though.. Too rough of a ride.

Is the weight thing more of an issue for the lighter smaller riders or do you fellow clydes also pay attention to it and look for ways to cut weight?

 

[targnik]

Imho us Clydes just need bigger (stronger) everything...

Wheels...

Suspension...

Tires...

The heaviest bike in my stable was/is a 2019 Polygon Siskiu N8.

Stock came w/ NX drivetrain, heavy OEM wheels.

It rode quite smooth for all its heft.

I did manage to ding the rear wheel on two occasions which started the upgraditis.

It's now running Spank wheels on DT Swiss 350 hubs.

Also, in came an 11 speed Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain.

That there shaved a heap of weight.

I moved the Yari over to my AM HT.

And in came a Factory Fox 36...

Then the rear felt like it was letting the front down.

In comes a Marzocchi Bomber CR w/ 650lb spring

Now I've got a SL 600lb spring coming as the 650 is a little un-plush.

I'm also building up a rear 27.5 wheel to make it a mullet mule

Anyhow, with all my tweaks it's probably as heavy as it use to be... but, it feels more Enduro than it use to.

Particularly in mullet mode :brraaapppp:

Weight!?

Why wait...??

Get out and ride what ya brung

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[jeremy3220]

It's somewhat important to me. It's a lot more work to throw/move around a heavy bike. In mountain biking there are constant accelerations (turning, hopping, braking, pedaling, etc). I think people who think strictly in terms of total weight (bike + body weight) are in a passenger mindset. My bike is a tool as much as it is a vehicle. I experience the weight of my bike at my hands and feet and adding 5-10 lbs of weight in my hands definitely makes a difference. Try adding a couple pounds to a hammer and see if it doesn't make a difference after a few minutes of swinging it.

This is why even in bmx weight is important. They don't have to think about climbing efficiency but they still have to swing the weight of the bike around. Also, ultimately a lighter bike is faster and uses less energy. I don't time my climbs or anything but I can definitely tell a difference in how drained I feel at the top. Whether or not you value you weight doesn't change the reality that it affects performance.

 

[sixate]

Weight of a rig is important in a couple ways. I can feel the difference on a light bike. I can feel the extra responsiveness and an increase in acceleration. I can also feel the fragility of a light bike under my 245lbs. Finding the right balance between weight and durability is key imo. Finding that balance depends on the trails you ride and if you're a smooth rider or tend to be a masher.

 

[Onegear3619]

All new bikes are heavy. I was riding my 2008 Ibis Mojo the other day and thinking it was super light at around 24lbs. Then I remembered I used to think it was really heavy. Not sure I agree with bigger guys need heavy, maybe a Higher Spoke count but that's about it all things being equal. You may have to replace things sooner that's all. 40 lbs seems like a real tank except on the down hill and even then...

 

[Blathma]

Excellent points. Seems like it kinda comes down to the type of riding and the type of clyd one is. I do all kinds of riding, street cruising to dirt climbing. I'm also a power lifter and spent more time then is sane doing that. So I have to be careful with sudden bursts of acceleration, snapping a chain, twisting a frame and just general breaking of things is not fun. Tubeless is a God send btw, having the rim work it's way past the tire while dragging the stem... Always and I mean always got flats from stem sitting at a canted angle, got tired of having to rotate it all back.

Currently at 280lbs and I don't want to sound like an ass, but any bike from 30-40lbs is just not enough weight for me to feel like I need to go lighter. Even though I get that a 5lb reduction is a big deal, I probably wouldn't notice it. And I also enjoy a good workout...

 

[Onegear3619]

You should have started with the power lifter/280. You're a Big Boy. I take back everything I said. 40 pounds would be light for you. You in no way sound like an ass. Do you have to change chain rings and cassettes often? I would guess yes. Best of luck.

 

[sixate]

Yup, as a power lifter you can throw down massive bursts of torque that most people just can't even imagine. You definitely need to go for strength/durability on all your bikes. Every person is different though and not everyone needs to focus so heavily on strength of a bike build as you do.

My hardtail is right at 30lbs and wouldn't want it any lighter than that and for me it's a fast bike. I can keep up with just about anyone except for on long steep climbs.

 

[targnik]

I'm no power lifter...

Ex rugby player (close to 25 years).

Use to hit gym quite a bit back in my heyday.

For my first few years of mountain biking, I was always destroying rear free hubs.

Always on a steep climb, where my usual disadvantage of body mass (240lb's) was overtaken by my strength/power.

I've torn top sections off cassettes...

I've cracked freehubs in two...

I've turned bearings into paste...

DT Swiss are now on all my bikes.

Their ratchet system has stopped me having to rebuild rear wheels every 3-4 months.

My strength/power helps me clean technical climbs/sections that my riding buddies struggle with.

But, at a cost to bike parts.

Remember, mountain bikes like most things are built for the general masses...

Not us Clyde-zillas

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[Blathma]

If I stand up to pedal, I have to be very careful, first instinct is treating it like a deadlift -BOOM- explosive power... Bikes I've found don't like that. Best case is the tires loose traction, that happens easy enough. It can get squirrelly, but better then breaking things.

I've got an old beach cruiser, great for just quick casual runs in the neighborhood. After a couple yrs the bearings were shot, gears worn down and the wheels kept busting spokes. After my Fisher was stolen I pressed the poor old cruiser into daily service... Rear hub lasted all of 2 months when that happened.. So I updated the wheels, BB and chain, while waiting on the krampus to be available. Was able to swap the cheapo crank set over to sealed bearings, and not thinking got an aluminum crank gear... Yup, it lasted all of 3 months... Ughh even the new rear hub and wheel is groaning... Took up sprint/walks waiting for the new ride.

Clyde-zillas ... That's a good one.. Wife just calls me shrek..

 

[jeremy3220]

What bike do you have and how did you get it to 40 lbs? Even a heavy enduro bike runs max around 37 lbs usually.

 

[Blathma]

Surly krampus XL... Weighed it at the lbs... 36lbs.

 

[jeremy3220]

Surly krampus XL... Weighed it at the lbs... 36lbs.

What did you do to beef it up? I didn't think the Krampus was a particularly heavy bike.

My 'light' bike is a XXL Tallboy V4 which is a bit over 29 lbs. My XXL Megatower is around 33.5 lbs with trail tires (haven't weighed it with my DH wheels/tires). I'm about to swap the Fox 36 for a 38 though which is going to add about half a pound.

 

[Blathma]

Nothing... It's a full rigid.. First loser.
Only change I've made since getting it is, a better seat... Don't think there's a weight delta there.. running the vee speedsters at the moment. Delivered it was on dirt wizards.
No idea if normal, but the lbs put stainless allen bolts in every single standoff... Every one! At best that might be 1/4lb.

It's funny, I'm very used to moving heavy weight around a lot, so there's a bit of a disconnect as it relates to what others consider heavy. I'm not allowed to hand grocery bags off to the wife, what I consider 'light' she's does not... Not at all.

 

[jeremy3220]

I thought those bikes were a lot lighter than that.

Keep in mind, it doesn't really matter what you consider light or heavy in the general sense. You might feel like you're so strong 5-10 lbs of extra weight doesn't matter but MTB is an endurance sport and there are plenty of 120 lbs female riders that would eat you (and me) alive. It's the sustained power to weight ratio that really matters. DH is a bit different but there's still no huge guys in elite DH racing. However even in DH racing they keep the bikes relatively lightweight (usually under 40 lbs). My point is being so powerful bike weight doesn't matter isn't really a thing. Ultimately, you want a bike that holds up and is appropriate to the terrain you're on. For bigger guys that may rule out 20 lbs bike but weight matters for performance no matter what.

 

[Blathma]

Oh totally understand the weight penalty for duration racing. In this last yr I switched up my program added in sets to failure, started at 40% of PR now at a soul crushing 60%, leg day is always vomit inducing black out brutal.. finish the half dozen heavy sets with 4 sets of going to failure. Upside, I know sounds crazy.. but the upside I've noticed is that biking has gotten easier, what used to be a good ride is now just the warm-up. I can only imagine then a bike that's even 10% lighter would really make the rides a breeze. But sadistic me, prefers the ride to be difficult.

 

[Le Duke]

Oh totally understand the weight penalty for duration racing. In this last yr I switched up my program added in sets to failure, started at 40% of PR now at a soul crushing 60%, leg day is always vomit inducing black out brutal.. finish the half dozen heavy sets with 4 sets of going to failure. Upside, I know sounds crazy.. but the upside I've noticed is that biking has gotten easier, what used to be a good ride is now just the warm-up. I can only imagine then a bike that's even 10% lighter would really make the rides a breeze. But sadistic me, prefers the ride to be difficult.

Pedaling harder on a lighter bike still works.

I mean, the weight of a bike has absolutely no bearing on how hard you can pedal for a given duration. Watts are watts. There are likely plenty of 140lb dudes who produce more, on bikes that weigh less.


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[jonshonda]

I can only imagine then a bike that's even 10% lighter would really make the rides a breeze. But sadistic me, prefers the ride to be difficult.

imho if you are clydesdale status then bike weight is not going to matter much at all. It's just a matter of physics. When the weight of your bike is only a very small fraction of your body weight, it is going to have much less of an impact on the energy required to make it up the hill, corner, or brake.

Rider weight is much more important, especially when the discussion is suspension components and their performance. Bikes just aren't designed for big dudes, so the more time and money you can invest into losing weight, the better off you will be. Losing 10lbs on a bike is VERY expensive, and most of the ww stuff isn't suited for clydes. I really struggled with suspension performance until I got down into the 230-240lb mark, then everything just seemed to work better and last longer.

The ideal clyde bike is one that has the frame construction of a 160mm bike, which a low leverage ratio, but designed with 120-140mm travel. 36mm fork, coil shock, 40mm seat post for a big dropper, clearance for real 29+, tall stack and fairly long reach.

 

[Ogre]

I don't think you need a super heavy bike to get a strong bike. While I don't weight 280 (anymore), I've bobbed between 200 and 240 over the past 7 years of owning a 22 pound single speed and a 26 pound full suspension bike with few reliability issues and clocked a lot of miles on each.

I do have a newer steel Honzo which is in the ballpark of 34-35 pounds I think, but it has some big 2.6" DH tires on it with thick casings and a fairly chunky wheelset. While I love the Honzo for shuttled runs or particularly technical trails, on longer rides or flat rolling rides, I almost always grab one of the other bikes. I suspect if you had options, you'd find yourself doing similar.

 

[Ogre]

Rider weight is much more important, especially when the discussion is suspension components and their performance. Bikes just aren't designed for big dudes, so the more time and money you can invest into losing weight, the better off you will be. Losing 10lbs on a bike is VERY expensive, and most of the ww stuff isn't suited for clydes. I really struggled with suspension performance until I got down into the 230-240lb mark, then everything just seemed to work better and last longer.

Well sure, of course rider weight is more important. And of course having a bike which is more durable is more important for a Clyde.

Losing 10 pounds of bike weight is very expensive, but expense wasn't really the question here. The question was whether it was important. A clyde on a 22 pound racing rig is expensive and kind of pointless, but getting a 36 pound hard tail down to ~30-32 pounds is not that difficult (or expensive) without compromising on strength and can make a big difference in ride.

The bulk of the weight issue here is not durability versus weight. Being a clyde doesn't require 3" tires or a steel frame. That's a whole other bike-style choice. Fundamentally, either the OP made uninformed assumptions about what a clyde needs in a bike build or simply prefers that style of bike.