Quick question, what's a nice average weight for a mountain bike these days? I don't know if it's because I'm a noob or what, but I'm getting my ass handed to me on some local trails, and it's either one of two things, I'm not pedaling hard enough or these guys have lighter bikes. My bike weighs in at 26 lbs.
What's the Average Weight of Modern Mountain Bikes?
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26lb is very light.
Rider weight counts SO much more than people realize. the 220lb guys trying to shave grams off a 25lb bike have no chance against a strong 150lb rider on a 32lb bike. Everyone likes a light bike, but fitness and body weight are enormous advantages, drastically more than a couple pounds of bike.
Rider weight counts SO much more than people realize. the 220lb guys trying to shave grams off a 25lb bike have no chance against a strong 150lb rider on a 32lb bike. Everyone likes a light bike, but fitness and body weight are enormous advantages, drastically more than a couple pounds of bike.
I agree with the above posts. Rider weight is so much more important, as is a riders strength. I rode with buddies the other day on their ~22lb, carbon 29er xc bikes with me on my AM 30lb beast and was the fastest out of all of us. It wasn't that my bike was the lightest, it was that I've been riding forever and they haven't.
When I used to race on the road and was new to it, even though I LOOKED fitter and stronger, I'd get my butt handed to me by "fat" looking guys that had been riding forever. I learned very quickly that it's all about the rider and not the machine. Little factors (like the above poster said) like tires can make a difference, but the determining factor in whether or not you keep up comes down to the engine and what kind of skills it has.
When I used to race on the road and was new to it, even though I LOOKED fitter and stronger, I'd get my butt handed to me by "fat" looking guys that had been riding forever. I learned very quickly that it's all about the rider and not the machine. Little factors (like the above poster said) like tires can make a difference, but the determining factor in whether or not you keep up comes down to the engine and what kind of skills it has.
G
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·motor needs a tune-up 
to answer 26-28lbs is the norm
to answer 26-28lbs is the norm
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yeah, over the past year I've gone from 174 lbs down to 150, and my bike has gone from 27 to now coil suspension and 31lbs... I'm way faster now than I was a year ago!
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dh bikes around 40. xc around 20. so 30 is the average.
G
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·150 is certainly not heavy (unless your 4') which leaves you with seat time and working just a bit more to keep pace. All of this stuff depends on ones frame of mind and any goals you may have of either competing or just being a recreational enthusiast enjoying the scenery.
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Technique can also be a killer to even the most fit cyclist. I regularly ride with triatheletes, the Ironman variety. When the trail is fast and straight they can kill me but i just let them go because as soon as it get twisty and turny and technical I catch right back up. At the end of the ride they are completely shelled and I, being in much less shape then them, am too but they shouldn't be. It is only because they are working so hard to make it through things that I just fly through.
Practice your cornering, if you are braking turning then accelerating through the corners, that is inefficient and you are wasting energy. Practice pumping through the rollers, using gravity to accelerate you down the hills and then attack over the top of the next hill.
If you are getting killed by guys you regularly ride with, watch what they are doing in the technical sections, emulate them and frankly nothing makes you faster than riding with people that are faster than you.
Practice your cornering, if you are braking turning then accelerating through the corners, that is inefficient and you are wasting energy. Practice pumping through the rollers, using gravity to accelerate you down the hills and then attack over the top of the next hill.
If you are getting killed by guys you regularly ride with, watch what they are doing in the technical sections, emulate them and frankly nothing makes you faster than riding with people that are faster than you.
yep deffo rider weight , i'm currently around 210 due to working away from home followed by a nasty ankle injury ,my fit weight is around 175-180, i'm basicly running 2 gears lower for a given climb for the same effort.
on the other hand a guy i used to ride with who was in his late 40's and had to weigh 270+ was an absolute monster on the climbs and embaraced many 120 lb racing snakes.
but as is mentioned above the dude was a competative time trialer in his younger days and has ridden bikes his whole life .
on the other hand a guy i used to ride with who was in his late 40's and had to weigh 270+ was an absolute monster on the climbs and embaraced many 120 lb racing snakes.
but as is mentioned above the dude was a competative time trialer in his younger days and has ridden bikes his whole life .
I would say I'm fairly new. Ive been riding BMX style bikes all my life but got my first non department store mountain bike last month.
I made damn sure the bike fit me perfectly before I settled on it but I've been noticing that I have some shoulder pain after each ride. Could that be from overly reaching for the handlebars. The previous owner had put an extra long stem onit, which looks sweet, but yea. I also have the shorter stock stem.
G
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·Having it user friendly is paramount to the enjoyment so either try the shorter stem or haul it to a LBS and get assistance with fitment otherwise your experience will suck every time out.
+1
A fitment is a very good idea.
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the good thing about being big and fat is that we go down faster.
no matter what there will always be somebody faster, don't worry about it just try hard and have fun. that what being on the trail is all about, having fun.
no matter what there will always be somebody faster, don't worry about it just try hard and have fun. that what being on the trail is all about, having fun.
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