[jmallory]

I see so many people posting about how they are switching out all their hardware to titanium and getting carbon everything to shed minimal weight with a maximum cost. Is weight that necessary? I understand if you race professionally for a living. But c'mon man! Get stronger rather than making your bike do the work. I've never weighed my bikes, this is getting ridiculous. Is it secretly a competition to see who can get the lightest bike?

 

[VTSession]

Because we all gotta pedal up.

 

[TwoNin9r]

i was never until i started losing it. fact is, 1 lb of difference feels great, and i'm a heavy dude. honestly, though, the wheels are the best place to lose it.

i have seen some people go to extremes, though. there's a guy on here with like an 18 lb 2x10 bike with front suspension, and there are photos of him jumping it!

the above being said, i have a 22lb carbon hard tail and a 28lb 130mm full suspension, and i have a LOT of fun in different capacities on both. on my HT, i'm just fast, on my FS, i spend a lot of time in the air

 

[RIVER29]

There are a few nice things about having a lighter bike but I really don't get the obsession. The longer I ride the more I look for functionality and reliability that I can afford. When I raced I use to ride a 23lbs FS bike, I paid 8K for it and never felt comfortable jumping. Now I ride a 33lb bike that I paid half that for and have never felt more confident or had more fun. Do I wish I could afford some carbon wheels to make my ride a little more zippy? Yes, but I've never caught myself obsessing about it, just about having fun on my bike.

 

[girlonbike]

More fun.

 

[TwoNin9r]

this was my exact goal for my trail bike, but i intend to race on my HT and so, every little bit i'm sure helps. That said, it was 23.x lbs right out the door of the LBS, and i paid $2100 for it, so the reward was very high for a small price

There are a few nice things about having a lighter bike but I really don't get the obsession. The longer I ride the more I look for functionality and reliability that I can afford. When I raced I use to ride a 23lbs FS bike, I paid 8K for it and never felt comfortable jumping. Now I ride a 33lb bike that I paid half that for and have never felt more confident or had more fun. Do I wish I could afford some carbon wheels to make my ride a little more zippy? Yes, but I've never caught myself obsessing about it, just about having fun on my bike.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

It's quantifiable. There are very few other aspects of "betterness" that one can measure, let alone post on the 'net.

You can find similar discussions of power output if you know where to look.

 

[RIVER29]

this was my exact goal for my trail bike, but i intend to race on my HT and so, every little bit i'm sure helps. That said, it was 23.x lbs right out the door of the LBS, and i paid $2100 for it, so the reward was very high for a small price

I would never argue that weight isn't an advantage for racing. Some races are one by milliseconds so you do what you can to go a little faster, I'm just not sure that millisecond equals more fun.

 

[J.B. Weld]

More fun.

Which is what cycling is all about. Not a necessity but if you have the $$$ why not?

 

[Bird]

Well I'm also an avid backpacker and the same applies......less weight makes a considerable difference when you have to climb.

I'm an XC rider so less weight is optimal and you pay for less. lol

 

[TwoNin9r]

I would never argue that weight isn't an advantage for racing. Some races are one by milliseconds so you do what you can to go a little faster, I'm just not sure that millisecond equals more fun.

this i also vehemently agree with. i bring out the hard tail when i'm riding with my buds i have trouble keeping up with... otherwise, the Thumper is the weapon of choice, without question.

for FUN factor, a bike that FITS and is COMFORTABLE and inspires confidence is the only option. I built the Thumper to my exact spec, i chose everything exactly as i wanted it, and only 2 weeks after the build was complete i started changing stuff... i didn't even bother factoring in weight, and my method paid off in spades. the bike is set up exactly to my liking and i am thrilled every time i ride it.

i did my first non-stop lap at my favorite trail on it and ended up going back for a second lap! and it was faster than my PR on my other bike (stopping the timer to rest, so it wasn't even a non-stop lap).

i'm fortunate enough to have both ends of the spectrum, though.

 

[Legbacon]

I bought some new shorts (Funkier) that are quite lightweight but I'm afraid they make my ass look fat!

 

[joshcowin]

one thing i would say is more weight makes you go faster down hills such as the nukeproof food for though

 

[TwoNin9r]

yeah but do you really want to be heavy on the way down? i would think a light bike would flick around better and be more maneuverable. you could just pedal to compensate.

 

[Hawgzilla]

Everyone is obsessed about something or another. Let them play.

BTW, how much does your bike weigh?

 

[thickfog]

Light bikes are simply fun. More flick able, easier climbing, turning, etc. You loosing weight and your bike loosing weight are two totally different feelings when on the bike.

 

[Ricko]

I see so many people posting about how they are switching out all their hardware to titanium and getting carbon everything to shed minimal weight with a maximum cost. Is weight that necessary? I understand if you race professionally for a living. But c'mon man! Get stronger rather than making your bike do the work. I've never weighed my bikes, this is getting ridiculous. Is it secretly a competition to see who can get the lightest bike?

Well, you're just going to have to accept weight weenieness as one of those quirky things that OTHER people do...

 

[jmallory]

More fun.

Please explain. I don't get how less weight is more fun. I'd rather save up that money and buy another bike. That seems like more fun to me.

 

[Andy Bloot]

It's not that ti bolts etc will get you up the hill faster - it's just that researching, looking at, talking about, deciding, buying and installing is all part of the fun of MTB

I research all my parts fastidiously and go for a strength to weight that I'm happy with
I like to have my bike around a certain weight just because that's what I like

To each his own
i don't really see why it matters

 

[padrefan1982]

It's quantifiable. There are very few other aspects of "betterness" that one can measure, let alone post on the 'net.

You can find similar discussions of power output if you know where to look.

This. Numbers hold a great deal of power for people, and weight is a pretty easy one to look at. Lighter = better.

I rarely replace parts to lighten my bike (need to lay off dessert and soda first!) but when doing upgrades, I'll look into lightening the bike if I can keep the same functionality. For instance, replacing my stock cranks on my Epic with the new RF Nexts was a no brainer for me.