Thoughts about road bike weight

[Dan77]

Ah for the Carbon bike - just get it, you won't be disappointed. The SL5 has the isospeed system which sounds like a bit of a gimmick but it does smooth out small bumps in the road nicely, it's definitely noticeable and makes the ride much more comfortable - really good for an endurance focused bike. I'd go for the SL5 over the SL4 as 105 is much better than Tiagra shifting wise and the 105 hydraulics brakes are first class. Also the SL5 has a better gear range so go figure.

If you want to ride over winter then get some mudguards fitted by the shop - the Bontrager NCS mudguards work very well with the Domane as to be expected from the same brand and I'd budget a bit of money for replacing the tyres as @steve292 says the stock tyres are OK but not brilliant - they lack great puncture protection and are a bit heavy.

Stock wheels have always been OK for me from Trek - and I'm a fairly heavy rider - but if you want to upgrade later this is where I'd start.

Overall I'd suggest getting down to your local Trek dealer and organising a test ride - if you've had your eye on it for a while which it seems like, then that's the only way to confirm whether it's the bike for you. You could always buy a cheaper or lighter bike online but you'll always be left wondering....

Edit to add: White is the only colour I'd get the SL5 in

Thanks for your advice. I'm tempted to get a bike before winter really kicks in and get a turbo trainer and stick it on there for the winter while I punish my hybrid that I have just bought mudguards for on the commute. Then just get the nice bike outside on decent weather weekends until spring.

 

[si_c]

Thanks for your advice. I'm tempted to get a bike before winter really kicks in and get a turbo trainer and stick it on there for the winter while I punish my hybrid that I have just bought mudguards for on the commute. Then just get the nice bike outside on decent weather weekends until spring.

That's definitely an option - although I'd highly recommend getting out on the cold dry days in winter. On those days you don't overheat at all and on a good bike with clear roads it's a lot of fun.

 

[Dan77]

Now I really hate you, 74km on a HYBRID. Mine was that heavy I was lucky to get to the end of the road. I agree with every one else on here re the losing some weight yourself, I've lost just over a stone in the past 2 or 3 months and feel so much better for it (more to go yet hopefully). My times are also becoming quicker. A good bike helps but cut as much down from you as you can.

It's what Trek call a fitness hybrid so it's not too bad. 35mm tyres and weighs in at 12.5kg I think.
I've lost about a stone too in the last few months and continually breaking my PBs.....even managed 4 (pretty uncontested) KoMs.

 

[rogerzilla]

On a long ride, you really feel extra bike weight. I've done many rides > 100 miles and the ones where I could barely pedal by the end were always on heavier touring bikes. I still had some left in the tank when I used a far lighter fixie (the fixed gear also helps). I've done the same ride 3 times on a tourer, 3 times on a light fixie and once on a lightweight medium-ratio 3-speed. The latter would have been easier had I not been riding off-pace and unfed (long story involving my mate's broken cleat).

 

[Grant Fondo]

A lighter bike is generally a good thing right? To what degree is this important though?

I'm looking at endurance bikes as a first road bike. Researching now and hoping to buy when I see a good deal in the next 3-6 months.

I like Trek as a brand but I'm certainly not set on it. I'm not sure they're the best value for the spec. The Domane is a nice looking bike but it's almost 10kg.

Now I'm overweight myself so it seems a bit daft to obsess about bike weight but also I could do with all the help I can get going up those hills. There are other bikes with similar specs that are around 8kg. Would that weight saving make a real difference to me?

My rigid MTB is 10kg so i think you can go lighter if you have the cash. Also have 7.5kg endurance bike and 9kg gravel and quite hilly to west of where i live, endurance easily the best in this terrain, possibly because I am no Roglic

 

[si_c]

On a long ride, you really feel extra bike weight. I've done many rides > 100 miles and the ones where I could barely pedal by the end were always on heavier touring bikes. I still had some left in the tank when I used a far lighter fixie (the fixed gear also helps). I've done the same ride 3 times on a tourer, 3 times on a light fixie and once on a lightweight medium-ratio 3-speed. The latter would have been easier had I not been riding off-pace and unfed (long story involving my mate's broken cleat).

There is a big difference between a lightweight fixed gear and a touring bike - could be 4 or 5 kg potentially. I'd argue that a 10kg road bike with appropriate gearing vs a 7kg road bike with for the average rider isn't particularly noticeable over even reasonable length rides.

Both my road bikes are in the region of 9kg so not light weight by any means, once you add in my weight I doubt I'd notice it if the bike lost a couple of kg - I certainly haven't in the past when I was lighter and riding a much lighter bike than normal. For endurance, gearing and comfort beat weight up to a certain point, obviously if you're riding an 18kg bike you will notice the weight.

My rigid MTB is 10kg so i think you can go lighter if you have the cash. Also have 7.5kg endurance bike and 9kg gravel and quite hilly to west of where i live, endurance easily the best in this terrain, possibly because I am no Roglic

Wirral's not hilly

 

[HMS_Dave]

My road bike weighs 23kg's. It's an elephant bike and i ride it on the road.

 

[wafter]

In absolute isolation and all else being equal, a lighter bike is always better.

A lighter bike is easier to manouver when you're not riding, dragging through the house, lifting into the car or over gates, while it also feels more responsive to directional changes / over rougher terrain when out of the saddle. IME these areas are where you'll notice the difference most, from my experience of my three bikes (lightest 9.5kg, heaviest just shy of 14kg). The differences aren't "night and day" in use, although picking up the 9.5kg road bike after moving the 14kg shopper about can be a bit of a shock!

As you've already twigged the contributions of lighter bikes to climbing and acceleration are far lower; with a 2kg difference on the bike constituting maybe a 2-3% difference in overall system mass with the rider etc accounted for, so unless you're ultra-competitive, in the real world this is next to meaningless.

Other issues to consider are longevity and safety; judging by the feedback from a couple of respected pundits it seems that this year a lot of manufacturers have put the brakes on the seemingly unending quest for lightness at all costs, instead choosing to add a bit more meat to their CFRP framesets to improve strength. Personally I'd happily sacrifice a few hundred grams for a frame that gives greater peace of mind.

As usual a lot of the driving force behind the perpetual quest for lightness is nothing more than marketing; a fabricated and often largely arbitrary construct designed to give the consumer something quantitative to fixate upon and allow them to talk themselves further up the price range in the name of grams saved as an easy metric to compare bike to bike. All this despite the fact that mass is effectively a largely irrelevant factor for most riders, when considered within the confines of how the bike will be used and within the typical range of bike masses within a given type (road, touring etc) available within a particular price range.

 

[Magpies]

I'd argue that a 10kg road bike with appropriate gearing vs a 7kg road bike with for the average rider isn't particularly noticeable over even reasonable length rides.

+1 - IMO the wheels and gearing make much more difference than weight to speed & comfort in the 7-11kg range, unless you are a budding TdF rider. As mentioned several times above - the bike's weight is only a small fraction of the system weight.

 

[Dan77]

This has been really useful to get people's opinions. I'll do a little more research and then look at trying a bike if that's possible with the current supply shortages. The Domane is definitely a good possibility. Thanks all.

 

[oreo_muncher]

A lighter bike is generally a good thing right? To what degree is this important though?

I'm looking at endurance bikes as a first road bike. Researching now and hoping to buy when I see a good deal in the next 3-6 months.

I like Trek as a brand but I'm certainly not set on it. I'm not sure they're the best value for the spec. The Domane is a nice looking bike but it's almost 10kg.

Now I'm overweight myself so it seems a bit daft to obsess about bike weight but also I could do with all the help I can get going up those hills. There are other bikes with similar specs that are around 8kg. Would that weight saving make a real difference to me?

I have the trek al2 domane bike and it's amazingggg. Very smooth ride. I wish I could have the sl6 domane or slr6 domane but it's more on the pricey side. It's better value than specialised allez bikes. Better components than Cannondale. If you get Canyon- which is good value but you break it and need repairs you'll most likely have to send it back to the factory to get it fixed because they don't really have the parts in the UK (that's what I've been told by some bike shops when I asked about their thoughts on Canyon).

 

[boydj]

As a beginner, I doubt if you would notice the difference between an 8kg bike and a 10kg bike, even on hills. I'd suggest looking for a decent second-hand bike to start out, or a new bike with a reasonably good frame and fairly basic components. This will let you go through the learning curve for cycling on the road, build up some cycling fitness, and get the cycling habit properly established.

Once you've got the cycling bug, then you can look at upgrades (tyres & wheels first) or a newer, better bike.

 

[Kajjal]

More important is a well maintained bike that fits you and suits how you want to ride. My carbon gravel bike is very good on or off road and I do notice it being lighter but more important is it works well for me and is very reliable.

 

[itboffin]

My cervelo R5 was 6.2kg it’s now 7.3 after swapping from campag with 1kg wheel set to stock ultegra but the gears now are far more useable than the super lightweight setup oh and I’ve lost 14kg so it really is now down to less weight on the bike.

at 6.2 it felt like it could break at any point I like the more planted feeling and 7kg is hardly a heavyweight

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lighter bikes are slower downhill