Author Topic: Bike weight  (Read 6772 times)

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Offline pzyduck

Bike weight
« on: April 16, 2012, 08:58:49 am »
Hi folks,

My wife and I are planning a long bike trip around America. We weighed our bikes and gear and hers came in at 82 pounds and mine at 95. Does this seem like a lot or is that pretty much right? I know it probably varies significantly from one person to the next but is there any info out there on what the average bike weighs loaded up for a long tour?

Thanks,

Offline John Nelson

Re: Bike weight
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2012, 09:45:51 am »
You're in the ballpark of normal, with some more and some less. I would guess you're a bit above average in weight, especially if there was no food or water on board when you weighed. I'm sure if you post your equipment list here, a lot of people would be willing to tear it to shreds telling you what you could live without.  :) Most people take too many clothes.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Bike weight
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2012, 10:03:54 am »
We weighed our bikes and gear and hers came in at 82 pounds and mine at 95. Does this seem like a lot or is that pretty much right?
It sounds like a lot to me, but not completely out of the range of normal.  I think we were at something like 65 and 75 pounds including bikes and all gear, but no food or water for our first tour (TransAmerica).  I thought we were a overloaded and we mailed a lot of stuff home along the way.  None of our gear was very light weight and we had too much clothing and a bunch of things that we really didn't need.

That said, there is a wide range of what folks carry.  My last trip I was down to under 40 pounds of gear including the bike with (minimal) cooking and camping gear.  On the other hand I have met folks who were happily carrying 150 pounds of gear and bike.

My experience has been that I have been happier each trip as I have shed gear weight.  Yours may be different, but I'd suggest packing as light as you think you will be happy and still be prepared to mail stuff home.

Offline DaveB

Re: Bike weight
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2012, 03:38:06 pm »
It sounds like a lot to me too.  Assuming your bikes weigh say 35 pounds complete with racks, etc, that means you are carrying 60 pounds and your wife 47 pounds of gear.  Further assuming one tent for both of you, I believe you have too much other stuff that you can probably do well with out.

Offline Sectrix

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Re: Bike weight
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2012, 04:20:34 pm »
My load out comes to about 65 Lbs before consumables, and I consider that kinda heavy. I'd encourage you to post your gear list, and I'm sure everyone will help dissect it. If you haven't made a list - make one. Record the weights for each item. When you look through it to try and save weight, start with the heaviest items first. Be realistic in what you're really going to need. A pillow would be nice, but a pile of clothes will serve just as well.

I'd also encourage you to read Ray Jardine's Guide to Lightweight Backpacking. It's not about cycling, but 90% of it still applies. To put this guy in perspective, he thru-hiked the PCT with a base weight of 15 Lbs.


indyfabz

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Re: Bike weight
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2012, 12:19:25 pm »
Another way to lapproach it is to ask yourself whether the weight is too much for you to handle. For my first trip (x-country on the Northern Tier and then down part of the Atlantic Coast route), my bike (63cm Cannondale T-700) and gear wegihed 90 lbs. according to a truck stop scale. I could have carried less, but I was unwilling to eliminate the good amount of film photo equipment I wanted to bring. In the end, the weight was manageable for me. I only weighed the bike out of curiosity. The actual weight wasn't important. What was important was that I was carrying what I wanted to carry and that I was capable of carrying it.

Offline litespeed

Re: Bike weight
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2012, 10:35:01 am »
"Most people take too many clothes."

Indeed. Most beginners take too much clothing and wind up discarding a lot of it or mailing things home. Some clothes, like outer MTB shorts, can do double duty and it's easy to wash bicycle clothing in a sink or shower.

It's also easy to pack too many tools. I carry tools and repair items I have never used but the day might come....

Your weights don't seem high to me, especially if you pack food and cooking gear. I don't pack either one and push upwards of 80 pounds down the road.