In the tradition of Jeff Foxworthy:
If you have ever weighed your bike before and after washing the dirt off… you might be a weight weenie.
If you have ever taken your bike completely apart and weighed each component on a gram scale… you might be a weight weenie
If you bought this bike… you might be a weight weenie
If you have ever shaved off all your body hair and weighed it… you might be a weight weenie.
While it’s good to avoid cast iron wheels and lead frames, where does it cross the line into an obsession? At what point have you gone so far that you put light weight ahead of durability or financial responsibility?
Here are a couple of guidelines to help you assess a purchase and make sure you are considering the whole picture and not just the number of grams.
The first thing to remember is the old saying, lightweight, durable, inexpensive: pick two. Any time you drastically cut the weight, but keep the durability of a component, the price is going to skyrocket.
Next, determine if saving weight is even a factor. For example, if your bike is already a reasonable weight, saving 50 grams on a new seat post isn’t that big of a deal and most riders won’t even notice the difference. On the other hand, shaving 1 pound or more of rotating weight off your wheels and/or tires will make a huge difference and even the most novice rider will instantly feel the improvement.
Finally, once you have decided to upgrade a component and weight is one of your deciding factors, do a bit of cost/benefit analysis to make sure you’re not overspending.
One of my riding buddies who races a lot, and is a bit of a weight weenie, defines the optimal cost/benefit value as $1 per gram saved. Here are some examples using that metric:
Good Purchase
I upgraded my heavy wheel set with a pair of Easton XC Ones that I got on sale for $300. Net weight savings: 710 grams, or $0.42 per gram. That’s a good cost ratio, and a huge weight benefit since it was all rotating weight.
Not So Good Purchase
My stock Shimano SLX 10-spd rear derailleur weighs 260 grams. A new XTR 10-spd rear derailleur weighs 176 grams. Net weight savings: 84 grams. Cost: $185. $2.20 per gram is not a good purchase based on weight savings alone. Granted the XTR (allegedly) could shift better, but you will have to decide if it’s that much better, or if maybe an XT-level derailleur is the better way to go. Even considering the cost difference between the two derailleurs (about $100), it’s still over $1 per gram.
Insanely Bad Purchase
The Delta 7 Arantix carbon fiber hardtail MTB frame weighs in at 1,243 grams and costs $4,895! By comparison, a Giant xTC composite frame weighs 1,300 grams and costs $1,450. Net weight savings: 57 grams. Based on the cost difference between the two, that’s $60.44 PER GRAM!!!
So even though mountain bikers are always discussing the weight of this or that component, try to remember that it is only one aspect of a purchase. Make sure to consider durability, compatibility, warranty, and suitability for your specific application. Use the $1 per gram number as a baseline, and also make sure to read reviews and articles by other people who have used the item you are considering. This will help you make an informed purchase and results in a component that you are happy with over the long term.
In other words, don’t be a weight weenie. 
Also, disturbingly, all of the examples at the beginning of this post are real…
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Busted, I’m a bit of a weight weenie (I prefer the term gram counter
). Admittedly I HAVE weighed my bike before and after washing and to my disappointment, there wasn’t much difference (though that could’ve been because the bike was still a little wet).
Here’s another real-life “you might be a weight weenie if…”
I’ve you’ve ever made a big deal about claimed weight vs. actual weight… you might be a weight weenie. Apparently some folks stress about the weigh variance that occurs in manufacturing a component. So, for example, if you weigh 10 XT derailleurs, some will naturally weigh a few grams less than others – and there are people out there who will do whatever they can to buy the ones that weigh less than the average. I’ve heard of riders going so far as asking the shop to open boxes and weigh everything in stock to find the lightest one.
The dollar-per-gram rule of thumb is new to me but it seems to hold up pretty well. So what is the “baseline” weight for a mountain bike to make this work?
Yup ….I am a weight wennie, I won’t even lie about it…Even DH and long travel bikes apply to the madness…
@trek7k, do you mean the whole bike?
As for when I upgrade, I never get a component heavier than what it is replacing, and I actively try to reduce rotating weight from the wheels and tires. I like a light fork since Colorado riding requires the front end to be lofted repeatedly. Other than that, I figure I can drop some grams off the rider a lot cheaper and easier than anything on the bike itself.
“If you have ever weighed your bike before and after washing the dirt off… you might be a weight weenie.”
I SO need to try this the next time I come home after a muddy, wet, gloppy trail ride.
I have weighted a frame with paint and again after the paint was stripped.
The paint weighed 0.14 lbs in case anyone is curious…. I didn’t re-weigh after a clear coat was applied tho, ’cause the headset was installed before I got it back.
I like the $/gram rule. Another example: titanium hardware. Thomson recently looked at swapping ti hardware onto their stems. For the X4 MTB stem ti bolts would save 6 grams and increase the cost of the stem by $40 (or more) – that’s $6.66 (or more) per gram. They’re sticking with the steel bolts.
@maddslacker: Yeah, I guess baseline doesn’t really matter – I was trying to think of a way to use the metric to compare bikes. But no matter where you start, there’s always the dollar-per-gram floor where you’ll end up. So to turn a 30 lb. hardtail into a 25 lb. one, you’re looking at $2,300 (doable) but that doesn’t mean it’s possible to drop it to 20lbs. for another $2,300.
@ dgaddis
There is something wrong there if someone wants to raise the price $40 on a stem
Where I get my hardware (titanium) for a stem like that the bolts only cost $2.55 each retail (M5x17.5mm) so a stem uses about 6 bolts, that makes total cost $18.00…Someone is trying to make some extra money there…
@trek7k, yeah the law of diminishing returns does kick in pretty fast.
However, if you’re comparing just frames, the rule applies nicely to the weight/cost difference between frames. (like my Arantix vs xTC comparison)
By the way, I saw a guy riding an Arantix at 24 Hours of Moab in 2010. In fact, I passed him on my 32 lb Giant Trance.
@trek7k
Something called the “Law of diminishing returns”
Ex…..Formula One…..
Cars cost well over $10million each and manufactures and spending millions on developing way and new materials to shead grams off of parts.
Let’s see here. I weigh each part, I weigh my bikes, and I have weighed my bike after a moderately muddy ride (2.15 lbs of mud if anyone wants to know). Guess that makes me a weight weenie to some point. I have found that there are different types of WWs though. Some go to crazy extremes and simply focus on the grams over anything else (ie: will sacrifice performance for weight), others do the 1:1 ratio that was mentioned in the article, and some add lighter components but only if they are durable and performance driven. I find myself in the third category. Both of my bikes are on the light side (V-10 = 36.73 lbs, Nomad2 = 28.63 lbs) but each component can take the abuse that I dish out. My DH bike can easily be lighter but I like how it handles at it’s current weight. My trail bike can easily be lighter (ie: air shock instead of a coil shock with Ti spring) but I love the way it rides. So yes, I’m a weight weenie to some extent.
In the end, everyone is entitled to spend their money as they see fit. A great purchase in one persons eyes may be an unreasonable purchase in someone elses eyes.
Great post maddslacker. I think it’s especially difficult to compare weights when you’re talking about complete stock bikes. One bike from a different manufacturer may cost the same, weigh 1/2 pound or a pound more, but perhaps the performance and ride quality is SO MUCH better that it totally justifies the extra weight?
Sometimes I catch myself reading through issues like Bike’s Bible of Bike Tests and thinking that one bike must totally be better than the one above it because it weighs 1/4 of a pound less… and then I realize that I probably lose a pound or two whenever I sit down on the john…
“Other than that, I figure I can drop some grams off the rider a lot cheaper and easier than anything on the bike itself.”
That’s what I try to go by (key word being try.)
The only thing I’ve weighed is my Haro F4 with and without pegs. I took just over 3 pounds off the bike by removing them (and I didn’t need pegs for riding anyway.) It was more curiosity than anything.
Granted, I’m much newer to the sport than everyone posting here…
@Element – any idea how those ti bolts are manufactured? Regarding aftermarket ti bolts for their gear, Thomson says the bolts must be “fully forged with rolled threads. Do not use bolts with cut threads”. I imagine this adds to the cost. Either way, they decided against using ti and are sticking with steel, which I’m all for.
http://bikethomson.com/2012/02/07/ti-bolts/
My bike weighed me before the ride, after the shower, before beer , after beer. The bike then applied for wellfair, and got it! Just reporting. Later,
What, people weigh their bikes?
@ fat_billy, did you weigh 12oz or 16oz more after the beer? I prefer a pint.
I’m definitely not a weight weenie. I’ve never weighed a bike or a part. I have no idea how much my bikes weigh. Heck, I hardly ever weigh myself (don’t own a scale).
I do like the $1 per gram factor, and I had never thought about the impact of reducing the “rolling weight” of the wheelsets. I’ll have to keep that in mind. Since I have only had one ride on my new bike, I think I will keep things stock for a while…
Good post. I actually passed on reading it a couple of times because I didn’t think it was up my alley. Just goes to show you. Thanks.
@ dgaddis from what I can tell I think the bolts are cut…Rolling bolts requires a large run. Simply because of the die and cost of set up. As far as the fear some may have I have only experienced once a Ti bolt break. An improper choice for a Raceface seatpost which basically caused the bolt to bend beyond it’s elastic limit…On nearly all my bikes I have replaced the bolts with Ti. Specially the larger M8 bolts found on suspension pivots, simply due to the fact that the savings is about %40 of the steel bolt. On the V10C that represents about 300g savings in weight when ALL the nuts and bolts were swapped out.
“On the V10C that represents about 300g savings in weight when ALL the nuts and bolts were swapped out.”
and $300?
brianW, It was a 24 ounce Heiniken. If you are only gonna have one beer make it a BEER! Just commenting. Later,
I’m not a weight weenie I depend on durabilty.Like with rims I already folded to rims in the last year,so I went with more heavy duty than lighter.