Re: Bike weight

[jim beam]

Southern Girl wrote:
> I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
> serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
>
> I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
> 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
>
> The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
> Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
> that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
> for riders who will not be racing?
>

25lbs is ok, but not fab. one thing conspicuously /not/ mentioned by
the "weight doesn't matter" crowd is that weight and bike quality go
very much hand in hand. if you want "quality" in that the componentry
of the bike is better made, fits better, lasts longer and is more
reliable, then yes, weight /does/ matter. go for the highest quality
bike you can afford.

[Ozark Bicycle]

On Jul 8, 6:52 pm, jim beam <spamvor...@bad.example.net> wrote:
> Southern Girl wrote:
> > I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
> > serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
>
> > I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
> > 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
>
> > The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
> > Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
> > that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
> > for riders who will not be racing?
>
> 25lbs is ok, but not fab. one thing conspicuously /not/ mentioned by
> the "weight doesn't matter" crowd is that weight and bike quality go
> very much hand in hand. if you want "quality" in that the componentry
> of the bike is better made, fits better, lasts longer and is more
> reliable, then yes, weight /does/ matter. go for the highest quality
> bike you can afford.

So, a massed produced CRFP frame, being lighter, is inherently "better
made" and "fits better" and will "last longer" than a custom steel
frame crafted by, say Tom Kellogg, Richard Sachs, etc.?

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

>> 25lbs is ok, but not fab. one thing conspicuously /not/ mentioned by
>> the "weight doesn't matter" crowd is that weight and bike quality go
>> very much hand in hand. if you want "quality" in that the componentry
>> of the bike is better made, fits better, lasts longer and is more
>> reliable, then yes, weight /does/ matter. go for the highest quality
>> bike you can afford.
>
> So, a massed produced CRFP frame, being lighter, is inherently "better
> made" and "fits better" and will "last longer" than a custom steel
> frame crafted by, say Tom Kellogg, Richard Sachs, etc.?

You're taking liberties with the point he was making. His argument does,
generally, hold up, particularly within a given "genre" (frames built of
similar materials, for example). The higher-quality steel frames (your
example) will quite possibly be lighter. At the very least, they'll reflect
a minimal weight for the task at hand (while it's possible that a
"production" frame might not be spec'd as conservatively and thus more
likely to fail).

A better example of where lighter=better is likely to fall apart would be in
saddles. The extreme case would be a hefty Brooks Pro vs one of the latest
super-super-superlight sexy Italian models that looks so cool but feels so
bad (to many).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com



"Ozark Bicycle" <bicycleatelier@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote in message
news:1183941810.099265.247330@w3g2000hsg.googlegro ups.com...
> On Jul 8, 6:52 pm, jim beam <spamvor...@bad.example.net> wrote:
>> Southern Girl wrote:
>> > I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
>> > serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
>>
>> > I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
>> > 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
>>
>> > The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
>> > Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
>> > that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
>> > for riders who will not be racing?
>>
>> 25lbs is ok, but not fab. one thing conspicuously /not/ mentioned by
>> the "weight doesn't matter" crowd is that weight and bike quality go
>> very much hand in hand. if you want "quality" in that the componentry
>> of the bike is better made, fits better, lasts longer and is more
>> reliable, then yes, weight /does/ matter. go for the highest quality
>> bike you can afford.
>
> So, a massed produced CRFP frame, being lighter, is inherently "better
> made" and "fits better" and will "last longer" than a custom steel
> frame crafted by, say Tom Kellogg, Richard Sachs, etc.?
>

[jim beam]

Ozark Bicycle wrote:
> On Jul 8, 6:52 pm, jim beam <spamvor...@bad.example.net> wrote:
>> Southern Girl wrote:
>>> I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
>>> serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
>>> I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
>>> 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
>>> The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
>>> Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
>>> that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
>>> for riders who will not be racing?
>> 25lbs is ok, but not fab. one thing conspicuously /not/ mentioned by
>> the "weight doesn't matter" crowd is that weight and bike quality go
>> very much hand in hand. if you want "quality" in that the componentry
>> of the bike is better made, fits better, lasts longer and is more
>> reliable, then yes, weight /does/ matter. go for the highest quality
>> bike you can afford.
>
> So, a massed produced CRFP frame, being lighter, is inherently "better
> made" and "fits better" and will "last longer" than a custom steel
> frame crafted by, say Tom Kellogg, Richard Sachs, etc.?
>
quite possibly, yes. carbon is great in fatigue. mass produced carbon
from a reputable manufacturer is a much better bet than low volume
"boutique" carbon since they can afford to throw away mistakes.