How light is your bike?

[allen-uk]

It does matter when on occasions you have to lift it up 5 steps to get it through the front door .Especially when you are 72 !

Gets my vote! Add a plastic leg and it REALLY matters.

So does carried weight - my security devices/tools, etc. weigh several kilos, and make quite a difference to performance, so unless I know I'm going to need them I leave them at home.

A

 

[jerrysimon]

Hi Jerry,
I saw the e-Brompton at evans cycles a couple of months ago and was very impressed by it except that it has a very short wheel base. In your experience, does its very small size make you feel unsafe on say Trumpington Road in Cambridge?

I find it fine in Cambridge. Mainly I ride on back roads/cycle paths but do a couple of miles on main roads including Regent Street. I am not so sure I would be so comfortable cycling on fast main busy roads. Trumpington Road has a cycle path running along side if I recall ?

Regards

Jerry

 

[eddieo]

My new bike weights approx 11.7kg (medium)

Evans Cycles | Specialized Crosstrail LTD Disc 2011 Hybrid Bike | Online Bike Shop

And Wisper DaaHub weighs 6.9kg so an all up weight of 19kg with rack..... if iI remove the battery thats 16kg, a far more reasonable weight to lift and carry on back of my camper..Thats the plan anyway

 

[NRG]

'Tis funny but I don't agree with the thinking that because its an e-bike weight doesn't matter. Other than the previous post on lifting the bike and acceleration etc weight has a direct impact on how the bike rides without power and on how it handles. Riding without assistance either with the motor switched off or riding above the assistance speed has a direct effect on range and the lower the weight the better. Along with the effect of motor drag bike weight clearly needs to be low as practical and IMHO bikes of 25Kg (like my Alien) just don't cut it or advance the 'breed'...

 

[flecc]

I tend to agree NRG, my comment at the start of the thread being only when motor assisted at up to 15 mph. Light bikes are certainly nicer to ride in most circumstances.

 

[trex]

As I was trying to compare models from Wisper against Kalkhoff's - Kalkhoff don't seem to want to quote the weight of their bikes.
Can anyone enlighten me on this?

 

[kitchenman]

As I was trying to compare models from Wisper against Kalkhoff's - Kalkhoff don't seem to want to quote the weight of their bikes.
Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Been dying for a chance to use my spreadsheet! ... I have 23 kg for the Agattu. Perhaps members who have the other models can get their weighing scales! ..
Kalkhoff Pro Connect Disc 2011 =
Kalkhoff Pro Connect S =
Kalkhoff Tasman =

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Be carful when comparing weights, a powerful battery can add more than four kilos and there is no rule on whether a bike should be weighed with or without battery and accessories. A fully laden Wisper 905SEL 37V 11Ah is 25.4kg but a 37V 16Ah is 26.3kg. Without battery the same bikes weigh 22.2kg, if we remove the rack and other accessories the bike falls to about 20kg.

 

[NRG]

I seem recall my 2010 Proconnect S with 10Ah battery came in at 20.5Kg....one of the reasons I bought it.

 

[flecc]

My 2001 Giant Lafree Twist, fully equipped with mudguards, dynamo lighting, wheel lock, carrier and bungee set, weighed just 18 kilos without it's NiMh battery, the latter adding 4 kilos bringing it to just 22 kilos. With a modern lithium battery of the same 6.5 Ah capacity it would only have weighed about 19.5 kilos complete, beating by far the great majority of current e-bikes.

So much for progress over a full decade!
.

 

[funkylyn]

My 2001 Giant Lafree Twist, fully equipped with mudguards, dynamo lighting, carrier and bungee set, weighed just 18 kilos without it's NiMh battery, the latter adding 4 kilos bringing it to just 22 kilos. With a modern lithium battery of the same 6.5 Ah capacity it would only have weighed about 19.5 kilos complete, beating by far the great majority of current e-bikes.

So much for progress over a full decade!
.

Now that is certainly food for thought....
So what on earth has gone wrong in the last 10 years......what are manufacturers using now that is so much heavier than then ?
I think weight is very important and I do think we should be progressing rather more quickly (if at all) than we are doing.
After all there must be many many more e-bikes now than then....whats going on ??
Where is this extra weight all coming from and why ?

Lynda

 

[morphix]

Does weight matter when most of the time you only sit on it?

My bike approx is 21.5kg (19kg without battery+controller). I would liked it a bit lighter, as I have to carry it up and down 2 flights of stairs every day, but it's not too bad for a full size mountain bike.

I don't think weight on the road matters too much really for most bikes when using under power..probably lighter helps a bit on the hills is all. If you have an unusually heavy bike you might notice it though when pedalling without power ;-)

 

[flecc]

Where is this extra weight all coming from and why ?

Lynda

It is a bit baffling Lynda. In fact I accidentally left out that there was a heavy AXA wheel lock as standard on that bike and have now edited that in as well. Of the three e-bikes I've owned and many others I've tried, it's still the easiest I've ever ridden without power, something I routinely did.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

All very baffling!

Do these light weight bikes have decent fork suspension? Even though our forks are cased in magnesium, they add a few kg especially when we add the suspension seat post. All the components on the latest Wisper bikes are aluminium with a few parts in stainless steel. Tyres are heavier than non puncture resistant and the disk brakes weigh almost a couple of kg, I suppose it all adds up.

I have just checked, the 905eco weighs in at only 20.5kg 36V 9Ah, with no suspension or disc brakes. I suppose it all depends what people want from their bike. I have obviously mised a beat here we should have called the 905eco the 905lite!

All the best

David

 

[funkylyn]

Is that with or without battery David ?
How much does the electric motor and all those necessary bits weigh ?
I'm just asking because there seem to be a lot of non electric bikes around that are very light but I must admit I havent yet checked all the specs....
I do feel though that these days a sub 20kilo bike shouldnt be beyond the realms of possibility without, as a matter of course, being a lot more expensive.
For a start obviously the range must surely increase substantially if you start off with less weight whether its the bike OR the rider

Lynda

PS... I am going to start a one woman campaign for lighter bikes that are PURPLE

 

[lemmy]

My Tasman comes in at exactly 27kg with panniers, big Abus Granit lock, lights, wet weather gear,tools. Marathon Plus tyres et al.

I find it no problem whatsoever to pedal it without power in normal going and the motor appears to cause no drag at all (one of the prime reasons I bought it). The weight makes it feel cumbersome but the low gearing make any normal hills perfectly possible. Speedy it is not!

I ride it without power sometimes just for fitness purposes, where the weight is an advantage, of course. I expected the powered range to increase a little when I lost 8kg from my somewhat corpulent 81kg a year ago but I could detect no difference at all so maybe I should just put it on again...more London Pride please!

One great thing about the Kalkhoff's 27kg it is that when I ride and carry my Brompton it feels like a kids toy.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Is that with or without battery David ?
How much does the electric motor and all those necessary bits weigh ?

Lynda

PS... I am going to start a one woman campaign for lighter bikes that are PURPLE

Hi Lynda, It's under 21kg with the battery.

The full electronics kit with a 36v 9A battery weighs between 6 and 7kg.

What shade of purple are you after?!

All the best

David

 

[funkylyn]

Thats good then David.
Regarding purple.....think we have had this conversation before.....you keep teasing
me but so far I have not seen one shred of evidence pointing to a beautiful wisper bike in purple......
FYI.......thats BRIGHT purple

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Regarding purple.....think we have had this conversation before.....you keep teasing
me but so far I have not seen one shred of evidence pointing to a beautiful wisper bike in purple......
FYI.......thats BRIGHT purple

Lynda

Just add the Wisper kit to this Lynda:

 

[NRG]

All very baffling!

Do these light weight bikes have decent fork suspension?

David

Just weighed my PCS, battery, front suspension, mud guards, lights, additional lights + battery, rack, pannier set, pump, mirror(!) etc...21.5Kg

Thats darn good in my book