How much does your bike weigh?

[Seajay]

13 - 14 lbs? Sure, it's possible...but....I want to weigh MYSELF on some of the scales some of you must be using.

[Bike Writer]

Bingo, that's the one Hebe!

But it leads me to wonder if the 8 gears are enough for hill climbing. I currently have 7 speeds and somehow the bike does not go as low as I'd like. Most of my cruising is on flat the gently rolling and I only use one or two gears. For hills I feel like I'm left wanting more. But, again, it might just be a matter of conditioning and training. Off to practice...

[Cataboo]

Bingo, that's the one Hebe!

But it leads me to wonder if the 8 gears are enough for hill climbing. I currently have 7 speeds and somehow the bike does not go as low as I'd like. Most of my cruising is on flat the gently rolling and I only use one or two gears. For hills I feel like I'm left wanting more. But, again, it might just be a matter of conditioning and training. Off to practice...

Honestly - this is one case where i'd say it's the bike. You need more gears for hills You especially need more gears to pull a 40 lb bike up a hill. And you need more gears to make it gentler on your knees - pushing big gears to carry a heavy bike and yourself up a hill is not gentle on your knees. I'm not saying that it's not possible to get up hills with it or to get in that sort of condition, but that's a pretty big handicap.

Almost all of the sub 14 or 14-20 lb road bikes that people have posted on here probably have 20-30 gears. The 25-35 lb fully loaded mountain bikes or touring bikes like catrins probably have about 27 gears with an ultra low range to compensate for the weight of the bike, the steepness of the hills they'll encounter, and possibly the weight of everything they'll be touring with.

I haven'tread your blog - but if you're doing a lot of miles and if you can afford it, you might want to consider upgrading to a flat bar road bike (trek fx series or something similar ) or a road bike - disclaimer that we are a bunch of enablers on here and most of us have several bikes.

[Aggie_Ama]

I just peeked in your blog, good for you to find a low impact activity to improve your health. Given your health concerns I think more gears would help, you can learn to spin up hills and not put as much strain on your body. If you like the feel of flat bars you have a lot of options or you can even convert a road bike to different bars. Something to think about so you don't have quite as difficult time on hills. Of course some people ride with one gear so with time, patience and practice your gears will serve you fine if you cannot afford a different bike or simply do not want one.

Also, you should have the bike shop teach you how to change a flat. It was very empowering when I learned because it can temporarily ruin a ride but once it is fixed I can keep moving. I won't lie it is a pain in the butt to change one but it is some times part of cycling. Keep riding and tell us about your journey, we love to hear it!

[warneral]

Bike Writer, I noticed on Hebe's link that the GF bike review says it is heavy. I'm wondering if it is really that light to begin with?

[malkin]

I'm pretty sure the tandem weighs a ton, once we load it up with everything anyone could possibly need in the trunk bag and the two of us on it.

It's a great ride and we're ready for (almost) anything!

[Bike Writer]

Cataboo and Aggie Ama, thank you for offering up your suggestions. I have had total knee replacement on my left knee and need to have the other one done also. I am trying to get more physically fit before the surgery so that the rehab will go better, as well as better overall health in addition to that.

When I read about the rate of spin that people can achieve going uphills I find that amazing, but with your comments about 20-30 gears I can see how that could be achieved. Since I have been pushing myself and training for hills my knee has started hurting again. Since I started biking most of my pain has been aleviated, the stiffnes of joints and the arthritis has been in remission. I also had two bouts of pneumonia this summer and it has had an affect on getting winded. But the biking has helped all that also, I would never have imagined that I could condition myself to cycling at all let alone these longer rides and steeper hills and inclines.

New bike right now? Not in the budget at the moment, but something to strive for, I'd really like to see how my biking will evolve and what kind of biking I am going to end up liking the best and will purchase a better bike that fits that style. Right now, I believe that I will continue to commute (it's a very short commute, just over a mile), run errands, ride on paths because there are a lot of them around where I live and within short driving distances, and jaunts around town and an occasional road trip.

So far I do not like driving on roads as much as paths, anything other than the small sidestreets are very high speed roads and that small 18-24" bike shoulder isn't very comforting when cars are whizzing past at 60+ mph.

Maybe I am expecting too much out of one bike? What is a "flat bar" bike?

Aggie Ama, change a flat...I asked at the LBS if they had classes and they will be starting them up and I am now on their emailing list when they begin I'll be notified! I love to be self sufficient. Not afraid of wrenches or a little grease either, I didn't like the angle of my seat and fixed that, then it seemed like the handle bars were too low so I figured out how to raise them. Yes, it is greatly empowering not to be dependant on someone else.

[Bike Writer]

Warneral, I don't have a lot to compare with because I only recently got back into biking after a long absence, but I lifted it in the store and it was lighter than mine (significantly) and it looked like it was going to be a lot heavier.

Maybe from what I am reading a second bike is a better choice for road and big hill riding? Or I need to find a comfort bike with lots and lots of gears.

[malkin]

Flat bar means the handle bar is more or less flat. Drop bars are the ones that curl down.

[warneral]

I think you have a beautiful crusin' bike! I have a trek Navigator that I'd like to set up the way you have yours. Nice for putsin' around town and riding low grade trails. I would guess that a bike with more gears would probably be a good choice for your next bike.

My Navigator is heavy and we have some killer hills in this area. By the time I get up one of my local hills on my Navigator, I'm ready to go home (only 3 miles away). I can now get up that hill quite easily on my lighteweight roadbike. My Navigator was weighed today - 33lb without basket, etc. My Roadie is 20lb. Makes a big difference. Not just because of the weight, but because of the way I'm sitting on the bike. Sitting upright is comfy, but doesn't get you too far up hills!

At least these thoughts can help you be easier on yourself when you're puffing up hills! The bike makes a BIG difference!

The whole reason I started getting into Road biking is because of the hills where I lived. Earlier in the spring we were planning a move to be closer to bike paths which are rails-to-trails (aka flat). Now I'm trying to embrace the hills where I live and get the bike to help me up them

[arielmoon]

My Madone weighed 16.8lbs before I bought lighter wheels. I would guess it is under a little over 15 now.

I have not weighed the mtn bike but I would guess that it is pretty heavy.

[Bike Writer]

Malkin, thanks for the clarification. I know exactly what you mean by bars that curl down and when I was a teenager I had a bike like that. Not ruling it out of my future but I don't picture me on that type of bike or that style of riding. I admire those who can and do ride like that. Different spokes for different folks, huh

But never say never because we don't know what the future holds in store for us...

[Bike Writer]

I think you have a beautiful crusin' bike! I have a trek Navigator that I'd like to set up the way you have yours. Nice for putsin' around town and riding low grade trails. I would guess that a bike with more gears would probably be a good choice for your next bike.

My Navigator is heavy and we have some killer hills in this area. By the time I get up one of my local hills on my Navigator, I'm ready to go home (only 3 miles away). I can now get up that hill quite easily on my lighteweight roadbike. My Navigator was weighed today - 33lb without basket, etc. My Roadie is 20lb. Makes a big difference. Not just because of the weight, but because of the way I'm sitting on the bike. Sitting upright is comfy, but doesn't get you too far up hills!

At least these thoughts can help you be easier on yourself when you're puffing up hills! The bike makes a BIG difference!

The whole reason I started getting into Road biking is because of the hills where I lived. Earlier in the spring we were planning a move to be closer to bike paths which are rails-to-trails (aka flat). Now I'm trying to embrace the hills where I live and get the bike to help me up them

Thanks Warneal, that gives me encouragement AND a reminder to follow my own advice and that would be to "listen to your body" and be kind to it, even when you are pushing yourself.

[invsblwmn]

My Lightning R 84 is 19 pounds with everything on it-suspension system, blah, blah, blah, the frame alone weighs less than 3 pounds. I am in love....

[Owlie]

I have no idea how much my bike weighs. I don't really care: I can still get it in and out of my apartment and on and off the bike rack. There's more extra weight on me than there ever will be on that bike.