Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Bike Diet?

This morning, when I had a few minutes to spare, I weighed each of my bikes. The Salsa Casseroll came in at 27 lbs with a Tubus rack and a pump. The Lightning Phantom was a whopping 39! That was with a rack, tail trunk and seat bag. Otherwise, both bikes have 1 waterbottle cage, computer, and fenders. (The Salsa also has a bell)

I think I may need to cut back somewhat on the amount of stuff I carry when I ride. I've been doing hillier rides recently, and I can really feel the extra heft of the recumbent. I'll probably start with removing the rear rack and tail pack, and see where that gets me.

I hope this doesn't mean I'm in for a case of Titaniumitis, or even worse - Carbon Fiber Flu.

2 comments:

Duncan Watson said...

I believe that nowadays CF Flu is cheaper. I went to a heavier bike when I moved to the Raptobike but I carry less on the bike. The Corsa was 38lbs with all the gear on it. I am not sure of the fighting weight of the raptobike. It is at least 40lbs with 3L of water on board.

But I have been shaving weight off of the engine. I am down 40lbs from October now.

Russell said...

40 lbs! That's awesome.

My fear with the CF Flu is that there are so many ways it can strike. Wheels, components and heck, even a CF frame is available from Lightning. My wife might not even notice, as they are both black...