Bike weight in ads
 

Maybe this has been answered before (or maybe it's obvious) but in looking at pretty much every ad for a new or used bike, the bike's weight is almost never listed. On Amazon listings, for example, there might be a "Questions answered" question that asks how much the bike weighs, with (maybe) an approximate weight (or "shipping weight", or an "about" number of pounds or kilo. Is there any reason that with all the specs that get listed (exactly which Shimano equipment, what kind of fork, the exact tire sizes, etc. etc.) that the bike weight can't be featured in some form? Obviously if you have several frame sizes available, they will weigh differently, and other issues may apply, but generally it seems like a deliberate omission.

Most of them probably don't want to deal with the complaints from the weight weenies that will complain if the bike they receive is 10 grams heavier than the advertised weight.

Specs in ads sometimes differ from what you actually end up with. I have seen some sites note this.

Decent quality bikes come in multiple frame sizes so they would have to list a series of weights, not just one. The other reason is that a lot of bikes now have small disclaimers about component choice may be subject to parts availability with substitution more common than in the past. This would make it difficult to give a precise weight, not knowing what components would be on the bike when it is sent out from the factory.

You can always call the manufacturer and ask. If it's used, ask the seller. If you're buying a bike on Amazon, it's too heavy to matter.

Weight with pedals on or off?

Pedals are optional.

John

I would think they'd be able to figure out a way to list the weight with pedals on or off.
I'm aware that there might be factors that might make the seller unwilling to list something that a buyer my come back in a review and say "They said this was 22 pounds, but by the time I put it together it was at least 24, maybe 25!".
It does seem to me, though, that it's a detail I'd like to know about a bike - much more than the exact type of some other equipment. It's something that is a common area of discussion all through this forum, so it's obviously not a trivial thing.

Bunch of stuff ..... different sizes, different weights. Different builds, different weights. Each manufacturer would have to weigh and publish the weight of every possible combination .... and as @dsaul notes, some ridiculous idiot would try to sue if the bike was an ounce over.

A lot of manufacturers do list weights, but it is "showroom" weight---the smallest size, no pedals, no cages, no tool bag .... because everyone has their own gear and all that weighs different amounts. You can look around online and sometimes find a listing .... often in reviews of the bikes .... but who knows how accurate those are, or what the reviewers are actually weighing? It is all relative.

As for new bikes, I assume if you were sufficiently persistent you could get a stated weight on a specific frame but who wants to harass a manufacturer that much---and then try to order their product?

"Common on this forum" and "trivial" are not mutually exclusive.

How much does your chain lube weigh?

Manufacturers will list weights listed for performance bikes when it's part of the marketing message. Go check out the Specialized Aethos on their website and you'll find weights for complete builds and framesets.

Outside of high performance road bikes, weight is probably not a great selling point for manufacturers, so I'm not surprised that they avoid listing them. Trek may have a great aluminum gravel bike that they've made as light as reasonably possible within a certain budget, but as soon as they advertise that it's 22lbs as-built, people will start to view it as "heavy".

+1 this. Especially for the last couple years, with all the supply chain problems. Catalog spec takes a back seat to getting units out the door and onto the showroom floor.

the OEM of new bicycles could easily have a "build a bicycle" [like build a bear yet better] section that would sum the details up as you "assemble" it online. They just choose not to. the engineering data should contain all the info to support it too.

My LBS has a big dial scale hung from the ceiling.

Weights listed on high dollar bikes never include pedals or bottle cages. Some brands like to brag about specific low weights and others don't. Frame only weights are usually listed, just for a medium size. Unless you're at race weight and actually racing, it's not that important. What's silly is a rider sporting many extra pounds of body weight worrying about 100 grams or less.

Sometimes I feel like the last analogue guy who's been trapped in a digital world.

Every bike has 3 weights:
What the manufacturer says that it weighs.
What the owner thinks that it weighs.
What my scale says that it weighs.

If total bike weight is a big deal for you, weigh it for yourself and know for sure.

Manufacturer A says 'Our bike weighs X kg!'
Manufacturer B says 'Ha! X kg is outrageous! Our bike weighs X-Y kg!', and publishes weight of a smaller size of bike without pedals or waterbottle cage bolts or grease in the bearings.
Manufacturer C just lies and says 'Our bike weighs X/2' when bike in fact weighs closer to X.
Manufacturer D tries to take the high road and make a bike that legitimately weighs X-(Y x 2), but the thin tube walls of the frame lead to early failure, injury, lawsuit, and bankruptcy.

Long story short: Published Bike weight is a poor indicator of quality or suitability for any given purpose. Any two bikes made by reputable manufacturers at similar price and intended purpose will be too close in weight to make a difference. Any bike you are buying from Amazon is a heavy POS. And the first time you decide to change tires, saddle, handlebar tape, or add a saddle bag with a spare tube you have changed the weight anyways.

Epilogue:

All the bikes from Manufacturers A, B, C and D are made under contract in the same factory in Asia.

Exacrtly. Manufacturers tend to list weight only when it is competitive. Canyon are an exception as they list weights for all their builds (quoting medium frame size I think). I think Giant suggest that you ask your local dealer for exact weights as they probably don't even know themselves what their full builds weigh in so many different specs across markets. Some manufacturers just give a frame and fork weight - again usually when it is a "selling feature" of the bike. If weight isn't listed in the marketing, then you can assume it's not competitive or not considered important for the class of bike.

But they don't put the bike wait in ads either...

And how many rivets attaching the top tube to the seat tube, etc?

:thumb:

A light bike is a huge performance advantage - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Riding on a sub-16 pound road bike uphill is an awe-inspiring experience.

When riding with the fast crowd, the key performance metric is the weight of the bike, particularly rotational weight of the wheels. It makes no difference that your aero bike saves 50 watts on the flats, because 95% of the time you are sheltered behind other riders. But if in a brief instant, you get shed off the back of the pack on a hill or out of a corner, you'll have to suffer solo for many miles to catch up.

Yes, with high-end bikes, weights used to feature heavily in ad copy a few years back. 10 years ago, you could spec a 16-pound bike with alu clinchers (heavy) for less than $3k. Swap out the clinchers for carbon tubulars and save at least another pound.

However, several unfortunate developments have conspired to ballast road bikes, specifically disc brakes (add 1-2 pounds), aero frames (add a pound), and aero profile wheels (a pound or so). So now, $3k will buy you a 19-20 pound porker, which would have cost you $1k 10 years ago.

Want a 16 pound road bike with discs? Then you'll have to shave every last gram off of the rest of bike, and be prepared to drop at least $8k.

Since most newbie road riders come from MTB backgrounds, then the current gen of heavy bikes doesn't seem unreasonable, as they are used to 30+ pound suspension rigs costing in excess of $5k.

Well, with he supply-chain issues, the wait is hard to determine .......