djpfine

Test rode the Ultegra-build Wilier Izoard XP today and thought it was a great bike. Did a few back to back rides with a Focus Izalco Team Replica and the Izoard more than held its own against the higher-price point Izalco.

However, I was shocked that the medium Izoard weighed in at a porky 19.0lbs without pedals! The Izalco, on the other hand, tipped the scales at 17.1lbs WITH my SPD pedals. The Giant Defy I'm upgrading from weighed 21.Xlbs with cages, a Road Morph pump, and saddle bag w/ flat repair tools.

If I didn't know the weight of both bikes, I would've said they were pretty close. I did not feel handicapped on the Izaord at all, and in fact, thought I climbed stronger on that bike. The 2lb difference does have me worried about longer rides though. I'm sure up some long climbs that extra weight would make a big difference.

I was planning on ordering a SRAM Rival Izoard from CC w/ Mavic K-10 wheels, but have been scared off by the heavy Izoard. I suppose with the K-10s an Rival groupset, I can expect that bike to weigh in at maybe 17.5-18lbs, but that still seems pretty heavy to me.

Do I get the Izoard because it just felt like a great bike, or go for a lower weight machine for performance?

ericm979

weight doesn't make as much of a difference as you think. It doesn't matter at all on the flat, only on climbs. Use this calculator to see what the difference would be on your favorite climb: https://noping.net/english/

Palomar01

I like to think of weight this way: Pretend you're running up a hill with a pack. Say the pack weight 22 lbs. vs 18 lbs. Will you be able to tell the difference? 4 lbs.....probably not. 6 lbs......you may if the climb is long. 10 lbs....oh yeah!!

Same with bikes. Given equal riders and the same gear ratio the person on the lighter bike will find it easier to climb the lighter bike.

StephenH

I weigh myself in the mornings periodically, and my weight goes up and down more than two pounds.

M_FactorX19

you could always save weight off the wilier.... if it is that much cheaper then right there is the extra cash to do so. if you shop right and smart you can save a lot of weight for very little money (in the beginning lol).

you also said you were thinking of ordering a different set up from CC that should come in at close to what the Focus weighed. so whats the problem? you wont notice a half a lb thats for sure and you already said you liked it better. i say go with the Wilier.

urbanknight

Take how much you weigh and add it to the weight of the bike... then add the weight of your gear and bottles. Now that 2 lb comes out to be about a 1% difference.

lechat

I like to think of weight this way: Pretend you're running up a hill with a pack. Say the pack weight 22 lbs. vs 18 lbs. Will you be able to tell the difference? 4 lbs.....probably not. 6 lbs......you may if the climb is long. 10 lbs....oh yeah!!

Seems like you could easily tell. Running up a hill is hard enough. 4 extra lbs would be a big difference.

carpediemracing 

I've learned, kind of the hard way, that weight can make a difference, even on flatter terrain. However, if you're riding in a group, you can hide part of that difference. At my limit I notice that it takes longer for me to accelerate to speed with more weight (I'm 10-15 lbs heavier now than I was last year, but 10-15 lbs lighter than I was 3 years ago). Heavy wheels, like +2 lbs, make a difference in acceleration too (hubs/spokes virtually identical, difference in rims and tires).

Having said that, it's the body mass that makes the most difference, as others have said above.

My bike weighs about 1 lbs more than last year's bike, but due to its geometry (shorter stays), it feels more responsive. If I put the heavy wheels on, it feels much less responsive, esp when accelerating out of the saddle.

If I get shelled on a climb it's not because of the 1 lbs, it's because of me. Even super light bikes feel like they weigh a ton once you blow up on a climb.

Grumpy McTrumpy

yes.

Bacciagalupe

I concur with the above. 2 pounds is negligible and the importance of weight is often vastly overstated.

I would also say I can't think of too many reasons why either the Wilier or Focus will give you much of a performance edge over the Defy, unless you change the setup (especially the rider position, wheels and tires). This is not to say that getting a 2nd bike is necessarily a bad idea; just keep in mind that it won't really make you faster.

mpath

What size frame is the XP? And what wheels are on them?

Looigi

When you're running with the weight in a pack, you are supporting the weight and lifting it up and down with each stride. A bike supports its own weight. Its weight comes into play accelerating, decelerating, and when you have to provide the power to move it up the hill when climbing. Like others have said, the difference in bike weight is small compared to the total weight of the rider/bike combination. It's significant only at the pinnacle of competition.

That said, you can certainly enjoy the esthetic appeal of how light a bike can be even though it doesn't have any practical impact on your rides. That's pretty much what weight weenieism is all about.

JohnDThompson 

IMO, weight has been a perennial topic of interest to cyclists mostly because it is easily quantifiable, not because of its effect on the cycling experience for most cyclists.

The marketing people love it, though.

WhyFi

Just like the good ol' wattage wars in audio equipment...

datlas 

I agree a couple of pounds spread throughout the bike will not matter significantly.

pgjackson

Someone posted a while ago the average speeds of the last 30 TdF races. In those 30 years bike have gotten lighter...but the average speed has only increased about 1.5kph. I think having a super-light bike is more about bragging rights than anything else. "My bike weighs 17.254lbs. What does YOUR bike weigh?" It's an easily verifiable statistic that even non-riders can understand, thus it becomes a standard among the hyper-competitive in-crowd. It's also a statistic that can be "improved" easily with enough money. It's a lot like when computer guys talk about one computer being faster than another...but the magnitude of difference is virtually insignificant.

WhyFi

Wut. If you're sending emails and surfing the web, sure... but if you're encoding video/audio, gaming, editing photos, etc then the differences are anything but insignificant.

canyoneagle

If the bulk of the weight difference is in the wheels, you'd definitely notice a difference on climbs and sprints/jumps. Otherwise, not so much.

pgjackson

If you are a professional programmer, sure. Maybe it makes a difference. But to 99.99% of people who buy computers the difference is not noticeable. Just like the difference in a couple of pounds on a bike probably wont be noticed unless you are a serious competitor or pro rider.

spock

By the way things have changed with racing bikes, you would think TDF would end in about 2 days. CF this, CF that, "ohh man, it's so light", deep rim "aerodynamic" wheels, and not a lot to show for. I am getting mixed signals here.

Walter

Every roadie over-emphasizes weight.

At the same time it is impossible to over-emphasize weight.

Just the way it is.

WhyFi

99.99%? Wow - you are so completely wrong that I'm going to assume it would be a wasted effort to correct you.

Shuke

I'd take an extremely stiff 20 pound bike over a floppy 15 pound bike any day. I'm pretty sure every pro would agree. Weight doesn't matter if the bike is stiff and responsive unless it's a total anchorweight.

KiddSisko

My advice is to think context. In the days of not too distant yore, a 19 lb bike would be considered an elite road machine throughout the racing community. It would have been outfitted with the best components, designed for maximum utility, efficiency and precision. Today, the level of component and frame utility, precision and efficiency has achieved a very high standard, even at the "beginner" road bike level.

Say you have a nice light frame and decent components. With good, all purpose wheels, you have a 19 lb bike. Upgrade the components (to Sram), add lighter wheels, and you now have a 17 lb bike. Maybe you'll notice the ride difference, maybe you won't. Chris Horner would most likely notice the difference.

djpfine

That's what I thought too, but man I felt so much faster/stronger on the Wilier and Focus. I did the same short 1.5mi climb during my test rides and was ~1mph and nearly a minute faster on the carbon bikes. Sure, fatigue may have played a role, but the difference in feel was remarkable. On my Giant, I feel like I'm fighting the bike. When I stand to pedal, it sometimes feels like I'm not really going any faster. The Izoard and Izalco, on the other hand, feel like they always want to go faster. When I stand, the bikes leap forward, and I don't feel like any power is being wasted.

All in my head? Perhaps...

It's a medium with Fulcrum 7 wheels. The build I want from CC will come with Rival vs. Ultegra (~200grams saved) and Mavic K10's vs. the Fulcrum 7's (~400 grams saved).