afham07

cycledogg

no

redlude97

yes.
no.
yes.
no.
maybe

datlas 

Not significant.

cthenn

The 100g alone will probably mean little to nothing at all, but (depending on the price) I would personally upgrade a part to save 100g. Possibly irrational, but you crack 100g, to me it would be worth it.

Sy Reene

An experiment... don't go pee before heading out. Pick a destination with a restroom about 10 miles away. Repeat experiment but go to the bathroom first. In which instance did you get to your destination faster?

redfooj

its mostly an academic exercise

HTupolev

On an average bike+rider system, 100g is a bit more than one one-thousandth of the total mass. Any mass-based drag forces, most notably gravity, will be reduced by that amount. This could save you up to a few seconds on an hour-long climb.

caloso

If the only difference is weight, then probably not. But if they were more comfortable or more aero, that might be an upgrade that does improve performance in a measurable amount.

CliffordK

Depends on how badly you have to go.

WhyFi

As a one-time thing, saving 100g is pretty meaningless. As a part of a whole-bike diet, saving 100g on one component is a nice start.

Sy Reene

Exactly.. it's amazing what a little motivation can accomplish.

CliffordK

The answer is complex. 100g is about 1/4 pound.

Most riders would say that 10, or perhaps 20 pounds (10 kilos) would make a difference, although perhaps not a huge difference depending on whether you're riding on the level or climbing hills, or where the weight is distributed.

What about less? 5 pounds, for example? And one finds no absolute cutoff where some weight is bad, and less is just fine. Although, once you get down to about 1/4 pound, the difference likely gets lost in the noise.

The other issue is say you have a 25 pound bike, and wish to rebuild it to be a 15 pound bike. There likely is no single item that you can swap out for that 10 pound difference.

Instead, you will find yourself swapping every major component from the frame to the wheels and tires. Make a bunch of 100 gram changes, and the overall difference will add up quickly.

So, changing a single component won't make a huge difference, but saving 100 grams on 20 different components will make a difference.

The other thing that is harder to quantify is just the warm and fuzzy feeling. How much do you like it? The "new bike effect"?

Lazyass

One of my full water bottles weighs 775g (I weighed it). Am I any faster after drinking 1/7th of it? Uh no. Am I faster after drinking the entire bottle? Uh no. Do I notice any weight difference whatsoever? Uh no.

But I have no doubt someone will try to debate it.

Sy Reene

Sure, I'll debate it.. why not? On a hot day I sweat more lbs of liquid than I drink. I also ride faster if I'm not suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

Lazyass

You didn't really disprove what I posted. But I'm not sure you comprehended what I posted. It was obvious that I said you will not ride faster because you have a reduction in weight in your water bottle. Possibly if you're Froome going up the Alpe, but we aren't him.

Sy Reene

Ok.. try your next long ride without drinking (reducing the weight) from your water bottle.

Mike F

If weight weenie-ism gets you out riding more, its worth it. I agree with WiFi, that as part of a whole bike diet ts a good start. Being a weight weenie will defiantly make your wallet lighter.

79pmooney

Yes. When you climb Mt Washington (or similar steep climbs), if say you+bike+cloths+plus everything in your pockets weigh 175 pounds, you will get to the top 0.14% faster. Do the climb in an hour and save 5 seconds.

Now, on flat ground, the weight savings only shows up as less rolling resistance and as a result of that, lower drivetrain resistance. So it rolling resistance is 10% of the total and mechanical 5%, you would have a 0.0014 X 0.1 + 0.0014 X 0.1 X 0.05 = .0147% faster. (Over an hour, 1/2 second. At 20 mph, 18 feet. Real gains. Go for it!)

And yes, math and numbers takes all the fun out if it.

Ben

Lazyass

Why do you keep bringing up hydration? You have no clue what the point I made was. Ok, the water bottle weight reduction example confused you? Remove 100 grams from your saddle instead of your bottle and tell me you're faster lol

Sy Reene

Now that's a valid example. You're right. I wouldn't be faster.. unless the weight reduction is from key padding that keeps my derriere happy and pedaling along without soreness..

Kimmo 

Not a big difference, but it should be enough to notice because of where it is. If it was at the cranks you probably wouldn't notice it.

The first place to shave weight is the tyres, then the rims. Any weight you lose here makes the biggest difference. I see a lot of companies making fancy light hubs so you can brag about your light wheels, but light hubs don't help much to make a difference to how the bike feels.

Losing weight from the bars is a good place (unless you lose so much you gain unwanted flex), because of two reasons: first, the higher on the bike you lose weight, the more you feel it when you stand on the bike, and second, the bars are hanging off the headset as a pivot - if you lost 100g off your levers instead, the difference would be more noticeable even though it's no higher on the bike.

In short, I think you should probably be pretty happy with the difference. But are you using tubes? Are they lightweight (~70g)? That's the cheapest bang for buck.

rosefarts

The absolute best place to drop weight is usually off the rider. Even a skinny guy like me (5'8 @ 143lbs) can drop 2-4 lbs once I really hit my stride. Nearly impossible to drop this on a mid-range bike.

You should also upgrade within the scope of your bike and riding style. Dropping tons of money and weight on tubular rims and tires would be silly on the Sora commuter. Such an upgrade would make a lot of sense for the 17lb bike planning to enter more steep races for the summer and has a second set of wheels for the rest of the time.

All that said, my 285g seat was really hurting me. It also bugged me because it was a little down market for the bike as a whole. So when I changed to something (I hope will be) more comfortable, I chose the 170g model. It wasn't about the weight but I wasn't going to make a lateral change either.

Esthetic

My view on the subject of weight reducing upgrades is centered around the cumulative and psychological effect.

It wont make you faster , or a stronger rider....But does the bike feel better and more exciting for you to ride with your changes?

If it makes you love your bike more or want to ride it more, be it cosmetic, compliance, improving stiffness, weight reducing or aero benefit....its a justified expense in my book so long as its the direction you want to shape your riding experience.

1500SLR

If you really want to be a weight weenie go to the gym and lose 100grams off your body weight. It will be cheaper and more cost effective.

The first place to shave weight and make yourself go faster is to make you (the rider) lighter, and then you can spend money on a better more aero kit. This will make more difference than any amount of money you spend on a shiny new bike.