veganbikes

Because a frame is heavy does not make it stout or sturdy. A cheaply welded frame out of heavy materials could potentially break more easily than than a lightweight frame that was welded by professionals.

I will not get the obsession with scrap metal that was turned into a bike and named after some nasty gas guzzling SUV and wanting to "upgrade" it? Any money spent is not money well spent. Maybe if I didn't have any bike and I could get the bike running for $20 or less, I might consider putting that money towards it but if I am just starting a collection of bicycle shaped scrap metal I would probably instead up my goals to even just a single lower mid level hybrid and do a bit better or maybe actually up my goals to something really decent.

Charliekeet

Hi. You say that the frame is light, but then you say it is stout, and needs to be sturdy because you are a Clydesdale. [EDIT - So am I, and you could make something better and durable even from a less "sturdy"-looking road bike, or with an older MTB as a base.]

I know a couple of things, and one is that those frames are NOT light. I once did a clean/lube/adjust on one of these, a yellow one that I picked up for free, and the next day I just put it out for free. It took a while, but someone eventually took it. I had it laying down as I didn't want to chance it falling onto the sidewalk and having someone smaller hurt themselves trying to move it. They are shockingly heavy versus anything but a rideshare bike, or a gaspipe + chrome job from the 1950s with a bunch of unnecessary stuff bolted to it.

The other thing I know is that there are so, so many better bikes out there for free or almost free to start with. You will spend less and have a better result. Tell us your preferred Craigslist area and there are dozens of people on this site who can look and pick out a dozen better options, and go through what's worth doing and what's not, and why, and how to do it. That thing is just not worth it- cut your losses.

Hell, you already have 2 better bikes based on your signature, so you know you can get quality stuff for not a lot. Two of the best road bikes I've ever had I got for free and spent on refurb and parts and it's really satisfying.

Ghazmh

You should put those whale fin sawtooth Zipps an Enve carbon fork and ETap on that thing.

grizzly907la

The frame is lightweight as far as I am concerned. I guess it depends on your definition of what lightweight is. The components on the Denali make it heavy. Huge, heavy rear derailleur, all steel cranks, the old school bottom bracket, and steel handlebars make it heavy. I hope whoever took the bike off of your hands, is enjoying and even possibly upgrading it.

I've scoured CL, and FB marketplace, and I would be hard pressed to find a bike that I can afford that isn't rusted, with seized handlebars, cranks, seat post, and no usable components. The CL is your area must be a goldmine of affordable bikes, and good for you, if it is.

I might be selling the DB Insight II. I don't know yet. I can tell you that isn't lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. The MTB is a tank, and I need to work on the Wellington I got. I might have the eat the fork on it...I don't know yet.

I agree that refurbishing a bike is very satisfying. I am cutting my wrenching teeth with the bikes I get, and would rather eff up, on them, instead of an expensive bike. I've yet to get a free bike that's ready to go out of the gate, but I am open to it.

I have no heat, no judgement. I know that the Denali is widely reviled on these forums and others.

grizzly907la

I rolled around DTLA (not the nice part with all of the lofts, boutique shops and eateries,) for four years on a Denali, and the roads are rough there...zero problems. I don't know if 6061 aluminum is scrap or not.

Russ Roth

You should never confuse stout with sturdy, stout just means its heavy. I've never been lighter then 240lbs after putting on my freshmen 15 plus some extra and have had plenty of sub 18lb bikes that were built right and sturdy, never had one break after over 10k miles or more; none were stout but all that I chose to buy were sturdy.

Sometimes people only want to help you understand how it can be deficient. My velodrome track racing bike is a Raleigh that was 150.00 new in the box shipped to my door. The thing weighted 24lbs with one gear, no shifters, brakes, brake levers or derailleurs. It is stout, and using it I can feel, especially knowing what a good bike can be like, how much it is slowing me down and sucking away my efforts. I also have people who will talk to me about how I need one better, and I get that, but sometimes things need to be good enough.

grizzly907la

I make due, with what I can afford.

Jax Rhapsody

Same components, just different tires, stem shifters, and interruptor brake levers. They have mtb gearing, so if you want a sealed bb it needs a mtb width one

Jax Rhapsody

I'm not. I have a few other frames at home. A 2007 or so Trek 800 Sport Single Track, 2012 Gary Fisher Katai, 201X Diamondback Drifterą, 90s Fuji TruTemper, 83 Schwinn Probe. The Denali frame is lighter than all of those frames except the DB and Probe... and the Katai is alloy, too.

Jax Rhapsody

The complete Denali is about 29lbs, and the later round tube steel one is heavier. The forks are hiten steel, the seatpost, stem, bars are steel. The brake calipers might be steel. The handlebar coupler, seat clamp, rims are aluminum. The frame by itself is not heavy. I used to jump my roadtech on curbs and steps, bombed through potholes, I weighed 250lbs, and the bike was fine. Lugging a bike up and down steps, you get acustomed to its weight. It's a good frame to build, regardless of what you fools claim.

Jax Rhapsody

This bike was a beast... I don't care what yall say.

Trakhak

For those wondering how a Denali (or equivalent) 6061 aluminum frame can weigh so much, it seems likely that the manufacturers of all such bottom-feeder frames simply skip the heat treatment step usually applied to aluminum frames, thus making up for the lack of enhanced strength with sheer mass.

Reflector Guy

I was just thinking the same thing. Open up the ENVE website and order a fork, handlebars, seatpost, stem, and whatever other carbon pieces they make for that bike. It'll be a lightweight just like that!

Rdmonster69

Do what you want with your time and money. Make it the best it can be. Post some pics. Eff the haters. I have been on gun forums, BMW M5 forums, Ducati forums and everything in between. The ....ahem....strongest opinions are on bike forums. lol.

Building something out of nothing or taking a beat up old bike and making it better than factory is super fun and rewarding. It seems you know what you want to do with this bike and aren't going to be out much if it doesn't work out. I say go for it. Chances are if you took off the decals and did a good paint job the haters wouldn't even know what you started with !!

livedarklions

Merriam Webster would like to have a word with you:

Stout definition 2:

physically or materially strong:
a: STURDY, VIGOROUS
b: STAUNCH, ENDURING
c: sturdily constructed : SUBSTANTIAL

trailangel

29 to 14 lbs.... you are dreaming.......

Reflector Guy

Well, sure. An M5? A Ducati? Those are just toys. Bicycles are serious.

Rdmonster69

LoL....so true !! !! My M5 was most definitely a toy !! A huge money pit of a toy. After I blew out a clutch and a rear end I cut my losses and sold it. It did have eyeball flattening acceleration and sounded like a band of angels revving their angel mobiles.

My Ducati's .....fabulous beautiful toys !!!

ChamoisDavisJr

$80?

That thing looks almost brand new!

Since you're stripping it down, you should weigh it. That'd be interesting. I saw on Amazon that a medium sized Denali is listed as weighing 30lbs. Wonder how much of that is the frame.

Phil_gretz

I don't know what the definition of lightweight is. For a road bike, it may be this:

- during the bike boom of the 70s, anything below 21 lbs or so was considered light. These were the best bikes. Sew-up tires, quality steel tubing, decent craftsmanship, top components.

- today, with carbon frames and wheelsets, and structural components, as well as top-flight group sets and fairly light clincher options, I'd guess that lightweight would be beneath 17 lbs or so.

For an aluminum framed hybrid with non disc wheels, I'd guess that lightweight might be 24-25 lbs or so.

Others may chime in, but you could start with these numbers and be pretty close.

grizzly907la

Thanks for giving me a baseline! I appreciate it!

grizzly907la

The previous owner hardly rode it. He got it so he could have a bike to ride with his, but they lost interest in bike riding, and he was looking to get rid of it. The stock components are heavy, along with the steel cranks, steel handlebars, steel fork and wheels make it heavy.

icemilkcoffee 

The GMC Denali was actually a very desireable upscale trim for the GMC trucks, that at one point had AWD , 4wheel steering (which worked well!), and a plastic truck bed (which also worked well)


What on earth possessed GM to license this name brand to a bottom of the barrel ***Mart store bike?

ChamoisDavisJr

I bet you’d of got it down to 12.7lbs if you removed the kickstand.

Charliekeet

The Denali trim still is a very popular upscale trim line for GMC. I suspect that they/Walmart knew it would attract attention, which it does. The branding and graphics package on it probably accounts for a very large percentage of the sales of those bikes.