A cyclist's bike and your bike – what is their weight?

The weight of a bicycle is a huge topic.

"This bike is too heavy for me" - when choosing a two-wheeled vehicle, we often base our decision on its weight. When using a bike recreationally, we often think about carrying it up and down stairs. However, a bike's weight also significantly impacts its ride. A track bike can be several times lighter than a city bike. But significant differences also occur within the same class. How does this affect ride quality? Can your bike be lighter?

Not all bicycles are created equal

Before buying a bike, it's worth considering how you'll actually use it. Will it be used solely for city riding? Or perhaps you're also planning bike trips or even mountain bike tours? A standard model, often called a city bike in stores, can weigh up to 25 kg! And it seems perfectly reasonable; such a bike is designed for city riding. This means a firm surface and prioritizing safety and comfort. However, lighter city bikes make for a more comfortable ride. By comparison, a high-end road bike weighs around 7 kg. And you can feel it.

Our ultralight steel bike.

Trekking bikes are a different story. They're typically lighter than standard city bikes, but heavier than road bikes, and their role is also completely different. Their lower weight, around 13-15 kg (even less with the right materials), allows for easier maneuverability, for example, when riding on rocky and gravel roads. The bike simply has to obey us, but we have to control it. MTBs are in a different league. A modern, carbon mountain bike can easily weigh under 10 kilograms.

Check out the 7kg steel bike we built!

Bicycle weight – what does it depend on?

You already know that a heavier city bike is no worse than a lighter trekking bike; its purpose is simply different, and therefore its construction is similar. Classic Dutch bikes were designed for riding in flat cities. Nobody transports them up stairs either. Comfort and maintenance-free operation were prioritized, which is why they can weigh up to 25 kg. In this case, the bike frame plays a crucial role. It largely determines the overall weight of the bike. Therefore, a frame designed for sports must be made of a lightweight material, most often carbon fiber (less often aluminum). Carbon frames are lightweight and highly durable (though, admittedly, they are also more fragile). They also provide good riding comfort.

The modern Dutch woman usually looks... heavy. And she is.

Among the frames used in city bikes, the cromolybdenum steel frame is particularly important. It boasts excellent durability parameters. It differs from aluminum in its greater flexibility, higher yield strength, and ability to easily absorb vibrations. Before this type of frame was introduced to the market, the hi-ten steel frame was popular, but it didn't offer as much resistance to damage. The hi-ten steel frame primarily made the bikes heavier. Due to the cost associated with ease of mass production (steel is still mostly hand-welded), most currently available bikes outside the high-end segment have aluminum frames. It's significantly lighter than steel, which translates into easier transport.

Advantages of a lightweight bike

It might seem like a few kilograms one way or the other doesn't make much difference. However, remember that a bike isn't just about the "load" you're propelling. While riding, the entire bike works in all directions. This mass needs to be moved. Even more important are the wheels. Rotating mass is something you feel directly when pedaling—the heavier the wheel (and especially the rim and tire), the more effort you have to put into moving it. Therefore, if you want to reduce the weight of your bike, it's best to start with the wheels.

The bike of the future

The aforementioned bike weights change with each passing year, as new technologies, greater capabilities, and more demanding users emerge. Antymateria bikes are designed not based on what's readily available on the market, but on what ensures rider comfort and safety. The bike frame, wheels, saddle, handlebars, and other components must form a solid structure, and the overall weight must be as low as possible. How much do Antymateria bikes weigh? You can now ride a two-wheeled vehicle around town weighing just 10 kg ! This isn't a track bike, but simply a carefully designed city bike.

The lightest weight a bike can get

The UCI limits the weight of sport bikes to 6.8 kg, although many companies still build machines below this limit to allow for flexible weight placement. However, there are no limits for those building bikes for "weight weenies"—lightweight fanatics. Titanium bolts, unpadded carbon saddles, and lightweight derailleur pulleys are ideal for them.

With the right budget, even a mass-produced road bike (of the high end, of course) can be trimmed to under 5 kg. Of course, the utility and durability of such a bike are rather questionable. The lightest inventions, designed solely for breaking weight records, can weigh less than 3 kg, but riding them is a nightmare – shifters on the frame, thin tubes instead of pedals, etc. – a triumph of style over substance. Most top-of-the-line road bikes offered by major manufacturers for mountain bikers currently weigh close to the UCI limit. However, if that's too much for someone, you can buy bikes from reputable manufacturers weighing around 4.5 kg. Take the AX Lightness Vial Evo Ultra, for example.

The heaviest bicycle in the world

Finally, a fun fact. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest rideable bicycle weighs 1,385 kilograms. It was built by Mr. Antanas Kontrimas from Lithuania and is truly unique. I hope Mr. Antanas rides it more often than just to break records.