How much does a few hundred grams of bike weight matter?

Question

Currently, I am in the dilemma of choosing which bike to buy. It has been observed that one bike weighs just a few hundred grams lesser than the other. Is such a significant difference likely to have some effect on my riding experience?

Answer 1

The overall performance of the bike is not determined by the weight of a few hundred grams. Such skill seems important but aerodynamics, bike fit, tire pressure, and drivetrain efficiency can be much more significant in affecting how one rides. For example, the Canyon Ultimate is slightly heavier than the Canyon Aeroad; however, the latter's aerodynamic design makes for comparable performance on climbs or even better. In that case, what one must concentrate upon is how comfortable the bike is as opposed to its weight differences.

Comments

Wow, these results are impressive. I'm waiting to buy a used one in winter time or a new one on a significant sale day. I was going towards the Ultimate but now I changed my mind. For now, I will stick with my old carbon Scott CR1 team with Zipp's 404/808 wheels.

---

Very good review and highly appreciated i have a Canyon Endurace and was hesitating between Aeroad or ultimate i love the Aeroad shape(and i'm not a wight weenie i have realized long time ago that few hundreds grams don't make a difference unless you are riding a grand tour where 3-5 W over 5 hours a day for 3 weeks can have an impact) but wasn't sure if i shouldn't go for the Ultimate at 64 i think this might be my last bike change as i now tend to keep them longer (my Endurace is nearly 4 years old) and you convinced me to go for the Aeroad thanks

---

The difference is in the marketing, it is what CANYON (and others) attempt to make you believe that you need this bike for this and this bike for that. When will people get int their heads reviews are designed to make you buy, and that is the bottom line. I have a LOOK bike, apparently an inferior climbing bike in comparison to Canyon, yet I get to the top and ride my Alpen Brevits, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Tannheimertal all done with the LOOK bike. You do not need an expensive bike, you need the training and the legs. Job done!

---

Looking at these models today. Ultimate CF SL 8 Aero 5199 €, Aeroad CF SLX 8 Disc Di2 6749 €. Both with Ultegra di2 and DT Swiss cf wheels. The Ultimate is about 200 g lighter. I don't get the price difference of 1550 €. Seems way too much.