Lightest road bikes

[Sensei Rob]

Hi all,

I currently have a Silverback Strela sport. It has an aluminium frame, Shimano Clarks gears and a carbon fork. With the lights, saddlebags and bottle cage, it's about 10kg. It's fine on the flats, but a bit of a struggle uphills.

I want to upgrade to something lightweight and I'm having a tough time deciphering the weight of fully built bikes, so I'm here to ask some questions. Here they are:

1. What's the lightest road bike out there?

2. What's the lightest for £3k?

3. What's the lightest for £4k?

4. What's the lightest alumium frame bike?

5. What's the lightest titanium frame bike?

Thanks in advance.

[Your Dad]

Visit https://weightweenies.starbike.com and fill ya boots!

Method to establish weight of bike varies by manufacturer, some publish the weight of the smallest size/omit the pedals (Silverback do this)/don't publish weights.

Edited by Your Dad on Saturday 28th December 09:02

[smn159]

10kg fully equipped doesn't sound that bad to me. If you fancy an upgrade then go for it, but don't get fixated on bike weight - more training will be the better route to going faster up hills anyway.

[Coolbanana]

Sensei Rob said:

Hi all,

I currently have a Silverback Strela sport. It has an aluminium frame, Shimano Clarks gears and a carbon fork. With the lights, saddlebags and bottle cage, it's about 10kg. It's fine on the flats, but a bit of a struggle uphills.

I want to upgrade to something lightweight and I'm having a tough time deciphering the weight of fully built bikes, so I'm here to ask some questions. Here they are:

1. What's the lightest road bike out there?

2. What's the lightest for £3k?

3. What's the lightest for £4k?

4. What's the lightest alumium frame bike?

5. What's the lightest titanium frame bike?

Thanks in advance.

The UCI weight max weight limit for Pro's is 6.8kg. Most high-end race bikes are therefore around that figure, some dip a little below and need weights added if ridden by a Pro.

For £4k you can expect to find a bike around 7.5kg. My local shop is a KTM Dealer so I know the KTM Revelator range has models that will be from 7.5kg to 8.4kg in the £3-4k range. Carbon though.

The lightest road bikes you can buy are around 4.5kg but not common, quite specialist builds and subject to rider weight restrictions. Mine is a Wilier Zero6 with Sram Red etap and Zipp wheels and comes in at 6kg. I could get lighter wheels and make it 5.5kg but prefer the 45mm aero wheels.

Light is nice for very steep hills, aero is better everywhere else. My bike is a bit of both. A fully aero 7.5kg bike is likely to be 'faster' though on paper so aero trumps weight.

My friend rides a Litespeed titanium bike, very nice but not super light, around 8kg.

Edited by Coolbanana on Saturday 28th December 17:56

[Sensei Rob]

Thanks for the messages folks.

I realise, it's probably better to get fitter, but I've become obsessed with bicycles in the last month or so.

I go from one addiction to the other....

I really do like the look of the Wilier zero slr...

[Coolbanana]

Sensei Rob said:

Thanks for the messages folks.

I realise, it's probably better to get fitter, but I've become obsessed with bicycles in the last month or so.

I go from one addiction to the other....

I really do like the look of the Wilier zero slr...

The Wilier Zero SLR is an awesome bike. The Astana Pro Team are riding them for 2020.

Get fit on a new bike that gives you that initial motivational push

[oddball1313]

That Wilier Zero is a fine looking bike but also £10k
If you can go just a tad over your budget this is is the similar weight with same aero improvements as well

https://www.rosebikes.com/rose-x-lite-six-disc-for...

Edited by oddball1313 on Saturday 28th December 09:56

[Sensei Rob]

Holy crap - 10K! I forget that the high end bikes are as much as a high end motorcycle!

Damn my expensive taste! The Pinarello dogma f12 has been haunting my dreams, but alas, I'd never do that bike justice, either.

I like the look of that Rose X-lite - it's gone to the front of the queue.

[anonymous-user]

Not necessary to buy a brand new one remember

And there is more to bike performance than weight

The UCI weight limit is 6.8kg so bikes less than that are fewer and further between

Last season's, or a well cared for couple of seasons old one can be had much cheaper

Look, here is a £4k bike that is still very glorious and that would flatter the fitness of almost any rider with £4k to spend on a new bike

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303120865749

[thiscocks]

I find any bike a struggle up hill

[BoRED S2upid]

Your Dad said:

Visit https://weightweenies.starbike.com and fill ya boots!

Method to establish weight of bike varies by manufacturer, some publish the weight of the smallest size/omit the pedals (Silverback do this)/don't publish weights.

Edited by Your Dad on Saturday 28th December 09:02

This is the only website you will ever need if weight is an obsession. Great site.

You don’t need to spend a fortune get a good weight to start with and upgrade it as you go. I’ve got a focus Cayo not an expensive bike by any means but stick some carbon wheels, stem, bars and seat and it’s down to 7.6kg’s. You can shave a certain weight cheaply but then you hit a wall with any bike and it costs big money to get lower. Some bikes on that site are 4.xkgs and very very expensive.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Last July I took delivery of a Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc road bike. Without pedals it weighed 7.2kg which is lighter than my previous non-disc road bike. It cost £4400.

The rim braked version was 6.8kg and slightly cheaper.


Currently this looks like very good value and relatively light, £2600 Ultegra Di2 (rim Brakes), 7KG
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/race-bikes...


or this, £3049 for the disc brake version, 7.5kg
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/race-bikes...

or £2399 for mechanical ultra and disc brakes 7.6kg
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/race-bikes...

[Gary C]

smn159 said:

10kg fully equipped doesn't sound that bad to me. If you fancy an upgrade then go for it, but don't get fixated on bike weight - more training will be the better route to going faster up hills anyway.

Not light though for a road bike though ?

My mountain bike in the 90's was only 11Kg using an Orange Aluminium frame, Pace carbon forks and a Campag gear set

Was strong too, MTB's these days seem like tanks !

[russy01]

Get something 7-8kg and you’ll be fine.
I hear too many obsess about buying X gear because it’s a few hundred grams lighter, yet cycle around with a kilo of crap in their pockets and 5kg too much around their mid-rift! Also up until about 6% gradient you’ll benefit more from reduced drag over weight, so unless you live in the alps I’d suggest a relatively light aero bike over an all out light build.

£3-4K will get you a superb bike most likely 7-8kg. My main bike is a Canyon Aeroad (approx 7.8kg) - it’s plenty light and stiff.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

russy01 said:

Get something 7-8kg and you’ll be fine.
I hear too many obsess about buying X gear because it’s a few hundred grams lighter, yet cycle around with a kilo of crap in their pockets and 5kg too much around their mid-rift! Also up until about 6% gradient you’ll benefit more from reduced drag over weight, so unless you live in the alps I’d suggest a relatively light aero bike over an all out light build.

£3-4K will get you a superb bike most likely 7-8kg. My main bike is a Canyon Aeroad (approx 7.8kg) - it’s plenty light and stiff.

Sounds like sensible advice.. I'd be surprised if many cyclists (myself included) will even notice a 1/2kg difference in bike weights. Especially as in summer you'll more than likely set off with 1.5kg of water added to the frame.

[millen]

Too true. Last winter just for a laugh I weighed my winter cycling kit relative to light summer wear. I easily got to 1.8 kg heavier, without any 'waterlogged' addition or heavy duty mudguards

Jacket 600
Overshoes 200
Gloves heavy 200
Full lights 300
Long shorts 100
Jerseys x3 300
Mudguard 100
1800

Also most weeks I do a 50 mile round trip for which I have to carry a 1.7 kg heavy duty lock. That makes a noticeable difference to me on even modest climbs.

Some chums of mine did a Scottish bikepacking trip this autumn. Two of them who can normally climb anything had to walk the steepest parts of Bealach na Baa (sp?) even with 'lightweight' bags and minimal spare clobber.

[keith2.2]

smn159 said:

10kg fully equipped doesn't sound that bad to me. If you fancy an upgrade then go for it, but don't get fixated on bike weight - more training will be the better route to going faster up hills anyway.

Increasing power will indeed offset some of the weight penalty but a lighter bike will feel better all round - going, stopping, cornering, roadfeel.

At 3-4k it's much of a muchness, depending on size and brake options (rim vs disc) you'll be looking at 7-8kg, based on whether you go aero / climbing / endurance etc.

Assume from your orginal post that you don't want carbon, which limits the choices (and you may struggle to spend that much on aluminium).

Edited by keith2.2 on Monday 30th December 03:24

[z4RRSchris]

i built a sub 6kg bike for under 2k,

lapierre xelius frame, sram red, light ali hoops, carbon rest off ebay

it does feel great up a hill

[Mr Ted]

Much cheaper alternative is swap out the short cage mech for a medium cage and put 11:34 cassette on, that gearing will get you up anything with 34/50 on the front.

I see it all the time living on the edge of the Cotswolds, loads of riders on lightweight carbon bikes struggling because they aren't geared low enough. Dropping the gearing makes a huge difference, unless you are racing I wouldn't worry about the weight of the bike.

[neil-1323bolts]

I have a trek Edmonda SLR, which is very light straight out the box , 6.5 kg , the top spec SLR is crazy light maybe under 5kg , my bike is now 3 years old and the frame weighs 690g , with the new fames coming in at below the 650g mark , that’s impressive . It’s a great bike and feels really responsive, but as others have said I enjoy riding my super heavy weight aluminium bike 8.5 kg , very nearly as much so go figure .