Bike weight factors quite prominently in the marketing of bikes. Of course a lot of the weights listed by manufacturers don't really represent the actual weight of the bike when it is ready to ride. A 14 pound super bike is certainly a sight to behold, but it will probably weigh 20 pounds when you add pedals, two full water bottles, road repair kit, GPS unit, tire sealant, and a power eter. Plus, the bike might only represent 10-20% of total weight (bike + rider). So when assessing frame weight, keep in mind A) it will be much heavier when actually riding it and B) it is much cheaper for the rider to lose weight than it is for the bike. Still, a nice light bike does feel nimble and feathery under the rider.…and there is nothing wrong with playing around with different component choices. Certainly some weight can be reduced by riding a highperformance carbon frame vs aluminum. However, component choices have a very large affect on overall bike weight. Lower-priced components very often work just as good as - or at least close to - the more expensive counterpart, but the higher-priced parts will undoubtedly be much lighter. This comes at a much higher price. For example Shimano 105 Di2 is well under half the price of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2. So lighter bikes will tend to have the lighter, more expensive components (drivetrain and wheels) than more affordable bikes. As far as how much faster you can ride with a lighter bike…well, that is perhaps better left for another discussion.

Good luck bike shopping! 

Above: Options abound when ordering custom. Top panels show an unfinished DEAN titanium all-road bike has been crafted with the Paragon Z-Couplers which allow the frame to be split apart for compact packing for travel. The entire bike (and wheels) fits into a 40x40x10" case which is much easier to transport than a much larger, conventional bike box.Bottom Panel shows some similar frame couplers on a No 22 Drifter gravel bike when they are locked together with the bike ready to ride. Only a small seam is visible when the bike is assembled. The couplers are incredibly solid and other than adding a few grams if weight, there is no performance disadvantage. The couplers are actually the strongest, stiffest part of the frame. A simple 8mm threaded bolt holds the couplers together. In my experience with several coupled bikes with the Paragon system and the S&S system the ride quality of the bike is unaffected.

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