How much does your bike weigh and why it's a lot more than you think?

We, cyclists, love to talk about weight. Not our body weight, of course, but our bikes weight. We obsess about putting together the lightest bicycles, because for some reason it seems to matter a lot.

Now, if you happen to just ride for transport - getting groceries by bike, or dropping kids to school, all this doesn't apply to you. Besides, you're not even a cyclist - you're just a person on a bike.

But if you happen to own a sporty, recreational bike, chances are you want it to be lightweight, because - you know, that's what the pros use!

So how much does your sporty bike weigh?

You may quickly say: "I know exactly! It's 18.5lbs or 8.4kg. I spent months carefully selecting components to make it feather light". Well, I have bad news for you. Your bike is likely a lot heavier than that.

It's all because we rarely ride our bikes "empty". I'm guessing that when you go for a ride you do typically bring a couple of water bottles, your phone, wallet, multitool, pump, spare tube and likely even more stuff. All this adds a lot of weight.

But, does it really matter? I bet it doesn't, unless you are really into racing (but then you don't carry your own pump or spares anyway). Actually, all this weight truly matters in one situation - when you have to carry your bike for quite some time.

My bike itself is not exactly superlight. It's an all steel construction with a rack, dynamo hub, lights, leather saddle, etc. In fact, all 5 bottle/cargo cages, front rack and lights add two and a half pounds alone (1.15kg to be exact).

I also usually carry a lot of stuff on my bike - a canvas handlebar bag with a camera, 1-2 lenses, lock, batteries, snacks, pump, a small saddlebag with tools and spares, 1-3 water bottles, phone, etc.

 
All this adds up to 40lbs or 18kg (in a very minimal configuration). I admit, at first I was worried - that's a lot of weight! Maybe my bike is too heavy? But then I realized that having a bike that's not the lightest of the lightest is actually liberating. I simply care less of what I carry on my bike or what components I use. Had I used a true weight-weenie bicycle, I would likely constantly think: "Is this going to add too much weight?"

But as it is, that 40lbs rides surprisingly well. As such, it doesn't bother me much.