When it comes to bike performance my concern is low\[er\] rolling resistance tires over lower weight. If your tires roll well big days are easy. If they don't it's just hard. OTOH an extra 1-2kg of bike weight is not noticeable \[to me\] from a tiredness/endurance standpoint. Of course a MTB with terrible traction is not fun and can even be dangerous so the challenge is to put on tires that hit that sweet spot such that you don't hate them riding to/from the trails or shredding on the trails.
Having had very light bikes and very heavy bikes in the recent past I will say there is a point in terms of light weight where the bike actually rides worse. A light bike is easy to deflect off line and ends up being more demanding to ride than a heavier bike that feels more planted and stays on track easier.
Obviously when it comes to traction and weight you can get silly in either direction. I take a great deal of satisfaction when I hit the right balance in setup choices to get a great riding bike that I am just as happy to ride all day as I am to throw down a really difficult technical line. **_The One Bike To Rule Them All, All of The Time!_**
And I am a lot less excited about building/setting up a bike that's highly specialized so it's great in a small niche and not great the rest of the time.
Oct. 25, 2021, 10:01 a.m. - Vik Banerjee
When it comes to bike performance my concern is low\[er\] rolling resistance tires over lower weight. If your tires roll well big days are easy. If they don't it's just hard. OTOH an extra 1-2kg of bike weight is not noticeable \[to me\] from a tiredness/endurance standpoint. Of course a MTB with terrible traction is not fun and can even be dangerous so the challenge is to put on tires that hit that sweet spot such that you don't hate them riding to/from the trails or shredding on the trails. Having had very light bikes and very heavy bikes in the recent past I will say there is a point in terms of light weight where the bike actually rides worse. A light bike is easy to deflect off line and ends up being more demanding to ride than a heavier bike that feels more planted and stays on track easier. Obviously when it comes to traction and weight you can get silly in either direction. I take a great deal of satisfaction when I hit the right balance in setup choices to get a great riding bike that I am just as happy to ride all day as I am to throw down a really difficult technical line. **_The One Bike To Rule Them All, All of The Time!_** And I am a lot less excited about building/setting up a bike that's highly specialized so it's great in a small niche and not great the rest of the time.