50lbs vs 53lbs bike — will it be noticeable?

[LowLow]

I own a Crestline RS75 (aka RS 75/50) that weighs ~ 53lbs with a 750wh battery. I’m considering getting a 500wh battery for it for those days where my rides are shorter, which will make the bike weigh ~ 50lbs. Do you guys think 3lbs will make a difference in how the bike handles? The goal is to make the bike feel a little livelier, improve handling, etc.

 

[Plummet]

I think the short answer is yes.
But you are only changing weight by 6% not 10% compared to a meat bike.

Also you will affect the balance of the bike which might be a good thing. But may require recalibration when swapping between batteries as front center weight will change.

 

[rod9301]

I own a Crestline RS75 (aka RS 75/50) that weighs ~ 53lbs with a 750wh battery. I’m considering getting a 500wh battery for it for those days where my rides are shorter, which will make the bike weigh ~ 50lbs. Do you guys think 3lbs will make a difference in how the bike handles? The goal is to make the bike feel a little livelier, improve handling, etc.

No, you will not feel the difference

 

[Suns_PSD]

Will you be able to objectively feel 3#? Yah, nearly for certain.

Will it actually make any difference in your speed or any other component of your ride? Nah. Almost certainly no difference here.

 

[LowLow]

Thanks all. Doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to upgrade (downgrade?). It’d be fun to try it out but I don’t want to drop $800+ on the experiment.

 

[Rubinstein]

Thanks all. Doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to upgrade (downgrade?). It’d be fun to try it out but I don’t want to drop $800+ on the experiment.

I used to run a range extender on my trance that weighed just under 2kg and I couldn’t tell the difference. Having said that there are guys that say they can tell if it’s 100 grams, so I recon it’s how sensitive you are, Personally I can’t tell.

 

[Plummet]

Thanks all. Doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to upgrade (downgrade?). It’d be fun to try it out but I don’t want to drop $800+ on the experiment.

Well, do you ever run the 750hw out? the other advantage of having 2 batteries is that you can plug in battery number 2 and carry on. So a 625hw would extend your days another 2 hours of riding. It would give you weight options and extended options.

With that said. I started off wanting a 500hw for the exact reason of making the bike lighter or and extending ranger on big park days. But i've come to the conclusion that I could easily burn 2 x 750wh batteries in a day at the bike park. So I might just end up buying the same size for more total capacity.

PS the 75/50 is a big hitting terrain munching downduro monster. No matter what you do it wont feel like a steep header angle shorter travel trail bike. The same goes for my Pole Voima. No matter what I do to it, it wont feel like a trek rail or similar. To get that feel you will need to change it to a 50/75 reduce travel to 150/160 both front and rear.

 

[Julie_X1]

I used to run a range extender on my trance that weighed just under 2kg and I couldn’t tell the difference. Having said that there are guys that say they can tell if it’s 100 grams, so I recon it’s how sensitive you are, Personally I can’t tell.

I can feel very small differences in weight, angle, height, etc. I can tell if something is off by a degree or mm, just by looking at it.

My husband is the total opposite. Doesn’t notice / doesn’t affect him unless the changes are much more significant.

So I would say it depends if you tend to be sensitive to those things or not.

 

[LowLow]

Well, do you ever run the 750hw out? the other advantage of having 2 batteries is that you can plug in battery number 2 and carry on. So a 625hw would extend your days another 2 hours of riding. It would give you weight options and extended options.

With that said. I started off wanting a 500hw for the exact reason of making the bike lighter or and extending ranger on big park days. But i've come to the conclusion that I could easily burn 2 x 750wh batteries in a day at the bike park. So I might just end up buying the same size for more total capacity.

PS the 75/50 is a big hitting terrain munching downduro monster. No matter what you do it wont feel like a steep header angle shorter travel trail bike. The same goes for my Pole Voima. No matter what I do to it, it wont feel like a trek rail or similar. To get that feel you will need to change it to a 50/75 reduce travel to 150/160 both front and rear.

Thanks for your reply. So far I've only managed to run down the 750wh battery once and I was pretty much out of gas by that time too (I usually run a mix of emtb and turbo+). It would be nice to have two batteries but I wouldn't want to get an extra one just for that reason...if I was going to do so, I'd probably get the 750wh battery too since the cost is pretty close to the 500wh battery once you factor in the cost of the spacer and clip.

I love e-mtbs but sometimes miss the more lively handling of mtbs. I initially thought, "Wow, only $800 to drop 3lbs on a bike, I've easily paid that much to drop <1lb on my regular bike." Thinking about it more though, I'd always reduce weight to help with climbing, not descending. So if any DH handling improvement is going to be negligible, I don't think it's worth it.

Agree that the 75/50 is a beast, which I like most of the time. I'm sure I'll experiment with the 150/160 travel configuration at some point.

 

[Plummet]

Thanks for your reply. So far I've only managed to run down the 750wh battery once and I was pretty much out of gas by that time too (I usually run a mix of emtb and turbo+). It would be nice to have two batteries but I wouldn't want to get an extra one just for that reason...if I was going to do so, I'd probably get the 750wh battery too since the cost is pretty close to the 500wh battery once you factor in the cost of the spacer and clip.

I love e-mtbs but sometimes miss the more lively handling of mtbs. I initially thought, "Wow, only $800 to drop 3lbs on a bike, I've easily paid that much to drop <1lb on my regular bike." Thinking about it more though, I'd always reduce weight to help with climbing, not descending. So if any DH handling improvement is going to be negligible, I don't think it's worth it.

Agree that the 75/50 is a beast, which I like most of the time. I'm sure I'll experiment with the 150/160 travel configuration at some point.

Yeah, You aren't going to turn a 175mm bike into a playful more lively bike with 3lb drop.

I rode my daughters 140mm 20kg orbea rise the day. It was indeed playful and closer to an mtb. But I wouldn't want to take it down the gnar. I have couple of mates with Trek Rails and another with a Levo. Their bikes are awesome in "normal" terrain. When if get flat and tight they have an advantage over me on my 190mm bike. But when it gets roudy the big bike makes perfect sense, and when it gets super silly my mates tap out and i carry on riding. Horses for courses.

 

[jimslade]

I love e-mtbs but sometimes miss the more lively handling of mtbs.

This right here is why I traded in my Levo for a Levo SL.

 

[timcking]

I think it depends upon your riding. If you're racing, probably. If you're a recreational rider, maybe. But, is it worth the expense? I bought a 53lb great eMTB, but it felt like riding a truck. If I get another, it'll be a 30-some lb light weight eMTB.

 

[LowLow]

I think it depends upon your riding. If you're racing, probably. If you're a recreational rider, maybe. But, is it worth the expense? I bought a 53lb great eMTB, but it felt like riding a truck. If I get another, it'll be a 30-some lb light weight eMTB.

I haven’t done much research on it, but the new lightweight Giant Trance seems like a great option since it’s pretty light but has full power if/when you want to use it, and you can get a range extender for it. It’s more of a trail bike, so not really comparable with the 75/50, but a great idea conceptually.

The heavy weight does really help with gnarly and steep terrain though. Smash and go! Like someone above said, “horses for courses.” I just need more horses…and a bigger stable.

 

[1oldfart]

Why not drop 3 pounds?
Ride more that will improve all your bikes.

 

[Rubinstein]

I haven’t done much research on it, but the new lightweight Giant Trance seems like a great option since it’s pretty light but has full power if/when you want to use it, and you can get a range extender for it. It’s more of a trail bike, so not really comparable with the 75/50, but a great idea conceptually.

The heavy weight does really help with gnarly and steep terrain though. Smash and go! Like someone above said, “horses for courses.” I just need more horses…and a bigger stable.

The trance is a great bike but I think the non removable battery is a put off for some. Once you adding range extenders you may as well buy something like the Orbea wild with a 750 at the Same weight. If they had made it so you could carry and swap out the 400 it’s got I think it would be a winner

 

[Rubinstein]

Why not drop 3 pounds?
Ride more that will improve all your bikes.

Finally some one said it

 

[JayGoodrich]

Finally some one said it

OR ride more and buy a lightweight e-bike and you will feel like . Riding a 50 pounder just makes me want to go ride my dirt bike.

 

[LowLow]

Finally some one said it

Why not drop 3 pounds?
Ride more that will improve all your bikes.

I don’t think that would change the handling characteristics of the bike.

 

[LowLow]

The trance is a great bike but I think the non removable battery is a put off for some. Once you adding range extenders you may as well buy something like the Orbea wild with a 750 at the Same weight. If they had made it so you could carry and swap out the 400 it’s got I think it would be a winner

Yeah that’s true. It would be best for people who don’t regularly use up their ebike battery on each ride.

 

[JayGoodrich]

I own a Crestline RS75 (aka RS 75/50) that weighs ~ 53lbs with a 750wh battery. I’m considering getting a 500wh battery for it for those days where my rides are shorter, which will make the bike weigh ~ 50lbs. Do you guys think 3lbs will make a difference in how the bike handles? The goal is to make the bike feel a little livelier, improve handling, etc.

Going serious now...

I feel like dropping weight on a bike is very personal thing. I have been riding for 35+ years and I definitely feel every gram and every dial of suspension setting. My wife has been riding for 25 years, raced professionally, doesn't care and notices nothing that I do to her bike. She out pedals me almost everywhere. I do plan long rides after a night of feeding her multiple margaritas though, and that tends to have me in the lead for a while--only if I don't fall down the rabbit hole of consumption as well.

I will also say that if you are feeling that the 53 pound bike needs to be lighter, you may want to look at some of the lighter bikes on the market... Orbea Rise, Trek Ex-e, Specialized Levo SL, Pivot Shuttle SL, etc. While you sacrifice pure power, you gain a bike that rides more like a traditional bike.

Back to my wife... the ex-pro decided a straight Levo was going to be her e-bike of choice. It tipped the scales at 57 pounds. She absolutely hated the bike. She thought the weight was a hinderance on tech sections and was too heavy for her on descents. She now rides an Orbea Rise and for the first time has stated she can feel the difference and wants more bike nerding with her ride.

 

[LowLow]

Going serious now...

I feel like dropping weight on a bike is very personal thing. I have been riding for 35+ years and I definitely feel every gram and every dial of suspension setting. My wife has been riding for 25 years, raced professionally, doesn't care and notices nothing that I do to her bike. She out pedals me almost everywhere. I do plan long rides after a night of feeding her multiple margaritas though, and that tends to have me in the lead for a while--only if I don't fall down the rabbit hole of consumption as well.

I will also say that if you are feeling that the 53 pound bike needs to be lighter, you may want to look at some of the lighter bikes on the market... Orbea Rise, Trek Ex-e, Specialized Levo SL, Pivot Shuttle SL, etc. While you sacrifice pure power, you gain a bike that rides more like a traditional bike.

Back to my wife... the ex-pro decided a straight Levo was going to be her e-bike of choice. It tipped the scales at 57 pounds. She absolutely hated the bike. She thought

Going serious now...

I feel like dropping weight on a bike is very personal thing. I have been riding for 35+ years and I definitely feel every gram and every dial of suspension setting. My wife has been riding for 25 years, raced professionally, doesn't care and notices nothing that I do to her bike. She out pedals me almost everywhere. I do plan long rides after a night of feeding her multiple margaritas though, and that tends to have me in the lead for a while--only if I don't fall down the rabbit hole of consumption as well.

I will also say that if you are feeling that the 53 pound bike needs to be lighter, you may want to look at some of the lighter bikes on the market... Orbea Rise, Trek Ex-e, Specialized Levo SL, Pivot Shuttle SL, etc. While you sacrifice pure power, you gain a bike that rides more like a traditional bike.

Back to my wife... the ex-pro decided a straight Levo was going to be her e-bike of choice. It tipped the scales at 57 pounds. She absolutely hated the bike. She thought the weight was a hinderance on tech sections and was too heavy for her on descents. She now rides an Orbea Rise and for the first time has stated she can feel the difference and wants more bike nerding with her ride.

Going serious now...

I feel like dropping weight on a bike is very personal thing. I have been riding for 35+ years and I definitely feel every gram and every dial of suspension setting. My wife has been riding for 25 years, raced professionally, doesn't care and notices nothing that I do to her bike. She out pedals me almost everywhere. I do plan long rides after a night of feeding her multiple margaritas though, and that tends to have me in the lead for a while--only if I don't fall down the rabbit hole of consumption as well.

I will also say that if you are feeling that the 53 pound bike needs to be lighter, you may want to look at some of the lighter bikes on the market... Orbea Rise, Trek Ex-e, Specialized Levo SL, Pivot Shuttle SL, etc. While you sacrifice pure power, you gain a bike that rides more like a traditional bike.

Back to my wife... the ex-pro decided a straight Levo was going to be her e-bike of choice. It tipped the scales at 57 pounds. She absolutely hated the bike. She thought the weight was a hinderance on tech sections and was too heavy for her on descents. She now rides an Orbea Rise and for the first time has stated she can feel the difference and wants more bike nerding with her ride.

Thanks for the comments, all of which I agree with. Don’t get me wrong though, the Crestline is a great bike and always puts a smile on my face. I just thought if I could lighten a bit at a (relatively) low cost to change the handling characteristics, it’d be worth looking into.

 

[Plummet]

OR ride more and buy a lightweight e-bike and you will feel like . Riding a 50 pounder just makes me want to go ride my dirt bike.

I started off wanting light weight. But then discovered the extra joy full power gave riding up, ripping uphill speed, smacking uphill lines and cleaning tech sections you cant on lower power. I also discovered I would easily burn through batteries. Low power would be there for a good time not a long time. I wouldn't get the duration out of a low power bike.

So full fat it is for me. I mentally prepared myself for the extra weight. Then got used to it and can hammer down as fast or faster on the full fat. It does help that my full fat is 190mm travel. Which is kind of an issue. Its so damn capable that it makes my meat bike seem like an xc bike even though its 165/180mm.

Moving on a few months I still dont want to change the monster full fat for a SL. But at some point I may add a SL to the quiver. I do miss the poping and playfullness or lighter weight and the ability to easily manual. But when I am hammering some crazy ass chunky trail for hours and hours on end i'm like... there it is.

So for me full fat is primary. But I there is a gram to save. I will save it. No point carrying unneeded grams.

 

[Onetime]

I own a Crestline RS75 (aka RS 75/50) that weighs ~ 53lbs with a 750wh battery. I’m considering getting a 500wh battery for it for those days where my rides are shorter, which will make the bike weigh ~ 50lbs. Do you guys think 3lbs will make a difference in how the bike handles? The goal is to make the bike feel a little livelier, improve handling, etc.

It’s funny you mentioned doing this, because I’m in the process of doing the same thing to my Voima, which is currently 50lbs with a Fox 40 up front, (most Voima’s are in the 54-57lb range depending on the build). So with the change, I should be around 47lbs. I already ordered my 500w battery and spacer and I’ll have both next week. I’ll use the 500w for bike park days and shorter rides and save the 750 for longer rides. I definitely feel the changes in weight and in the bikes performance. Being lighter, (especially with wheels) it will accelerate faster, climb faster, brake shorter, be more flickable and it’ll get better range. And the best part is, with my full power Bosch race motor I’ll Haul ass up and downhill! Brap! Also, with my bike being several pounds lighter, I have that much more room for beer!

 

[Chairman]

No

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

Agree with @Chairman. Reducing the bike's weight by 3lbs (or 1.4kg) will not make any difference on a full fat ebike.

But if you're looking at weight optimization (for the bike I mean, not for yourself ), go through all the components and parts and upgrade them to lighter, carbon or Ti equivalents.

If at the end you can drop 3 or 4 kg, you may start feeling a difference.

 

[Ride 2d@y]

If you have the money, you might as well buy the 500w to see if dropping the weight makes a difference to you - plus you will have a spare battery to keep at the trailhead or in your pack etc.

 

[LowLow]

It’s funny you mentioned doing this, because I’m in the process of doing the same thing to my Voima, which is currently 50lbs with a Fox 40 up front, (most Voima’s are in the 54-57lb range depending on the build). So with the change, I should be around 47lbs. I already ordered my 500w battery and spacer and I’ll have both next week. I’ll use the 500w for bike park days and shorter rides and save the 750 for longer rides. I definitely feel the changes in weight and in the bikes performance. Being lighter, (especially with wheels) it will accelerate faster, climb faster, brake shorter, be more flickable and it’ll get better range. And the best part is, with my full power Bosch race motor I’ll Haul ass up and downhill! Brap! Also, with my bike being several pounds lighter, I have that much more room for beer!

Wow, 50lbs with a 40 and 750 battery? How did you manage that?

 

[Onetime]

Wow, 50lbs with a 40 and 750 battery? How did you manage that?

It’s all in the build. Every single part was picked to be as light as possible, while still being durable for me. Link to build below.

2023 Pole️Voima️Race Pack

 

[Montana St Alum]

I have a 47 pound Trance Elite3 with 2.2 pounds of water (1 liter) and close to a pound of gear under the saddle. It doesn't ride differently at 50 pounds than at 47. I think if you did a few more things to drop weight and/or optimize weight distribution you might feel a difference. I don't see a down side to owning a second battery, other than the cost.

 

[Chairman]

Two batteries are a great idea. I use two 625s and often swap at half time if in a bike park at if out on a big exploratory ride I carry a spare that fits snuggly in a camelback mule. Any battery larger than a 625 is generally too long to carry on your back in my experience