Light bikes, more nimble?

[rod9301]

I hear many people saying that they want a lighte bike because it descends better and it's more nimble.

I have a 180180 haibike, weighs about 54 lbs with could 5 fork and shock.

Today, i removed the battery, 6.5 lbs before a downhill run

No difference whatsoever.

I suspect that geometry( hta) suspension, ie fork type, tires, make a lot more difference in how a bike feels then weight.

 

[irie]

I hear many people saying that they want a lighte bike because it descends better and it's more nimble.

I have a 180180 haibike, weighs about 54 lbs with could 5 fork and shock.

Today, i removed the battery, 6.5 lbs before a downhill run

No difference whatsoever.

I suspect that geometry( hta) suspension, ie fork type, tires, make a lot more difference in how a bike feels then weight.

Agree with you. In July went to Bike Park Wales with a son. Took the battery out of my '22 Rail, couldn't tell the difference. Shouldn't have bothered.

Edit: my son's 12kg old Trek Superfly FS 29er was far better downhill than my Rail. But completely different bike of course.

 

[Pdoz]

Even putting a drink bottle on my bike makes it feel less nimble. Certainly lighter rubber or cassette is noticeable . When I removed the battery from fugly she handled even worse because the front was bouncing all over the place ,

Perhaps I'm just a weakling or not good enough to compensate for a dodgy bike?

 

[jbrown15]

I hear many people saying that they want a lighte bike because it descends better and it's more nimble.

I have a 180180 haibike, weighs about 54 lbs with could 5 fork and shock.

Today, i removed the battery, 6.5 lbs before a downhill run

No difference whatsoever.

I suspect that geometry( hta) suspension, ie fork type, tires, make a lot more difference in how a bike feels then weight.

So because your 56lbs ebike only weighed 50lbs without a battery you think light weight ebikes wont handle any better and be more nimble?….lmao

 

[KnollyBro]

I hear many people saying that they want a lighte bike because it descends better and it's more nimble.

I have a 180180 haibike, weighs about 54 lbs with could 5 fork and shock.

Today, i removed the battery, 6.5 lbs before a downhill run

No difference whatsoever.

I suspect that geometry( hta) suspension, ie fork type, tires, make a lot more difference in how a bike feels then weight.

I would suggest your experiment needs a larger sampling than just one "downhill" run on your bike. Are trying to prove your confirmation bias or actually going to consider that companies such as Specialized, Trek, Orbea, etc. might have a slightly larger R&D department than some dude riding down a gravel trail/road with a stop watch in his hand. Why not rent an SL and compare it to your bike, on the trails you like to ride, if you are interested in the benefits of the SL platform?

 

[Bndit]

I started to ride bike park last year, with my turbo levo. Because it was so fun and I didn`t want to risk my expensive Turbo I bought Status 160 for the parks. I can tell you that when I hit the first tight berm you could really feel the 7kg difference. It was amazing how much easier it was, even that it`s longer and slacker bike.

 

[Mteam]

as with all this kind of stuff, its not as black and white as heavy = always bad, light = always good.

Heavy feels good when smashing through rocks, feels less good when trying to hop the bike, or pop the front end up, slow down quickly, change directions etc.

My next ebike will be a "lightweight" , but I will keep the heavyweight (24kg) ebike too. I reckon I'll miss aspects of its heavyness in certain situations, but not others.

On my ebike - I can tell the difference between having the 500wh battery and the 625wh battery installed, which I think is a 1kg difference. Its mainly noticeable to me when trying to lift the front end , its not a huge difference, but it is a difference.

But if the riding you do means you dont notice the difference between light and heavy, or you just plain prefer heavy then thats great, its not right or wrong.

 

[maynard]

I just swapped my carbon stem and handlebars with my hardtail . So went from all carbon to all steel . Quite a weight difference . Very noticeable.

 

[B1rdie]

I can tell the difference about a medium cube 160 that weighs 24 kg and a large spectralon 150 weighing 22kg and the heavier cube is more nimble, more easy to pop and make thight turns. When riding downhill, any of my light bikes, even the hardtails and rigids are more fun to ride than the eebs.

 

[cozzy]

I started to ride bike park last year, with my turbo levo. Because it was so fun and I didn`t want to risk my expensive Turbo I bought Status 160 for the parks. I can tell you that when I hit the first tight berm you could really feel the 7kg difference. It was amazing how much easier it was, even that it`s longer and slacker bike.

I "dead sailored" my status the first time I jumped it, being used to the weight & stability of the kenevo.
I bought it for bikeparks, trips away etc. Pretty identical geometry to the kenevo.
Sold it after 3 rides as it felt no better than the ebike at bikeparks. Flickable & nimble translated into unstable & twitchy to me.
It did finally put to bed my urge to ever buy a motorless bike again.
Plus I got 3 times less runs in

 

[militantmandy]

In fast direction changes I can certainly feel the extra effort required with my Decoy Vs my Privateer.

 

[Doomanic]

I hear many people saying that they want a lighter bike because it descends better and it's more nimble.

I’ve got a Rail and a Kenevo SL. The KSL is much more fun to ride downhill and faster too. It also jumps better. The Rail is a tank and flatters poor ability because it just ploughs through everything.

I’m under no illusions that a better rider can make the Rail fly but as one rider on two bikes I can confidently say that the lighter bike is a more rewarding ride.

 

[squeegee]

It all boils down to terrain and your preference for heavier vs. lighter to be a factor. Have Levo and Levo SL. Prefer Levo for larger terrain, i.e. parks and big mountain stuff, chunky descents etc. Levo SL for tight flow, dirt jumps, local trail centers around me. Find the big Levo boring on average trail rides, find the Levo SL inadequate for some parks and larger terrain. I love having both but continually come to same conclusion, if I have to have one of these bike would be SL because it is the most fun in most situations (for me), of course you have to ask yourself these questions and apply to what you ride most often.

 

[fodmtb]

I’ve got a Rail and a Kenevo SL. The KSL is much more fun to ride downhill and faster too. It also jumps better. The Rail is a tank and flatters poor ability because it just ploughs through everything.

I’m under no illusions that a better rider can make the Rail fly but as one rider on two bikes I can confidently say that the lighter bike is a more rewarding ride.

Glad you've seen the light Dom

 

[rod9301]

It all boils down to terrain and your preference for heavier vs. lighter to be a factor. Have Levo and Levo SL. Prefer Levo for larger terrain, i.e. parks and big mountain stuff, chunky descents etc. Levo SL for tight flow, dirt jumps, local trail centers around me. Find the big Levo boring on average trail rides, find the Levo SL inadequate for some parks and larger terrain. I love having both but continually come to same conclusion, if I have to have one of these bike would be SL because it is the most fun in most situations (for me), of course you have to ask yourself these questions and apply to what you ride most often.

Is this because of the suspension parts, fork and shock?

 

[Streddaz]

I have a Norco Sight C7.1 meat powered bike and a Levo SL and I've ridden several Full Fat EMTBs.

The lighter weight definitely makes a difference on the trail. There's not really that much difference on big wide jumps trails or fast flowing single track. Where it does become noticeable is on trails were there are quick changes of direction needed, where you need to bunny hop over obstacles and moving the bike about in the air. If I jump off my SL and ride the Sight, it feels so lively and poppy. It's similar when hopping off a 24+kg Ebike and riding my SL, I can feel the difference.
There's always going to be certain situations where the extra weight makes no difference or is even beneficial but there is definitely an advantage to having less weight in other situations.

 

[squeegee]

Is this because of the suspension parts, fork and shock?

not really, between my Levo/Levo SL only difference is 38 vs. 36. Weight is main factor. SL is more manageable in tight terrain, Levo excels on bigger terrain where big motor can really be used to its potential, in other words has to be going faster to be really fun, IMO.