-
Ed I'd disagree that weight doesn't matter, I have found that 2-3kg difference is definitely noticeable at the end of those long granny-gear climbs, bearing in mind that my bikepacking gear's base weight is only about 7kg (with summer bag & tarp). It's also easier to manoeuvre a lighter bike up and over little obstacles.
Okay, we're talking about two completely different thing.
I'm talking about the bicycle weight, whether you're talking about the laden weight.
A lighter bike will not make it easier to carry load*, a bicycle designed to carry load will, the Surly LHT is a key example of this, surprisingly stiff unladen, but stable and comfortable when fully laden, while being heavier, make it easier to climb with a granny gear.
Weight still doesn't matter on an unladen bicycle, it's still the geometry, frame material, tapered or not etc. that make the biggest difference.**
When laden, you're absolutely right that you end up needing a bigger gear than usual, the other factor is the aerodynamic, which make a significant difference in how the bike ride, especially with panniers which can be very noticable in a headwind.
*bikepacking however is a good way of reducing the likeihood of the bicycle feeling noodly when laden due to the lack of panniers and rack as you well know, the worse it can do is make the bike feel numb instead of lively (feel a little softer, not much feedback from the frames), but that's a reasonable trade-off to not have that horrible noodly feel like an old Bob Jackson touring bike.
**This is something Ive notice quite a while in my old commute that I switch from the aggressive road bike to the 650b tourer (weight difference between those two are 3.5kg), add to injury the 650b have a 1.5-2kg luggage weight on the front rack, not enough to need a bigger gear.
Oddly enough, base on my Garmin data, the aggressive road bike should enable me to do all my personal best on some of the common climb on my route (Coombe Lane in Merton for example), except the performance difference is dependable on my own fitness level, not the bike, and surprisingly nor the weather. -
Been riding a CDA since April
It's comfy but not great
Needed to replace the rear mech after about 3000km as well as headset and BB.
I chose to improve the wheels with Kenesis Crosslights and Bontranger AW1 which got it down to about 10kg. Put a fabric scoop saddle on it as well.The ersatz "1x" gearing doesn't give enough coverage on descents so you will be spinning out. Mine is prone to throw the chain on long fast downhills too
The single ring gearing sort of works but after riding for a couple of hours you will lose the full range of the cassette.
It's my first proper bike in 20 years so admittedly I am a bit clueless, but I was surprised that the Genesis warranty didn't cover any of the parts that broke BB - Headset (ok I now know that nobody covers those) and rear mech (Genesis pointed me to the shop or SRAM) . In the mind of the company that built it, this is not a bike for serious use even as a commuter. My usage was regarded as "excessive".
All in all its my bike I like it, I have invested time and money into it but I wouldn't buy another
You are reading a single comment by @lae and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
eone
edscoble
Alf0nse
@lae
Ed I'd disagree that weight doesn't matter, I have found that 2-3kg difference is definitely noticeable at the end of those long granny-gear climbs, bearing in mind that my bikepacking gear's base weight is only about 7kg (with summer bag & tarp). It's also easier to manoeuvre a lighter bike up and over little obstacles.
The Charge looks like a contender too, I hadn't realised the 2016 one was alu/carbon. So I think I've narrowed it down to CdA 20, Arkose 5, or Plug 4. Annoyingly only the CdA seems to have a geo chart readily available, my gut feeling is that it has the least-aggressive and most comfort-oriented geo but it would be nice to confirm that.