At 10:05 PM 01/07/2008 +0000, Doug Smith wrote:
>I loosely classify my bikes as lightweights but
>when one considers some of the steel and chrome accessories we
>build up with they are far from light!
As I recall, back in the 1950s a bike under 30 pounds was considered a lightweight. This distinguished it from roadsters and cheap "racing bikes" made from "gaspipe". I still remember my CB New Allrounder weighed 27 pounds. When we were teenagers we paid a lot of attention to the weight of bikes compared to their price, wanting the lightest for the least anount of money.
But, yes, "weight" can be misleading and some manufacturers fibbed a bit about it to make their bikes attractive. Today they quote the weight of bikes without pedals, but have you ever tried to ride one that way? And people will say their bike weighs a certain number but neglect to tell you that's with no pedals, pump, water bottle, spare tire and tools, etc. But that's not how they ride the bike, so what does it mean? Nothing!
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada