Bicycles cost £2,000 per kg saved

Cyclists who buy lightweight mountain bikes are paying over £2,000 to save a kilogram.

The ETA looked at online prices for new mountain bike prices last month and found that a 10kg mountain bike cost £2,483 more than one weighing 11kg on average. The cost per kilogram saved equates to £2.48 per gram; over five times more expensive than the price of scrap silver.

Choosing a bike weighing 13kg over one of 14kg cost £736 on average, while buying a mountain bike with a weight of 12kg would cost an additional £656 on average.

A spokesperson for the ETA said: “Weight is only one of a number of factors that a cyclist takes into account when buying bicycle, but our research revealed this information is not easy to come by.”

Manufacturers stay quiet on bicycle weights

The following statement from Cannondale appears on the Evans Cycles website:
“WEIGHT: Don’t see a weight listed for this bike? Wondering why that is? Well, we used to list our weights based upon medium or 56cm frame and err on the side of caution when we know there will be variances due to welds, paint thicknesses, etc. But some of our competitors are weighing their small or extra small frames and rounding down. Then you’re left wondering what’s going on and making important buying decisions based upon faulty information. That’s not right. So because weight is too important to you as a consumer, we encourage a healthy bit of scepticism over published weights. Go to your local dealer, see it, feel it, weigh it and test ride it for yourself. We’re that confident. You should be, too.”

Losing lbs to save £s

There’s little incentive for a driver to lose weight, but losing a few pounds can have a dramatic effect on a cyclist’s performance and wallet. With bike manufacturers charging hundreds of pounds for each pound in weight saved, there’s another incentive to go on a diet if you are concerned about such things.

Whatever you ride, protect it

Every cycle insurance policy from the ETA includes new-for-old replacement if your bike is stolen, cover for accidental damage (race events included), third party insurance (in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else), personal accident cover and if you breakdown, we will even come out and recover you and your bike. From 33p per week.