The weight of cross country bikes

Each kilo shed costs an extra 1000 Euros: That’s a rough rule of thumb for Cross Country bikes. But when exactly is a Cross Country bike considered lightweight? And at what price point do you enter the realm of impracticality?

In the world of cycling, it’s quite the opposite of what you’d find at the butcher’s shop: for each Euro you spend, you generally get a bit “less” bike – at least, when “less” refers to the weight. Yet beyond a certain point, mountain bike manufacturers make you pay dearly for every gram of weight savings.

Especially with cross-country bikes, where a low total weight is considered the ultimate thrill enhancer, it’s easy to overshoot the mark. Anyone dreaming of a race-ready full-suspension bike under 10 kilograms should be aware that such bikes hover in the five-figure price range.

Cross Country bikes thrive on the excitement they sprinkle with their swift acceleration. Anyone who has ridden a mountain bike weighing less than 10 kilograms knows what we’re talking about. For those who haven’t had this pleasure yet, just take our word for it: It feels heavenly to gain speed or ascend mountains with such bikes. The low weight is, alongside the smoothly rolling tires and the efficient suspensions, the main reason for this addictive sensation.

Even riders who don’t compete often willingly skip the option of having fun on challenging trails during their after-work rides, preferring instead to have a lighter bike beneath them. They choose to ride gravel paths or easy trails to indulge in the irresistible sense of speed and agility.

Those hitting the start line of marathon races actually benefit from a lighter weight beneath them, securing an edge over the competition. However, the absolute time saving a lightweight bike provides on a climb is less than you might think. This was exemplified in our race bike system comparison.

Shedding 700 grams can cut your ascent time by merely one minute over a climb totaling approximately 1800 vertical meters. For those not locked into the A start block of a marathon, this is hardly critical. In the realm of Marathon World Championships, of course, the story is different. But that’s not the only advantage that lightweight bikes offer.

The provisional calculation showing a time-saving of one minute refers only to the additional lift work required to haul the heavier bike up 1800 meters of elevation. But you also have to accelerate the weight with every pedal stroke. Especially on twisty trails, it’s those short bursts of power out of a corner or over a crest that over the course of a ride really sap your strength.

If you want to understand this better, try observing the current fuel consumption when pulling away from a red light on your car’s dashboard. Even with a gentle driving style, the display will shoot up to dizzying heights. The same thing happens when biking.

To develop a precise understanding of when a Cross Country bike is considered lightweight or heavy, we’ve analyzed the entire market for you. Our focus was exclusively on bikes with 100 mm of travel. We looked at the weight in relation to the price. Both the chart and all further statements are based on the manufacturer’s weight specifications without pedals and the respective price (MSRP).

In the realm of hardtails, the weight threshold to talk about a light bike is set at 11 kilograms. Bikes under this benchmark are available starting around €2,000. Hardtails weighing under 10 kilograms generate particular excitement. However, you’ll need to shell out at least €2,500, leaning towards €3,000 or more for such bikes. Those willing to spend over €5,000 can even acquire XC hardtails tipping the scales below 9 kilograms. In the sub €1,500 price bracket, expect a complete bike weight of 12 kilograms or more.

When it comes to full-suspensions, compared to hardtails, expect to carry an extra 1.5 to 2 kilograms at the same price point. Race-ready fullies, costing between €3,000 and €4,000, almost invariably weigh over 12 kilograms. You don’t break the 11-kilogram barrier unless you’re spending €5,000 or substantially more. Dreaming of a Cross Country full-suspension rig under 10 kilograms? Get ready to fork over upwards of €10,000.

We’ve scoured the market for the lightest cross-country steeds. The specs in the tables are all manufacturer claims. For these charts, we’ve cast our gaze across the entire industry and analyzed over 1000 race rigs.

More and more manufacturers in the Cross Country Fullys sector are leaning towards 120mm of travel. Models such as the Orbea Oiz, the Scott Spark RC, and Mondraker’s F-Podium are all successful race bikes that are now available exclusively with 120mm of travel. This shift is a response to increasingly technical courses in competitions and fully leveraging current technological capabilities.

Even in their top configurations, complete with dropper posts, these bikes rarely weigh under 11 kilograms. The aforementioned bikes have not been included in the table below or the diagram depicted above. In this article, we are focusing solely on bikes with 100mm of travel.

Weight is an important factor for a race bike, but not the only one to consider. There are certain components where weight can be saved without compromising on performance. These include cassettes, derailleurs, wheelsets, handlebars, stems, and cranksets. Reducing weight in these areas can be done without loss of functionality.

However, those who start cutting corners on tires, the suspension fork, or the seatpost to shave off every gram should expect to pay the price on the trail. Our extensive race bike system comparison revealed, for example, that a dropper post compared to a rigid carbon seatpost offers significant added value. The extra 500 grams are therefore justified from a performance perspective. Tires lacking adequate puncture protection often lead to flats. Additionally, forks need to be sufficiently stiff to ensure precise steering control off-road.

Switching to tubeless tires typically shaves off about 200 grams of weight and can even enhance off-road performance and puncture protection. By default, most bikes come equipped with traditional inner tubes. Converting with tubeless sealant and tubeless valves costs around 30 € and is definitely worth it.

The whole debate surrounding the weight of a bike must always be considered with a focus on one’s own body weight. A wiry XC racer weighing 65kg is much more sensitive to this topic than a rider tipping the scales at 85kg or more. For riders above the 80kg mark, our advice is clear: focus on lightweight construction, but only where it makes sense.

With a higher body weight, the stress on the material in rough terrain increases. Tires with extra puncture protection, brakes with larger rotors, forks with more robust stanchions, and even a bit more travel make more sense if you’re not one of the featherweights.

A good rule of thumb is to consider the ratio of body weight to bike weight. For a rider at 65kg, a cross-country hardtail with a total weight of 10kg is roughly 15% of his body weight. A rider at 80kg would have the same body-to-bike weight ratio with a 12kg bicycle.