Frame and bicycle weight tricky topics, easily misunderstood

In the bicycle-shopping world, weight falls into the low-hanging fruit category. Even people who don’t know anything about bicycles know what a pound is. But a pound isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. A one-pound can of beans lifted at arm’s length to shoulder height feels 10x heavier than it feels curled or pressed. A 100-pound table pushed across a deep shag carpet is harder to move than a 200-pound table on casters on a hardwood floor.  Your legs are the strongest muscles you’ve got, so pedaling a bicycle ten feet up a hill (of any steepness), is easier than military-pressing it. Add smooth bearings and momentum into the equation, and it’s clear how misleading it can be to judge a bicycle by lifting it up off the showroom floor.

Getting something to move is harder than keeping it moving. And prepare to have your mind blown: Heavier bikes and heavier wheels maintain their speed better than superlights. Imagine trying to stop a hula-hoop and a car tire, both rolling at you at 25 mph. This doesn’t mean heavier is better or always faster, just that weight is complicated.

Bicycle weight matters most if you have to carry your bike up a three-story walkup. For that, the trick is mostly finding the right technique and a balance point. One DIY addition that will help immensely is taping the lower part of the seat tube to the lower part of the down tube. Use adhesive backed cloth bar tape, duct tape, or whatever you have in the drawer right now. Lift with a straight arm and climb away.

But when you're riding, bicycle weight is a small deal. It's not slowing you down as much as you've been led to believe. Body weight and fitness make moe difference. How much your bicycle weighs makes an imperceptible difference, and for any kind of optional recreational riding, a safe, durable, useful bicycle is worth a few unnoticeable and unmeasurable pounds.

Here's a related chart:

Note that there may be some ethical concerns when selling a 10-year old carbon frame to somebody who isn't aware of carbon's demerits, and it's a good bet that anybody interested in a 10-year old carbon frame falls into that category.