# Bike too heavy for me?



## circlesuponcircles (May 10, 2011)

So i finally got a mountain bike! I am new to the sport so based my purchase entirely on the advice of my boyfriend and his friends. (This is his account.) They all ride full suspension "trail bikes" with six inches of travel. They encouraged me to do the same. They said It'd be a bit slow going up but more stable going down and since that's what they all ride, it makes sense for us all to be on the same page. I ended up buying a 2011 Diamondback Mission 3. The bike seems awesome. It's really heavy, though! We live at altitude and I feel like i'm going to pass out when we ride up hills. (Granted, i'm just getting into shape....) The bike weighs 34 pounds. My boyfriends bike is five pounds lighter and he's much bigger than me. (I'm only 105). Seems that I'm at a double disadvantage. Proportionally, it's the same as him riding on a fifty pound bike! Still, he assures me that it's a much better bike than most beginners get and, at my price range (less than $2000), it's the lightest thing i could get that still had six inches of travel. Maybe I should've gotten a lighter bike with less travel??? What do you all think? What are your experiences with learning to ride and what type of bike to do it on? (By the way, I live in Colorado in the Vail Valley.)
~Thanks, Emily


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## MtbRN (Jun 8, 2006)

circlesuponcircles said:


> So i finally got a mountain bike! I am new to the sport so based my purchase entirely on the advice of my boyfriend and his friends. (This is his account.) They all ride full suspension "trail bikes" with six inches of travel. They encouraged me to do the same. They said It'd be a bit slow going up but more stable going down and since that's what they all ride, it makes sense for us all to be on the same page. I ended up buying a 2011 Diamondback Mission 3. The bike seems awesome. It's really heavy, though! We live at altitude and I feel like i'm going to pass out when we ride up hills. (Granted, i'm just getting into shape....) The bike weighs 34 pounds. My boyfriends bike is five pounds lighter and he's much bigger than me. (I'm only 105). Seems that I'm at a double disadvantage. Proportionally, it's the same as him riding on a fifty pound bike! Still, he assures me that it's a much better bike than most beginners get and, at my price range (less than $2000), it's the lightest thing i could get that still had six inches of travel. Maybe I should've gotten a lighter bike with less travel??? What do you all think? What are your experiences with learning to ride and what type of bike to do it on? (By the way, I live in Colorado in the Vail Valley.)
> ~Thanks, Emily


Wow, I out-weigh you by 40 lbs and my heaviest bike is 28 lbs. 34 sounds very heavy to me! 
That being said, I rode up a hill a few weeks ago behind a girl on a Pugsley who was pulling away on the climb. When we got to the top I asked her how much her bike weighed and she said it was 37 lbs. So I guess it can be done. But I would think a lighter bike could be found at a $2000 price point!


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

circlesuponcircles said:


> So i finally got a mountain bike! I am new to the sport so based my purchase entirely on the advice of my boyfriend and his friends. (This is his account.) They all ride full suspension "trail bikes" with six inches of travel. They encouraged me to do the same. They said It'd be a bit slow going up but more stable going down and since that's what they all ride, it makes sense for us all to be on the same page. I ended up buying a 2011 Diamondback Mission 3. The bike seems awesome. It's really heavy, though! We live at altitude and I feel like i'm going to pass out when we ride up hills. (Granted, i'm just getting into shape....) The bike weighs 34 pounds. My boyfriends bike is five pounds lighter and he's much bigger than me. (I'm only 105). Seems that I'm at a double disadvantage. Proportionally, it's the same as him riding on a fifty pound bike! Still, he assures me that it's a much better bike than most beginners get and, at my price range (less than $2000), it's the lightest thing i could get that still had six inches of travel. Maybe I should've gotten a lighter bike with less travel??? What do you all think? What are your experiences with learning to ride and what type of bike to do it on? (By the way, I live in Colorado in the Vail Valley.)
> ~Thanks, Emily


The proportional thing is right. What you need to do is convince yourself that you need lighter wheels. At your weight you could totally get away with the lightest wheels you can have built. You could easily go with stan crest rims built with light spokes to whatever hubs you have or want to buy. Run tubeless tires and buy some smaller/lighter tires.

My wife has ridden everything from a 35lbs Rocky mountain freeride bike to a 23lbs niner and the one factor that has made everything doable for her is we always built/bought the lightest wheels we could get. Since the rotational penalty is really high it is the best and the most rewarding place to swap weight.

Keep the bike, it will probably jibe with the trails you ride but get the lighter wheels and tires. It will make it seem like a new bike, even if it is only a few pounds lighter.


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## ghglenn (Jan 26, 2012)

This ^^^^. Lots of complaints about the wheels on the Mission 1/2/3. You could go with a XC wheelset and light tires for sure and make the bike lighter both in weight, but more so in feel.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Even if you're only 105, a 35 pounds bike with 6" travel shouldn't be such a big deal. Agree that it's a pain sometimes, but don't forget you're just starting with this bike. As time will pass by, you will build more endurance and hopefully better cardio and improve your pedaling technique and shifting.

When I first started MTB a few years ago I bought a big FR bike, FS with 6" travel, big wheels, etc. Bike was over 41 pounds and I was not much into climbing technics at all. I had a helleya of a time climbing up the mountain and 1km vertical gain was not an easy task. 

Now 2 years later I got the bike down to 39 pounds and I'm 120. Carrying about 5 pounds of gear and water on my back, 2.4" tires and no lock-out on the suspension, that 1km altitude gain is like heaven compared to when I first started.

Just today I pushed this bike for 22km on pavement on a F1 racing circuit at about 20-30km/h non-stop keeping up with my brother on his road bike.

Bike is heavy ? Yes.
Bike is too heavy ? No.

And yes a good place to start is the tires. And learn how to properly set-up your suspension to take advantage of those 6" springs and track the ground.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

That beast has a 2.5 950g front tire, and 2.3 820g rear tire.. both not really fast tires. 

You're dragging around WAY too much tire for your size. You need something more like 2.1r and 2.3f.. or just 2.1's all the way around. You'll drop a significant amount of weight with new tires and lighter tubes.. but more importantly, you'll get tires that roll better. 

The wheels on that bike arent bad, or particularly heavy. They're reasonable, your tires are beyond unreasonable for a new rider of your weight. At the *very* least, toss the rear tire up front and get something faster out back. 

For reference, im 190lb on a 32lb bike, and ride rocky trails with jumps and other fun stuff.. using a 590g fast rear tire, and a 700g front. 2.25/2.35 combo, and its plenty. You'd benefit hugely from tires like that.

Its not proportionally the same as him on a 50lb bike though. You have to carry 139lb up a hill. If your boyfriend weighs say 160lb, hes carrying 189lb up the hill. You've got a 50 pound advantage over him, you'll use less energy to climb the same hills. A few pounds of bike is incomparable to 50+lbs of body weight. 

If you start riding more and gain some leg muscle, your low weigh will be a huge advantage going up, and you'll start killing your friends to the top... as long as you get rid of those monster tires!


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## KAriadne (Sep 14, 2011)

At 34 pounds, it's heavy. Obnoxiously heavy. But probably not too heavy.

My family rides hardtails (this is Iowa, after all), and my last bike was 30 pounds. (Then again, this is Iowa and I rarely had to ride it up any mountains.) My daughter's bike is pretty close to "too heavy." Our favorite local trail has a short technical climb that she can't ride up (yet). We have to get her bike up by her dragging it up and me pushing it up from the bottom. I'm afraid to weigh it!

We all want 1) certain quality/features, 2) a certain weight, and 3) a certain price. We get to pick two. You didn't get the ideal weight bike, but the good news is that you can overcome that by getting stronger. That, however, does take time and patience.

When you ride with your boyfriend and friends, let them know that you don't want them dropping you--or at least that you want them to wait up periodically. It's not a whiney "oh my bike is so much heavier than yours." It's a "hey, this bike is heavy and it's going to take awhile for me to get good at this." Having them work against you kills patience, having them on your side makes the time go by faster.

Have fun riding!


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

circlesuponcircles said:


> So i finally got a mountain bike! I am new to the sport so based my purchase entirely on the advice of my boyfriend and his friends. (This is his account.) They all ride full suspension "trail bikes" with six inches of travel. They encouraged me to do the same. They said It'd be a bit slow going up but more stable going down and since that's what they all ride, it makes sense for us all to be on the same page. I ended up buying a 2011 Diamondback Mission 3. The bike seems awesome. It's really heavy, though! We live at altitude and I feel like i'm going to pass out when we ride up hills. (Granted, i'm just getting into shape....) The bike weighs 34 pounds. My boyfriends bike is five pounds lighter and he's much bigger than me. (I'm only 105). Seems that I'm at a double disadvantage. Proportionally, it's the same as him riding on a fifty pound bike! Still, he assures me that it's a much better bike than most beginners get and, at my price range (less than $2000), it's the lightest thing i could get that still had six inches of travel. Maybe I should've gotten a lighter bike with less travel??? What do you all think? What are your experiences with learning to ride and what type of bike to do it on? (By the way, I live in Colorado in the Vail Valley.)
> ~Thanks, Emily


Well it is way too heavy.....

6 inchs of travel is for blasting downhills...

Bikes | Mountain | Trail | ALTITUDE 70

Do some searching on the web.....

Then go test ride a few bikes that catch your eye...

Look for something sub 30 lbs.


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## miatagal96 (Jul 5, 2005)

My first full suspension bike was around 31 lbs and had 4" of travel. I'm heavier than 105 lbs, but a friend who probably weighs about that is currently using that frame and fork and she's doing well with it.

Lighter bikes cost $$. If you can't afford (or can't justify) a lighter bike, change the tires as others suggested. The biggest difference will come with riding and getting in better shape. So ride it, and get to a point where you ride enough that you can justify a more expensive bike, then go for it.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

It doesnt matter how much you weigh, we'd all struggle trying to climb a bike with those tires... even if the bike was 26lb and had those tires, it would still climb slow. 

Its a small investment for new tires.. you'll be glad you tried it, the bike will transform under you.


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## clydecrash (Apr 1, 2005)

I think you have too much bike also, but, unless you can return for a full refund or close to it, might as well keep it. I just checked some of its specs (which could vary from what you have some) and they seem very good, so they should last. And you live in Vail Valley, so I assume you will use the ski areas (jeepers, you should). You will appreciate that 6" travel, and be able to expand your abilities further than with a smaller travel bike.

But you might also be hitting trails where you have to ride uphill so you can ride downhill (I lived and rode in the Roaring Fork Valley and adjacent areas a few years-that is pretty much all it is). As suggested, start with getting lighter tires to see if that will do it for you before you consider new wheels. A good plan may be to have some heavy/beefy tires for the ski areas (maybe the ones you already have) and lighter tires for the other areas. As you ride more, you might see where you need to change components to help get you up the hills (not only wheels, but possibly a cassette with a larger cog).

Of course, riding this heavy bike will result in you being super tough by the end of the summer. Then your boyfriend and his buds will have trouble keeping up with you.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Just have them carry an extra 20 lbs for "training purposes" and it should even things up. 

But truthfully, getting in shape is never "fun", you will feel like you are dying, but keep it up for even a few weeks at least 3x/wk and you will begin to notice a difference. You will ride some sections you used to walk, get further up a big hill, or possibly even feel like you are not dying. Personally, I would rather do that suffering on my own, but that is up to you.

Weight does make a difference but is somewhat overrated. Just commuting to work (on roads or trails) I usually carry an extra 10lbs of stuff on a +/- 30lb bike and it is not really significantly harder or slower. But then I am not trying to keep up with anyone either, I can go my own pace.


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## MagicCarpet (Apr 4, 2009)

Emily

I would look at it like this. You had a budget and you spent it. Starting again, yes, you are much lighter and could have done better with a 5" bike - probably. A new wheel set would be great, but will cost about a third of the original purchase. A great idea, but only you know if that's affordable. 

What you can do immediately is ditch those humungoid tyres. Mount the new ones tubeless. Depending on suitability, look at Geax Saguaro. Standard folders mount tubeless easily, they have a great combo of grip, speed and durability.

Have a big look at your position on the bike and start tweaking it for climbing. Flopping around in a slack position will make climbing a nightmare. This is the cheapest option. Once you have done this and changed the tyres, start saving for those wheels.

After a while start thinking about the future, ie frame and forks, next bike etc.


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## pow77 (Aug 5, 2010)

MagicCarpet said:


> Emily
> 
> I would look at it like this. You had a budget and you spent it. Starting again, yes, you are much lighter and could have done better with a 5" bike - probably. A new wheel set would be great, but will cost about a third of the original purchase. A great idea, but only you know if that's affordable.
> 
> ...


+1. fully agree with magic carpet
I have a 09 mission 1 which weights about the same as yours. yep its a great bike, mine has a very heavy wheelset but its different to yours. (assuming yours is stock), i recently grabed some new tyres (lighter and faster rolling) just for riding around my local town and was blown away by the change. (The stock wtb tyres are great for traction but heavy and slowish.) The bikes feel changed so much that i got some new lighter faster rolling tyres for the trails (X-kings), but didnt stop there ended up getting a new wheelset also (Flow/hope)and cassette. looking at loosing around 1500g (3.3 lbs) so bike will be under 31lbs when all said and done and I could of gone an even lighter rim like the crest.
Also does you mission have the HammerSchmidt cranks, if so they sound amazing but they weigh alot (3.4lbs) and are expensive, could easy sell them and get a SLX and have change for new tyres and even some towards a new wheelset. 
If you like the mission but still feel its too much bike look at the DB sortie's.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Back in the mountain biking Pleistocene this weight was pretty standard fare even for a hard tail. And we had even taller gears. And we had to push our bikes uphill in the snow barefoot both ways....

A lighter bike/different tires/different wheels would probably make a noticeable difference, but that's going to pale in comparison to getting in shape. The good news is that you've got a bike that should be able to handle anything AND that's worth upgrading. So if you've got the coin for it, yeah you could buy new gizmos, but please realize that there's only ONE way to pack the gas in the tank: Let the fun/pain begin. :cornut: Now you know why I'm grinding on rollers all winter.

FWIW I weigh #150 on a good day (with reasonably low body fat even!) and always carry a full kit of survival gear because I do a lot of solo/backcountry stuff, so I'm jealous.  Seriously, your size can ultimately be a MAJOR advantage. Enjoy it.


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## antonio (Jan 18, 2005)

Your ride is SWEET, but it sure is a lot of bike, especially for someone your weight. Riding a 34 pound bike on singletrack sucks, no matter how strong you are. I agree that getting fit will help, but at the same time you want to make sure you're having fun.

As has been suggested, DEFINITELY decrease the rolling weight.

First, get a lighter set of tires. If strapped for cash, start by swapping out the Stout from the rear to the front, and get a single, lighter 2.1 or 2.2 sized tire for the back.

Stock tubes can also be ridiculously heavy. If you don't go tubeless, check the weight of your tubes. A friend of mine had a bike whose tubes were over 200 grams EACH, and she didn't know it. Meanwhile, I was running 100 gram tubes. That's almost a 1/2 pound difference (I now run tubeless).

When possible, definitely invest in a lighter wheelset. Almost all stock bikes come with wheelsets that are heavy, IME. So, while not inexpensive, a good wheelset will follow you from this bike to the next (and to the next), so it's a pretty good "investment". 

Also keep in mind that, at your weight, you can get away with a significantly lighter wheelset than most, even when riding equally technical terrain.


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## Call_me_Tom (May 26, 2008)

All of the previously mentioned advice is pretty solid. I'll also mirror the comments on lighter tires followed by wheel set & if you've got the cash a lighter drivetrain. I had the same issue as you have with a 35lbs bike & I was going to do all of the previously mentioned up grades except I was going to swap out the fork as well. In the end I just bought a lighter bike, 29lbs & can now eat up the climbs that used to kill me.


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## NicoleB (Jul 21, 2011)

my first full suspension was 33 pounds. For some reason, i noticed the weight MORE when i was simply picking up the bike, to carry it over big logs, or put on the bike rack. The thing felt heavy, but it didnt "ride" that heavy, if that makes sense. You have to keep in mind your budget, because i was riding an entry level FS. You'd probably have to spend closer to 2k (new) to get sub 30 pounds for an FS. 

my next bike was a stump jumper at around 29 pounds. By this point, i was a better rider, and the weight was no big deal, but i still yearned for somthing lighter. it already had XT and XTR on it, so my next step would have been very expensive wheels and/or carbon parts. 

i ended up selling the bike and bought a race bike which was in the 26-27 pound range. Nice, but i ended up not liking the geometry after a while. I missed the stability and extra travel of the Stumpy.

So here i am today, i got a trail bike, threw on a 140 fork for stability, and had to drop some $$$ on nice light wheels, but i have a 26.5 lb bike that i love. 

That was my journey  Weight isnt everything, and becoming a more fit rider is the biggest challenge of all. It WILL get easier!


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## RachEden (May 9, 2011)

My first bike was 34 pounds at the start (I'm also pretty small 115), but living in Colorado (I live in Summit Co), I would recommend lighting it up if you have the chance. True, you'll get better and stronger, but for me lightening up my bike setup made a huge difference in the long run and kept me from getting discouraged. Most if not all classic rides here require quite a bit of climbing. Just my opinion. But, essentially if you're planning on riding a lot you just need something you feel good and happy being on. Go demo some bikes!


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## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

I have a 2009 Diamondback Mission 1. Nothing on it is stock anymore, except for the frame and shock. The lightest I got it down to was about 29 lbs. It's an all mountain bike, and seriously for a new rider that's probably too much. You'd probably do better with a 4"-5" inch bike at a much lighter weight. You're likely not going to be hucking stuff or blasting down chunk for a while.

Tires, tubes, wheels (yours may not be too bad, weigh them), lighter cassette, and lighter crank (Hammerschmidt is nice but heavy and not really necessary).

If you do get new wheels, I'd look at a tubeless setup.

Also, FWIW, my bike came with OEM tires. Prowler MX 2.3 and Stout 2.3 tires. They were over 1kg each, being OEM. They were not the production weights of those tires.

Edit: the frame and shock, IIRC, is about 7.5-7.75lbs. It's not light.


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## DaPharoah (May 10, 2012)

My wife had the same issue as you when we moved to Colorado. We relocated from CA where she had been riding a 6'' travel bike that weighed in at 32+ lbs, which was GREAT for CA and the riding out there. She loves to bomb downhill and often impresses me, but when we got to the rocky mountain state and found that almost ALL trails require a ton of climbing before you get to enjoy the down. Now she is on a Giant Trance X2 Womens Model which stock weighs in at just under 28 lbs, we threw a upgraded wheelset on there and carbon bars and post and now she is rocking a bike that is just under 27 lbs and it made a complete difference in her climbing experience.

I too own a 2009 Mission 3 and put it on a diet once I moved to CO. I pulled off the Hammerschmidt and upgraded the wheels. It was just not built for climbing, but I loved the feel of the bike too much to let it go and now I can still enjoy the best part of mountain biking. The downhill!! 

But with all of that being said, you should consider shedding some weight off of your rig, and many people here have suggested some great places to start. Tires, crank, wheels, etc. Or see about selling it and getting yourself a 5'' bike with less fat on it's bones.


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## Firecrackerktm (Jul 16, 2009)

I just got a Gary Fisher Wahoo 29er. I don't even know how much it weighs. It is slightly lighter than my old beat up crappy bike, but I don't know if it's "too heavy." I'm 5'7" and 180ish. Wouldn't the extra weight just force me to get in better shape faster?

Are my stock wheels/tires considered large and/or heavy? This isn't an expensive bike so $$$$$$$ wheels might not make a whole lot of sense. I do plan on keeping it for a while and upgrading bits and pieces as I begin to get a feel for things. But it's still probably silly to dump tons of money into it.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Firecrackerktm said:


> I just got a Gary Fisher Wahoo 29er. I don't even know how much it weighs. It is slightly lighter than my old beat up crappy bike, but I don't know if it's "too heavy." I'm 5'7" and 180ish. Wouldn't the extra weight just force me to get in better shape faster?
> 
> Are my stock wheels/tires considered large and/or heavy? This isn't an expensive bike so $$$$$$$ wheels might not make a whole lot of sense. I do plan on keeping it for a while and upgrading bits and pieces as I begin to get a feel for things. But it's still probably silly to dump tons of money into it.


Seriously folks: If you have money and desire to dump into booty kit that's up to you, but you don't HAVE to do this to enjoy your bike! Heck, I routinely carry 15-20 lbs of water + 'if the bike-pocalypse happens' gear... I'm not really any faster without it and my paranoia kicks in if I go 'nekked'.

Just ride. 
Embrace the experience. 
Leave the regrets with your tracks in the dust.


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## cigarlover (Oct 24, 2011)

If you just got a new bike and don't love it the first time you hit the trail. You probably got the wrong bike- weight or no weight considered. I fell in love with mine as soon as I got on the saddle  ...


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## skidad (May 23, 2005)

Just picked up a leftover 2010 Safire Comp for my daughter for $1400. Weight with test pedals is 26.5lbs. SWEET!!! She's coming off a 30+ pound hard tail so this should help her out a bit I'm sure. I'm gonna add a light 650B front wheel and ditch the 3rd ring for a bash guard and call it good.

Interesting the 2010 Safire has a 130mm fork and the 2012 has a 120mm fork. Added bonus?

To the OP....personally I wouldn't put my 105lb GF on a 34lb bike. Especially when his is 29lbs. Plenty of 5.5-6 travel bikes under 30lbs he could hook you up with along with some light wheels. I think the happy factor would go up a bit. JMHO


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