In this week’s GCN Tech Show, we dive into the controversial debate: are ultra-lightweight bikes actually pointless for the average rider? We weigh up the pros and cons of shaving grams versus aerodynamics, costs, and structural risks. Plus, we check out the latest “Hot Tech” including the new Rose Shave aero bike, a 109g saddle from Selle Italia, and a chance to win a Vision Metron 6D handlebar!
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Chapters: ⏱️
00:00 – Welcome to the GCN Tech Show
00:34 – Are Lightweight Bikes Pointless?
15:08 – Hot Tech: Rose “Shave” Aero Bike
17:18 – Selle Italia 109g Racing Replica Saddle
20:50 – Nibrocool: The Smart Indoor Training Fan
22:08 – Cyclowax Performance Chain Wax
25:00 – CamelBak Cleaning Kits & Hacks
27:36 – WIN a Vision Metron 6D Handlebar
30:11 – Comment of the Week
35:19 – Bike Vault
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Do you think the cycling industry is moving away from its obsession with lightweight bikes in favour of aerodynamics, or is a light bike still the ultimate goal for you? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇
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27 Comments
Do you think the cycling industry is moving away from its obsession with lightweight bikes in favour of aerodynamics, or is a light bike still the ultimate goal for you? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇
UCI is pointless to non racing cyclist, which is majority of riders
Andrew Feather would disagree 😉
I have a 10kg bike and it feels dead light to me because I've only ever owned shit bikes 🙂
As long as we see professionals literally squirting water out of their bottles at the bottom of big climbs, saving barely enough to get them up, people think weight matters.
And that’s as of 2025 big races. I’m sure it’ll still be going on in 2026 too.
Your fancy light bike feels good right up until you bonk on a ride with it or you almost get hit by a car, then your bike suddenly feels the same and you forget about it.
They are fun to pick up though.
Haha dude it's our money we work hard for it. Let us spend it the way we want to. We aren't telling you how to spend yours. Put out more meaningful content. This video is wack.
In the discussion they both talk about how light weight so really fun to ride, just not fast. How much do people really care about being a little bit faster on a aero bike when a lightweight might be more fun? And then of course just like you are most of the weight so why bother about the bike. Completely ture! You are also nearly all the aero drag… So the bike makes little difference (wheels do make a difference). So why bother. If you want to go fast get strong and flexible and lean. Then if you have that nailed then worry about the bike… So just ride the bike YOU find the most fun! Light or aero!
"Ultra light bikes are such a small loss in system weight it doesn't make a difference"
Ever tried to do push ups while wearing a weighted vest? Small increase in system weight, but damn!
Secret method of holding ball bearings in place?… I'm thinking equally spaced magnets in a frame that holds the cartridge and ball bearings in place then pour in the solid lubricant 🤣🤣
What’s the need for smart fan control? Set up ride platform, turn fan/fans to max, ride bike, sweat profusely anyway, get off bike and have shower. I do live in Queensland and ride in a garage without air conditioning though 😉
If you commute by bike with a bag weighing several pounds, spending lots of money to save a few pounds on a bike frame is pointless.
You can save weight by buying your lunch at work rather than hauling it, with all the money you just saved on your cheaper frame.
Alex & Ollie: You need to check out the Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit in Colorado. Aug. 8 2026
As a non racer, lightweight bikes were the winners for me because ride feel is everything
There is one thing that is absolutely not pointless with lightweight bikes: It's the fun of taking them for a spin. Starting with lifting them off the bike stand or carrying them upstairs and downstairs when you're living on the 2nd floor or higher to the feeling when you accelerate a pair of light wheels, which is just mega.
And whatever makes you love to ride your bike is not pointless.
It’s not the ultra light bike but the motor, joengrcyclist
IT JUST FEELS NICE! I am fortunate enough to have several bikes, and so I have a very light Factor VAM that I put silly shallow silly light wheels on and it just goes zap when I go up (or anywhere). It is also lighter to lug around in airports, etc, and that is actually not trivial. But yes, when I race, I have an aero bike and use it for almost all situations. It obv costs money, but I spend very very little on total wrecks of cars, so that’s kind of a win too…
Aero bikes feel amazing too of course – just different amazing. N+1 it is…
Thank you for the super nice on my Canyon Grail. The white to black design is a Wilder Wild frame wrap kit in the skull pattern. If you love the bike make it your own.
My average poo is around 1.2kg. Obviously cheaper than top end kit, and I feel like a cycling god… until more cake is dispensed.
What’s your poocifency?
I love that the Alex t-shirt still have the marks of the soul on it! lol
Awesome! I'll keep making my bikes as light as possible…
Riders against Alex need to understand that he is coming from the point of view from a rider who pulls the train VS a riders who rely on a wheel to sit when the pace hits 45km+ and when not on a hill.
If you live in a hilly area and your routes consist more of hills than flats, weight is a priority.
Regardless, spend your money where you want and wherever the placebo effect hits hardest.
Build a set of light weight wheels for someone you love and they will love you forever!
Of course a super light bike is pointless for the overwhelming majority of riders.
They don't hold up to real world conditions long, they have rider weight limits, replacement parts are hard to come by and you can't count on them for any place other than where you can call a taxi to take you back home when they break. Having said that, to each their own.
If that's what they want to rock, more power to them.
For me, ultralight is 15 "reliable" pounds. Anything under that and it's going to fall apart on the road. My 6.9kg EVO is for climbing and fair weather conditions. All my other bikes are now metal (aluminum, steel, magnesium, titanium).
Besides, I have an X and a Y chromosome so I'm not going to melt riding a 20lb bike that'll take me anywhere in this world without shuttering on the road or snapping bits.
I live in Australia. In Summer I easilly loose 2-3kg a ride on a hot summers day. Sure I might be tired, but I am now lighter on the second half of my ride.
What about the concept of 'Power Transfer'? Anyway, I'm 54KG and can ride my TT bike with the full setup up a hill almost as fast as on my lightweight bike. I love riding both those and my aero bike!
Yes must be a cover up! Her complete aircraft but also enough wreckage to make thousands planes have been seen, also her grave, thousands of her bones and personal effects have been found in dozens of locations in a 3000 nautical mile radius of Midway Island including New Guinea, in Japan and on almost every island in the North and South Pacific. The obvious explanation is that she secretly refueled in space but was captured by aliens who cloned the entire aircraft many times then sprinkled them around half our planet so these aliens could make a fortune publishing a new book about her disappearance every year for the next 100 years. You know this makes sense as nothing else does. We can wait for a new sighting, on a new island and a new book, next year.