manufacturer claims vs reality

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gb123bike
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2019 1:02 am

by gb123bike

With my current build, I'm noticing that many manufacturer weight claims are a little bit "less than truthful".

Some of them are spot on. The SRAM and Shimano parts I bought are within a gram or two of the claimed weights, and I think anything within 1-2% counts as accurate since there are production tolerances.

But when you get up to a claimed 160g seatpost (KCNC Scandium) that weighs 180g, that isn't just production tolerances any more. A lot of the parts I've bought are like that, and it certainly adds up: +20g here, +60 there (tires), +28 there... I've got at least 8 parts so far that have come in heavier than the marketing claims. (And one that's lighter: my Chinese carbon saddle, at -7g).

Now I don't really care about 20 g by itself, but it adds up over the course of many components and that makes it hard to estimate in advance how much a build will weigh in the end. Guessing my 8kg build on paper will clock in more like 8.5 kg in the real world :roll:

Johnny Rad
Posts: 2025
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:22 am
Location: Zion

by Johnny Rad

I think the same occurs in other industries.

Lambo notoriously under-reports weight, battery-powered consumer devices frequently fail to deliver the stated battery life, real-world automotive mpg pales to the window sticker claims, etc.

I'm sure each mfg follows their testing / reporting process, but some clearly game it.

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