World’s Lightest Bike

Worlds Lightest Bike

Psst… wanna see the World’s Lightest Bike? To enthusiasts who appreciate weight conservation over classic construction, the invitation is akin to a saucy seduction. To those who prefer traditional tubing as reassuringly reliable, the fact that numerous pilots have accrued between 12,000 and 15,000 miles on this featherweight carbon fiber is a testament to the resilient nature of this material.

The original father of the World’s Lightest Bike is Günter Mai, who’s a bit of a visionary when it comes to the concern of weight and bicycles. Since then the bike was dismantled but the current owner and Portland’s Het Fairwheel Podium have rebuilt the bike to weigh in at an incredible 2.7kg. Discover the full spec sheet on the Het Fairwheel Podium website. Massive thanks to Emir for the photography.

Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike
Worlds Lightest Bike

Posted on 14 Feb 2011 in Road Bicycles.

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  • Byron Loibl

    Yaaawn…

    • Phill

      Yawn? What’s to yawn at? It might not be your type of bike, but it’s pushing the boundaries of avalible technology. That’s a whole lot less boring than yet another steel frame with polished the lugs.

      • Nexus

        No… it is boring. Big deal. A steel frame with lugs would ride better and last longer than some circus piece.

        • Jeb89

          Boring? If we’re judging the excitement level of a bicycles by the frame material alone, wouldn’t steel be perhaps the most boring of them all? Regardless, different strokes for different folks. I love my steel frame– but I admire a bicycle that weighs less than my cat.

        • Potatoguy

          Did you miss the bit about its having already done 12-15thousand K?.

          • http://twitter.com/jakeefer jakeefer

            This bike isn’t meant to be durable it’s meant to be the lightest bike ever. It accomplishes that task well. Whine about durability on the “most durable bike ever” post… oh wait… haven’t seen that one yet. Besides anyone who knows bikes knows that the lightest stuff is never the most durable.

          • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

            i seriously doubt that.!. as much as the fact about it weighing 2.7. kg & standing… it either weighs at least double, or it doesn’t hold up any rider on it’s back…

            lightest bike i heard off is a scott addict ltd & it weighs @ ~5.5 kgs. lightest frame is cervelo’s R5 california at 695gr. lightest wheels are @ ~1.2kg. lightest crankset @ ~.5+kgs

            so you have about 2.4 kgs @ best for frame-wheels-crankset to weigh in
            & @ least 5kgs total to be credible…

            this is some abstract artwork for deco… no machine for hard, long use…

            mileage is a marketting hoax. i ‘ve seen it credited 20+K on other webpages…

        • Potatoguy

          Did you miss the bit about its having already done 12-15thousand K?.

        • Anonymous

          ……true that! tell it like it is!!!!

        • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

           you got that right ! for the durability & reliability… but carbon ain’t boring either… it’s just competition stuff…

      • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

        steel is not boring, it ‘s comfortable & stylish classicism…

  • Knucklehead

    for the world’s lightest rider….

    • stric

      I have to agree. When I lifted this bike it felt like a toy. I am 210 lb and I doubt that it would last very long under my wight (provided it were big enough; at 51cm size it’s much too small for me).

      • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

        indeed, most bikes or frames/wheels are certified for max 80kgs rider… safety, or at best riding  to behaviour, is not guaranteed beyond… you need to add more weight to the bike/parts for it to support us heavier riders…

  • Stanley83

    I’ll bet those 12-15k were not on those chainrings

    • ImNotCarlos

      No kidding. Sure, that’s a incredibly light bike, however some things on it just look plain shotty; you can find better & more well adjusted brake calipers & pads on an untouched Peugeot U0-8 left in an alley for twenty years than on this 12-15k machine. In terms of technology I feel like this bike simply falls short; weight only accounts for a small portion of a rider’s ability. Guarantee you would have better luck on a Calfree carbon frame w/ Di2 than on this jankety road-rocket.

    • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

      you bet right.!. all the pics , i’m sure , are taken before any mile was taken on this thing , if it ever was riden… it’s impossibly clean , like it came out of the gallery or something…

      • stric

        It was in exhibited in a bike studio or gallery if you want so it was impeccably clean when the pictures were taken.

  • diondatta

    I see bike-snobs!

    • Dimitrios Papatheofanous

      we’re more like bike-realists.!.

    • Anonymous

       Hipsters?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=523631589 Lynette Chiang

    Nice, but I can’t help but remember a rider at PACTOUR Desert Camp with a $3500 carbon Orbea that he leaned against a curb, it fell over and crack! End of $3500 bike … I never want to wear white gloves with what is basically a tool to get from A to B.

    • http://twitter.com/jakeefer jakeefer

      early Orbea’s were prone to breaking… good carbon frames are much more durable

      • http://www.facebook.com/dimypap Dim-itri’os Ev-angelos Pap’the

        there was another recent event with a major crash at the finish line because of a carbon wheel yielding & crashing the leader…

  • LD

    Set up those brakes before photo time eh?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=529065590 Rocky Blundon

    how much money for that sucker?

    • stric

      It’s hard to put a price on it since just about any component is either prototype or custom-made for it. The Het Fairwheel Podium’s rough estimate is about US$45,000.

      • Anonymous

        $45,000? That’s utterly, fantastically, ridiculous!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000180156745 Gaylord Cohen

    I wonder how fast this super-light bike can go?! :-p

    • stric

      In fact, very fast. It was considered for some famous hill-climb earlier in 2011 but the rider had to give up since the bike was too small for him.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lourico-Tongco/1485761649 Lourico Tongco

    Im impressed by the way it was being dressed up, it really saves weight and still completed with the classic specs, thanks to the carbon fiber tech., the detail was really studied.

  • Jurriaan

    Light bikes are for light riders. If you’re heavy, buy a heavy bike!
    :-)

  • anon

    yo dawg i heard you like carbon fibre 

  • Jurriaan

    Unidirectional carbon fibre is the only future for building bikes. Even Litespeed knows that!

  • Roy_saniel

    oh….wat a fuckn weight.