Tag Archives: mass

Atomic Kailas 185cm (drilled/used)

. Product Weight . , , ,

These are the green ones.

A friend gave a wonderful deal on nearly pristine and well loved skis. They’re about to get mounted, so it’s time to weigh ’em. These skis have been drilled once for dynafits, and for Voile ski crampons. I think the previous owner stone ground them at least once. I expect them to be lighter than new.

My scale is designed for calibration with a 4 kg standard, but I only have a 2kg standard. So, I do the correction by hand. Actual mass = ( measured mass  x 2000/2006).

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Corrects to 2000g.

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Corrects to: 1881 g

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Corrects to 1862g.

Average mass 1872g.

Couldn’t find the manufacturer’s spec for the 06/07 year, but 07/08 had a claimed weight of 3750g/pair, or 1875 g/ski.

Edit: 3/14/2013

I’ve finally gotten a few days on these skis, after mounting them with inserts. They’re a rather neutral ski. They like to be driven, but will tolerate small quantities of backseat driving. I’m accustomed to slightly shorter (~177 cm) skis, so tricky conditions require a little more forethought. The previous owner kept the bases and edges in pristine condition, so edgehold is excellent. As with Kongurs in the same length, I haven’t yet found a speed limit, even on ripper groomers. Nice skis.

Crank Brothers Eggbeater 1

. Cycling, Product Weight . , , , , ,

Over the weekend, we went on a long bike ride. It was fun, but I was slower than I wanted. So, in addition to resolving to get more exercise, I took a look at the weight of my bicycle.

Lots of disassembling, weighing parts, and playing with spreadsheets ensued. Ultimately, I decided to replace my worn tires (wire beads add 100g per tire!), rattly clipless pedals, and saddle. If manufacturers meet spec, I’ll have dropped about a pound from my 24 pound bike for ~$100. This isn’t the optimal weight/dollar way to get to a 18 lb bike, but it’s a way to spiff up a favorite bike.

The first package arrived in the mail yesterday – Crank Brothers pedals from REI. Listed as 256 grams per pair,  these should save 110g over the old pedals. Opening up the package, they look and feel great.

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Here’s what arrived. 280.2 grams.

Nearly 10% high. For a weight quoted to three significant figures in an industry obsessed with weight, that’s a letdown. In real terms, it’s the weight of an extra granola bar per pair. Or, if you’re a triathlete, three quarters of a pack of GU. As a customer, I saved 22% less weight than I expected with this purchase.

It’s not a gross manufacturing inconsistency; the two pedals mass 140.0 and 140.3 g (+/- 0.1 g statistical uncertainty).

Balance is an American Weigh Blade 400, calibrated with an American Weigh 200g calibration mass. At present, I trust the calibration mass to about a gram. The manufacturer specifies at least 0.1 g. I haven’t yet checked it on a superior balance.