The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) minimum bicycle weight is 6.8kg. In the 1970s the lightest road bicycles were 9.6kg. The drop in weight is due to a change in materials – from steel, then aluminium, and now they are made from carbon fibre. The cost of research and expensive materials has caused road bicycles to become more expensive, with some costing as much as R280,000. In contrast, South African’s paid an average of R236,900 for a used car in 2021.

Source: one, two, three