diff --git a/include/podio/detail/Link.h b/include/podio/detail/Link.h
index 7317c4400..b2730769e 100644
--- a/include/podio/detail/Link.h
+++ b/include/podio/detail/Link.h
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class LinkT {
 
   /// Constructor with weight
   LinkT(float weight) : m_obj(new LinkObjT{}, podio::utils::MarkOwned) {
-    m_obj->weight = weight;
+    m_obj->data.weight = weight;
   }
 
   /// Copy constructor
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class LinkT {
   ///          original one
   template <typename FromU = FromT, typename ToU = ToT, typename = std::enable_if_t<sameTypes<FromU, ToU>>>
   MutableLink<FromU, ToU> clone(bool cloneRelations = true) const {
-    auto tmp = new LinkObjT(podio::ObjectID{}, m_obj->weight);
+    auto tmp = new LinkObjT(podio::ObjectID{}, m_obj->data);
     if (cloneRelations) {
       if (m_obj->m_from) {
         tmp->m_from = new FromT(*m_obj->m_from);
@@ -112,13 +112,13 @@ class LinkT {
 
   /// Get the weight of the link
   float getWeight() const {
-    return m_obj->weight;
+    return m_obj->data.weight;
   }
 
   /// Set the weight of the link
   template <bool Mut = Mutable, typename = std::enable_if_t<Mut && Mutable>>
   void setWeight(float value) {
-    m_obj->weight = value;
+    m_obj->data.weight = value;
   }
 
   /// Access the related-from object
diff --git a/include/podio/detail/LinkCollectionData.h b/include/podio/detail/LinkCollectionData.h
index b73e285e3..948d7247d 100644
--- a/include/podio/detail/LinkCollectionData.h
+++ b/include/podio/detail/LinkCollectionData.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class LinkCollectionData {
       m_rel_to(new std::vector<ToT>()),
       m_refCollections(std::move(*buffers.references)) {
     if (!isSubsetColl) {
-      m_data.reset(buffers.dataAsVector<float>());
+      m_data.reset(buffers.dataAsVector<LinkData>());
     }
   }
 
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ class LinkCollectionData {
 
     m_data->reserve(entries.size());
     for (const auto obj : entries) {
-      m_data->push_back(obj->weight);
+      m_data->push_back(obj->data);
 
       if (obj->m_from) {
         m_refCollections[0]->emplace_back(obj->m_from->getObjectID());
diff --git a/include/podio/detail/LinkFwd.h b/include/podio/detail/LinkFwd.h
index 492347230..3ef706251 100644
--- a/include/podio/detail/LinkFwd.h
+++ b/include/podio/detail/LinkFwd.h
@@ -59,7 +59,13 @@ class LinkObj;
 template <typename FromT, typename ToT>
 using LinkObjPointerContainer = std::deque<LinkObj<FromT, ToT>*>;
 
-using LinkDataContainer = std::vector<float>;
+/// Simple struct to keep implementation more in line with generated links and
+/// to ease evolution of generated links into templated ones
+struct LinkData {
+  float weight{};
+};
+
+using LinkDataContainer = std::vector<LinkData>;
 
 template <typename FromT, typename ToT, bool Mutable>
 class LinkT;
diff --git a/include/podio/detail/LinkObj.h b/include/podio/detail/LinkObj.h
index 3396840eb..69297e921 100644
--- a/include/podio/detail/LinkObj.h
+++ b/include/podio/detail/LinkObj.h
@@ -15,15 +15,15 @@ class LinkObj {
 
 public:
   /// Constructor
-  LinkObj() : id(), weight(0.0f), m_from(nullptr), m_to(nullptr) {
+  LinkObj() : id(), data(0.0f), m_from(nullptr), m_to(nullptr) {
   }
 
-  /// Constructor from ObjectID and weight (does not initialize relations yet!)
-  LinkObj(const podio::ObjectID id_, float weight_) : id(id_), weight(weight_) {
+  /// Constructor from ObjectID and data (does not initialize relations yet!)
+  LinkObj(const podio::ObjectID id_, LinkData data_) : id(id_), data(data_) {
   }
 
   /// Copy constructor (deep-copy of relations)
-  LinkObj(const LinkObj& other) : id(), weight(other.weight), m_from(nullptr), m_to(nullptr) {
+  LinkObj(const LinkObj& other) : id(), data(other.data), m_from(nullptr), m_to(nullptr) {
     if (other.m_from) {
       m_from = new FromT(*other.m_from);
     }
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class LinkObj {
 
 public:
   podio::ObjectID id{};
-  float weight{1.0f};
+  LinkData data{1.0f};
   FromT* m_from{nullptr};
   ToT* m_to{nullptr};
 };