Need some help here

I am going to guess you get about 5 different responses. All five will be so lengthly that you would rather stab yourself in the temple with a fork than read it.

Good luck.

Don't know what you mean by "effective"; if you have enough power now, you certainly could do well on flat TTs at 215 lbs. For hills, my first thought is that 170-180 lbs is an optimum weight for a 6' racer, but it all depends on your build.

A better measure is your % body fat; believe something like 7-12% is considered optimum for most male cyclists. A sports trainer could estimate your bodyfat% from a caliper test, and use that to set your optimum weight goal.

Above response took me about two minutes to write. Sincerely hope you have the adult attention span and reading skills to get through it without resorting to self-mutilation 🙂

born2win said:

What is an effective weight to competitively race bikes? im a former college football player 6'0 around 215 used to be 240 until i started riding....i would apreciate any input.

Bike racing is mostly about the power/weight ratio and sustainable power. So the most "ideal" weight without sustainable power will not help. On the other hand, there are riders with a wide range of bodies(small, big, tall short) that are good at different capabilities. The smaller guys are typically very good climbers and excel in road races with climbs. Bigger guys are mostly powerhouses with sprinting and criterium type capabilites.
Another small edit: I have ridden with guys that are way out of proportion and kick my ass. So at a beginner level, even a CAT5 level thinking about the perfect amount of weight is a little too soon unless you are overweight.
I second DHK about looking at fat%. If you dont think you have high fat% just keep riding and getting your power up. You will definitely lose weight.

I'm 6ft, and "at the moment" I'm about 198lbs (90kg). "At the moment" has been about 2 years 🙁

Despite doing quite well on the flat group rides around here, when I returned to racing last year, sprinting my big fat can out of corners, lap after lap, even on a long course criterium, TOTALLY killed me. If the weight was in my legs and not on my gut, it probably would've been different, but accelerating this weight from 30kmh to 50kmh, corner after corner, was too much. Riding without changes in speed is a totally different thing.

So, I suppose it depends on what races you're doing. If there are is little cornering and no hills, you might be fine.

I'm 6'1" and at 175lb I feel like a fat tugboat for bike racing. If I don't get to 165 by June, I won't have a chance if there are any major climbs.

It all depends on what YOUR optimal weight is not someone elses I am almost your height and weigh 56 kg's but thats not saying your optimal weight has to be this low😄 .

Just train smart, train a lot and when you need to train hard train HAAARD!!! eventually after maybe two years of continous on the bike riding and race experience you will know your optimal weight. I often get surprised when people say they are only 2-3 kg's above there optimal weight...look down at there stomachs and often there is about 10kg's just hanging there over the top tube :p .

born2win said:

What is an effective weight to competitively race bikes? im a former college football player 6'0 around 215 used to be 240 until i started riding....i would apreciate any input.

Yeah I'd stick with what DHK said and go by body fat. My recommendation is just to get as lean as you possibly can.

Some others also mentioned big guys that haul ass...that's true, a guy on my team is about 210lbs, and he's pretty damn fast. Nearly won a Canada Cup race last season...placed pretty well in others. So you don't HAVE to be 156lbs and skinny like a lot of guys you see.

i like to thank everyone for their input, i figured casue of my size i should focus on climbing more than i should on flat roads. thank god im not some lard ass. my % BF is around 10-12% at 215. i know i could get down to 200 by the end of the summer.

thanks to everyone