Re: power of positive thinking

Quoted message said:

Time for fun!

Here are my last seven daily 15.1 mile ride times, sorted from fastest
to slowest:

mm:ss      ss

1. 46:21    2781  fastest
2. 46:48    2808  +27
3. 47:14    2834  +26
4. 48:09    2889  +55
5. 48:51    2931  +42
6. 49:12    2952  +21
7. 49:26    2966  +11

The fastest time was ~94% of the slowest time.

If you had to guess, which ride(s) would you guess--

Er, which ride(s) would you predict had 7 pounds of steel rods added
to the top tube of a ~27 pound bicycle with a ~193 pound rider?

IT'S A TRICK DON'T FALL FOR IT!

Quoted message said:

The bike felt "heavier" with eight 400-gram steel rods tucked into a
piece of MTB inner tube and clamped to the top tube with three
hose-clamps.

Part of the "heavy" feeling must have been due to the additional 7
pounds.

But much of the "heaviness" may have been due to my expectations and
to the damping effect of 7 pounds of rubber-wrapped steel rods on the
familiar vibration.

After all, the bike felt "heavy" at ~ 40 mph downhill on a 65 mph
highway, even though I was tucked in and coasting instead of pushing
against the pedals.

No matter the results of your experiments, the weight difference's
effect is always there, going up or down hills, on the flats,
whatever, plus (slower time) on the ups and flats, minus on the
downhills.

Sounds like you've been getting some good exercise, and you noticed a
difference in feel, if not a Saturn booster-size blast of acceleration
<g> (IOW, I hear you IRT "writing ad copy and not getting paid for
it"😉.

FWIW, I have a couple of bikes that are Ti, with different
"layouts" (tube shape, fork material, about a 1/2" difference in
wheelbase, and tubing angles, plus a much longer top tube on one) that
have very different riding feedback, to use the words. IOW, it doesn't
take a change in material or a drastic weight difference to make an
undeniable difference in response (to use the word)... but rocket
acceleration? A rocket, please, or much stronger legs.

I'm lucky, I guess as the magic of magic componentry (tubular tire
wheels compared to fat clinchers, in my case) was revealed to be
mostly a parlor trick at the first uphill I came to on my shiny new
used race bike, way back in 1972. That said, the (small and not quite
so small) differences are always there, for weight or aero. --D-y