What is the truth behind bike weight? Does it really help THAT much?
- Thread starter Travis44
- Start date
Absolutely, its what makes bicycling a bit more real vs. sportbike racing. Speaking of real I always thought of myself as the average Joe but I keep defending my right to commute 26 miles round trip on a bike in winter to the average Joe and I still don't own anything with spandax but that will change soon enough.Felt_Rider said:I find that my DA components shift no better than 105 if I let them get dirty so keep your new bike clean.
Yeah 105 looks about the same so I bet your right, I moving up from a shimano 2200 ft. deraileur,tiagra rear, and sora shifters to all ultegra sl
I think it is great that the average joe / josephine can buy the same bikes on the pro tours. I have passed some of those bikes on the way back to the parking lot, but it is still nice to see that they are available for purchase.
(Just kidding with you)
Hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with buying any bicycle you can afford simply because (choose all that apply)gemship said:whoa, harsh crowd on here. Seems like a few of you are quick to dicredit the benefits of a lighter bike. First of all it's hard to argue against the stats and science that justifies a nearly zero increase in speed given a substanstial wieght decrease, say 5 pounds give or take a couple. So I will agree there to a point. That being said I believe the benefits are a bit more than just a placebo effect. In fact it may be fair to look at the bigger picture. For most consumers when upgrading to lighter wieght there's also the upgrade of better groupo/components.I do believe the shifting does tend to get a bit more slicker at the high end for example. Not to mention the thought toward designing for added stiffness and areo.
If you really like bicycling enough to spend time on a forum or wear skin tight clothing then I believe it's perfectly okay to spend some dough on a nicer, racier ride. Perhaps it won't make you faster then again you may use less power to get up that same hill. Or you may find yourself having a easier time keeping up with your friends. Personally I'm looking forward to my new carbon Cervelo. It's going to be 7 pounds lighter than my Raliegh and an upgrade in everyway, that in it self may be the best part. Plus I think its awesome that one can actually buy the same bike that won Paris Rubaix. I suppose folks on here can be negative as far as freedom of speech goes but I can't help to think that your all just jealous because you just too cheap, eskewed by logical reasoning to treat yourself to that so called placebo effect. To all you that think wieght doesn't matter, good luck riding whatever it is you ride and more importantly maintaining that excitement riding brings you. Fear not for if remember you on the day you decide to step up you game with a lighter bike I won't be the type of poster to rub in a double standard.
you want to
you think it looks good
you will have more fun riding it
you will go slightly faster and therefore might win or keep up easier on rec. rides
etc.
I repeat: absolutely nothing wrong. We all do the same to varying degrees. In fact, even though I'm slow and weak, I'm thinking at 55, I should buy my "dream bike" simply because I can and if I wait any longer, I might need a tricycle with a grocery basket on the front. Why not own a $5000 bike sometime in your life even if you only go 15 mph?
The only point I was making is that it is simply false when people claim their better bike and / or wheels made a 1-2 mph difference (or the extreme 3+ mph claim). Just won't happen, except due to "new bike" or "placebo" affect (which might indeed increase speed - but it's not because of the bike).
Hey have fun with your new bike. Yes, I'm jealous! It sounds NICE. I'll bet it will be a kick to ride.
No, no, no, you have to wear Assos cycling shorts if you're going to ride a Cervelo R3. It just wouldn't be right to wear cargo shorts on that bike.gemship said:
Truth is, the same rider and team would likely to have won the same race on another bike.gemship said:
What do I ride? Well, lets just say that I also have a top end bike that has been associated with multiple major race wins. But I recognize that it's just a play toy without the engine power and nothing to brag about.
Camilo said:
Ha,ha you know it funny because I used to think that people spending anything more than 100 bucks on a bike were crazy. I'll be lucky if this bike doesn't end up costing me more than 5k. It's still in the process of being built. I don't know what to say except I'll ride anything that has wheels but this bike makes me want to join a bike club show off my cute butt. I'm actually kind of intimidated by it. It just isn't the kind of bike you can lean against poles or leave behind for a quick snack at the store or use for shopping. Bicycling for me in the past several years has been equally if not more practical than sport. Actually taking money from the sale of my Ninja sportbike to buy it. I'm 33 years old and I hear you with not wanting to wait till I'm crippled.
sogood, it's obvious you need a better computer. The Garmin GPS unit would be the answer, except that it adds 150 grams and a lump of drag on the handlebars, likely offsetting the savings on that new wheelset that you're trying to measuresogood said:Damn! My computer only reads in 0.5 km/h steps. No wonder I am not seeing my speed improvements.
sogood said:
When you say another bike winning the same could that be anything made of any material so long as the fit was the same as well as geometry. You seem pretty to know more than me but I'd bet that a bike with 531 heck 853 steel tubing would be fast but not have the edge to take the win given the new carbon bikes dominating this race.
gemship said:
Like a team mate of Eddy once said, 'Eddy can win on my bike, I can't win on his'. O'grady rode a good bike with LOTS of support in a field of lots of good bikes with lots of support. One more thing, more races have been lost due to equipment than have been won.
Have fun on your new bike, make sure you ride it lots, like Eddy says.
You need to keep a beater bike. As you point out, you won't be able to let the Cervelo get out of your sight, except in a secure lock-up. Not the bike for a run to the shops.gemship said:
Ah, I knew there's a physical reason for that. Every time I mount my Garmin eTrex on the bar, I felt that I was slowed by something. Must be that exponential air resistance on speed being factored in.dhk2 said:sogood, it's obvious you need a better computer. The Garmin GPS unit would be the answer, except that it adds 150 grams and a lump of drag on the handlebars, likely offsetting the savings on that new wheelset that you're trying to measure
gemship said:
You'd be wrong betting that, because any edge the new bikes have isn't necessarily an advantage at all. About the only real edge that new bikes can have is an aerodynamic edge, and frame aerodynamics are well behind human corpus, wheels, and helmet when it comes to aero influence. Stiffness? There have been exactly zero studies that have shown frame stiffness to provide any performance benefit at all. Weight? Weight's a non-starter and is not on the list of things that win races. I'm not sure what else you'd consider to be part of the "edge" that new bikes have.
10-speed cassette hubs, brake-shift combo levers, 1 1/8" fork steerers, slant-parallelogram rear derailleurs, and splined bottom bracket tapers all get my vote.alienator said:
On the other hand we've lost stock frames sized in 1-cm increments and handlebar stems in 0.5-cm increments.
I'd take a well built custom sized frame over a churned out by the thousand alucarbotanium bike. Now, if there was a off the peg frame than just so happened to match what I wanted I'd take a look. Fit is more important than an extra 1lb or two at the most. But it's all pretty much a moot point for me right now. I used to go up hill way faster on an old 7 speed equiped 653 than I do on my current, soon to be replaced frame carbon/alloy frame with Dura Ace. There's a slight matter of weighing 40lb more than I used too. LOL If I ever get back down to 140ish lbs then I'll still rejoice in the fact that a modern steel bike aint going to weight 22lbs like they used too!
Agreed IMHOalienator said:
That may have more to do with the difficulty of designing and carrying out a test. It may be psychosomatic.. but a lot of top riders consider it important. For example Boonen claimed it was something that he wanted incorporated into his new frame designed specifically for him at Specialized. And that is not something that Specialized would have been proud to advertise if it wasn't a factor. That he felt their current frames to be a bit "mushy" for his needs (granted those are pretty demanding needs from his legs)alienator said:
Weight is not irrelevant IMHO. It might be overhyped and over-priced. But I don't think its a non-factor. You know the physics/mechanics on acceleration and gravity.alienator said:
I think the point is, rider's perception of speed may not be translated to real speed. Boonen may like the feel of a super stiff frame (as many of us have all been brainwashed to think), but where's the data to prove that stiffer is always faster? Kirk Framework' comment of flex is an interesting read. So is there a diminishing return point on the stiffness-benefit curve? If so, maybe an adequately stiff frame for Boonen may be way over stiff for the far less powerful and lighter riders, and vice versa.Crankyfeet said:
You don't need to do an experiment. It's simple physics. Doesn't SOMEONE around here have some knowledge of physics/mechanics....sogood said:
It is the same reason why a guy gets a better start in a 100 meter sprint by pushing off rigid starting blocks as opposed to the same guy pushing off foam rubber blocks. Any deformation of the frame is work absorbed that is not being transmitted via the chain to the rear wheel.
Also.. if you want to do an easy test to see the effects of stiffness.... just rig up a really flexible framed bike. One made of plastic, but strong enough to take the weight. Then go for a sprint. Then see if you notice any difference in your speed.
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