Originally Posted by
jlstrat
My legs feel slow or heavy because I tried a 12/25 cassette for a week or so, but went back to a 12/34. Lots of climbs around here.
OK, I have to ask this question. if you take a cyclist that climbs slow on a heavy bike, then give him a bike that weighs 3 lbs lighter, how much faster would he be?
My guess is, not much, if at all. I seriously doubt 3 pounds would see any measurable improvement. There was an article in a cycle magazine a few months back that pretty much said this.... That most cyclist would be better served losing weight and working on improving fitness to ride and climb faster then spending money to reduce bike weight or even buying a new light weight bike. The article also said that losing 5 pounds on the body equals greater benefits then losing the weight on the bike plus it's a whole lot less expensive.
I agree with the article, but maybe this is because I'm to cheap to spend money on lighter components or a new bike.
Now when I look at my current bikes, they're all heavy compared to today's light weight carbon wonder bikes. The steel fixed gear is around 24 lbs, the steel road bike is 25 lbs and the MTB commuter with road slicks is 36 lbs loaded up. The interesting thing is, I can ride each bike within 1 mph average of each other over my 14.5 mile commute (round trip is 29 miles). And I believe my effort is about the same on each bike, which really surprised me that the bike setup and weight didn't make a substantial difference.
For climbing, nothing wrong with a 12-34 cassette (I use an 11-34). If you need lower gearing, then that was a great move switching back.
Now on the other hand, if you want to spend some money and just looking for a justifiable reason, then yes, you need new lighter wheels, and components. Or, maybe a new bike is in your future.
All the best....