Randy5040

I've heard a lot of people say that training on a heavier bike doesn't do you any good, but today in my local bike shop some cat 1 almost pro guy had both his training bike and his race bike there and on his training bike he had a water bottle filled with lead weights. Im not sure what the bike weighed overall but I would guess somewhere in the 30+ area as his race bike felt like it was less than half the weight. Anyone else seen or heard of people doing this?

ZeCanon

I have a good friend, and cat 1 for about 10 years, who does hill repeats with a weight vest. But not heavier bike, really. He claims the vest is to help core strength, not the make the climbing any harder on his legs.

Power is power. You can either do 300w and go 5mph up a climb with a 50 lb bike, or 300w and go 8mph up a climb with a 15 lb bike, but your body can't tell the difference. Other than the aforementioned core benefits of a weight vest, and perhaps some placebo effect of hopping on a lighter bike, I see no benefit.

tallmantim

If you are riding alone, then having weights on your bike may still make some difference - climbing becomes harder as does acceleration, but you could simply push a bigger gear to get the same effect (as said, watts are watts).

Where it could come in handy in making the workout stronger is if you always trained on group rides - it would make them harder as you keep the same pace as everyone else, so it will have an effect.

kudude

^^ what he said. Heavier bike makes it harder to keep up, so more work.

tallmantim

Hey, I do training on the way to/from work - with a backpack with laptop, clothes etc - about 5-6kgs. If nothing else, it is pleasant to be unrestrained when you are with a group or racing!

Certainly doesn't do any harm anyway.

ZeCanon

True, but you could just pull more for the same effect.

Racer Ex 

My training bike is 28 pounds without the fender and has 28c tires.

Randy5040

Hmm so it takes the same amount of effort to ride say 50 miles on a heavier bike than on a light bike. It's just faster on the light bike? Would the extra time it takes to complete the same ride make the heavier bike more of a workout?

kudude

280W * 1 hr > 280W * 0.95 hr

umd

It takes the same amount of effort to ride for the same amount of TIME on a heavier bike than a lighter bike, it's just that you go farther on the lighter bike.

Most of us train by TIME and INTENSITY not distance.

kudude

^^ what he said

I forgot we were in the racing subforum.

umd

For example, if I am doing, say, VO2 intervals on a climb, I may have a workout that says 8x3 minutes. I will go up the climb for 3 minutes, 8 times. It doesn't really matter how far up the climb I get in that 3 minutes.

kudude

but you'd admit under close questioning that you notice which traffic reflector you get to or pass before the 3 minutes is up.


(no point to this post, really, but that's a secondary metric that I notice from interval to interval)

umd

Of course, but it's usually power poles.

I don't try to compare between different workout days though, I let the power meter do that.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Yes!. And too great effect.

Hence "cat 1 almost pro guy".

He will working much harder on his training bike than his race bike.

umd

Not this again.

You will find just as many or more cat 1 almost pro guys not training with weights on their bikes.

MDcatV

makes no sense. just pedal harder, i.e. go faster.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Most of us train by TIME and INTENSITY not distance -umd-.

Its not an exact science.


Imagine pedalling harder, i.e. go faster. w/ added extra resistance to boot.

umd

Exactly. You copied what I posted earlier. Too bad you lack the capacity to comprehend what it means.

MDcatV

why would anyone imagine pedaling harder, when they could just pedal harder. adding resistance is a good way to promote injury with no training benefit. none.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Huh?

Did you imagine it?. I mean Pedalling harder, i.e. go faster. w/ added extra resistance to boot.

Maybe next time your on the bike, pedal hard, go faster but think, Would I be working harder now if there was extra resistance to boot, speed & power remains constant.

MDcatV

^that's stupid. i can do the same ftp on a 15 lb bike that i can do on a 30lb bike. i know of no coach, nor do i know of any cyclist, or study or anything else that would advocate adding weight to a bike to enhance training.

$ick3nin.vend3t

Of course it enhances training.

I want you to ride the bike at the same power/speed output as last time, but this time, your going to push a heavier resistance. What are you doing?

Working harder, training stronger.

A 15lb bike?.

Time for a new stimulus.

MDcatV

you're wrong and i'm done with you.

$ick3nin.vend3t

You want too progress?.

Can't think of a better way to enhance specific strength/strength endurance.

The guy the OP mentions is going the right way.

Training hard. Intensity.