Mountain Bike Racing - Weight weinies

From the Syncros owner's manual: "Warning: Use of bar as a roasting stick could compromise the heat treating properties of the metal and void warranty. Always remove weinies from the bar prior to reheating or eating."

I LOVE CHROMO2!!! Chromo2 rocks!!!

I'm going to go look for more of his posts! If laughter is the best medicine, this sh*t should cure cancer!
LOL :roflmao:

Handgrips for serious weight weinies:

http://www.aimcomm.com/users/dminor/images/weiniebar.jpg
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

i think people concerned about weight are ********...
give 'em a few months with that heavier bike, and they will be just as fast as the others
it can only make you stronger. <clipped>

This is not 100% true. It defies the laws of physics.

It is true that riding a heavier bike will make you stronger... temporarily..., as strength is an ebbing property of human physiology. So, if a 150 pound rider rides a 40 pound bike during base training, most likely the rider will get stronger, if they don't push the body into catabolism.

Strength -may- be evidenced by an increase in speed, or better yet, power. If the strength training on the heavier bike has translated into an increase in power for the 150 pound rider, then a lighter bike will make it easier for that power to be shown as an increase in speed. BUT--the same 150 pound rider will not be as fast on the 40 pound bike as he is on the lighter bike, because the power-to-weight ratio is increased in an unfavorable direction on the heavier bike.

Anyone with a better power-to-weight ratio than the 150 pound rider, will be faster.

I care about the wieght of my bike to a certain extent but what i do is i make my self lighter ill lose fat gain muscle and train like a mutha trucka. Im so confident in my training i dont worry about 5 punds wieght diffrence.

I care about the wieght of my bike to a certain extent but what i do is i make my self lighter ill lose fat gain muscle and train like a mutha trucka. Im so confident in my training i dont worry about 5 punds wieght diffrence.

I wish I could say the same. I'm looking for every advantage I can get. :o

Actually, after losing weight (50 pounds) I feel that is even more of a reason for me to lighten up my bike. I lost a good bit of weight on my body so why be penalized by carrying unnecessary weight on the bike? Plus, I feel that I have earned the right to ride a light bike.

Oh, I do my fair share of training as well. ;)

Truly serious weight weinies are cognizant of even the slightest advantage that they can gain . . . right down to which links they run:

http://www.aimcomm.com/users/dminor/images/chainlinks.jpg

To be succesfull at any sport you have to take a hollistic approach and cover every possible aspect/advantage, this means - physical condition, skill, diet, rest, equipment..... of course equipment is only one aspect, but the point is to erradicate every possible obstacle to winning and then that leaves only one factor - you.

I think.. We should all shut up.

Same deal. People make decisions. Some decide to ride a lighter bike. Less weight to haul, so you go faster. I know its 90% rider 10% bike, but still, any advantage is good. If I offered you a dollar, would you say "no, its just a dollar"? Its better than no dollars. So yeah, leave the XC guys to thier sport and go haul your ride, wich Im sure has plenty of big heavy armor plating. Im sure you go just as fast, and it will never break!

I figured the racing section would be more intillectually stimulating, but it doesn't surprise me that guys with growing egos take offense when they aren't the ones to elaborate on a subject that could be more indepth.

And I wish this thread was more intEllectually stimulating, but you can't have everything eh?


Just remember, a lighter component doesn't make it better! PERFORMANCE IS BASED ON DESIGN

Umm, isn't the weight of something part of the design?

The truth is lighter means faster, there is a reason why Formula 1 cars so damn lightweight, they are not wicked fast just because of the insane motor on them, but because the insanely powerful motor has an insanely lightweight object to push, the combination of the two makes F1s fly.

The same with bikes, a lighter bike makes any rider faster and I've experienced it first hand, light bikes go faster, are more maneuverable, easier to throw around and definitely faster, I'm just fine with my 30lbs Rockhopper Comp Disc but after riding a Trek Elite 9.8... I'm definitely caring more about weight for my next upgrades... especially since out of the 3 disciplines I ride, 2 are very demanding of weight (XC and Trials) and the other (freeride) definitely likes lighter bikes.

So, making yourself stronger and lighter will help... but making the bike lighter will help just as much... the best example of this is, I've been practicing moves like bunnyhops and whatnot on my bikes for a long time, in that time I've managed to gain a little more strength and technique which allow me to hop well on my bike, of course... I hopped higher and with less effort on the Elite 9.8 I rode, it will surely take me more time and effort to gain the muscular strength and technique to hop just as well on my Rockhopper but it would always be just more efficient to lighten my Rockhopper.

There is a reason trial riders spend 1500$ on a 16 lbs specialized trials mod bike, they are incredibly fit physically, they have mad skills... but their 16lbs bikes allow them to do the mad stuff they do (get up huge objects, gapshoots, etc), no matter how strong they become, they will never be able to do the same moves (with the same efficiency) on a 30lbs bike, NEVER, no matter how hard they train and how damn strong they get.

The best riders are the ones who have maximized their physical efficiency (best mass/strength ratio), their technique/skill and of course maximized the performance of their equipment, and in the case of XC and Trial riders (and all other MTB disciplines to some extent) this means making the bike lightweight.

Of course obsessing over weight to the point of spending 50$ to shave 20 grams isn't probably practical... but if they have the money... they enjoy doing that...and feel better while at it... live and let them live, I'm not the one to judge, if it helps them, even if its a placebo effect or just makes them feel good, then fine, its their money not mine.

duh

Of course obsessing over weight to the point of spending 50$ to shave 20 grams isn't probably practical...


Neither is having a MTB tandem made from titanium, but who says cyclists have to be practical?

Glad to see ya back expatriate! I was wondering how your move was going.

I've been back for a while, just haven't been around the forums that much. But we moved into our house last week, so I may find a bit more time to spend on the forums.

If the placebo works....use it.

lol, how is this debatable in the first place?

heavy stuff sucks. if i can have it light, and it doesn't break, um, duh.

we weigh all of our rock climbing gear, and make very carefull choices about what gets brought on each lead. nobody ever has a debatable problem about that. nobody gets ripped on for doing that. its part of being a smart climber.

why any diffrent on a bike?

i guess its cooler to say "i don't give a ****, i just go ride and i'm sooooooo hardcore"

lighter cars accelerate faster, go faster, and are able to endure better control. Same goes for bikes.

Will this thread EVER die?

Will this thread EVER die?For sure - - it's OVERCOOKED; the LINKS are stale; and there are too many pages to read now to properly KETCHUP.

(:D)

i love this thread :D

Coffee kicking in. OK, my useless opinion is that weight ABSOLUTELY matters; however, there can be a range. Say, a medium hardtail bike can weigh upwards to, say, 23 lbs. The real question is (a) What is the course? If the course really demands 550 gram tires, and only ridiculously good pros can ride 320 gram tires without crashing or getting a flat, wasting energy, etc...then so be it. If the course is basically paved, and you are USED to riding a 19 lb bike, then use it! IF it's a marathon course, maybe you want either a carbon rear triangle or a full-suspension bike. maybe. Sure, i can lighten up my bike by putting on 1.8's up front, but maybe my skill set won't allow it. I like 2.0ish up front, and then maybe 1.9 in the rear. That ADDS weight. we could go on, and on, and on, and on.....

Will this thread EVER die?

Apparently not. :(

I just put a thomson stem and seatpost on my hardtail, I also put hydrogen in my fork instead of air because it's lighter. I guess I"m now a weenie...:eek:

this was quite amusing and entertaining. thanks for everything...

I just put a thomson stem and seatpost on my hardtail, I also put hydrogen in my fork instead of air because it's lighter. I guess I"m now a weenie...:eek:
I don't get it.......Thomson stuff is one of the heavier choices. Strong but heavy.

i'm a total weight weeny. i really will get my hardtail under 32lbs dammmit!

Why do so many mountain bikers put so much emphasis on the weight of their bicycle? Going to the extent of having a gram scale seems like the person is unsure of their capabilities. Sure, it's nice to have a bike around 21 pounds. But if you think weighing each component, and chosing the one that's lightest, don't you think you could be sacrificing structural integrity, and risking building a safer mountain bike?

i'm i weight weenie. last race season i broke a salsa moto rapido with a carbon fiber seat stay and this year i'm getting another one because there lite

http://www.salsacycles.com/frames/images/05_MotoRapido_580.jpg

I don't get it.......Thomson stuff is one of the heavier choices. Strong but heavy.

That depends on if you go with Thomson Elite or Thomson Masterpiece.

i'm i weight weenie. last race season i broke a salsa moto rapido with a carbon fiber seat stay and this year i'm getting another one because there lite


I'm looking forward to seeing your bike this year, something tells me it is going to be a work of art.

i'm a total weight weeny. i really will get my hardtail under 32lbs dammmit!

I can get our tandem down to about 38, without too much effort.

I'm looking forward to seeing your bike this year, something tells me it is going to be a work of art.


thanks, i looking forward to seeing all of your new bikes to. My moto rapido will have a carbon lefty, marta SL,carbon xo, and as much controltech carbon peices as i can get.

This guy must be pretty unsure of his handling also because its a total WW bike. 20.8 full sus.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/tech/probikes/liam_killeen_epic07/Liam_Killeens_Team_Specialized_S-Works_Epic_Carbon_number_plate.jpg

Reviving this ancient thread...excess weight is dead weight. If it can be removed...DO IT. I rewarded myself with this 19-lb climbing rocket after losing 70 pounds and it has been safe and durable for the past 2300 off-road miles(over 3 years):

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20/Dilberto88/DSCN0807.jpg