colnago62

Hey, if somebody wants to buy a bike, I say go for it. If you want it.

Maelochs

Again, we are here: my favorite color is faster than your favorite color.

I was going to say this thread got to be sort of pathetic once people started taking it seriously, but I guess there are still one or two people in the world who haven't had a chance to express themselves on this issue.

Maybe the difference of going faster by such a small amount that you cannot tell is that you know. Perhaps the people to whom it makes no difference should stop attacking those that care, for caring, even if it is .0003 seconds per lifetime. It is that person's life, after all.

Maybe we all should go back to treating the discussion with the absurdity it deserves.

Herbie53

Who is this "you" you speak of?

Stratocaster

I don't necessarily disagree. But personally, I like to rely on my own abilities, smarts, and conditioning rather than "blame the bike". Not that you're blaming the bike (or weight). I understand that every advantage can help. But in the end, I know that at some point in a competition that I will probably slack...or not draft when I could have...or won't get as aero as I should have going down a hill.

I think that's why people make the difference between "us" and "the pros". The pros refine their game to a point where they don't take these "short cuts" as much as the rest of us. It's more important that they don't.
That's why smaller details matter more to them. At the top, there is much less difference between competitors than at a non-pro level. That goes for pretty much any sport.

RollCNY

Have we discussed the 2 lb crap yet? These threads are never done until we weigh in on that.

Some fecal facts to digest:

Poo is the density of water, so a 2 lb crap is a .909 kg, which is .909 L. To make this easy to picture, that is a 1.5" diameter tube 25" long. Unless you are standing to dismount your turd torpedoes, you probably aren't hitting that bogey.

And if you are under 380 lbs, you probably miss the 2 lb limit as well. Per diem, the average human poops out 1 oz per 12 lbs of body weight. So Andre the Giant might nail the deuce, but Contador wouldn't hit a 12 oz tainted sirloin.

Just some fun facts. Not that this thread asked for facts or data.

StanSeven

You're missing the point that lots of others have as well. A lighter bike or an aero bike gives you some advantage, regardless of what you do. The improvement is there no matter how much you weigh, how poor your position, or whether you slack or not. It's there. In fact the benefits are proportionally greater for someone slow than they are for someone faster.

Herbie53

I think there is a good Southpark episode on this.

johnyguy

I think it's kind of disgusting to discuss this here!

RollCNY

Math?

BoSoxYacht

Lazyass has posted a lot of crap, but he hasn't mentioned the 2lb turd yet in this thread. We are only at page 6. give him some time.

Herbie53

Post #68... the seal has been broken.

Stucky

I want a faster engine...but I can't buy one, so I have to achieve it the hard way...but it'll last a lot longer than a faster bike. a 2% increase in engine power will do a lot more good than a 2% decrease in bike weight.

Reynolds 

"You" the rider who can't tell the difference between going at 25 or 25.001.
And "you" anybody else who can't tell who won an informal race - rider 1 crossed the (imaginary) line 1/2" ahead or behind rider 2?.

Reynolds 

That would apply if the difference is big - like one rider on a MTB against others on road bikes. But there are so many more important variables that a small difference in weight - say 1 pound - isn't going to determine who will win IMO.

Herbie53

That's what I thought. Amazing how you know more about me and everyone else than I or they themselves do. I can only assume you have experienced everything.

Impressive.

Reynolds 

Not attacking at all. But if my friend tells me "Look, this is my new stem, I saved 30 grams and only spent $170 on it!" and I know he replaced his perfectly good $40 stem... well, it's his money, and if he's happy that way more power to him, but don't tell me that 30g will make him win sprints because that's BS.

DaveWC

Has it occurred to you that the folks that believe that a lighter bike is faster didn't necessarily buy a lighter bike for that reason? It's possible to separate the buying decision from a discussion of the physics of mass and velocity. So it's possible that as BoSox said, it's more enjoyable to ride a lighter bike... but he also believes that it's faster. This happens to be a discussion solely about the speed aspect of a lighter bike. I'm sure if you started a thread about the reasons for buying a lighter bike, or the reasons that people spend more than $5k on a bike you'll find that speed gains are not at the top of the list. But that doesn't mean that these folks don't think that there are speed gains.

DaveLeeNC

That is true. On returning to cycling after almost two decades I wanted to continue to ride my pretty nice Bianchi (El-OS steel). And for whatever reason I wanted an "18 pound bike" (as would typically be marketed these days - no pedals, bottle cages, etc). It turns out meeting that goal (interestingly within an ounce or so) was expensive, but congruent with just upgrading for better riding.

* 2014 Campy Chorus 11sp (from 96 vintage Chorus 8sp), plus compact chainring
* New wheels and tires (still clincher, BTW)
* Lighter saddle (which had to be replaced anyway)
* New seatpost (which was the only pure 'weight driven' choice)

I've got maybe two things that might net (each) on the order of a pound

* carbon wheels (tubulars)
* carbon fork

I won't be doing the latter, and don't see myself doing the first one either. But I really wanted that 18 pound bike and can't explain why that is. I don't even know what it weighs 'fully decked out' with pedals (Garmin Vector Power, BTW), cages, etc.

dave

BoSoxYacht

You realize that the stronger engine can be lost too. I was hit by a truck 2/26/14 spent 5 weeks in the hospital(6 weeks off the bike total), and I still haven't gained back all of my power that was lost.

Trust me everything that you put into that engine can be lost in the blink of an eye, and no insurance company will replace it.

3alarmer 

...the illegitimate offspring of Zeno's paradox and Sartre's "No Exit".

BoSoxYacht

If your friend isn't winning sprints now, he won't be winning sprints after dropping an ounce either. Sprints are a tactical battle.

rpenmanparker 

Does no one else see the incongruity of the red and blue parts of the above statement? The only time you rely on your own everything is when time trialing...and even there you usually wear special clothing to help you out. Relying on your own anything is BS in cycling.

DaveWC

I promise to treat all of your posts that way. I assume that you too have now had your chance to express yourself on this issue. Funny that you mock others for doing what you just did.

Bike Gremlin

The answer is 42, of course.

Lighter bike will be beneficial on climbs and during acceleration - all other things being equal.

Determining how much is a bit harder. Generally, the heavier the rider, the less will a few kilos off a bike weight matter.

Lazyass

I'll get to that in awhile. I left my cell phone at home this morning. On one of my 40 rides I finished three seconds faster without all that weight. Even one ounce makes you faster, as I have Peepee has schooled me on. It's true.