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Do you really like riding a lighter bike?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Do you really like riding a lighter bike?

Old 05-11-16, 02:03 PM
  #101  
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Originally Posted by ypsetihw
I carry the exact same thing except only 1 tube and 2 levers, and it all fits neatly in a small square old makeup bag I recycled from my GF, which in turn fits neatly in my jersey pocket. If it is a long unsupported ride out of range of an LBS or my GF, I carry 2 tubes AND a backup minipump, and it STILL fits in my jersey pockets, with food! I'm no weight weenie, and my bike is not the lightest thing around, and neither am I. I'm just sayin, if you are sweating the grams, why a saddle bag?!
Carrying that much stuff in the jersey pockets is awful and either way, it's all weight even if it is on you or on the bike. I used to carry a mini pump in my jersey pocket until I fell and landed on it...I don't do that anymore because it hurt like hell.
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Old 05-11-16, 02:06 PM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Cognitive dissonance? Spare me your amateur psycho jumble.
That's psycho babble...
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Old 05-11-16, 02:18 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
Ah, you're right: I forgot the spare RD cable. PITA to replace but more fun for the rest of the ride than jamming it with a stick. Also forgot the spare brake shoes we carry on the tandem. It had a bad habit of shedding them. I've used everything on that list several times. That's the reason it's on the list. I put it down to 20 years of doing/leading group rides in the mountains and other backcountry. The object is to be self-reliant and self-contained. I was never one to depend on the kindness of strangers.

You could easily carry your spare saddle in a Carradice. You just haven't looked around is all. I was on a ride with a fellow who broke his saddle rails. He tried to continue standing, but got too tired and had to bag it and wait for someone to some get him. I've also broken a stem in the middle of a ride. However I've never carried a spare saddle or stem. That's a little too much. The weight of the rest of my stuff is negligible. 5 seconds/1000' of climbing maybe? Hard to say - it seems to be too small an amount of weight change for the bike calculators to pick it up.
I must admit I was just having a bit of fun, but the thought of riding around with a long stick jammed in the RD to shift like an old school 4 on the floor is rather amusing.
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Old 05-11-16, 03:05 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by rmfnla
That's psycho babble...
You know I mean.
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Old 05-11-16, 05:50 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Every ride I do starts with me carrying my bike down a flight of stairs and ends with me carrying it up those same stairs on my shoulder. Doesn't matter if I was training, racing, solo or with a group, I still have to pick the bike up and carry it up the stairs.
Riding a nice, light bike is great - I love it. But to be honest, it's also worth it for the lifting and carrying. I put mine in and out of my car every day and/or lift it up onto the roof, or onto the ceiling hooks in my garage. Lighter is better always, and especially when you're in your 60s and have shoulder and back issues.
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Old 05-11-16, 06:08 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by Camilo
Riding a nice, light bike is great - I love it. But to be honest, it's also worth it for the lifting and carrying. I put mine in and out of my car every day and/or lift it up onto the roof, or onto the ceiling hooks in my garage. Lighter is better always, and especially when you're in your 60s and have shoulder and back issues.
+1.

I dread having to lift my 26+ lb'er bike onto the hanger, especially now with some elbow issues. 6-7 pound difference makes a world of difference when hanging it up.
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Old 05-11-16, 09:02 PM
  #107  
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I can relate to what you are saying Stratocaster, and I'm even lighter than you. Last year I bought a cheap 23 pound FG bike to see if I liked the fixed thing. I did. So this year I bought a more expensive 725 Reynolds steel FG that's about 18 pounds. Both bikes are set up similarly. The lighter bike does feel less sturdy, especially when jumping train tracks or going downhill at 140 RPM crank speed.
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Old 05-12-16, 10:13 AM
  #108  
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Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
I can relate to what you are saying Stratocaster, and I'm even lighter than you. Last year I bought a cheap 23 pound FG bike to see if I liked the fixed thing. I did. So this year I bought a more expensive 725 Reynolds steel FG that's about 18 pounds. Both bikes are set up similarly. The lighter bike does feel less sturdy, especially when jumping train tracks or going downhill at 140 RPM crank speed.
That's pretty much exactly what I'm saying.
Some enjoy a lighter bike more. Heck, some day I might enjoy a lighter bike than my Felt. But for the reasons you mentioned above - yep, right now I enjoy a bike with a little more girth.
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Old 05-12-16, 11:26 AM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
You know [what] I mean.
Now I do...
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Old 05-12-16, 02:23 PM
  #110  
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Last week i purchased a cyclocross bike which is 20#, I also have a 13# road bike. While the CX has 35mm tires the road has 25mm. It's night and day, while the CX feels like a branch, the road feels like a twig. The CX is a great bike but the road just accelerates quicker, climbs easier and the handling is superb. The CX feels solid and it awesome on descents.

Each is a tool for a slightly different job... which is why i purchased the CX bike.
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Old 05-12-16, 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by oldnslow2
Last week i purchased a cyclocross bike which is 20#, I also have a 13# road bike. While the CX has 35mm tires the road has 25mm. It's night and day, while the CX feels like a branch, the road feels like a twig. The CX is a great bike but the road just accelerates quicker, climbs easier and the handling is superb. The CX feels solid and it awesome on descents.

Each is a tool for a slightly different job... which is why i purchased the CX bike.
I'd be willing to bet that if you replaced your cx wheels with the road wheels, your performance might be darn near identical. Even swapping out the tires might be enough to equalize performance on road.
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Old 05-12-16, 02:55 PM
  #112  
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Originally Posted by American Euchre
I'd be willing to bet that if you replaced your cx wheels with the road wheels, your performance might be darn near identical. Even swapping out the tires might be enough to equalize performance on road.
True... but over the winter I purchased a second hand Scott CR1 full carbon with Sram Rival. It was 17# and I was rather unimpressed.. .so i sold it and got what i paid for it.

Its safe to assume that lighter bikes cost more. And that the parts are of a higher quality.

But all that matters is they you are happy with what you can afford.

I've been asked if I found a bike I enjoyed more than my current at half the price, what would i do. My answer is, i'd sell my current bike, buy the new bike and pocket the cash.
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Old 05-12-16, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by oldnslow2
True... but over the winter I purchased a second hand Scott CR1 full carbon with Sram Rival. It was 17# and I was rather unimpressed.. .so i sold it and got what i paid for it.

Its safe to assume that lighter bikes cost more. And that the parts are of a higher quality.

But all that matters is they you are happy with what you can afford.

I've been asked if I found a bike I enjoyed more than my current at half the price, what would i do. My answer is, i'd sell my current bike, buy the new bike and pocket the cash.
That's all that matters: that you enjoy riding, and perhaps getting fit in the process.

What do you think of this article's claim? It asserts that a bike's handling gets sketchy at 15 lbs or less. I'm assuming you disagree?

Bike Weight - Smart Cycles - Norwalk, CT
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Old 05-12-16, 03:08 PM
  #114  
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Originally Posted by American Euchre
That's all that matters: that you enjoy riding, and perhaps getting fit in the process.

What do you think of this article's claim? It asserts that a bike's handling gets sketchy at 15 lbs or less. I'm assuming you disagree?

Bike Weight - Smart Cycles - Norwalk, CT
Ask these guys what they think.

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Old 05-12-16, 03:11 PM
  #115  
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A good racing bike gives you a feeling like every erg you make is being made into forward motion. It's a good feeling. A good sport-touring bike gives you a feeling like you are a freight train or a steamroller, steady and smooth. It's a good feeling. I haven't yet ridden a bike that felt like both together. If I do, I'll probably buy it.
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Old 05-12-16, 03:24 PM
  #116  
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Originally Posted by American Euchre
It asserts that a bike's handling gets sketchy at 15 lbs or less. I'm assuming you disagree?
I'd be interested in why the author thinks that handling gets sketchy below that weight. I suppose that if you tried to make a steel-framed bike that light with current technology it might well lack sufficient stiffness for predictable handling (and I'd worry about durability). But that doesn't appear to be the case with decently designed carbon-fiber frames.
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Old 05-12-16, 03:32 PM
  #117  
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Originally Posted by American Euchre
That's all that matters: that you enjoy riding, and perhaps getting fit in the process.

What do you think of this article's claim? It asserts that a bike's handling gets sketchy at 15 lbs or less. I'm assuming you disagree?

Bike Weight - Smart Cycles - Norwalk, CT
That sketchy handling thing is total foolishness. And forget UCI. We are talking about 7-10 lb differences. The climbing gains are potentially huge. Not that I care about all that. I just like light bikes.
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Old 05-12-16, 03:44 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
That sketchy handling thing is total foolishness. And forget UCI. We are talking about 7-10 lb differences. The climbing gains are potentially huge. Not that I care about all that. I just like light bikes.
The "sketchy handling" could be a geometry thing...but I will say that my CAAD 10 feels "sketchy" going down hill when compared to my Felt. The difference is maybe 3 or 4 pounds.
The geometries are different.
Just sayin'
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Old 05-17-16, 04:13 PM
  #119  
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my road bike is now 50lbs with all the touring gear on it, it rides alot better and makes you stronger with hill training.
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Old 05-17-16, 04:28 PM
  #120  
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Originally Posted by alexaschwanden
my road bike is now 50lbs with all the touring gear on it, it rides alot better and makes you stronger with hill training.
stronger and faster aren't the same thing.

I'd rather be faster.
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Old 05-17-16, 04:31 PM
  #121  
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Originally Posted by FullGas
lighter bikes, younger women, older whiskey...
+1

It's always better.

Unless you like to use your bike to ram your enemies, there is zero advantage to a heavier bike. Even for training, a lighter bike doesn't make it easier, it just makes you faster.
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Old 05-18-16, 08:31 AM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by link0
+1

It's always better.

Unless you like to use your bike to ram your enemies, there is zero advantage to a heavier bike. Even for training, a lighter bike doesn't make it easier, it just makes you faster.
My original post suggests heavier "feels" better to ME. Again, the advantage is that I like riding a bike that has a weightier feel without being a complete beast of a bike.

The training/racing aspect is interesting though, as I've heard/read that sprinters (runners) practice running down hill so that their muscles know what it feels like to move faster.
I imagine it's the same with cycling. So I would say in that context lighter is "better".
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Old 05-18-16, 10:42 AM
  #123  
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Stratocaster: so what bike did you end up getting?
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Old 05-18-16, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Stratocaster
My original post suggests heavier "feels" better to ME. Again, the advantage is that I like riding a bike that has a weightier feel without being a complete beast of a bike.

The training/racing aspect is interesting though, as I've heard/read that sprinters (runners) practice running down hill so that their muscles know what it feels like to move faster.
I imagine it's the same with cycling. So I would say in that context lighter is "better".
I've got racing bikes that range from 16-22lb, the lightest being carbon and the heaviest being steel. I like the light bike more, but it's more about frame stiffness than anything else. That said I don't intend to buy a bike heavier than 16-17 lb from now on. My next bike is probably going to be a stainless steel custom job, built weight weenie to match my carbon bike's weight.
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