Boomer

How much of a cyclist's performance is attributed to his bike and how much is attributed to his physical abilities? For example, if you have 3 riders racing on say a Cannondale, a Trek and a Specialize with the same components and bike weight, will the difference in performance rest on the cyclist?

I ask this because I always wonder when I beat another cyclist or when he beats me, is it me or the bike. Like to hear everyone's opinion.

55/Rad

Yes.

bradb044

I believe it is mostly about the engine not the wheels.

Metieval

the real question is can the weaker cyclist beat the stronger by having a better setup ?

johnny99

Different bikes will fit differently and a better fit may give you an advantage. Other than that, the performance difference is 99+% rider and less than 1% bike. In the Tour de France, 1% is a real big deal. Most recreational riders will not notice.

cryogenic

unless the weaker cyclist is on a 15lb superbike and the stronger cyclist is on a Schwinn Varsity, I'd say no. I suppose it also depends on how much of a disparity in abilities we're talking about here.

johnny99

I think Lance Armstrong riding a 40 pound Schwinn could still beat every person reading this forum riding their favorite bicycle. Only if the riders are very similar in abilities will the bike make a big difference.

Comatose51

I'll confess, I've had 60 year old guys pass me on Schwinns....

duane041

I could ride Lance's bike, and he'd beat me on a Big Wheel.

bambi

I've always felt it was the rider that makes the bike and not the other way around.

DinoShepherd

This is the reason I ride and race a piece of crap bike.

-Z

vilelamb

If the rider is what makes it--why do you suppose a lot of people get so hung up on having the greatest bikes/stuff?

johnny99

1. More money than brains.
2. Probably fewer people than you might think.

Thylacine

I'd say 95% bike, 5% rider?

cheg

I ride an old steel road bike that was good in it's day, a '74 Raleigh International. I don't race but I do group rides and centuries pretty regularly. The nice thing about riding old iron is that you get satisfaction for passing the guy on the Super Whamodyne Boron-Unobtanium miracle bike on a hill but have a built in excuse when the other guy passes you.

I think the difference is usually way overestimated. Having a 14.96 lb. bike is like having a wing on the back of your sportscar. It could theoretically make you faster but only if every other part of the vehicle, including the driver, is up to the task.

Someday I'll get a nice CF or titanium bike, but only when I'm old and rich. So far, I'm just old.

sunninho

Hey, my Big Wheel still has some zip!

Wind 'N Snow

Bike has tons to do with it, in terms of efficiency and physics. For instance, going down hill, my Pinarello with Mavic wheels and thin, Conti. road tires just rolls better and experiences less friction than my buddy's Miele with crappy wheels and thick tires. I always beat him coasting down the hill by a huge margin. The same with the pedals. I have a look system, he has toe clips and running shoes. He has to work more on the flats as more energy is lost in the bending of his runners. There's lots more if you get into frame flex, wind resistance, gear ratios, but I'll leave that for those who know what they are talking about.

Bottom line, though, it is still the rider that makes the ride. The bike helps - or lets the rider be as good as s/he can be.

UmneyDurak

I think my three year old full aluminum Speciliazed Allez with Tiagra parts carries my dead weight up the hill. It's like I just think where to go and it rides there. At the end my legs really tired, not sure why thought.

sunninho

I think in the TDF, and more apparently during time trials (team and individual), the technology and money Trek/Discovery Channel invested in improving aerodynamics and weight of the TT bikes is evidenced in the team's 3-year reign in the time trials vs. the rest of the field. While the other riders have great TT bikes, I don't think the same level of funding and tech advancements was spent in designing the others.

Of course, I could be wrong and it may just be the money [Discovery/USPS] spent on fielding a team with the best riders.

eppo

i've passed many people on road bikes, on my mountain bike... wonder what i will do when my r700 comes in

silent1

In my case I am proud to ride my piece of junk. I don't have the money right now so I just train hard with what I have. Then when I can save up and afford a top of the line bike I will be faster, or at least I would think so. I have ridden more miles on a Schwinn Continetal, starting from the start of the year, than any person or club rider around here. It' s to the point now that I won't even get on a "good" bike for fear that I will somehow afford to get a new bike. And back on topic I think it's 99% engine.

Metieval

Better components, less trouble, better fits, better geometry (ride longer & harder), more efficient, ect...


Instead of comparing two variables ( riders & bikes) , To see how much difference a bike makes, one rider should do a time trial on a cheap bike and then the same time trial on a good bike. Then you have one constant and one variable

531Aussie

People secretly hope and believe that spending big bucks will make a big speed difference

berny

Having a nice bike makes a huge difference both in actual physical performance and your mental attitude. I love riding and racing and I'll ride anything I can afford and this year I could afford a nice race bike so I bought one. And I'm having the best time.
I still enjoy my 10kg, '87 steel lugged 'MS Triathlete' but it ain't no race bike.

531Aussie

I believe a lot of the difference is just perception: my best bike feels really fast, probably because it has the newest wheels (hubs, more importantly, IMO) and the fanciest fork. However, if I put the same tyres on my crapiest commuter on a flat road (Tange 4 steel ), I'd be suprised if the actual speed difference was more than 1 or 2mph. I guess we could argue that if a bike feels faster, then this provides more motivation.

I'd like to know exactly how much difference new hubs has on rolling resistance. Nothing feels faster than getting a new set of wheels........oooh baby.

If we wanna talk about aerodynamic effects of different bikes, a good example of the differences is probably the hour records. On his "Superman bike", Chris Boardman rode 56.375 km in a hour, but when the UCI changed the rules so that the riders had to use a conventional bike and position, Boardman only rode 49.441 km!! There was some suggestion he wasn't inthe same condition, but who knows.........?

If you wanna play around with effects of weight differences, etc, etc, I'm gunna post the Kreutzotter site AGAIN

https://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm