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Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

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Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

Old 03-17-14, 05:11 AM
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Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

Have you experienced that you test ride a bike, a bike that is, or feels much faster than what you've been riding before?
If you have, what did you conclude was different with this bike compared to the others you've been riding?

Please level on your findings!

Thanks
/R
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Old 03-17-14, 05:17 AM
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I was thinking of something simillar yesterday, about the road bikes I own. I have one that is definitely slower than another. Even when ai think I'm going pretty well on the 'slower' bike, my Strava nubers tell a different story.

I think the reason is that more aggressive positioning on the 'faster' bike yields aero advantages that translates to more speed.

New bikes, though, always feel faster because they're new and exciting.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:25 AM
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Been test riding quite a few bikes recently and the fastest feeling one to date I think is probably the Bianchi sempre pro. If I had to take a guess at why it would be the absolutely giant BB area it had compared to all the other bikes I've tried.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:28 AM
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I think it comes down to geometry. I test rode four bikes before buying mine, and the CAAD 10 just felt way more responsive than the other bikes. I only did a mile or so on each bike, so it didn't take long to notice the difference.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:32 AM
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Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

If by "fast" you mean terrible, and by "bikes" you mean rash, then yes.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted by thump55
Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

If by "fast" you mean terrible, and by "bikes" you mean rash, then yes.
No, not really. I ment what i wrote nothing less and nothing more.

A bike that runs like hell (in a not so good way) on wheels might feel faster, as a bike that is real stable might feel slower.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Dheorl
Been test riding quite a few bikes recently and the fastest feeling one to date I think is probably the Bianchi sempre pro. If I had to take a guess at why it would be the absolutely giant BB area it had compared to all the other bikes I've tried.
I doubt it is the BB; it is probably your position on that bike.
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Old 03-17-14, 05:55 AM
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Originally Posted by fa63
I doubt it is the BB; it is probably your position on that bike.
I matched my position close enough to a different bike that I rode in the same store and the Sempre definitely felt faster. Top end cruising speed probably wasn't much different but that's not the type of speed you feel the most. Differences in acceleration are more noticeable and this bike launched like nothing else I've tried so far when you stomped on the pedals. Only thing I can put that down to is drive chain stiffness and looking at the tubes around the bottom bracket they were huge.
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Old 03-17-14, 06:22 AM
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Placebo effect:

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon in which some people experience some type of benefit after the administration of a placebo. A placebo is a substance with no known medical effects, such as sterile water, saline solution or a sugar pill. In short, a placebo is a fake treatment that in some cases can produce a very real response. The expectations of the patient play an important role in the placebo effect; the more a person expects the treatment to work, the more likely they are to exhibit a placebo response
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Old 03-17-14, 06:37 AM
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The only time any bicycle feels fast to me is when I'm riding downhill with a tailwind.
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Old 03-17-14, 06:39 AM
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My light-weight wheels (mostly lighter tires) made for a noticeably... faster to accelerate bicycle. My lighter bicycles are only very slightly (marginally) faster on a normal 20 mile ride (mostly the slightly faster speed is gained on hills... I believe).
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Old 03-17-14, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Avispa
No, not really. I ment what i wrote nothing less and nothing more.

A bike that runs like hell (in a not so good way) on wheels might feel faster, as a bike that is real stable might feel slower.
The more the bike costs, the faster it goes...stability is for scaredy-pants...
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Old 03-17-14, 08:34 AM
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Certain bikes might feel faster without actually being faster.

For example, a bike with a short wheelbase will have a smaller turn circle, which in turn makes the bike feel more responsive. This will give the impression that it's faster, but actually has nothing to do with the efficiency of the bike.

Similarly, a bike with aero wheels may be a pound or so heavier than one with lightweight box rims, but will in fact be faster in almost all circumstances. It won't feel faster but will be faster.
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Old 03-17-14, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Placebo effect:

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon in which some people experience some type of benefit after the administration of a placebo. A placebo is a substance with no known medical effects, such as sterile water, saline solution or a sugar pill. In short, a placebo is a fake treatment that in some cases can produce a very real response. The expectations of the patient play an important role in the placebo effect; the more a person expects the treatment to work, the more likely they are to exhibit a placebo response
Exactly.

Remember getting a new pair of "tennis shoes" as a kid, trying them on and running around the store thinking "these are really fast"? Same thing.
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Old 03-17-14, 09:17 AM
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Frame stiffness, bike/wheel weight, and BB/hub maintenance can make a dramatic difference in how "fast" a bike is. Mainly when going from a bike that performs poorly in one category to a high end bike that performs well in all categories.
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Old 03-17-14, 09:37 AM
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Every new bike I ride that looks cooler and is more expensive is always faster.... until I hook up my garmin
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Old 03-17-14, 09:40 AM
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Originally Posted by thump55
Fast bikes, have you been experiencing one?

If by "fast" you mean terrible, and by "bikes" you mean rash, then yes.
I, too, have been to Singapore.
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Old 03-17-14, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Placebo effect:

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon in which some people experience some type of benefit after the administration of a placebo. A placebo is a substance with no known medical effects, such as sterile water, saline solution or a sugar pill. In short, a placebo is a fake treatment that in some cases can produce a very real response. The expectations of the patient play an important role in the placebo effect; the more a person expects the treatment to work, the more likely they are to exhibit a placebo response
Nah...shops put little tiny motors in the bikes. And let a little air out of the tires to make them more comfortable.

Works every time.
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Old 03-17-14, 10:00 AM
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I think something many forget is power to weight ratio. Now...I'm talking extremes here but the first time I got on a nimble, sub 20lb road bike vs the heavy, 30+lb comfort bike I had been riding...the thing took off like a rocket when I put some ass into it.

I know the saying of "there are no fast bikes, only fast riders...but that's like saying there are no fast cars, only fast engines.

Putting the hammer down on a 17lb bike with a racing geometry putting you in position for maximum power transfer vs a 36lb comfort bike with an upright position nets a completely different " feel". A lightweight bike takes off like a rocket when you're not used to one...
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Old 03-17-14, 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by chaadster

New bikes, though, always feel faster because they're new and exciting.
And red.
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Old 03-17-14, 10:56 AM
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Yes, Litespeed to Wilier (Wilier is faster), probably because:
  1. Wilier is lighter
  2. It's also more stiff, especially in the BB area. Regardless of your beliefs on whether stiff frames transfer power better than less stiff frames (and I do believe it), the stiffer frame responds faster
  3. And finally, it fits me a bit better. The reach on the Littespeed was always just a bit too short

Cheers
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Old 03-17-14, 11:00 AM
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My Wabi Re is much faster than my Trek. The Wabi is red.
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Old 03-17-14, 11:11 AM
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Orange is faster than red.


There was a recent study done....government funded and all.
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Old 03-17-14, 11:14 AM
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My new bike is way faster than my old one. At least on the trainer it is. We'll see once I take it out on the road and actually track the speed.
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Old 03-17-14, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Smokehouse
I think something many forget is power to weight ratio. Now...I'm talking extremes here but the first time I got on a nimble, sub 20lb road bike vs the heavy, 30+lb comfort bike I had been riding...the thing took off like a rocket when I put some ass into it.

I know the saying of "there are no fast bikes, only fast riders...but that's like saying there are no fast cars, only fast engines.

Putting the hammer down on a 17lb bike with a racing geometry putting you in position for maximum power transfer vs a 36lb comfort bike with an upright position nets a completely different " feel". A lightweight bike takes off like a rocket when you're not used to one...
I bet Eddie Merxx riding an old 30lb steel bike from back in the day would smoke anyone on this forum riding a modern top of the line super-bike.
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