Bike weight vs. Body weight
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Bike weight vs. Body weight
Hello,
I am new to bike racing and have decided to buy a new bike since my old one weighs so much. Besides being confused by the difference between a bike that weighs 16.5 lbs and 13.5 lbs I'm wondering how much my own weight effects how fast I will go. If I weigh 130lbs but could lean down to 120lbs is that like shaving 10lbs off the weight of a bike weighing 25lbs down to 15lbs? Just curious because I'd rather shave the weight off my body than pay a extra 2k for a bike that weighs 5lbs less. Is this a stupid question??
Thanks,
Laura
I am new to bike racing and have decided to buy a new bike since my old one weighs so much. Besides being confused by the difference between a bike that weighs 16.5 lbs and 13.5 lbs I'm wondering how much my own weight effects how fast I will go. If I weigh 130lbs but could lean down to 120lbs is that like shaving 10lbs off the weight of a bike weighing 25lbs down to 15lbs? Just curious because I'd rather shave the weight off my body than pay a extra 2k for a bike that weighs 5lbs less. Is this a stupid question??
Thanks,
Laura
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 9,201
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1186 Post(s)
Liked 289 Times
in
177 Posts
If I weigh 130lbs but could lean down to 120lbs is that like shaving 10lbs off the weight of a bike weighing 25lbs down to 15lbs? Just curious because I'd rather shave the weight off my body than pay a extra 2k for a bike that weighs 5lbs less. Is this a stupid question??
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Santa Cruz Mountains
Posts: 6,169
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Lose any excess fat first, then start lightening the bike.
Cycling is one of those sports where it is easy to slip from healthy concern over body weight to unhealthy obsession. Besides health concerns from anorexia, if you try to get too light you will lose muscle and therefore power, and end up slower. It's power to weigh ratio that makes one fast up hills, not just light weight. On level ground it's just power, so if you are planning on racing many flat road races or crits, you may want to be a little heavier if that allows you to put out more power.
Cycling is one of those sports where it is easy to slip from healthy concern over body weight to unhealthy obsession. Besides health concerns from anorexia, if you try to get too light you will lose muscle and therefore power, and end up slower. It's power to weigh ratio that makes one fast up hills, not just light weight. On level ground it's just power, so if you are planning on racing many flat road races or crits, you may want to be a little heavier if that allows you to put out more power.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NWNJ
Posts: 3,704
Bikes: Road bike is a Carbon Bianchi C2C & Grandis (1980's), Gary Fisher Mt Bike, Trek Tandem & Mongoose SS MTB circa 1992.
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 722 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times
in
226 Posts
If ya buy a good bike the overall weight is a nonissue..lighter wheels always help do not become a weight weenie and remember stay fit, lean and a good shat will save more than $500 seat post
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 104
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Lot's of people oversimplify by saying "lose weight on the body instead of on the bike." This may apply to people who wouldn't be hurt by shedding a few pounds, but for those of us who are already on the really light end of the scale, the bike is the only place (though it can be quite expensive) to target. In my opinion, just get to the lowest weight without compromising performance. Shedding some pounds off of a 20 pound bike never hurt anyone.
#6
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks for all the info. That really helped and is probably going to save me $1500.00 on a new bike and whatever amount I spend on eating cheese each year!
Laura
Laura
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Rural Missouri - mostly central and southeastern
Posts: 3,009
Bikes: 2003 LeMond -various other junk bikes
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 78 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 43 Times
in
34 Posts
Is this a stupid question??
#8
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 28,387
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac SL2, Specialized Tarmac SL, Giant TCR Composite, Specialized StumpJumper Expert HT
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Lose any excess fat first, then start lightening the bike.
Cycling is one of those sports where it is easy to slip from healthy concern over body weight to unhealthy obsession. Besides health concerns from anorexia, if you try to get too light you will lose muscle and therefore power, and end up slower. It's power to weigh ratio that makes one fast up hills, not just light weight. On level ground it's just power, so if you are planning on racing many flat road races or crits, you may want to be a little heavier if that allows you to put out more power.
Cycling is one of those sports where it is easy to slip from healthy concern over body weight to unhealthy obsession. Besides health concerns from anorexia, if you try to get too light you will lose muscle and therefore power, and end up slower. It's power to weigh ratio that makes one fast up hills, not just light weight. On level ground it's just power, so if you are planning on racing many flat road races or crits, you may want to be a little heavier if that allows you to put out more power.
#10
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NY, NY
Posts: 47
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
There's a similar thread on the road cycling forum, asking if 1 lb extra on the bike is equal to 1 lb extra on the body. The answer is "yes and no" - bike weight is effectively static weight, while body weight is potentially dynamic in that "good" weight can help you propel the bike forward faster. The trick, of course, is knowing the difference between good body weight and bad body weight. The answer to that is not as simple as muscle = good and fat = bad. There is such a thing as too much muscle and too little fat on a cyclist. The ideal weight is going to vary by person.
If you're racing, there's an assumption that lighter is better on both the bike and the body. Certainly true about the bike but not necessarily true about the body if you're giving up some of that "good" body mass. So to me, the answer is: lose the fat that's clearly "bad" first, but don't try to be anorexic and don't let your muscle mass waste away in an effort to just reduce the weight on the bike. Once you have your physique where you can generate the maximum power and speed regardless of the bike, then you have to start reducing the weight of the bike.
If you're racing, there's an assumption that lighter is better on both the bike and the body. Certainly true about the bike but not necessarily true about the body if you're giving up some of that "good" body mass. So to me, the answer is: lose the fat that's clearly "bad" first, but don't try to be anorexic and don't let your muscle mass waste away in an effort to just reduce the weight on the bike. Once you have your physique where you can generate the maximum power and speed regardless of the bike, then you have to start reducing the weight of the bike.