Originally Posted by
JaceK
It isn't a matter of making fun of. A very large percentage of these "My xxxxx equipment did xxxxxx miracle" are just not realistic. This is an internet forum, people come in read this and make the assumption it is true. The majority of it simply is not, why allow people to be misled? Further more shouldn't the origin of the information be guided to the truth?
Do you really expect to see an impressive difference from buying new wheels? Unless the wheels you currently ride have siezed bearings, are 20 lbs a piece, are badly warped, or out of round, you simply will notice a marginal or barely detectable difference. The bike may handle better, it may accelerate faster, but seriously... How much? How much of that do you think will actual translate to a big difference?
The real difference is the athlete, training, hard work, period.
If you look at my training data, my 20 yr old, 25 lb, Al frame beater is undetectable from my new 14 lb, top end Carbon. Sure they feel different, sure the newer one shifts like butter, feels great riding, but it is me on both, so MY data is the same plus or minus 2 to 5% depending on the day.
Well I agree 100% with hard training being the most important. But I have my training logs that show almost a 2 mph avg improvement over a 20 mile loop I ride daily as a result of a bike switch. So it's pretty obvious that the right equipment for an individual can make a difference. Now before you scream BS lets qualify my statement. I think with the switch (cause by me Trek breaking) I just happened into a bike that fit me better for my purposes. A lighter wheelset was only part of the equation. But then again a few months after getting this I swapped out the old and original appearing tires for a set a Conti GP 4000s. Jump in avg mph again although this time only about .5 mph. All this based on a fairly flat 20 mile loop I was riding everyday.
So, I'm not saying equipment is the instant cure for all biking evils. But even if it gives you a placebo effect and makes you faster than hey I'm all for giving it credit. Who cares what really motivates you to go faster. If what you believe will make you faster does then why beat someone down for it?? If I give you a sugar pill, tell you it's pain meds, and your aches go away. Who cares that it was really your mind vs the pain pill??
