Originally Posted by steveknight
only when you get going pretty fast. on flats weight is not as much of an issue. but hills it is a far bigger one. once you get about 20mph and over then Aerodynamics starts making a bigger impact.
Math time. I weigh around 200lb, as stated above. If aluminum saves me 4lbs, I'll have 2% less weight to haul up a hill. It won't cost anything extra to lose that weight off the rider, whereas it's not cost effective to take it off the bike. Although I imagine that there's enough places on the bike where I could save a significant amount of weight by using things like my spare XTR cassette, and all the ti and aluminum hardware I have. I'll do a cost/benefit analysis for all the little bits.
Question for bent riders: Is it as easy to maintain a high cadence/high gear in a reclining position?