Originally Posted by
cplager
Hi Tom,
I have no problem agreeing to disagree.
Are you riding two different bicycles with the same tires at the same pressure? I'm willing to bet that this has a much bigger difference than the weight of the bike.
In general for flats, physics says it's the total weight of the bike + rider that matters (for accelerating, the weight of the rims/tires counts double, but this is generally a small effect).
One exception to this that has to do with feel and not speed is that heavier tires/rims have more angular momentum and make the bike feel more stable, less responsive. So if you are doing a slalom course, you might be able to tell the difference with heavy wheels compared to light ones.
Note that almost every bike store I've been to when asked has quoted the same thing that you have: that lighter wheels are important. If you are not racing, then their importance has been greatly over-stated.
Cheers,
Charles
I inflate my tires to the pressure that I figure is ideal for their width, so about 100 for 25mm width and about 70 for 32mm width. I've overinflated the tires on my 3-speed to 60, and that didn't make it faster, for sure. It made the ride pretty harsh, though. It's a slow bike, no matter what.
Recorded times on the different bikes is quite different. Maybe there's a psychological reason that rewards me for going faster on a light bike, but whatever.
Another interesting datum is that I had a Surly Cross Check, a heavy steel frame, and I put very light racing wheels on it. Overall, it felt like a light bike. Then I put heavy wheels on it with 37mm tires on it. It rode like a dog. So, draw your own conclusions. Mine is that I'm pretty sensitive to a bike's weight, especially at the wheels.