Originally Posted by Mouton
When roadies add ballast to their bikes its usually placed low on the frame. Seems like steel bars and stem would put the weight in a weird place.
I presume that trackies use those beefy, heavy bars, because
1. if they used light bars, they would have to put the same weight back in somewhere to stay above limit
2. The greater stiffness improves out-of-saddle acceleration a tiny bit, so why not put the weight where it helps a bit?
They will still go a long way to shave off a few grams from the wheels which can go over into a stiffer frame, crank or bars, because lighter wheels accelerate better. It's like Formula 1: they build a 540 kg car, then put 60 kilos back in where it hurts the least: the bottom of the car so it rolls less in corners.