Originally Posted by
tjspiel
I say this every so often and I'll mention it again here. People will pay a premium for a laptop that's a fraction of a pound lighter just because they're easier to deal with. Now, it's not like you're carrying your bike everywhere you go but some of us do end up lifting them quite a bit.
There's the whole thing about sprung vs unsprung weight and how that affects performance. Your weight doesn't affect performance the same way that weight attached to the bike does.
Actually you are almost correct.
You are correct when you say unsprung weight affects performance more than your weight, but unsprung weight is the weight of the wheels, tubes and tires, that is all, the rest of the bike is sprung weight just as you are. Wheels can make a big difference in the feel and handling of the bike, while reducing the weight elsewhere by a pound or tow won't because, once again, it is a small percentage of the total weight of bike and rider.