Originally Posted by
Roadie607
Also consider that the saved weight reduces the rotational inertia of the wheels, theoretically allowing them to be easier to spin up. This is part of the reason why saving weight on your wheelset makes the most sense, rather than dropping negligible amounts of weight on something like your spacer stack. However, straight gauge spokes tend to build stiffer wheels in my experience, so that is something to keep in mind.
While technically true you have to consider the magnitude of the effect.
With force = mass * acceleration or acceleration = mass / force increases are proportional to the ratio between total before and after weights.
Weight where the rubber meets the road counts double (it's accelerated with the bike and to the same speed about the wheel's axle), weight halfway between axle and road 50% more (it's traveling half the bike's speed around the axle), etc. where a piece spanning between two points acts as if its weight were concentrated halfway between them.
Consider a 140 pound rider plus a 15 pound UCI minimum weight bike which total 70,307 grams (the effects will be less for bigger riders).
Disregarding all other rotational inertia (rims usually weigh 400g+ each, tires 200g+) and putting the spokes' center of gravity halfway between axle and rim the rider would accelerate 0.21% faster dropping 100g to the UCI minimum via lighter spokes versus 0.14% from loosing the same weight elsewhere.
When running the same tires (rolling coefficient of friction is significant and can vary by a factor of two between the fastest and slowest slick road tires) perceptions of faster accleration are more about trying harder with the new equipment and the placebo effect.