Originally Posted by
jsigone
What are you goals? ride faster? hang w/ the club ride? racing? In any case, weight/power ratio shows it's head more when the hills start. Longer the hill, more it's a problem. Flatter the road I'd say your weight shouldn't hold you back, but your training/riding regiment might.
I'm right under 200# now, and hand full of the guys on my club ride are about my size or bit more. Trick is to DITCH the whole idea of losing weight. Sure losing it helps, but goal should be just ride FAST. Ride fast by your self, find fast guys to ride with and keep up or get dropped. Repeat often and you will see results. It an't easy but a fun path to follow
Very true that hills are the biggest drag for a heavy rider, but there are two other areas where weight will slow you down, though to a much smaller extent.
Air resistance. This isn't really a function of weight, but heavier riders tend to be wider, and a major factor in air resistance is area of the cross section fighting he wind.
Rolling resistance. This is a function of the construction and pressure in the tires. It is also affected by the weight on the tires.
Of course there is conditioning. You're an animal Jeff, and younger than me with a better health history. Still I do OK. I have ambitions of being able to keep up with the likes of you.
Originally Posted by
TrojanHorse
If I ride on the local mup, wiht all it's flipping stop signs, lights and diverts, I'll average < 15 mph. If I ride on the street next to the mup I'll average 17-18. Ride in a group and you can add a few mph to that.
For me it is the opposite. There are a couple of MUP's, like the one that makes up about half of my afternoon commute, that let me bypass some of Orange County's most horrific traffic signals.
http://www.strava.com/activities/114607078 (Mile 2 to mile 7.75)