Originally Posted by rideBjj

Interesting. I have this to add:

Last week I swapped out the 1950g wheels I've been using on my bike for a set of DurAce C24's which are more than a pound lighter.

Since I did, the bike seems to sprint / accelerate faster. I have held off on assuming it's because of the wheels, because it could be placebo, or I've been having a more "fit" week, etc.

But a few days ago I did a ride I do every week which has 5 miles of climbing with grades up to 13%. After that is the fun part, 7 miles of awesome fun downhill.

Anyway, this last time I did the ride, the climbing felt noticeably easier. I was out of the saddle less, and when I did get out of the saddle, I was able to get a higher cadence going in the same granny gear I usually grind along in. It was still hard, but it didn't kick my ass nearly as bad as it usually does. In the past, there have been times on the steepest sections where I'd have to fight the urge to stop and rest. I'd need to remind myself "its almost over" and "think of something else" and "keep going, f**ing pu**y!" etc.

This time, I just pedaled along and while it was still an effort, it felt much more manageable. I don't usually log my times and average speeds on rides, or sections of them, but I'm pretty sure I was faster.

Supposedly, lightening your wheels has the biggest impact. This may be that, it may be placebo, it may be that i hit a new fitness peak.