Originally Posted by
spectastic
i put clipless in there because for accelerating out of the intersection and climbing, they help a LOT. I almost never use platforms anymore.
weight is generally pretty trivial, I agree. But the difference between a 20 and a 30 lbs bike is not.
I'll be honest...I've never actually used clipless pedals. I've never been able to imagine a scenario where they could help short of a race.
10 lbs difference in bikes...the "feel" is what you notice I think, not the actual difference in acceleration. I had a carbon fiber road bike, and it sure FELT like it accelerated faster because I could feel it sort of bucking under me when I pedaled hard, but that doesn't mean I was accelerating any faster.
Ok, I actually just did some calculations. Using some assumed constants (I might have flubbed a unit here, but shouldnt effect it too much...)
Acceleration at 100kg = 1.5 meters/sec2
Acceleration at 104.53kg 1.43 meters/sec2 (difference of 10 lbs)
I don't think that is something that will be noticeable on a commute other than how the bike feels under you.