Originally Posted by
noglider
OK, good, we agree on that.
So can we get back to flat ground? You say a lighter bike (or rider) makes a smaller difference than we expect. I can accept that, but I can't accept that it makes no difference. As I said, it gives me a 2 or 3 mph advantage.
In an ideal environment, it will make no difference.
I train in an ideal environment – velodrome. When doing mass start races, we use the lightest tire and bike available (within UCI regulations). When doing a time trial, we put a big heavy solid disk wheel on the bike because mass does not matter in these conditions (flat steady state). To some degree, having a big ole flywheel on the bike helps to keep our speed consistent. I do about 25 miles in an hour time trial – but I’m more worried about aero than weight at those speeds.