Originally Posted by ilovebiking

In many of the threads that address light bikes, there is usually a couple of entries that basically say, "loosing a few pounds yourself is cheaper than paying extra for super light." So I was wondering if that is really true. Is body weight exactly comparable to body weight? For example, if I personally lost 2 pounds, will that have the same effect as buying a bike that is 2 pounds lighter than what I have? I just wan to understand this before I pay thousands for a super light climbing bike.

And what about wheel weight? Is that also equivalent to body weight? Bikers regularly pay a lot for a great lightweight wheel set. How does saving weight in the wheels compare to the rider just loosing some weight?

Thanks for any input.