Originally Posted by
superdex
A 4.7kg bike isn't much an advantage when you're 83kg with 3.0 w/kg ftp
There is a lot to the 'ride more,' but it's all about power/weight. Gearing that maximizes cadence@ftp and comfort for an hour is what I try to achieve.
I'm about 92kg, was 100kg when I joined the road club 33 years ago. I always thought that being heavier put me at such a disadvantage and I was already working hard to stay near lighter climbers so any additional weight on the bike just made things worse. Of course, I can't use super light parts because they break. That little climbing bike pictured wouldn't last very long for me.
I did a 5 day tour with a bunch of climbing and a friend who was much faster than I actually added weight to his bike so that we were close in total weight. I liked that and I try to pitch it to the small climbers on club rides but they won't bite.