Originally Posted by smurf hunter
Simple question, but does "climb better" really mean "climb faster"?
I'm 6'3 and just at around 195# (I could prob stand to lose 10-15#) and ride a 40# commuting rig up ~350ft every day after work. I try to keep the pace at least 8mph, even at 10-11% grade.
On my Lemond CDF (approx 1/2 the weight of my commuter+gear), I can do the same climb averaging about 3mph faster for roughly the same HR and perceived physical effort.
By that logic, if I were to lose 20# of my body weight, should I be able to milk another 2mph at the same effort?
from kreuzotter.de:
Hauling a 195# carcass + a 40# commuter bike up a 10% grade at 8 mph is 420 watts.
195 lbs of you and 20 lbs of Lemond at 11mph is 546 watts... or 6.17 w/kg
If you can drop another 20 lbs, your 546 watts will propel you at 12 mph.
If you can climb 350 ft on a 10% grade, that's 3500 ft of riding... at 11mph, that's a hill climb time of 3:36.
If your three-and-a-half minute power is 550 watts, that's pretty good. See Coggan's power profiles
http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/...profile_v4.gif show
BTW, I do the same thing as you - a 400-ft "10%" (max, it would seem) climb every day ona 40-lb commuting rig (probably the same ridge!), and it has made me much stronger.