Originally Posted by
iain.dalton
Not one of them but has a carbon or aluminum-and-carbon road bike, while I have a steel touring bike with fenders, a rear rack, and a Brooks saddle. ...... I like my fenders because it keeps grit out of my drive train, and it would be a real drag to remove that stuff every week end, so I'd only do so if it were to make a difference.
I ride 6000+ miles a year. I do centuries. I have four road bikes. I ride all of them. All are steel. Depending on the time of year, up to three of them will have fenders and two of them will have racks. Three of them have Brooks saddles. The fourth has an Ideale saddle (French copy of a Brooks Team). I don't allow carbon fiber on my property.
If you ask me, your gear is far superior to theirs in terms of function. Unless they are actual racers, they should be on bikes like yours and not on carbon fiber racing bikes.
As for the rack and fenders, no and maybe. There could be some slight aerodynamic gain if you removed the fenders, but I've never noticed one. No measurable gain if you removed the rack. The weight of either accessory is also negligible unless the rack is made of wrought iron. In fact, on your next ride with these people, you should bring a trunk bag and fill it with snacks. After the ride, share them with the riders who were nice to you.
If you really want to start messing with them, ask them how they get to work. When they say they drive, ask them "Why? You have such an nice bike."