Originally Posted by
Latitude65
Educate me please. Within reason what difference does a few pounds make in bike weight? Isn't it much more important to have a bike that is balanced and has high quality components? Sure, the two may go hand in hand; but not always.
After all, if you want to take some strain off your legs isn't it cheaper and easier to just take it off the gut or butt?
It's certainly healthier and cheaper to lose body weight. That said, the lighter bike is more fun to ride, especially if the wheels are very light. It accelerates better and just feels more lively over all.
Also lighter road bikes tend to use narrower tires. There's a program somewhere on the web where I calculated that 25 mm tires had about a square foot less frontal area than 38's. A big deal especially in head winds. At the time I was riding a touring bike that weighed about 34 lbs with 38 mm tires. Put lighter wheels and 25 mm tires on it and it was definitely faster.
Then I upgraded the frame and other stuff and got the weight to about 24. It's a whole lot more fun and enjoyable to ride. That's plenty light for me as I like to add fenders during wet periods and like a luggage rack. I also like to keep the option of riding mountain forest service roads so I use a heavier cyclocross frame set.
Al