Steel or carbon? Rivendell philosophy or??
05-27-16, 09:15 AM
#76
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My sub 20 pound Pinarello Opera steel bike is very nice, As is my 18.5# Litespeed and even lighter carbon Cannondale.
The bike i have been grabbing the most lately weighs 23 lbs --- its a Columbus steel De Bernardinwith a circa 2000 Veloce triple groupset, 32 spoke wheels with heavy aero profile clinchers, and a tall Nitto stem
I have lighter bikes, but something about this one trumps light weight-- its a great machine
Now - if i trade the heavy aero clinchers for tubulars on. Gl330 or equivalent rim-- and maybe swap the heavy steel turbo saddle for something titanium-- then i a, under 22 , - about what a pro level bike weighed before aluminum and carbon took over - im good with that- it rides great
The bike i have been grabbing the most lately weighs 23 lbs --- its a Columbus steel De Bernardinwith a circa 2000 Veloce triple groupset, 32 spoke wheels with heavy aero profile clinchers, and a tall Nitto stem
I have lighter bikes, but something about this one trumps light weight-- its a great machine
Now - if i trade the heavy aero clinchers for tubulars on. Gl330 or equivalent rim-- and maybe swap the heavy steel turbo saddle for something titanium-- then i a, under 22 , - about what a pro level bike weighed before aluminum and carbon took over - im good with that- it rides great
I'm quoting my own post here , but am only doing so to bring up another thing about bike selection --- heavy saddles and heavy pedals like I have on my bike (Turbo saddle and caged MTB spd's) can swing the weight a pound or more over using a Ti railed saddle and road specific pedals -- this is regardless of material used
I have a good friend who is not specifically a cyclist but is in great condition (6'2 - 200#'s cross fitter) -- who rides his old Centurion Ironman around at a 20 mph average pace-(again , not a cyclist --I shudder to think how fast he could move the thing if he concentrated on cycling only ) --- HE was convinced a newer, lighter bike would add 2 more mph to his riding and borrowed a Specialized Roubaix from another friend -- a lower tier model, but still a nice bike , and pounds lighter than the 24 lb Ironman (a big size)
Ultimately, he was shocked that there was no change from the newer, much more modern machine, to his old 6 speed Ironman in terms of average speed
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