If you carry a 50 lb bag of trash to the curb, it requires the same amount of work whether you weigh 155 or 195. If you remove 2 lbs of empty zima bottles from the bag it requires less work to cover the same distance, so if you were to expend the same amount of energy as you did with the bottles in there you will get to the curb faster.

Most strippers I know prefer grams of things other than 1's.

Smaller people usually have a smaller power output. The important thing is that you have more watts per kilogram. That is traditionally calculated by just the rider's weight, but for your purposes, it would in fact be more accurate to calculate it with the bike, rider, and any gear s/he will be carrying.

Since I could stand to lose 20 or 30 lb and still have a low power output, I guess it really isn't that important to me.


I suppose, but then the second to last upgrade would be pointless, then the third, then fourth, etc. So in that light, my only answer to that would be never do anything half-ass.

Incorrect. You still have to expend the energy to move yourself as well as the bag. If you take the bag away altogether, the second guy is still moving 40 more lb than the first.


Edit: Hey, this is fun! Finally a thread as weenie as the typical road bike forum threads.

I didn't know that it was customary to tip male strippers more than female strippers.

I'm learning so much today.

In my "experience" the rolling resistance of the wheelset and and ability to transfer energy to the sheelset are the two most important items in mountain biking. Then of course you have to have a decent rider. Thus my favorite saying-

"Its the Indian, not the Arrow."

I have a couple of older HTs' One is a Deore setup, the other an XT component group. I tracked (Garmin 305) myself on similar trails on alternating identical rides for a month. The better the components the better the higher average speed. SUBJECTIVELY speaking, the better rims and hubs helped maintain speed and required less effort on climbs.

The better Hubs, rims, tires, bottom brackets also happen to be lighter and more expensive.

On the other hand, the energy expended in riding my weight down to 215 from 225 has made a big difference in the "Indian operating the arrow."

Now I have a F/S bike to learn all kinds of new stuff on.

Go on.

@urbanknight: thanks. You really cleared it up. that being said, I still like where this is going

Interesting. What about pre-ride? Could those faster days have been influenced by better diet the night before or morning of? What about rest? Did you sleep the same amount before each of those outings? How about weather? Were conditions identical on each of those rides?

PS. What is a sheelset and does it have something to do with a wheelset?

You just want him to talk about you again. What an attention wh0re.

An oversimplification perhaps, but I intentionally neglected the dynamic mass of the rider since the rider's skill and ability to conserve momentum plays a much more significant part in mtb than in your asphalt reality. Certainly you'd agree that in either discipline dropping 1 lb of body weight is less beneficial to performance than 1 lb of bike weight.

I will pm you my ex's phone number.

That depends on if you're losing fat or muscle.

Steve? How's he doing these days?

DONT DISRESPECT THE NEXT! Exspecially if its a NEXT Power X!

I'm not a particularly talented mountain biker, but I agree with your assertion that bike weight is only one factor among several in how well a given person performs on the trail. That said, as a small guy myself, I find it easier to handle a light MTB in technical terrain than a heavier one. Climbing is easier, and it responds better to the upper body movements that go along with riding in technical terrain.

I don't think weight is important. We have this discussion all the time in the road cycling forum.

Like mentioned above, it's all about power per weight ratio. If you and your bike weigh a lot, but you can sustain a high ratio, then that's good. You could always get faster by training for more power, or even easier, losing weight (unless you're a twig).

Body weight makes up a large amount of the total weight of a rider + bike. It's usually easier and cheaper to lose weight off yourself... or even your tools you carry.

When you look at it, it comes down to 180 pounds going up a hill (150lb rider, 30lb bike). You can change some figures around, but the weight will be the same. In my opinion rotational weight does help, but not as much as I think most people believe.

I don't understand. If weight is not important, but it is part of the ratio that is important, doesn't that make it important?