If Your Bike was One Pound Heavier...
02-29-16, 12:36 PM
#26
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If you are doing an uphill TT is is something to be concerned about. If you are in a race where they weigh bikes it is something to be concerned about. Otherwise I don't think it matters that much other than something to talk about. If you are starting at say 15# then seems 1# is worth about $1,000 and 2# is worth/cost about $5,000. If you are starting at 20# that fist# cost $100.
02-29-16, 12:59 PM
#27
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02-29-16, 01:00 PM
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Nope. I know it as a fact.
My regular race bike is a 2013 Ridley Excalibur. With race wheels, no pump or saddle bag, it's probably 16.5 or 17 lbs.
In winter training/commuting set up with lights, blinkies, pump, saddlebag, superheavy 32-spoke training wheels and heavy tires, and fenders, it's probably closer to 20 or 21.
Either way, I'm probably not getting dropped from the River Ride. I've been doing it long enough that I know where it gets hard and I need to get to the front, which wheels to follow, where to hide, where to recover, etc.
And for what it's worth, I occasionally like to take out my C&V '86 Gazelle Champion Mondial. It sits at 20lbs here. This bike was literally made for crosswinds and bad pavement. Not only do I not get dropped on the Gazelle, my Strava PR for that ride was on the Gazelle.
So, no. I'm not getting dropped on a heavier bike.
My regular race bike is a 2013 Ridley Excalibur. With race wheels, no pump or saddle bag, it's probably 16.5 or 17 lbs.
In winter training/commuting set up with lights, blinkies, pump, saddlebag, superheavy 32-spoke training wheels and heavy tires, and fenders, it's probably closer to 20 or 21.
Either way, I'm probably not getting dropped from the River Ride. I've been doing it long enough that I know where it gets hard and I need to get to the front, which wheels to follow, where to hide, where to recover, etc.
And for what it's worth, I occasionally like to take out my C&V '86 Gazelle Champion Mondial. It sits at 20lbs here. This bike was literally made for crosswinds and bad pavement. Not only do I not get dropped on the Gazelle, my Strava PR for that ride was on the Gazelle.
So, no. I'm not getting dropped on a heavier bike.
02-29-16, 01:01 PM
#29
Interocitor Command
If my bike were a couple of pounds heavier, I'd most likely never notice it. Besides, I'm more than a couple of pounds too heavy. 
03-01-16, 12:03 AM
#30
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After bicycling across Australia self-sustained with a 40 lb touring bike and about 30+ kg of gear and water, and seeing this thread and several (apparently serious) responses, I can only say:
Folks dealing with such foolishness are NOT spending enough time on their bicycle and ARE spending too much time pontificating with their computers.
YMMV,so ..... Pedal on
Folks dealing with such foolishness are NOT spending enough time on their bicycle and ARE spending too much time pontificating with their computers.
YMMV,so ..... Pedal on
03-01-16, 12:05 AM
#31
Senior Member
Most of the groups I ride with have a lot of climbing. Most are also non drop. I've done them on my steel bike which is 5 lbs heavier. I'm usually in the middle of the group on climbs on the 15 lb bike. On the 20 lb maybe I drop a couple of spots but I'm also more tired getting to each regroup at the top of the climb and I usually have less time to recover before the last person gets to the top.
03-01-16, 02:36 AM
#32
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I like this answer, weight does not out-weigh knowing the route or tactics.
Nope. I know it as a fact.
My regular race bike is a 2013 Ridley Excalibur. With race wheels, no pump or saddle bag, it's probably 16.5 or 17 lbs.
In winter training/commuting set up with lights, blinkies, pump, saddlebag, superheavy 32-spoke training wheels and heavy tires, and fenders, it's probably closer to 20 or 21.
Either way, I'm probably not getting dropped from the River Ride. I've been doing it long enough that I know where it gets hard and I need to get to the front, which wheels to follow, where to hide, where to recover, etc.
And for what it's worth, I occasionally like to take out my C&V '86 Gazelle Champion Mondial. It sits at 20lbs here. This bike was literally made for crosswinds and bad pavement. Not only do I not get dropped on the Gazelle, my Strava PR for that ride was on the Gazelle.
So, no. I'm not getting dropped on a heavier bike.
My regular race bike is a 2013 Ridley Excalibur. With race wheels, no pump or saddle bag, it's probably 16.5 or 17 lbs.
In winter training/commuting set up with lights, blinkies, pump, saddlebag, superheavy 32-spoke training wheels and heavy tires, and fenders, it's probably closer to 20 or 21.
Either way, I'm probably not getting dropped from the River Ride. I've been doing it long enough that I know where it gets hard and I need to get to the front, which wheels to follow, where to hide, where to recover, etc.
And for what it's worth, I occasionally like to take out my C&V '86 Gazelle Champion Mondial. It sits at 20lbs here. This bike was literally made for crosswinds and bad pavement. Not only do I not get dropped on the Gazelle, my Strava PR for that ride was on the Gazelle.
So, no. I'm not getting dropped on a heavier bike.
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
03-01-16, 01:04 PM
#34
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If my bike weighed one pound less, I wouldn't be able to brag to my friends that my bike weighs less than 17 lbs. Other than that, I probably wouldn't notice.
03-01-16, 01:08 PM
#35
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The motor I added to my bike weighs more than 1 lb. and I don't get dropped.
03-01-16, 01:29 PM
#36
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Someone mentioned a 20 pound bike with "super heavy 32 spoke wheels". 20 pounds seems plenty light for a bike to me, the wheels can't be that heavy. And since a pound or two doesn't really matter...
03-01-16, 05:40 PM
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Because it's a clear and precisely measurable, controllable variable. And regardless of whether it makes the difference between getting dropped or not, or finishing first or tenth in a race, it is appreciable in an aesthetic sense, like a clean bike, a handsomely painted one, or one with a comfortable saddle. As a virtue, light weight is its own reward. Of course not everyone appreciates it so much. Some people are color-blind, too.
03-01-16, 08:54 PM
#38
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Hmm, rode the same 23 mile route today on two different bikes. One after the other. One was a 2015, 19 lbs Ti Lynskey the other was a 1989, 23 lb steel Giordana. One has an 11 speed cassette, one has 6 speeds. Guess which one finished with the higher average pace? Yep the heavier one! Weight is just one of many variables and may or may not matter according to the situation.
Oh and on a side note, those Billato folks really know how to make a bike. That Girodana is one Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ride!!
Oh and on a side note, those Billato folks really know how to make a bike. That Girodana is one Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ride!!
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Steel is real...and comfy.
Steel is real...and comfy.
03-01-16, 09:34 PM
#40
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Years ago I left the field in the last mile or so of a race on a very light bike. More recently I left lots of people behind in a tri on a bike that was probably less than the limit. It is all mental I know.
03-01-16, 09:38 PM
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A lot of them do it because a lot of others do it.
And ....
Basically, bragging rights, and a way to measure "better" even it will always be "better" in quotes.
03-01-16, 09:41 PM
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Another point people lose sight of is lighter is better and faster. Sure you can lose a couple pounds not eating and it's cheaper, but the lighter bike always weighs less. You can diet, eat properly, not carry extra things but you still have less weight, and the benefits, of the lighter bike.
03-01-16, 10:33 PM
#43
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First off, "better" is not an absolute term. "Lighter" always means lighter. "Lighter" doesn't always mean "better." A lighter bike which flexes too much can be wasteful under acceleration. A frame which flexes too much can be dangerous descending or in hard cornering.
Also, very light bikes can have very thin tubes which can ding easily. A lighter bike might be "better" for a serious racer but terrible for a serious tourer.
Then there is the argument we had last time for about 20 pages, about whether a difference which can't be felt but can be measured is a difference.
First, a heavier bike won't necessarily be faster except on a climb. Yes, if a ride involved multiple accelerations, that will take more energy, but then ona ride from point to point which is generally downhill the heavier bike might be faster.
And if the weight difference is a very small fraction of the overall weight of the bike (regardless of the weight of the rider) the speed gained on a climb is minuscule anyway. A 17-lb bike going up to 18 lbs ... tiny factions of a second difference at the end of the ride.
So ... "Lighter" is not always faster, not always meaningfully faster, and not always "better" which means different things to different people in different situations anyway.
All that said, I always like lighter, other things being equal or nearly so.
Also, very light bikes can have very thin tubes which can ding easily. A lighter bike might be "better" for a serious racer but terrible for a serious tourer.
Then there is the argument we had last time for about 20 pages, about whether a difference which can't be felt but can be measured is a difference.
First, a heavier bike won't necessarily be faster except on a climb. Yes, if a ride involved multiple accelerations, that will take more energy, but then ona ride from point to point which is generally downhill the heavier bike might be faster.
And if the weight difference is a very small fraction of the overall weight of the bike (regardless of the weight of the rider) the speed gained on a climb is minuscule anyway. A 17-lb bike going up to 18 lbs ... tiny factions of a second difference at the end of the ride.
So ... "Lighter" is not always faster, not always meaningfully faster, and not always "better" which means different things to different people in different situations anyway.
All that said, I always like lighter, other things being equal or nearly so.
03-01-16, 11:31 PM
#45
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Unless the course has more downhill than uphill ....
Just doing my part to reach for twenty pages.
Just doing my part to reach for twenty pages.
03-02-16, 12:19 AM
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There is handling that comes into play and you may want a lighter bike.
But still, as I qualified - all else being equal - I am unaware of rides that are more downhill than up hill
03-02-16, 06:31 AM
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03-02-16, 07:39 AM
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Because it's a clear and precisely measurable, controllable variable. And regardless of whether it makes the difference between getting dropped or not, or finishing first or tenth in a race, it is appreciable in an aesthetic sense, like a clean bike, a handsomely painted one, or one with a comfortable saddle. As a virtue, light weight is its own reward. Of course not everyone appreciates it so much. Some people are color-blind, too.
03-02-16, 08:09 AM
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Hmm, rode the same 23 mile route today on two different bikes. One after the other. One was a 2015, 19 lbs Ti Lynskey the other was a 1989, 23 lb steel Giordana. One has an 11 speed cassette, one has 6 speeds. Guess which one finished with the higher average pace? Yep the heavier one! Weight is just one of many variables and may or may not matter according to the situation.
Oh and on a side note, those Billato folks really know how to make a bike. That Girodana is one Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ride!!
Oh and on a side note, those Billato folks really know how to make a bike. That Girodana is one Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet ride!!
I acquired a '86 Univega Nuovo Sport weekend before last. Very sweet triple butted frame, but heavy Shimano Light Action components, 27 inch wheels, 1 1/4 (32c) tires and 6 speed freewheel. It weighs 24lbs stripped of pedals, bottle and saddlebag. Every ride I've taken it on I've averaged over 18. Perhaps larger diameter wheels have something to do with it? Railroad tracks don't slow me down and I've found myself standing and sprinting over rough sections. I don't know, the bike is just fast and smooth as hell, I don't notice the weight one bit.
My computer doesn't have a pause for slow downs and stops.
