Don't know about you, but a couple of tenths of a MPH is kind of a big deal to me in certain situations. Gaining .5mph, in the right wind conditions, is feasible.

Something I don't think you're taking into account is the depth of the rims, and the fact that a lot of lighter wheels out there have deep carbon rims. Deeper rims are generally what makes a wheel faster (gross generalization, obviously).

Well, at least you'll feel like you're accelerating faster. Whether it's a measurable and significant difference or not is debatable.

This is a perfect case of the law of diminishing returns, as someone else pointed out above. You can spend 5g on wheels, but the question is, is it worth it? And the answer is, no. Unless you've got 1. more cash than you can handle, or 2. a need for better wheels (racing). Even then, if the motor isn't up to it, the wheels 99 times out of 100 aren't going to make you win.

Also, the Duke is correct re: aero rims, but the question is: do you need to spend $2000 on Zipps if you'll be happy with $700 handbuilts?

PS: if you have any medium-format rangefinders (Mamiya 6 or 7 or sim.) you'd like to get rid of, PM me.

it'd definitely be cool. but...most of my riding will be for fitness. i'll ride with friends, go on group/club rides, or go ride by myself. i'll do some charity rides. aside from that...i'll probably enter maybe a half dozen or less races a year and maybe 1-3 triathlons. and in competitions...i certainly won't be anywhere near pro level...and i probably won't even be in contention to win these local races...i'll be racing against my personal best/personal record.

so...since i won't ever be a podium cyclist...i'm very much on the fence about spending $2K for ligher wheels...and countless more K on saving weight elsewhere...

I frequent the WW site and consider myself a semi-weenie.
I try to find "reasonably affordable" ways to drop weight on my bike.
For instance, using Ritchey WCS Classic bars and Stem and Ti bolts. 335 grams for the combo,
actually much cheaper than a lot of upper end bars that weigh significantly more. I use ultra light tubes and ROX rimstrip. Takes an extra 100 or so grams off per wheel, and costs about 5 bucks. I realize these things don't make a big difference, but to me, it is part of the art of the bicycle (and it feels cool when I pick my bike up). If you are not a weight weenie, that's fine, I don't care. Move on with your life and forget about the weight weenie forum.

Yeah, depth is much more important than weight in most conditions, assuming we're talking about reasonable wheel weights. I would consider my wheels, at 1900g to be pretty heavy for racing, yet I do fine on them. They're 30mm deep, so I'm getting a bit of aero love there.

Zipps (and competing wheels) are so amazing because you lose the weight and gain the depth.

three months too late! i sold a mint mamiya 7 w/80mm lens to help finance my bike purchases. the only medium format i have left are not pro quality except maybe one...an old minolta autocord, rolleiflex 2.8C (being CLA'd right now), a holga, and a diana.

At 205#, all this weight weenie talk sounds like science fiction to me. Everything I use is chosen for durability, especially the wheels, (36 spoke Open Pro Mavics).
Unless you're climbing, a few ounces doesn't make much difference to most of us. One of the better climbers in my club has several bikes, he has a 15 pound C-50 and a 28 pound Rivendell Atlantis. He still drops most of us regardless of which bike he is on.

Yes, but ask him which one he prefers to ride.

I consider myself a weight weenie and yes it does make a difference. By losing 3 lbs from your bike will you win the Tour de France? Of course not but your bike will feel more responsive and will accelerate quicker, at least that's what I've noticed. I removed 3lbs from my MTB and the bike feels totally different to me. And don't believe what people say, rotating mass is NOT a myth. Simple logic will tell you that a lighter wheel will accelerate faster than a heavier one. The same concept is applied to racing cars. The wheels they use are extremely light which take less force to rotate. If you are going to shed some weight I would do the wheels first, that's the biggest noticeable improvement.

Being a weight weenie also adds to the cycling experience. I love the thought of getting my bike down to a very light weight.

Not sure what your average speed would be but you would definitely feel the difference. That's almost 2 lbs of rotation weigh that's been removed. Imagine you attach 2lbs worth of lead to your wheels and riding then removing the 2lbs. You will definitely notice.

If you the OP has to even ask this question, then s/he should be banned from BF for a few days minimum.

I think for those that don't have any money to spend for WW parts and already may have a decent bike, the best thing you can do is visualize that you HAVE WW parts on it. Pretend you have $5000 LEW wheels, or a carbon 950g frame, or WW bars, seat, seatpost, and cages, and even lightweight carbon shoes. Let that image seep deep into your subconscious and ride the bike like that's what it really is.

Suddenly you're climbing faster, hammering harder, and going past barriers you once thought were too tough to conquer on your current bike. And you didn't have to spend a dime to do it.

The power of belief is free.

I know of a shop owner over in r.b.t who regularly does blind tests where riders are unable to tell if the bottles on their own bike are full or empty while riding it seated. This is true of novices all the way up to cat 2 racers. That's 3.5 lbs, and nobody has ever been able to repeatably figure out if it's there or not.

If you get out of the saddle and swing the bike, you can feel it, but that's not because you're going faster.

IMO, rider weight is a factor. Most heavier riders can generate more power than their lighter counterparts. However, this doesn't necessarily translate to faster speeds on the road because that additional power is also pulling more weight. For a rider weighing 120lbs, dropping a couple of pounds on the bike is probably going to be more effective than for someone at 200lbs. Also, I doubt there is much difference when not climbing or accelerating. If you are riding a flat route, I doubt there is much difference once up to speed.

From my experience, wind affects speed more than anything. Even with a very aero bike (even with Zipps), wind will still affect the rider's speed more than anything else. Of course, there is not much we can do about that.

I believe you mean CdA, or basically surface area resulting in drag. If I was made of lead but had the same volume and surface area, it wouldn't affect my speed on the flats.

Of course wind speed affects your speed the most. No one was contesting that. We're simply stating that a deep rim profile will increase your speed, or save you watts at a given speed, compared to low-profile wheelsets.

see...now, i didn't know that either. deeper rim profile is better. how come? more aero? or distributes more weight away from edge of rim/wheel?

X=19

The first is pretty obvious. The second is debatable.

Wind resistance is probably the biggest obstacle to going faster so aero wheels and aero helmets can make a difference when differences really count.

For most humans dropping 1000's on lightweight parts really isn't going to make them that much faster as to go faster you also have to train seriously.

I took my 1962 Peugeot from being a 26-27 pound 10 speed and turned it into a sub 23 pound fixed gear by replacing the cranks, wheels, tires, stem, and bars as well as the drive components I didn't need.

The bike was reasonalbly fast when I got it but it is much faster now since I am spinning much less weight in the cranks, wheels, and tyres.

I routinely drop people on much newer and lighter rigs and this isn't because my bike is better but because I ride more and work harder at getting better... I often approach my commute as a 10 mile TT and average 50 km / 30 miles a day.

That's on the frame, weight on the wheels is different. You would notice 3.5lbs on your wheels.

Plus those 3.5lbs in water might not be immediately noticeable when seating and the bike is moving forward but that's still 3.5 extra lbs that you have to move. It does make a difference to a certain extent. Obviously the less weigh the less of a difference. But which would be easier to ride up a hill, 30lbs bike or a 15lbs bike? Race cars are a great example. There is a reason why they are built very very light. Power to weight ratio. A lighter bike in my opinion will perform better but I'm no expert so...

Lighter is better....there is a point where it is not as durable and also a point where it is not cost effective.....try to find that balance....

In the Tri market weight was not a focus for a long time....actually it was the TT market and Tri people were just using there technology....now they are focusing on it more...

To me 100 grams is important....that is close to 1/4 of a pound.....if I can get ride of that and it not cost me a mint then I am up for it. Durablity is a must....I am not going to buy a superlight seatpost to break it on a ride...there is a balance...use your check book and find it.

In my opinion it is about 85% important to have a lite bike....

Someone has a power to weight calulation yes? If I weight 200 pounds and ride a 30 mile ride....2500 feet of climbing....in the end I average 200 watts....if I loose 10 pounds and ride that same 200 watts average how much faster will I finish the ride in?

I'm not debating that lighter is faster, just that a lot of perception is based on standing and letting the bike move beneath you. If you don't get out of the saddle, you're not going to feel 3.5 lbs anywhere on your bike. If you time yourself on a climb, you'll probably be able to measure it, but not feel it.

It depends on the weather.

I totally agree but those 3.5lb will make a difference even though you can't feel it.

+1