For fitness does the bike really matter?
02-17-22, 11:53 AM
#26
Advanced Slacker
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,215
Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2764 Post(s)
Liked 2,540 Times
in
1,434 Posts
02-17-22, 11:55 AM
#27
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
Posts: 3,130
Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 856 Post(s)
Liked 1,451 Times
in
825 Posts
It matters to me, that's all that matters.
02-17-22, 12:07 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,520
Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo
Mentioned: 354 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20810 Post(s)
Liked 9,456 Times
in
4,672 Posts
Likes For WhyFi:
02-17-22, 12:24 PM
#29
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 18,156
Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10518 Post(s)
Liked 12,078 Times
in
6,185 Posts
I've been mulling over this question for a while and curious what others think. From a fitness perspective is there really any benefit to riding a lighter/faster bike? Given the below 4 hypothetical scenarios; if they were all completed over the same road, with the same average HR and perceived effort is there any fitness benefit of one over the other?
1. Full suspension mountain bike - 30min ride averaging 12mph (6mi ride)
2. Flat bar fitness/hybrid bike - 30min ride averaging 15mph (7.5mi)
3. Endurance/gravel bike - 30min ride averaging 17mph (8.5mi)
4. Aero road bike - 30min ride averaging 20mph (10mi)
1. Full suspension mountain bike - 30min ride averaging 12mph (6mi ride)
2. Flat bar fitness/hybrid bike - 30min ride averaging 15mph (7.5mi)
3. Endurance/gravel bike - 30min ride averaging 17mph (8.5mi)
4. Aero road bike - 30min ride averaging 20mph (10mi)
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
02-17-22, 12:28 PM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 5,516
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2558 Post(s)
Liked 3,056 Times
in
1,743 Posts
Reminds me of a contentious thread last year (the topic was something like "Do heavier bikes give you a better workout?") where one poster couldn't understand why the rest of us couldn't understand that heavier bikes do indeed make for a better workout. Every time he was backed into a corner, he shifted the goalposts a bit.
He eventually had to hissy-fit his way out, since the essential question was (as in the present thread) "If you do the same amount of work for the same duration, do you do the same amount of work?"
He eventually had to hissy-fit his way out, since the essential question was (as in the present thread) "If you do the same amount of work for the same duration, do you do the same amount of work?"
02-17-22, 12:33 PM
#31
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 18,156
Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10518 Post(s)
Liked 12,078 Times
in
6,185 Posts
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
Likes For genejockey:
02-17-22, 12:41 PM
#32
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 18,156
Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10518 Post(s)
Liked 12,078 Times
in
6,185 Posts
Reminds me of a contentious thread last year (the topic was something like "Do heavier bikes give you a better workout?") where one poster couldn't understand why the rest of us couldn't understand that heavier bikes do indeed make for a better workout. Every time he was backed into a corner, he shifted the goalposts a bit.
He eventually had to hissy-fit his way out, since the essential question was (as in the present thread) "If you do the same amount of work for the same duration, do you do the same amount of work?"
He eventually had to hissy-fit his way out, since the essential question was (as in the present thread) "If you do the same amount of work for the same duration, do you do the same amount of work?"
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
Likes For genejockey:
02-17-22, 12:41 PM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,539
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 996 Post(s)
Liked 1,666 Times
in
1,069 Posts
I guess not really. For me its comfort. Not really comfort per say as in a soft seat and padded bars but rather comfort in ridding position, posture, and feel of the wheels. Having been a Road Bike guy for most of my ridding experience I gravitate now in my older age to Road Bike frames set up with heaver duty components to ride in gravely conditions. I reluctantly gave up on Drop Bars but still use Bull Horns. For someone who has ridden mostly Moutian Bikes they would probably feel more comfortable with Straight Bars and low center of gravity type bikes. It's kinda hard to explain but feeling comfortable on your bike is a big deal and I am not talking about the Saddle.
__________________
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
Likes For zandoval:
02-17-22, 12:42 PM
#34
Full Member
Same effort, same power output, same amount of time = effectively same amount of overall exercise. Distance traveled will vary depending on the bike. Given the simple and well-defined hypothetical question, the answer is really quite simple.
All the other nonsense going on in this thread is some combination of
All the other nonsense going on in this thread is some combination of
- lack of reading comprehension
- obsessing over the details of a hypothetical example that is not actually germane to answering the OPs root question
- confusion about how to apply physics terms to a real world question
- just the desire to argue on BF.
02-17-22, 12:45 PM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 5,141
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1586 Post(s)
Liked 1,218 Times
in
617 Posts
Same effort, same power output, same amount of time = effectively same amount of overall exercise. Distance traveled will vary depending on the bike. Given the simple and well-defined hypothetical question, the answer is really quite simple.
All the other nonsense going on in this thread is some combination of
All the other nonsense going on in this thread is some combination of
- lack of reading comprehension
- obsessing over the details of a hypothetical example that is not actually germane to answering the OPs root question
- confusion about how to apply physics terms to a real world question
- just the desire to argue on BF.
Likes For badger1:
Likes For 2old:
02-17-22, 01:02 PM
#37
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
Whichever combo fits your budget and maximizes the time you want to spend on the bike acquiring fitness. Sure, a $200 Walmart bike can help accrue fitness. But you will likely hate the bike and not want to ride it much.
If you buy a pro road race bike and can't handle the aggressive fit, might not want to ride that much either.
Also need a bike that fits your terrain. Having a bad mismatch on your local riding terrain to the bike you have will make you not want to ride it as much.
But otherwise, this is the troll topic about "I can get more fit on a heavier bike" and "put a car battery on my bike to make the hills longer" nonsense.
If you buy a pro road race bike and can't handle the aggressive fit, might not want to ride that much either.
Also need a bike that fits your terrain. Having a bad mismatch on your local riding terrain to the bike you have will make you not want to ride it as much.
But otherwise, this is the troll topic about "I can get more fit on a heavier bike" and "put a car battery on my bike to make the hills longer" nonsense.
Likes For burnthesheep:
02-17-22, 01:07 PM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 248
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 143 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 90 Times
in
64 Posts
Primary concern = is this a bicycle that you will actually ride ? FREQUENTLY = DAILY !
Or will the bicycle take up a rather permanent residence in your garage ?
Or will the bicycle take up a rather permanent residence in your garage ?
02-17-22, 01:35 PM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2333 Post(s)
Liked 2,097 Times
in
1,314 Posts
Virtus’ hypothesis is flawed. The problem is that this isn’t a power problem. It’s a work problem. Moving each bike requires the same power (i.e. watts) but the work done…i.e force over distance…results in less distance covered for the same force for the mountain bike. In other words, the mountain bike requires more work to move it.
A good way to look at a work out is to look at the work done. One can do the same work on each of the machines.
02-17-22, 01:42 PM
#40
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 6,034
Bikes: Colnago, Van Dessel, Factor, Cervelo, Ritchey
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3997 Post(s)
Liked 7,482 Times
in
3,010 Posts
Likes For tomato coupe:
02-17-22, 01:46 PM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 478
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 166 Post(s)
Liked 252 Times
in
147 Posts
I've been mulling over this question for a while and curious what others think. From a fitness perspective is there really any benefit to riding a lighter/faster bike? Given the below 4 hypothetical scenarios; if they were all completed over the same road, with the same average HR and perceived effort is there any fitness benefit of one over the other?
02-17-22, 01:49 PM
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2333 Post(s)
Liked 2,097 Times
in
1,314 Posts
Isn't a Watt a Watt or what?
In truth, my low slung recumbent is much harder to put out a watt than my uprights and an equivalent workout in Joules is much, much harder on the recumbent and has a bigger training effect. But OP's listed bikes are all about the same.
02-17-22, 01:50 PM
#43
Cheerfully low end
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,981
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 646 Post(s)
Liked 1,050 Times
in
670 Posts
If the effort level is constant throughout and the same, there would not be a fitness difference. Riding fixed gear or single speed would likely be different in that while the average HR and effort might be the same, the level of exertion would likely spike on hills and into headwinds. There would be differences in the impact related both to muscular strength and tone and CV fitness.
Otto
Otto
02-17-22, 02:29 PM
#44
Advanced Slacker
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,215
Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2764 Post(s)
Liked 2,540 Times
in
1,434 Posts
Likes For Kapusta:
Likes For blacknbluebikes:
02-17-22, 02:38 PM
#46
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Carolina Upstate
Posts: 2,110
Bikes: 2010 Fuji Absolute 3.0 1994 Trek 850
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 762 Post(s)
Liked 555 Times
in
322 Posts
It only matters if the bike is a factor on whether you will ride it not. The key to bike fitness (in my opinion) is the regularity of riding. You have to enjoy it. If for whatever reason you do not enjoy your bike, then try to get one that you do enjoy. As you ride more, you will become more aware of the features that you need or don't need
The bottom line is ride
if buying new clothes, or a bike, or a gps, or heart rate monitor get you out the door then they are worth it. You have one body in this life, and as most on here will tell you. Biking does a body good
The bottom line is ride
if buying new clothes, or a bike, or a gps, or heart rate monitor get you out the door then they are worth it. You have one body in this life, and as most on here will tell you. Biking does a body good
Likes For Flip Flop Rider:
02-17-22, 02:47 PM
#48
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,993
Bikes: old ones
Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26471 Post(s)
Liked 10,425 Times
in
7,240 Posts
Two pages in, and nobody has mentioned Lance Armstrong ?
...what kind of world do I live in, any more ? *sigh*
Likes For 3alarmer:
02-17-22, 02:50 PM
#49
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 8,675
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4519 Post(s)
Liked 5,020 Times
in
3,100 Posts
No there isn't. But a lighter/faster bike might make it a bit easier to normalise your effort. As an extreme example my mate just bought an e-bike (so a faster bike in this case) to effectively flatten his hilly local terrain so he could do more long steady Z2 rides. A normal road bike would make that pretty much impossible as there are 20% gradients around where he lives. But for general fitness I can train equally as effectively on my mtb as I can on my road bike.
02-17-22, 02:51 PM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,993
Bikes: old ones
Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26471 Post(s)
Liked 10,425 Times
in
7,240 Posts
Likes For 3alarmer: