Bike weight important or not

[CR400]

I think your body weight in relation to those you are riding with counts for more then the weight of the bike. However, if you are already as thin as you can get then the bike is the one that must lose weight. Or you could just work on getting stronger, as a woman your muscle weight gain should be minimal compared to the benefits you reap from those few pounds. Also remember that gearing is very important to speed on flats and climbs. Pick the wrong gear and a 14 pound bike is going to feel heavier then a 20 pound bike geared right. So much of the cycling we do is based on our individual bodies not the 1000 different bikes and weights.

[Grog]

I agree that the main difference is in climbing, and that in any case the aerodynamics of you + bike is more important than the weight on the flats.

I agree with Limewave's DH theory: it's better to eat less icecream (or one less toast) than to try to shave grams.

However, the lighter you are, the more difference it makes. A 5 lbs difference is 5% of a 100-lbs person's body weight. You wouldn't that person to loose five pounds. That's the thing with racing cyclist, especially pros. You wouldn't want these guys to cut in their own weight, they'd disappear!!

In other words: your mileage may vary.

[smilingcat]

Adding to the chorus, not to worry too much about the weight of your bike.

I had a friend who raced. One day out on a training ride, he came upon this guy. Pulled up next to him and tried to strike a pleasant conversation and the guy was not too amused with my friend. My friend noticed that the fat-tub-o-lard had a lightest of everything on the bike. And they were climbing hills. The guy appearently was really rude to my friend, so my friend said "hey I know what you can do to go faster" to which the guy said "huh?" My friend grabbed the guys seat post shook the jerks bike pretty hard and said "LOSE SOME WEIGHT" and sprinted up the hill. My friend was a seniors CAT-2 at the time.

If you are bit overweight. Skip that icecream, treats...

If you want to "jump" out of a corner, then you will notice a difference with lighter mass wheels as DebW says.

I think its silly to use titanium skewers, titanium bolts and what not. If you are that rich I guess you could be dumb about spending money.

BTW, I told my friend that what he did wasn't nice. Just enjoy the bike you have lose a pound and you'll be saving thousands of $$$

Speaking of whjich I need to lose ahem cough cough pounds...

[g19]

Good reply's

Many times it's good to read other people opinions it keeps me standing firmly with two feet on the ground/pedals.

Although it is tempting for obvious reasons to 'update' the bike to unrealistic level it's the daily practice from so many and there experiences that gives a good eye on how it really works.

I'm am light build and can shave of a few pounds although it is not what i seek to do and my fat level is on the low side of what is considered ok. So there i don't find the gain, and eating the nice, but wrong things in life that put's on the pounds is again not on my menu so there for my q'n was with a reason.

I do know that i can gain more muscle, and this is what i try to put in in my daily fitness which will hopefully benefit my in riding. My riding is just for fun although very seriously i don't ride working day's and it is strictly weekends or just one day in the weekend i try to ride with different l levels of intensity to bring in the variation to keep things fun and hopefully some gain in performance.

Although wheels are a big factor to make/brake the balance of a bike they are not the magic stick in getting faster as many of you said.

One thing that keeps coming back is that the human factor is the biggest gain in performance and when that is to a level where little gain can be found maybe just maybe the eye can be turned to the bike and see if there is something to be found and very important at what price.

Thanks everybody for sharing your thoughts on this issue i'm back on planet earth again