Reducing weight... what about my hair?

[RoadRaven]

So... when I start to get really pedantic about weight on the bike, and the extra weight I could get rid of when going up a hill...

well... how much does hair weigh? Mine is quite thick and is longish, sitting between/past my shoulderblades...

And what about on a hot day when I sweat - or a wet day when it rains?

How much does wet hair weigh?

Should I chop it all off again?

[KnottedYet]

I chopped mine off so I had very nifty lil' butchy 1 1/2 inch red spikes.

Can't say I noticed it speeding me up any, but it sure kept the barber in business. (had to maintain the cut every month.)

Longer hair is cheaper for me, only getting it cut once or twice a year now.

[LBTC]

I cut my hair twice last year, taking off a total of 24 inches or so; and kept both braids. We weighed them together and they totaled, dry, approx. 17 grams.

Personally, I'd rather save the money at the hairdresser and keep the long hair if it feels comfortable enough when you ride. No point in cutting it unless you *want* to.

Hugs and light butterflies,
~T~

[Dianyla]

I have ankle-length hair that is quite thick and coarse. It weighs about 14 ounces (~395 g).

I still think it's more convenient to just lose a pound of fat or water weight.

[lph]

Thick, ankle-length hair?! Wow!!

Mine is very fine, curly and shoulderlength, and no amount of pampering will convince it to grow any longer. I was born to look like a hobbit

signed,
extremely jealous in Norway

[mimitabby]

THICK ANKLE LENGTH HAIR?? In my DREAMS!!

I have envied you all my life. I can remember when i was 5 years old, when another little girl had thick fat braids and i had... well, pigtails... and now
I can't even grow it long.


Yes, thanks for posting here; your hair isn't going to slow you down, unless
it gets caught in your spokes!

[madscot13]

Thick, ankle-length hair?! Wow!!

Mine is very fine, curly and shoulderlength, and no amount of pampering will convince it to grow any longer. I was born to look like a hobbit

signed,
extremely jealous in Norway

yes very hobbit like

[RoadRaven]

So... dry, hair doesn't weigh much... might see if I can find out how much more wet hair weighs...


Thanks for the responses, hobbits'n'all!

[bcipam]

Road...that is probably the most "weight weinie" question I have ever heard! Instead of chopping off that beautiful hair can you lose a 1/2 lb instead??? If I could, I would proudly wear my thick beautiful hair - long! :-)

[RoadRaven]

BC - cracked up when i read your post!!!

I know its a bit "anal" but (here comes the justification!) my hair is long, and thick, and when wet must weigh alot, and when climbing a hill every kilogram makes significant seconds difference - enough to mean being a leeetle bit dropped but still in with a chance... or completely irrevocably dropped....

I want to get to the point where I can keep up on hills... if the hair weight was significant I'd lose it. Def easier to lose hair then weight... (although I am slowly dropping my weight... but it takes soooo loooong!

[Dianyla]

Well, why don't you weigh your hair then? I weigh mine by leaning my head near a kitchen scale (the kind that just do oz/g) and letting my hair lay on the balance. You could compare wet vs. dry weight, as well. Also, compare the weight of your hair to the weight of everything else on your bike and your person.

For cycling, I'm much less anal about weight. But.. backpacking! That's when my inner gram weenie comes out to play. I have a backpack inventory with every piece of gear weighed on my kitchen scale down to the ounce. Then, when I'm looking for something to reduce or eliminate, I know where the big pig items are at. Other people I know just randomly chuck stuff out of their backpack until the weight feels right, but they're often eliminating the wrong gear.

Anyways, if it's really about the gram weenie thing then do the measurements and see how it fits into the big picture. But, maybe it's not about that. I kinda get the impression that you're interested in chopping your hair off and enjoying a daringly short haircut, but you're looking for the justification to take the plunge. I say go do what you want, who cares if it only saves you a few dozen grams? It's just hair, and it'll grow back!

[RoadRaven]

No scales in my kitchen

I did send an email yesterday to the hairdressing tutors on campus - but they don't know!!!

Am getting a trim and tidy on Monday - so will ask my hairdresser!!!

I am just really interested now... been thinking about it too long and I WANT an answer!

LOL Dianyla... I have had "daringly short"haircuts before... in 1996, at the ripe old age of 31, to celebrate my graduation (DipTeach) I had a number 1! My classmates didn't believe I was gonna do it... but I did!

It was the best haircut ever - no need to brush, no products - excellent (though I did need to wear scarves on mild summer days til I adapted!

[Kano]

So I've been thinking about this wet hair thing -- if we sweat and get our hair soggy, yes, it may weigh more than it did while it was dry, but the sweat WAS inside of us before it got on our hair, so we're not really changing weight at all, y'know?

My hair's not real long (yet) but I don't notice that the part outside my helmet stays very damp except for the bit that's secured in the pony tail holder -- though that could be a desert kind of thing?

Karen in Boise

[RoadRaven]

DOH!
You are soooo right Kano!
Half of my question is redundant!

But... what about when it rains... hair holds that moisture and it wasn't there to begin with....

Hmmm.... tricky?

[Kano]

DOH!
You are soooo right Kano!
Half of my question is redundant!

But... what about when it rains... hair holds that moisture and it wasn't there to begin with....

Hmmm.... tricky?

Doesn't happen here in Boise -- but I think if it did, I'd free the pony tail for a bit and let the wind handle it!

Hmmm, but if it rains, your clothes also gets wet, going to ride nekkid to avoid tha weight?

Rainy conditions adda new dimension to road safety as well...

Karen in Boise