# Adding 10 lbs makes bike feel a little sluggish



## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Not as bad as I expected. Signed up for a 400k ride this weekend so I needed to prepare the bike by adding two additional water bottles, a pump, 4 tubes, lighting and lots of batteries for such lighting since we will be riding at least 6 hours in the dark.

Loaded and ready to go the bike, Fuji Altamira went from 19 lbs to just under 29 lbs with water bottles full. 
Did a test ride, 30 miles and everything seems good to go, but she did feel a bit sluggish, almost like a slight brake dragging. But not too bad.

I guess that's expected when riding so loaded up.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

....or you can take the weight off of your bike and use a backpack.

of course, it will get lighter over the course of the ride when you drink the water


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

I am thinking it's much better to let the bike carry the weight then my. A backpack would just put more weight on my arms, legs and seat. 
The bottles will be empty at times, but will be refilled every 50 miles.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

whatever floats your boat. You should try a backpack, just in case... or maybe do a combo. 

.... try hauling a trailer loaded with tools & supplies... now that's dragging a boat anchor... my legs could only take me 55 miles on my first attempt.


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## nealric (Jul 5, 2007)

All the people who suggest that bicycle weight reduction is pointless should try this. Losing/gaining 10 lbs on your body is barely noticeable. Doing the same on a bike makes a huge difference.


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

nealric said:


> All the people who suggest that bicycle weight reduction is pointless should try this. *Losing/gaining 10 lbs on your body is barely noticeable*. Doing the same on a bike makes a huge difference.


If you weigh 300lbs perhaps. However, when I went from 165 to 155 it made the most dramatic improvement to date on my climbing performance. 

That said, I'm all for reducing weight any way you can as it all makes a difference.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

Mr645 said:


> I am thinking it's much better to let the bike carry the weight then my. .


You're absolutley right. 

I've commuted to work on a bike for over 20 years and tried everything. I use a seatpost rack with a bag when I need to haul stuff -- like on days when its 35 in the morning and 70 in the evening. I have a second seatpost/saddle for when I don't need to haul stuff. I just swap them back and forth. It takes a minute. 

Back packs get uncomfortable quick. It would be digging into your shoulders and really uncomfortable halfway through your ride.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Drill out your water bottles!

I'm a randonneur, and ten pounds seems excessive to me. Unless your riding nonsupported in the desert, 2 water bottles work. If there are convenience stores along the route, use those to restock food, water, and maybe batteries. 2 tubes and a patch kit works for me. Get a lighter lighting system perhaps if yours is old and heavy.

Ride safely and have fun.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

I could have made it with two bottles, but with close to 60 miles between some of the stops, riding through the everglades in South Florida, without even cell service for ah hour at a time, I wanted the safety of 4 bottles. I needed to have light for up to 8 hours at night, so I use a 1200 lumen light and 3 8800mA batteries. basically 8AA rechargables per pack X 3 packs. 4 tubes, an air pump, a spare light..

The bike weights 19lbs 4 oz no water, no gear and 29lb 6 oz with 4 bottles and everything ready to ride. Were doing a 600k this weekend. We have one stretch of 74 miles between stops, so 4 bottles again, but since we plan on sleeping for 5 hours in the middle, less night time riding comapred to the 400k


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## Weatherby (Mar 3, 2014)

Mr645 said:


> I could have made it with two bottles, but with close to 60 miles between some of the stops, riding through the everglades in South Florida, without even cell service for ah hour at a time, I wanted the safety of 4 bottles. I needed to have light for up to 8 hours at night, so I use a 1200 lumen light and 3 8800mA batteries. basically 8AA rechargables per pack X 3 packs. 4 tubes, an air pump, a spare light..
> 
> The bike weights 19lbs 4 oz no water, no gear and 29lb 6 oz with 4 bottles and everything ready to ride. Were doing a 600k this weekend. We have one stretch of 74 miles between stops, so 4 bottles again, but since we plan on sleeping for 5 hours in the middle, less night time riding comapred to the 400k


3 x 8800mAH batteries for a 400K? That is almost 4 pounds. Extra weight doesn't matter in flat Florida but why so much battery capacity? Running a 5W lamp would give you the full night on one battery. Does your light only have a 1200 lumen output setting? One of my lighting setups has 5 settings and the other has 4 settings. The highest output is blinding on both. I use the second lowest settings on both and see very well with them. I get about 13 hours with 6400mAH.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

For the 400k ride we had 90 minutes of darkness at the beginning and we estimated 6-7 hours at the end. We finished a bit early, but I also had to be prepared to finish late. As it turned out, I did not use the light as much as I thought. When in the front, 1200 lumen was great, but the entire morning part was in a pack and I switched to a little flea light and turned off my main light all morning, as it did no good with 5-10 riders in front of me. I did rely on the 1200 light for a 30 miles stretch, at night, that was completely dark, no street lights, no cars, nothing but 5 riders and the road. The manufacturer specs say 3 hours at full power per 8800 mA pack.


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