# Bike's Weight Obsession?



## vietcong (Feb 25, 2008)

Hi guys,

I'm a total beginner, a runner and a swimmer who wants to join a triathlon. I recently ordered a Scott CR1 Pro, waiting for arrival.There are so many questions that i want to ask and most of my questions are answered in the forums. GREAT FORUMS! As i was searching through the forums, over and over again "Weight".. "lbs"... seems to pop up everywhere. So, i want to ask this... Why is the lighter bike better? Why are you guys so obsessed with "weights"? You guys are talking of merely 1 or 2 pounds... Isn't it easier to achieve 2 pounds less by burning 7000 calories? How much faster would you and your bike go if the total weights combined are 2 pounds less? What is the point of having a 12 pounder bike when you are 15 pounds overweight? Guys, PLEASE help me out here... PUZZLED ME!!!?


----------



## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Weight weenies*



vietcong said:


> Why is the lighter bike better? Why are you guys so obsessed with "weights"? You guys are talking of merely 1 or 2 pounds... Isn't it easier to achieve 2 pounds less by burning 7000 calories? How much faster would you and your bike go if the total weights combined are 2 pounds less? What is the point of having a 12 pounder bike when you are 15 pounds overweight? Guys, PLEASE help me out here... PUZZLED ME!!!?


Equipment weight is an obsession in most sports. It takes more energy to move more weight. Plus, lower weight can be purchased, whereas lower body weight has to be earned. Also, bike weight has a bit of bragging rights associated with it - the proverbial "measuring contest." Of course you would be better off to lose the 15 lbs of excess weight, but that's harder to do than to just purchase the latest "solid unobtainium funbeam screwmaster" upgrade.


----------



## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

I'm part of the "are you worthy of your bike club".

Basically losing weight off yourself is the first part. When you get down to single digits % fat then you can start dropping off your bike. Otherwise, you got a ways to go.


----------



## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

Like most wheeled sports, in cycling you use the lightest most powerful engine you can, then you start lightening the rest of the vehicle. Being obsessed with light is a hobby for some people. I routinely see bikes I wouldn't ride, but for the builders the goal is light weight. 

All things being equal, a lighter bike will help you climb. There's certainly a noticeable difference when climbing with my 21 pound (no lightweight) road bike vs. my 32 pound mountain bike. I'm a fairly big guy, but still, that's less than a 5% weight reduction in rider/bike weight. Of course I can climb steeper grades on the mountain bike because of the 22/34 low gearing. I won't stall, or even have to get out of the saddle until the front wheel begins to lift.


----------



## vietcong (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks guy for replies. I sort of gather that some roadies have a sub-hobby besides riding, making their bike as light as possible. I'm wandering if you experience roadie out there could tell me if there is a significant difference "feel" if the bike is 2 pounds lighter? Is there a safety issue? 

Also, i understand UCI has a legal weight limit on bikes (14.96 lbs), and of course the pro-riders have to follow the rule. From what i read in the forum, a lot of these "lightweigth bikes" are way below the limit. So, the owners of these "lightweight bikes" are obviously not pros. My questions now, Isn't this call "CHEATING"? by the non-pros. Are they no ethical issues here? Just like drugging? This is just my feeling guys, sorry if i'm wrong, please correct me as i'm a learning beginner.

THANKS!!!


----------



## California L33 (Jan 20, 2006)

vietcong said:


> Thanks guy for replies. I sort of gather that some roadies have a sub-hobby besides riding, making their bike as light as possible. I'm wandering if you experience roadie out there could tell me if there is a significant difference "feel" if the bike is 2 pounds lighter? Is there a safety issue?
> 
> Also, i understand UCI has a legal weight limit on bikes (14.96 lbs), and of course the pro-riders have to follow the rule. From what i read in the forum, a lot of these "lightweigth bikes" are way below the limit. So, the owners of these "lightweight bikes" are obviously not pros. My questions now, Isn't this call "CHEATING"? by the non-pros. Are they no ethical issues here? Just like drugging? This is just my feeling guys, sorry if i'm wrong, please correct me as i'm a learning beginner.
> 
> THANKS!!!


 It's not cheating because these ultra lightweights aren't being raced in sanctioned events, and even if they were raced, and held together, the pros on the 'heavy' bikes would smoke them. It's like golf, you can buy clubs that don't meet PGA regulations, but even a talented amateur swinging them isn't going to beat Tiger Woods on his worst day.

Is there a safety issue? Yes. A common example- a lot of pros don't use carbon fiber handlebars even though they're lighter. If a bike goes down it usually hits hard on the bars, and being wrapped in tape you can't see a crack. The hobbyist can ride easy until he can check the bars, even unwrap them on the spot. The pro has to get on and ride hard. I think it was George Hincapie a couple of years ago that was in position to win Paris-Roubaix and had his carbon steering tube snap. He ended up in the hospital and somebody else ended up on the podium. 

Light is important in climbing, and my guess is two pounds could make the difference between winning and loosing to a grand tour rider- many days, many climbs, with very evenly matched riders. 

But on flat roads aerodynamics are much more important because you're dealing with the square of speed- every time you double your speed you need four times as much energy to overcome the wind resistance. That's why riders ride in groups, so they can use each others slipstreams. That's why they ride frames too small for them and have huge saddle to bar drops- so they can get their bodies lower and reduce their frontal area. 

I have a feeling people focus on weight because it's easy to measure. Better aerodynamics require wind tunnels. Lower weight requires a scale.


----------



## Guest (Feb 25, 2008)

vietcong said:


> I'm wandering if you experience roadie out there could tell me if there is a significant difference "feel" if the bike is 2 pounds lighter?


Depends on where the weight difference is. Aside from how heavy a bike is where the weight is located can affect how the bike rides and handles. Is the mass static, like a seat post, or rotating like cranks and wheels? Total weight is one thing. But I'd rather have light wheels than a light seat post/bar/stem.

Also, light weight doesn't serve a purpose if it doesn't hold up to your weight and riding conditions. 

So weight isn't everything. It's just another factor to consider.


----------



## Zero Signal (Feb 8, 2008)

The weight only effects accelerating, climbing and rolling resistance. I would say the effect of the bikes weight on the rolling resistance is very small (at least for me when I weigh 215+) when you are talking a couple of pounds. But it takes a lot for me, personally, to notice minute weight differences aside from picking the bike up. I notice when the bike is completely loaded with panniers (40+lbs) that it takes forever to accelerate and it's way harder to climb. The accelerating really kills since it may only take a wind gust to slow you down and it takes forever to get back up to speed. VERY tiring. BUT this is coming from a heavy loaded bike. For something like a typical road bike (under 22lbs), the total weight difference has quickly diminishing returns. I don't notice the difference between a 15lb bike and a 18lb bike, but it may make a difference over 100miles and the cost difference could rediculous.

A lighter wheelset will make the most noticeable difference if you ask me.


----------



## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

In the USA, unless you are doing an UCI ranked event such as the Tour of California or national championships, the UCI rules are not in effect. So you can race as light a bike as you wish. Of course if it is too light then it becomes unreliable. You are unlikely to place well if your bike breaks.

While some people have a hobby of building light bikes while ignoring their training, many lightweight bike owners are very serious riders who are as obsessive about their training as they are about their bikes. I'm in the obsess about training and build a bike that's reasonably light but reliable camp myself. Of course the lighter you are the more a couple pounds on the bike means.

If you are doing triathalons, then aerodynamics will be more important than weight.

BTW, Hincapie's Roubaix steerer tube was aluminum, not carbon, and broke because it was damaged in a previous crash and he didn't get a new bike like he should have.


----------



## Hooben (Aug 22, 2004)

All of the above is so true, but you know there are people who just like to compare weights. A friend picked up my old Cannondale and commented on how heavy it was. Yet there I am riding right next to the sub 15 carbon bike. 

It's fun to try and build up a bike with great components and see how light it comes out. Sort of like building up an old muscle car and not knowing how fast it will go until you time it at the track on a quarter mile. Like brewing a beer with all the best ingredients but not knowing until that first taste. 

However, the best weight to lose is off of the rider!!!


----------



## 99trek5200 (Jan 26, 2007)

Pay more, get less. It's simple. Physics tells you that more mass takes more energy to accellerate. When climbing you are fighting gravity's acceleration, thus mass matters. On a flat course where you are maintaining a consistent speed, mass does not matter.

It's all choices. Keo Classic pedals are similar to Keo Sprints but 30 grams heavier. That 30 gram savings will cost you $30-40 bucks. You can draw a similar comparison between Thomson Elite and Masterpiece seat posts.


----------



## w4ta (Aug 27, 2007)

Gotta say, the weight difference from my old 20 lb. Cannondale and my 15.7 lb. (no pedals) Felt F2 was hugely apparent on the climbs. I'm in good climbing shape, low body-fat... and it felt as if I were on a rocket. I actually started smiling.


----------



## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Small and large differences*



w4ta said:


> Gotta say, the weight difference from my old 20 lb. Cannondale and my 15.7 lb. (no pedals) Felt F2 was hugely apparent on the climbs. I'm in good climbing shape, low body-fat... and it felt as if I were on a rocket. I actually started smiling.


On a 6% grade, it's about 0.1 mph speed change for every 1 lb weight difference (0.15 km/h per 450 gm). So shaving off 4 lbs would mean 0.4 mph. That's 2.5 minutes difference per hour and so would be significant. Like a rocket?


----------



## footballcat (Jul 8, 2004)

or people could lose weight.......


----------



## android (Nov 20, 2007)

Kerry Irons said:


> On a 6% grade, it's about 0.1 mph speed change for every 1 lb weight difference (0.15 km/h per 450 gm). So shaving off 4 lbs would mean 0.4 mph. That's 2.5 minutes difference per hour and so would be significant. Like a rocket?


I would suspect the perceived difference to be due to frame material, stiffness and geometry. If I hid 4lbs of weight into the saddle bag on the Felt, I'm sure it would still feel much snappier than the 'Dale at the same weight.


----------



## 99trek5200 (Jan 26, 2007)

w4ta said:


> Gotta say, the weight difference from my old 20 lb. Cannondale and my 15.7 lb. (no pedals) Felt F2 was hugely apparent on the climbs. I'm in good climbing shape, low body-fat... and it felt as if I were on a rocket. I actually started smiling.


Your Felt at 15.7 lb with no pedals will be significantly faster at 16.3 lbs with pedals. Sorry I couldn't resist.


----------



## trek_FL (Apr 7, 2006)

I think there is some placebo effect at work here too.

When one knows he (or she) is on a lighter bike,then one trains like they are on a much faster bike and they ultimately BECOME a faster bike. That's how I justify it in my mind anyway.


----------



## Barabaika (Jan 15, 2007)

You can look on craigslist and buy a $100 steel bike with thin tubes that looks and feels light.

You go to a bike shop, and modern bikes look so heavy with their oversized tubes.


----------

