# So, I want to know the average rider weight attached to these weight-obsessed bikes?



## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

Just seems like an obvious question when one is worrying about why the bike is hefty at 18lbs?


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## cwg_at_opc (Oct 20, 2005)

ok, i'll go first:

i'm about 165lbs, 5'8", pretty average.
my bike was light when it was first built, right
around 20lbs. i've got lighter wheels on it now
so it's probably 19 and change.

i'd get lighter parts, but i'm saving up for a new ride;
i'm still using SIS on the downtube ;-)


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

*Bike and me.*

The one bike weighs 12.95 lbs the other just under 15 lbs. Me, I weigh currently 167 lbs and 155 lbs in season.


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## alienator (Jun 11, 2004)

175lb rider (+/- 3 depending on holidays, intestinal viruses, and access to krispy kreme doughnuts). Bike is currently 16.4, heading south of that when I receive the new wheelset and cranks. Then, it'll be 15.4ish.

Why? Is this gonna be one of those threads where weight weenies get bashed? Believe it or not, there are actually people that understand that the light weight more expensive bits aren't gonna improve their performance. They just like the technical exercise of lightening the bike and/or appreciate the ingenuity/craftsmanship in some of the lightweight stuff.


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## VictoriaJujitsu (Feb 17, 2006)

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in;

I'm with alienator. I like the idea of lightweight parts, and buy them when it doesn't detract from rideability. The idea is not to shave a second off a century, but to enjoy the process of creating a machine as efficient and ingenius as I can afford. The creative simplicity of lightweight is what attracts me to it.

After all that, I weigh about 170, 165 when I'm riding lots, and although I'm not "weight-obsessed", with all other things equal, lighter is undeniably attractive.


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## cwg_at_opc (Oct 20, 2005)

yeah, i'm never gonna race, but i like to _know_ i'm not pushing any
more weight than i need to, especially since i'm an old fart ;-)
i have enough problems getting up hills without hauling extra tonnage.



alienator said:


> 175lb rider (+/- 3 depending on holidays, intestinal viruses, and access to krispy kreme doughnuts). Bike is currently 16.4, heading south of that when I receive the new wheelset and cranks. Then, it'll be 15.4ish.
> 
> Why? Is this gonna be one of those threads where weight weenies get bashed? Believe it or not, there are actually people that understand that the light weight more expensive bits aren't gonna improve their performance. They just like the technical exercise of lightening the bike and/or appreciate the ingenuity/craftsmanship in some of the lightweight stuff.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

I'm 148lbs and 8% body fat now. These days I usually get down to 142-143 and 6% or so. I was a bit lighter when I was younger but at 45 that's about as light as I can get.. I like long rides and long climbs. I can feel the difference in my climbing speed when I lose a couple pounds. Neither of the road bikes I have now are weight-weenie bikes.. the Vitus is a rain bike so I don't care what it weighs, and the Airborne Zeppelin comes in at about 19.5 lbs. I'm considering doing some racing again, but only races that involve a lot of climbing. So I am thinking of buying or building something lighter. I've been doing the weight weenie chart thing and I can easily get a bike that's below 16 lbs and still reliable, comfortable enough for all day rides, and not hideously expensive. And without resorting to tubulars.

I enjoy seeing the engineering work and thought that goes into super-light bikes but I don't think I'd want one as my regular bike.


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## bikeuphill9 (Sep 7, 2005)

I weigh in at 145 right now and 137 in season. 5'11" 58cm Cdale. My bike is about 18 lbs, but is slowly loosing it. New wheels, new seatpost, new seat, new handlebars and it should be around 16 - 16.5lbs.  As for my riding, lots of hills/mountains down here in the southwest corner of VA. Not to mention I love racing, particularly hill climbs. My goal isn't the lightest bike in the world (though it would be nice.) My goal is a light climber that is stiff enough for crits yet will last me a while and won't cost me an arm, leg, and college education. That is why my new lighter wheels will never tough rubber on a course that is less than a mile long.


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## SantaCruz (Mar 22, 2002)

*Both my "new" bikes*

.... are about 20 lbs (61 cm, & ready to ride). But I love it that there is a whole bunch of people out there buying super expensive weight weenie parts. It's good for the industry, good for innovative companies, good for lots of reasons. And at some time in the future, most of us average cyclists will benefit from better designs, materials, etc.


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## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

I ride a a sub 15 pound giant TCR. I am 177cm tall and weigh around 144, but once i start riding full swing I get to around 139.


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## spin150 (May 24, 2005)

*It all adds up*

I agree with the others, it is fun and fascinating to explore lightweight technology that functions and lasts. Performance increases are minimal. But here we go:

Bike: 16 lbs, with lots of lightweight goodies
Rider: 140 lbs
Not bad, the combo at 156 lbs.

But wait. 

Add: 
two bottles (3 lbs), 
seat bag (1.5 lbs)
Carnac Quartz shoes (almost 2 lbs)
another bottle for those non-stop 60 milers
extra tools and spare parts for those rides in the back country
food

And then I just took my lightweight rear wheel out and replaced it with a Powertap. One pound more. Power to weight ratio is not bad, but it is time to work on the power part of that ratio, the weight part is done.


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## SDizzle (May 1, 2004)

brewster said:


> Just seems like an obvious question when one is worrying about why the bike is hefty at 18lbs?


Deaner: 19lbs. Me: 6'3", 148 lbs.

My only weight obsession: my goal is to put on 10 lbs before the season comes to a head. Seeing as my first race of the season was last weekend, I doubt it's going to happen... Needless to say, I'm having a lot of 6000 calorie days.

Deaner will lose about 1.5 lbs in a few weeks with a new wheelset, but they'll only be for HC and RR events - no crits.

Thanks for posting this thread: my biggest question about WWs has always been the rider to bike ratio... I've heard all sorts of excuses about "it's a hobby" and "I've got the money - why not?" But it all seems like hooey when you're fat.


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## alienator (Jun 11, 2004)

SDizzle said:


> Thanks for posting this thread: my biggest question about WWs has always been the rider to bike ratio... I've heard all sorts of excuses about "it's a hobby" and "I've got the money - why not?" But it all seems like hooey when you're fat.


Interesting. So what is a good reason for getting WW stuff, and what is an excuse? When I bought some of my stuff, I didn't see the sign saying I should have a good reason.

What does it matter why someone buys the stuff? Whatever the reason, I'm sure they appreciate the condescension and the fat comments.


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## cmatcan (Oct 6, 2005)

i hope the o.p. realizes that some of these weenies are lying about their weight just as they lie about the weight of their bikes.


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## flying (Feb 17, 2004)

5' 8.5"
144lbs
Bike is Cervelo R2.5 Just a hair under 15lbs now with clinchers.

Like other have said it is just a hobby & fun to do the WW thang 
Of course it is appreciated on any climb too.

So Brewster since you asked....... What is your weight & the weight of your bike? Just curious


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## brblue (Jan 28, 2003)

I'm no weight weenie (I think). I weigh about 73 kg (since i'm not riding very much right now), am 186 cm tall,and my bike weighs in at 10.something kg. The bike will be on a diet though


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## cyclewvu (Oct 17, 2005)

*Notice the weight*

I'm just a hair under 5'8" and weigh 139 give or take. My road bike weighs a hair over 15 lbs w/the carbon tubies which I ride most of the time in training/racing, and just under 16 w/the clincher training wheels. I more or less have lucked into good deals that allow me to have one of the nicest bikes in the world and ithappens to weight not much at all. It is a noticable difference, particularly for me as a relatively light person. I'm not sure how much difference a couple pounds makes, and I don't think I'd be significantly slower on a bike that weighed a pound or two more. But, considering that two seasons ago I was racing a 23 pound steel noodle, everything about my new bike is significantly faster. 

Plus, I'm addicted to pretty things.


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## mrcrabbiepattie (Nov 28, 2005)

let me be the fat guy to post................205 on the average, bike is about 18 lbs. just started riding right before winter last year. winter is working its way out of here and will started riding to and from work and when I can get out of the house.


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## imetis (Jul 5, 2005)

I've got you beat. I'm 210 lbs and my bike is 15.5 lbs. I've got about ten more pounds to lose to slip into single digit body fat %, but at 6'3" there's just a lot to carry. I figure every pound helps. This bike certainly accelerates much better than my ~20 lb fixie.


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## pjr (Mar 10, 2006)

I'm 5'6" 125lb. and my steel bike is 17lb. proudly.


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## launchercomp (Dec 19, 2005)

185Lbs. on 15.5 Lb. bike.


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## LetsGoOutside (Dec 2, 2005)

Bike 54cm at 19lbs. Me 5'11 at 130, if I get any more "in season weight loss" I might look like I just came out of a third world country. And in a sense I am a weight weenie, since I have no weight on myself and am quite the weenie.


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## wzq622 (Aug 3, 2004)

Bike: Giant TCR 0, compact large, currently 18lbs

Me: 6'3", currently 170lbs.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

*Bikes and rider...*

*Road Bike:* Litespeed Capella 14.44lbs

*MTB: *Xclusive G-nesis - Disc 19.41lbs

*Rider: *164lbs

There is absolutley no compromise in strenght vs weight on any bike of mine.
I am a WW, but not a crazy one .

I can could easliy go lighter on the roadie and MTB, but I find the perfect weight vs function for me!


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## kreger (Mar 10, 2004)

because it sure beats dropping 3 grand on a tv.

look 461, hes almost done. should come in around the 17.5 mark, nothing crazy, I dont race, but im a big fan of centuries. rider is 6'3 185.


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## GW1 (Dec 27, 2005)

I find this thread interesting because I always worry about the durability of some of the superlight parts out there and what is appropriate and practical for a particular rider weight. What I read here has helped reform some of my opinions My question is what is considered light here, very light, super light and ultra light, or are these "zones" not really important in the overall scheme of things.


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## clgtide1 (Jul 24, 2002)

Me 143-150 around 5-11

My Ghisallo 14.10

Riding it....Priceless


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## woz (Dec 26, 2005)

I'm blessed with one of the freak metabolisms, 5'8" 122lbs. And that includes the 5 pounds I've gained in the last year. Riding this 12.02 pounder, http://fairwheelbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=387 along with a few others ranging from 13-14 pounds.


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## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

Currently a portly 138lbs, 5' 8.5", on a 12.2 lb bike (my "Tour" weight is 128). But I rode many of the same parts when I was a prednisone enhanced 176lbs (>30% BF!).


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## neilthemeal (May 24, 2004)

my Qunitana Roo weighs right around 16.3 pounds with pedals and cages and race wheels. And last time I checked I was 131 but I've been trying to get some upper body.


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## asawlrider123456789 (Dec 22, 2005)

light bikes are just plain kool.

They have amazing engineering put into them and are really marverls to modern technology. They represent the past and how far the world as a whole has come. Not just in bikes but with tecnology for the world. The cars, buildings and even toasters have come a long way and these feathers represent that.


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## sdnomis88 (May 20, 2006)

6' -155lb-17ish pound bike...i'll probably put on more weight over the summer, as i will be able to train more often..


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## BikinCO (Feb 17, 2004)

brewster said:


> Just seems like an obvious question when one is worrying about why the bike is hefty at 18lbs?


6 foot 205 with a 16 pound bike. I don't worry about the bike. I just built it up and that is where it ended up. I like it and can afford it.


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## Chase15.5 (Feb 17, 2005)

I'm 5'9" and 154 lbs at 38 years old. My TCR is coming in at 15.2 lbs and my Pista Concept is in at 16.3 lbs. A few shameless pics of my bikes...


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## TI_roadracer (May 14, 2006)

and he posts the same pictures again, as he did in the compact descussion,.


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

alienator said:


> So what is a good reason for getting WW stuff, and what is an excuse?



Not sure if this is a "good reason" or an "excuse", but my initial (and still primary) attraction to lightweight bikes is because on occasion I have to carry my bike up four flights of stairs! Plus I hang it from a ceiling hook, so I need to be able to hoist it up over my head at least twice per ride. (Doesn't include victory prancing.)

And the route that I take nearly 99% of the time to get out of my neighborhood involves a long concrete staircase up to the bike path.

Oh, and did I mention they just closed the south bike/pedestrian pathway on the George Washington Bridge for several months in order to do construction; the north pathway is only accesible by 143 steel steps!

And just to make sure I have your complete sympathy: I have been doing this with a 35lb Trek hybrid!

Just ordered a Cannondale Synapse Carbon 2 yesterday. I think that'll clock in around 19lbs, but to be honest I have no idea. (Edit: just found out it'll be 16.75 lbs w/o pedals. Woo-hoo!) I just know it'll be a heck of a lot easier to benchpress than my Trek.


[edit] oh yeah, I'm 6' tall and 190lbs. I think...


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## Chase15.5 (Feb 17, 2005)

TI_roadracer said:


> and he posts the same pictures again, as he did in the compact descussion,.


and they may be in the bianchi section, the campy section, and maybe the giant section . just having a little fun TI. i did say it was a shameless post, besides pics can be worth many words. :wink5: cheers.


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## vanjr (Sep 15, 2005)

5'7" 150 lbs. 
bike: trek 1500-54 cm, is 22 lbs without a water bottle

wife bike: 17.5 lbs Giant TCR C1, small, no water bottle


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

SDizzle said:


> Deaner: 19lbs. Me: 6'3", 148 lbs.
> 
> My only weight obsession: my goal is to put on 10 lbs before the season comes to a head. Seeing as my first race of the season was last weekend, I doubt it's going to happen... Needless to say, I'm having a lot of 6000 calorie days.
> 
> ...


Where is the line between fat and lean? Wouldn't a lighter bike, all else equal, make the ride more enjoyable to the entire weight spectrum? Extend this logic to getting old. It seems crazy to think that a 60 or 70 something year old is wasting his money on bling because he's too old! What about the week-ender? Is there a bike/rider weight ratio absurdity limit for those guys?


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## JacksonDodge (Mar 26, 2006)

5'6" 116lbs

Bike weighs 15.8. Didn't really focus on weight when I was building it.

Just ended up that way.


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

flying said:


> So Brewster since you asked....... What is your weight & the weight of your bike? Just curious


I came back to this forum after quite a long time and was suprised to see this thread was still going. 

Flying, sure I'll add. I'm 5' 7", 170lbs. I don't know exactly what the bike weighs as I've never weighed it. But based on the frame and components, a De Rosa Merak (really heavy by W.W. standards!) with Campy Chorus, it's probably in the 18lbs range. Could be more, I don't know. I have built stocky wheels on purpose. 12 year old DA hubs, CXP33s, 14g spokes in back. Durability, strength and stiffness was my first priority with this bike.

I don't fault the guys who have the desire and funds to build a ultra-lite bike. It is kinda of fun. It just wasn't my goal. I've lost 54 lbs since April of '05 through adjusting my diet, portion control, and lots of training. That's made a monumental change in my performance. I will never be rail thin like some of you must be looking at your weight and heights, my body frame is just not built that way. I'm not going to worry about it. I'm not turning pro anytime soon, and I have a desk job. Even when I was 19, a Cat3 and was 140lbs and my cycling peak, I was still a lot more burly than the average cyclist. I was a wrestler for 4 years. I'm 33 now.

Still, I look for light but durable components in areas that thier extra heft is not contributing to my forward motion....like seatposts, pedals, saddles, etc... Just the other day I needed another set of pedals for my other bike and paid more to get the Keo carbons over the Sprints that I have now. The rationale to myself was that I'd save 20g. That and fact that they were black. Silly, I know, but still fun.  

brewster


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## journeymonk (Sep 25, 2005)

Chase: 15.2 lbs on Ksyriums???


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## Savedsol (Sep 23, 2004)

Chase15.5 - Nice Giant, I've got the same one teetering on 15lbs exactly.

A lot of ectomorphs here. 6'3" and 145? Wow. I'm a meaty mesomorph and am 5'10" 185lbs (should be 175 or so). Why is my bike light? Cause it amazes people - including myself. It's beautiful and my Topolinos are a great conversation piece. As anyone else will say all that matters is that I'm happy - except about those 10 or so extra lbs.


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## mytorelli (Dec 19, 2004)

i weigh in around 145 and am 5,8 i have a CAAD 8 for training and a Soloist carbon for racing cervelo weighs around 16 lbs w/ ksyriums.


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## Rocket-Sauce (Nov 9, 2005)

Bike: 18.9 pound 62 cm 2006 Pinarello Galileo -
Me: 6'04" 205-210 ~9-10% BF
I only replaced saddle, post and wheels. Stem/bar are next to go. Maybe cranks? Anyway, everytime I go out and ride, I know that replacing parts because they are lighter is silly -especially since the bike is ~9% of my bodyweight- and I get plenty of enjoyment out of the bike as is, but I gotta have something to dream about at lunch...


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## DMFT (Feb 3, 2005)

6' 5", 185 lbs, and ride a 14.5 pound LOOK 555.
That bike returns nothing but  's.


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## wilier (Mar 16, 2002)

brewster said:


> I don't fault the guys who have the desire and funds to build a ultra-lite bike. It is kinda of fun. It just wasn't my goal. I've lost 54 lbs since April of '05 through adjusting my diet, portion control, and lots of training. That's made a monumental change in my performance.
> 
> Still, I look for light but durable components in areas that thier extra heft is not contributing to my forward motion


I'm assuming that this post was originated with the goal to find out how many of us are "weight weenies" for the bike, but not or ourselves.

1) I think it's totally possible to build a 15 lb. bike that's pretty much standard stuff. I own a Wilier Mortirolo Scandium, almost all stock Dura Ace except for the Hugi/OP wheels, and CF post, stem and handlebars. It's 15.6 lbs. with everything but water bottles on it.

2) As for the question of me, yes, I'm trying to lose another 2 lbs by the end of July - I'm 6'0" and 150.3 as of today (I use a 5 day rolling average weight).

I agree that the bike should not be "stupid light" and the function of the bike is much more important. At the same time, my wife tells me that it's also possible to make my body "stupid light." As of a couple years ago I set my target "in season" weight to 10 lbs heavier than my race weight when I was 20 y.o.


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## LukeVelo (Jun 26, 2006)

6' even, 165, Giant TCR ML 16 lbs, 

The bike could go lighter, but it's fine, for now, my birthday is coming up and so maybe some carbon tubulars are in my future, Then I can see dropping almost a pound, people say that weight does not matter, well, from my old steel Lemond, this accelerates and climbs sooooooo much better and faster. But one Crit rider told me that you can go too light and not have enough momentum, make any sense?


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## triple shot espresso (Aug 27, 2002)

*Going down*

My name is Triple Shot Espresso and I'm a weight weenie. 

5'10" and 142 and still dropping, around 10% BF. Current bike, Primus Mootry, easton ultra light tubing is 16 even. I'm waiting for the scandium to see if I can take off another pound. I need a raceable bike though that is somewhat durable.

Why is it needed? In Colorado, power to weight ratio matters. Doing Mt. Evans hill climb in a couple of weeks and hoping to get into the top 10.


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## kannas (Feb 7, 2004)

139lb x 171cm.
orbea cyclcross w/ OP 18.1lbs
orbea cyclocross w/ cane creek aros team ti 17.2lbs
pinarello opera w/ record ambrosio crono F20 16.6lbs
these seem low, even though I measured 3x and came up with the mean.

I took part in a body fat % test and it came back as error, the very attractive lady stated that below 7% the machine is not accurate and tends to read error, she also said she had not read error in quite some time, we all laughed. This was a grip test not at all accurate and I could care less what my actual is. 

this site has a fun calculator http://members.nuvox.net/~on.jwclymer/bmi.html
according to this:
BMI 21.2 kg/m2
WtHr 44.1%
Body fat 10.6%
BMR 1610 kcal/day
surface area 1.74 m2


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## dm69 (Jun 16, 2006)

http://www.cervelo.com/content.aspx?m=Engineering&i=Aerodynamics

You guys are totally on the wrong track if you think light weight = lower speed.

You are much better off investing that money on a cervelo soloist aluminium with velomax tempest wheels for example. 

Aerodynamics have a much more dramatic effect on speed compared to a few kilograms.

Hold your hand out the window when driving with your palm facing the wind. Now try it with the palm facing the ground. Infact here is a better test hold a round thick carbon rod out the window then hold an aero tube made out of aluminium or something heavier. Again you will feel the aero advantages dramatically.

My dream bike: Soloist, wing pro bars, tempest wheels, centaur (internal cabling for less drag).

Extra's: LAS crono helemet for TT's, Skinsuit for TT's, Aerobars, TT shoe covers for all riding, Tight racing jersey for road races. 

Position: I intend to get a camera and take pictures of my position on the hood, drops etc and work out ways get my torso more horizontal to the ground. My Aerobars will be very close together to improve airflow and I may even think of tilting them upwards ala Floyd Landis. I seem to have a natural tendency to be very aero anyway without even trying which is good.

Why isn't there aero weenies forum?


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## alienator (Jun 11, 2004)

dm69 said:


> You guys are totally on the wrong track if you think light weight = lower speed.
> 
> You are much better off investing that money on a cervelo soloist aluminium with velomax tempest wheels for example.


And you're totally on the wrong track if you think that majority of the people here think that. The thread was about bike weights vs. rider weights, not how much more important aero considerations are than weight considerations. It's a given that aero is more important.

And FWIW, money is best spent where ever you want to spend it.



dm69 said:


> My dream bike: Soloist, wing pro bars, tempest wheels, centaur (internal cabling for less drag).
> 
> Extra's: LAS crono helemet for TT's, Skinsuit for TT's, Aerobars, TT shoe covers for all riding, Tight racing jersey for road races.
> 
> ...


Not much of a dream bike when there are time trial frames which are way more aero than a Soloist: Walser, Trek TTX, Giant, BMC, etc.


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## triple shot espresso (Aug 27, 2002)

*There should be but nobody really gets*

as geeked out with aero stuff as they do with weight. I think the simple reason is that it's easier to weigh grams than it is to measure drag. Also, my understanding is that when going uphill under 18 mph or so, weight is more important than drag. I just want to go up hill faster.


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## Zwane (Jun 30, 2006)

6'0 200lbs (in riding gear), 10% body fat, how heavy is a stock Specialized Allez triple? I'm so used to riding a 33lb (Santa Cruz Blur LT, it climbs amazingly well for a full suspension bike) mountain bike up hills that the Allez feels like i'm rollerblading! I usually read the weight weenie stuff to look for stuff that happens to be light and price the same as its heavier alternatives.


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