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Weight... whats the fuss?

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Fritz Katzenjammer

Finally riding a big boys bike
Digging around in the garage this morning I found these old 3ttt roadbike bars... 307 grams including filth and old tape residue.

looking on the local bike shop’s website I see nice carbon bars that weigh only 250 grams for a mere $500.

the reason that I made this comparison is that we had a bike through the shop recently that had taken a tumble and the carbon bar had shattered.

so... five hundred bucks to save 50 grams and have bars that can be destroyed in a minor fall, yeah... that makes sense.

what am I missing here?

the old bars are even prettier if I bother to clean them up.

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the weight of a roadbike is mostly bragging rights. what is important to riding fast besides fitness of the rider is a stiff frame, high quality wheels and high pressure tires.

my 2003 LeMond has deep profile rims, which are more stiff and aerodynamic at the same weight, the spokes are "bladed" as in flat in the centers, the wheels have only 20 spokes each. all these features make the wheels cut through the air with much less effort from the rider. the tires are slicks and take 130 PSI. the hubs have bearings and races built for minimal resistance, even the grease is formulated for the least resistance. if i give my front wheel a good spin it will spin for probably 10 minutes or maybe even more, when it stops the valve stem will be at the bottom due to the tiny amount of weight it has.

the frame is butted (thinner in the middle of the tube) Reynolds 853 tubing. the frame is lighter and more stiff than a lower end frame. the tubes are squished at each end in opposite directions, making it more stiff than a round tube frame of the same steel. the reason you want a stiff frame is so less of your effort is spent twisting the frame when you pedal hard, more of your effort goes to propelling the bike forward. you can actually feel the difference when pedaling hard compared to a more conventional frame. the fork is carbon for stiffness and weight. the seat weighs just a few ounces, even the seat post is aerodynamic.

the bike is 19 pounds without pedals. newer bikes can get into the 14 pound range.$$$$$$

I also have the roadbike I bought new in 1984. it was a pretty good bike for the day. if I were to ride the same 10 mile trail on each bike at 160 BPM on my heart rate monitor I'd cut at least 5 minutes off my time riding the LeMond. 19 vs 23 lbs, but the weight would not have anything to do with it.

taking 4 pounds off a bike could cost over $1,000.00 easy. losing 15 pounds would make you faster and cost nothing.

at 63, I no longer wear spandex. 🙂
 
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the weight of a roadbike is mostly bragging rights. what is important to riding fast besides fitness of the rider is a stiff frame, high quality wheels and high pressure tires.

my 2003 LeMond has deep profile rims, which are more stiff at the same weight, the spokes are "bladed" as in flat in the centers, the wheels have only 20 spokes each. all these features make the wheels cut through the air with much less effort from the rider. the tires are slicks and take 130 PSI. the hubs have bearings and races built for minimal resistance, even the grease is formulated for the least resistance. if i give my front wheel a good spin it will spin for probably 10 minutes or maybe even more, when it stops the valve stem will be at the bottom due to the tiny amount of weight it has.

the frame is butted (thinner in the middle of the tube) Reynolds 853 tubing. the frame is lighter and more stiff than a lower end frame. the tubes are squished at each end in opposite directions, making it more stiff than a round tube frame of the same steel. the reason you want a stiff frame is so less of your effort is spent twisting the frame when you pedal hard, more of your effort goes to propelling the bike forward. you can actually feel the difference when pedaling hard compared to a more conventional frame. the fork is carbon for stiffness and weight. the seat weighs just a few ounces, even the seat post is aerodynamic.

the bike is 19 pounds without pedals. newer bikes can get into the 14 pound range.$$$$$$

I also have the roadbike I bought new in 1984. it was a pretty good bike for the day. if I were to ride the same 10 mile trail on each bike at 160 BPM on my heart rate monitor I'd cut at least 5 minutes off my time riding the LeMond. 19 vs 23 lbs, but the weight would not have anything to do with it.

taking 4 pounds off a bike could cost over $1,000.00 easy. losing 15 pounds would make you faster and be free.

at 63, I no longer wear spandex. 🙂
Agree 100%, especially about the tires and wheels. High pressure tires roll MUCH easier, the only downside is that you feel every crack in the road. I'm not racing anybody, so a little more effort pedaling is worth it to get a smoother ride. And with some of the newer tires, it's not even much more effort.
 
I still don’t get the weight argument. Isn’t easier and better to ride a 40 lb. bike and lose 30 lbs. yourself? Same as having 10 lb. bike, but more durable and probably better looking - both you and the bike. It’s the weight of the bike/ rider system that matters.
 
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