weight weenies
Thread started by
_iJunes at 02.10.09 - 7:34 pm
where are you?
i want to talk some shit.
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oh, i'm a reformed weight weenie. i got tired of breaking shit, especially on my mtn bike.
toweliesbong02.10.09 - 7:37 pm
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i weighed my iro at o20 and it was around 17lbs. maybe a little less when i install my carbon bb.
ruinedbyidiots02.10.09 - 7:43 pm
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i realized weight ain't shit when i broke my carbon fiber seatpost that weighed 196 grams, and bought a replacement that weight 622. the price difference for 430 grams?
$100+
_iJunes02.10.09 - 7:44 pm
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Robin obviously weighs 110lbs with flat kit and water bottles, or has not ridden the 1.7lb Litespeed. RAMEN NOODLE
ijunes, you can get a Thompson 25.0 that would weight about 180-200 grams for about $70-90. You would be ok on the Madone. I think you would be a little short in the legs. You want alot of seatpost on the Madone.
parlorbikes02.10.09 - 7:51 pm
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i broke a carbon post, too. i didnt get another one of its kind to replace it.
ruinedbyidiots02.10.09 - 7:52 pm
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if i had a carbon fiber penis, i could probably save a kilo or two.
_iJunes02.10.09 - 7:53 pm
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ooh o20 has a scale, i am going to swing by.. teeheehee
_iJunes02.10.09 - 7:59 pm
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Many road-enthusiasts I've encountered usually live by the usual mantra of, "It's the rider, not the bike."
If so, then why do they strive to go for the lightest, most expensive rigs out there to win their races?
Their strict dietary regimen makes me want to vomit as well.
It's almost like how the elderly are kept on some weird, portion control in the convalescent home!!!
bentstrider02.10.09 - 8:05 pm
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I really just want a frame with better geometry and i wanna go titanium, but I don't really care that much about the weight.
Never going to buy a carbon fiber frame though
robin swabin02.10.09 - 8:28 pm
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when you have 2 riders of the same strength and skill, the one on the lighter, better bike will inevitably prevail.
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:07 pm
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Still though, anyone that charge $4,000 dollars for a bicycle is crazier than I am.
For that money, it better come with a seat warmer!!!!
bentstrider02.10.09 - 9:19 pm
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Then there's those people that buy a new model every year.
I ride my beast until it breaks, explodes, or I take a wrong turn in the wilderness.
bentstrider02.10.09 - 9:21 pm
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you mean single gear or only one crank? confused. whatever.
I was a weight weenie in my racing days. I mean I wasn't all crazy with it...but I always went with the lighter option when choosing parts. of course its a lot cheaper to be a weight weenie for BMX than it is for road riding.
adam, I've seen wheel sets that cost that much.
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:22 pm
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@duderina
not on a descent, imo heavier bikes have better cornering and stability and grip the road better, and they have more weight being pulled down by gravity
its all about watts per kilogram
_iJunes02.10.09 - 9:23 pm
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it makes my heart warm every time i smoke people up a hill and they have carbon fiber bikes.
Except that one guy at wp last night with the tubular tires, fuck i had a hard time keeping up with him
robin swabin02.10.09 - 9:23 pm
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and all today i was justifying it in my mind "well he has a really light bike" or "I did have a huge workout yesterday"
but i know i just need to improve
robin swabin02.10.09 - 9:24 pm
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yeah, you're just SLOW!!
haha jk. as this is coming from the person who rolls up to the stop last every effing time. (OF course I only have 7 speeds, my bike is heavy, Jupiter is out of alignment, and I had a wedgie.)
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:28 pm
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@ juney boy
you're right, but the rider on the lighter, better bike will already be so far ahead it won't matter how fast the heaver bike is on descent.
to get to that descent, you gotta climb a hill, and the diff btw pumping a 15 pound and say 21 pound bike up a killer hill can be substantial.
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:32 pm
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Wheelsets for $4,000?!?!?!?
What kind of sap buys those things?
bentstrider02.10.09 - 9:34 pm
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regardless of weight, its about drivetrain and power. take a pro rider who can output 400wph consistently.their avg weight about 150. total rolling weight 166. if the rider had a rolling with of 175, the difference btween 2.424 w/lb and 2.285w/lb which is a very small number. 300 watts at 166 is 1.807w/lb. and that 100w difference is found in pro cycling between riders.and makes much more of a difference than between a 16 lb bike and a 25 lb bike.
_iJunes02.10.09 - 9:42 pm
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and aero wheelsets are useless unless you're a pro time trialist.it is much more aerodynamic to be riding on a TT geometry frame and if you can afford wheels after that you should just buy a car.
_iJunes02.10.09 - 9:45 pm
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god we've had this argument so many times! lol
no matter what you say, weight is a factor. it may not be THE factor, but I mean it helps.
If weight really didn't matter, then it wouldn't matter. get it? if it didn't matter, companies wouldn't be wasting time, money etc making shit lighter.
drivetrain and power...Its like engines...my parents have a motorhome with a v10 (i think...I would say v8 but that sounds too small) and my dad and I always used to joke about how cool it would be to put that V10 in my old pickup cuz it would HAUL ASS. Because a V10 motor pulling a 10,000 lb vehicle isn't the same as a V10 motor in a 4,000 lb vehicle.
weight matters.
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:48 pm
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I could pay for a used Harley with that much.
Prices like that are a crime against humanity.
bentstrider02.10.09 - 9:50 pm
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only super duper pro racers run equipment like that usually. and they get it for free from their sponsors.
You could probably get a pretty nice, brand new car for the price of Lance Armstrong's bikes. no doubt
la duderina02.10.09 - 9:53 pm
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Well, company sponsorship and free shit make it a different thing then.
If it lands in my lap, then I'm taking it!!!!
bentstrider02.10.09 - 9:56 pm
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How many pro roadies are contributing to this thread?
toweliesbong02.10.09 - 9:58 pm
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but not in roadie-ism. I'll never be a roadie. ha!
la duderina02.10.09 - 10:03 pm
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STEEL IS FOR NOOBS
CARBON IS FOR ELITE
p.s. the above statement is not a lie.
_iJunes02.10.09 - 10:15 pm
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some people own their own semis, and they cost twenty times as much as the bikes ridden in the tour de france. to me, thats absurd. but if you enjoy something enough, youll put enough money into it. why cant you understand this?
ruinedbyidiots02.10.09 - 10:31 pm
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"when you have 2 riders of the same strength and skill, the one on the lighter, better bike will inevitably prevail."
Ding ding ding!
I know this just from comparing my own times.
BTW, you guys don't have shitty bikes - every bike I've owned before my current one was a shitty bike. Junu's GT? An awesome ride. Wylie's touring/tri hybrid? Ready for the TdF compared to my old beaters. Don't worry about other people's rides. Get good on your bike, then get a good job, then get a better bike.
pretzels02.10.09 - 10:32 pm
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I can't tell what's worse: a Harley, or a used Harley.
I'll take the bike.
pretzels02.10.09 - 10:35 pm
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Understanding doesn't exactly mean agreeing now does it?
bentstrider02.10.09 - 10:58 pm
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haha touring tri hybrid, the combo that shouldnt exist...
oh man i was supposed to spend today recovering but i wanna ride now
robin swabin02.10.09 - 11:00 pm
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Understanding doesn't exactly mean agreeing now does it?
I think that was my point.
pretzels02.10.09 - 11:03 pm
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I'm surprised no where in this thread is the stiffness of a frame mentioned. Weight dropping helps to a point, but it will have diminishing return if lateral stiffness is sacrificed in the process. What makes really super crazy ass expensive bikes so expensive is their physics defying blend of stiffness to weight ratio. The advantage to carbon frames isn't just a matter of weight, it's a matter of how it holds up to high torque pedaling. The best titanium frames can get down in weight at or below many carbon frames, but they have more flex under pressure, so no one races them.
Carbon doesn't make sense for everyone, cost issues and greater risk of damage in a crash, but for racing especially it's a difference that can be felt the moment you get out of the saddle and really push it. The other advantage to carbon that makes it popular with long distance riders who may not necessarily be racers is that besides a weight saving, it can be tuned for greater vertical flex while keeping lateral stiffness, which absorbs road shock and makes for a smoother ride that your ass will appreciate after a 100 miles. That's why aluminum carbon mix is a popular frame type, to use carbon where it can smooth the usual harshness of aluminum without the cost of a complete carbon bike.
So moral of the story, dropping weight means less energy spent to carry the bike, but it will make no difference or be even slower if the ride quality is like a wet noodle causing energy loss in pedaling.
GarySe7en02.11.09 - 12:07 am
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junu mentioned it... i havent had alot of experience so i dont know how other frames feel
robin swabin02.11.09 - 1:05 am
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Any weight weenies going to the Noho sprints ?
Wed. night 9:00
I'm bringing my 16lb carbon bike.
Keeping my fingers crossed that some squid won't crash into me.
Dedicated81802.11.09 - 1:38 am
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I bought a bike off a weight W. It is so nice and light.
I still can't beat a three year old on a tricycle.
Plus I don't ride it because I'm so fat I think I'm just going to break everything on it.
sexy02.11.09 - 1:47 am
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Hey, let's take a moment to express some gratitude for the weight weenies.
If it wasn't for them, there wouldn't be a regular supply of NICE used bikes showing up on craigslist (as opposed to the 20yr old rusty Nishikis/Schwinns/Univegas listed for WAY MORE than they're actually worth.)
There also wouldn't be nearly the money thrown into product development that has resulted in better parts all the way down the product line.
Sure, they can be ridiculous, but let's be grateful for their ridiculousness, as it makes the parts we buy better.
(Kind of like the jackass with the iphone and the bluetooth headset that never gets taken off. Sure, he looks ABSURD, but his willingness to pay a premium to look silly means the rest of us get better products too.)
JB02.11.09 - 8:08 am
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well if there were no weight weenies, bicycle components probably wouldn't be as big a hole in your pocket.
marketing at best
NOHOSPRINTS
_iJunes02.11.09 - 9:20 am
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AND even if i were to get a Ti frame, it'd be a moots not a junky litespeed.
_iJunes02.11.09 - 11:34 am
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it would take you three years to get a moots, and by then, you would want something else.
ruinedbyidiots02.11.09 - 11:36 am
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but i would not really want to pay all that for a tianium frame.
chances are, i will probably not be able to buy a bike brand new used therefore unable to take advantages of the warranty provided by authorized dealers anyways...
everything cracks/
_iJunes02.11.09 - 11:40 am
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Gary is right. The bike I'm on now is the first I've had where I don't flex the bottom bracket. All that lost flex goes toward forward momentum.
Junu, is your Look much stiffer than your GT? It was an early carbon frame.
I've never ridden a carbon/aluminum frame, but I think that's a good combination. If the carbon is in the rear triangle as well as the fork, and the bottom bracket is oversized aluminum, that would make for a cost-effective, laterally stiff/vertically compliant frame.
pretzels02.11.09 - 1:47 pm
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my friend jordan is selling his 05 (i think thats the year) specialized allez elite. 105/da mix. size 56. its an aluminum/carbon mix.
heres a bad pic of it it could use a tune up, but he is asking $650 for it, and it was around $1200 when he bought it.
ruinedbyidiots02.11.09 - 1:52 pm
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less flex doesnt mean you gain momentum, its just your response to acceleration is more on point.
yeah the gt is actually an older steel frame, and the look is a bit newer than that but still early carbon fiber.
look started making frames in '85 and they started with CF, so the iteration i have is still 10-12 years of development put into it.
the combination of stiffness and lightweight actually makes the bike feel more responsive. now when bombing downhill, if i rest most of my weight on the back, i can pedal with the front wheel off the ground and miss every bump rocking my frame.
_iJunes02.11.09 - 1:58 pm
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I have an aluminum frame with a carbon fork and carbon seat stays... and as mentioned above, it's a smoooooooth ride. I noticed how smooth it was right off the bat.
In fact, my bike rules. You're aaaaaaaaaaall jealous.
canadienne02.11.09 - 2:43 pm
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actually after riding craig's klein, i knew what a soft bike feels like. good for comfort, bad for fast.
_iJunes02.11.09 - 2:44 pm
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If you love your bike so much, how come we haven't seen you in months?! 'Cuz your fixie-ing all the time, that's why!
Bicy-traitor!
pretzels02.11.09 - 4:09 pm
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^^^it's true... you see, I get home from work, and there's these delicious burritos being made. And then they get eaten. And then there's this coma that happens. And then I wake up, and it's Friday.
canadienne02.11.09 - 4:41 pm
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I won the Noho sprints, It worked.
Nobody wanted to race when they saw the 16lb carbon Ducati.
Dedicated81802.12.09 - 12:18 am
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My bike weighs in at 24lbs (as a fixie).
That is after i changed out a big ass break lever, steel wheels, and cotter cranks then added a Minewt and a bicycle bell.
trickmilla02.12.09 - 12:14 pm
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