How much difference does your road bike make?

[camerons]

I agree wheels will make the biggest difference.

 

I reckon a good set of lightweight racing tyres makes more a difference than wheels. Much cheaper too.

 

Get the Carbon bike. Who cares if you get faster, you'll look the business and that's what really counts.

[Jeepdude]

I reckon a good set of lightweight racing tyres makes more a difference than wheels. Much cheaper too.

 

Get the Carbon bike. Who cares if you get faster, you'll look the business and that's what really counts.

[Jeepdude]

you know you want one

[shova1]

First up, training is more likely to improve performance than a bike.

 

Some time back I got hit by car & my alu frame suffered the consequence, luckily no bodily damage! I used all the existing components and transferred them onto a carbon frame.

 

Whether it is much faster, I can't say for sure, but regards handling I feel alot more confident on fast decsents & climbing seems 'easier' - perhaps because the carbon is stiffer...

[rpedro]

“The combined weight of the cyclist and equipment impact the energy requirements of a ride. This relationship is directly proportional i.e. a doubling of the weight on the bike doubles the number of Calories expended. And 2 pounds on a cyclist is just as much a problem as 2 pounds of equipment on the bike frame itself. Austin did a nice analysis on the effect of weight on performance. Here's his conclusion: I thought it would be interesting to see how weight would influence these curves. If I lost 10 lbs (about 5%), I would be able to go about 5% faster on the steepest hills, 0.4% faster on the level, and about 2% slower on the downhills. Over a simulated 20-mile closed-circuit ride with a variety of grades, a 10-lb difference produced a 33 second difference. This may or may not seem significant in the context of a time trial. On the other hand, there are two hills on this simulated route where the heavier rider falls back 14 seconds. That is, about 200 feet back and well-dropped. A two-lb difference that you can buy at a bike shop for $500 amounts to only 7 seconds on this circuit, but again, this could mean cresting a hill 50 feet behind your better-sponsored buddies.

“

[buffy]

I had a Alu Merida 903 with Tiagra did 94.7 and Jacaranda and enjoyed them although lots of vibration with the Alu.

 

 

I upgraded to a Giant Carbon TCR with Ultegra rode it once before the Argus from Greenpoint to Llandudno and then the Argus.

 

What a diffrence I dont know if it did anything for my time but what a fantastic change compared to the vibration on the Alu and now I really enjoy getting on my roadbike.

['Dale]

Placebo effect?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

 

Of course it makes a difference.

[Sarge]

Hi,

I think all of your comments are spot on. Do you not think that the difference could be in a bunch ride where it is going to make it easier to get past another rider with less effort on a light bike? This could give you a bit of help to position yourself where you have an advantage.

Regards

Sarge

[splat]

From personal experience it make next to no difference to me. I went from an Alu framed cheapo road bike to a blinging carbon bike and didn't get any faster. The difference came in comfort as I was properly fitted for my new bike plus carbon frames are meant to dampen road vibrations alot more than alu. However because I had a nice bike I started enjoying my riding more, hence rode more, hence got faster that way.

 

+1

 

You said it better than I would have.

[CharlV]

Hi,

I think all of your comments are spot on. Do you not think that the difference could be in a bunch ride where it is going to make it easier to get past another rider with less effort on a light bike? This could give you a bit of help to position yourself where you have an advantage.

Regards

Sarge

 

 

Morning Sarge

It probably boils down to that , less weight be it rider or bike , +1

Now for us +100kg boytjies lets just keep on hoping for the next down hil!!!! HEEEEE HAAAAAA1!!!!!!! i.e.Dome2Dome via Hekpoort from the top down !!!

[Lucky Fish]

+1 Take your old Alu frame and stap a 10kg weight to it and train for a month or 2, on race day remove the weight, that will amke a huge differance!

 

From this I deduce that you concur that weight does in fact make a difference. By changing to a lighter bike the difference would not be as much as with the removal of the 10 kg is your example but it does make you quicker - assuming, of course, that you have the talent to extract the maximum from your equipment. At the sharp end many races are won or lost by the witdth of a wheel!

[raptor]

i went from a 11kg road bike to a 7.6kg carbon one, the ride is smoother and it feels faster going uphill. but then again its a 3.4kg diff

[Christie]

On 99% of all South African road races, a carbon frame will make no difference in speed. (except for time trials) The races are all short (100 kms or so) and very very flat compared to European races. Over there their fun rides (equivalent of Rooiwal / CGC league / Pedal power league)have all got a long one of 160km, and are littered with 4km hills.

 

Spend money on some aero wheels first, Zipp 101 clinchers, or Zipp 404 clinchers / tubbies.

 

I raced my first year on a 58cm aluminium frame that was 4 cm too big for me and had 2x 36 spoke (heavy!) wheels, which weighed 11.5 kgs. Got a 4th and got caught after a solo attack in the last km of another big race. Also did 94.7 in 2h35, starting from the H group. Upgraded to a full carbon Scott CR1 which weighed 6.4kgs, but never matched the times or placings of that first season. Sold it and got a Cannondale Super6 (alu/carbon mix) and did much better than with the Scott.

 

My results depended highly on my training program, the bike made ZERO difference, in my case.

[Tiny K]

My road loop has a bit of very rough tar and rode it a few days apart a while back. 1st time it was nice as the bike hadnt been ridden for a bit so tyres were softish, 2nd time I pumped the tyres to 100/110psi and I thought I might chip a tooth, was very rough !

 

So maybe have a look at tyre pressure before you dump money on a carbon bike. Mine us alu btw.

 

But is your fork carbon or alu? I ride an alu bike with a carbon fork and high wheel pressure is fine for me...

[Tiny K]

On 99% of all South African road races, a carbon frame will make no difference in speed. (except for time trials) The races are all short (100 kms or so) and very very flat compared to European races. Over there their fun rides (equivalent of Rooiwal / CGC league / Pedal power league)have all got a long one of 160km, and are littered with 4km hills.

 

Spend money on some aero wheels first, Zipp 101 clinchers, or Zipp 404 clinchers / tubbies.

 

I raced my first year on a 58cm aluminium frame that was 4 cm too big for me and had 2x 36 spoke (heavy!) wheels, which weighed 11.5 kgs. Got a 4th and got caught after a solo attack in the last km of another big race. Also did 94.7 in 2h35, starting from the H group. Upgraded to a full carbon Scott CR1 which weighed 6.4kgs, but never matched the times or placings of that first season. Sold it and got a Cannondale Super6 (alu/carbon mix) and did much better than with the Scott.

 

My results depended highly on my training program, the bike made ZERO difference, in my case.

 

Well I am riding a 60cm alu frame, carbon fork'd Bianchi with 32H wheels and ride past quite a few guys in the PPA races.

 

I want to go carbon mainly because it is more responsive than alu but absorbs more shock transfer through the frame. I will never get to 80Kg's (more like 88Kg's come spring season), so need to lose weight elsewhere too.

 

Ultimately, you can't say you want a bike because it goes faster. you get stronger and you go faster.... carbon just allows you to go fast in style and comfort.

[TNT1]

 

 

My results depended highly on my training program, the bike made ZERO difference, in my case.

 

I like this guy.