Bike weight vs Body weight

[Butterbean]

You have to ask though, what type of riding do you do and when do you want to drop either body or bike weight?

 

We can see this dramatically in the Pro ranks... I love seeing greipel slogging his way up the climbs, it makes me feel far less out of whack with the cycling world. Yes, the sprinters will aim for lean but not at the sacrifice of power and strength. That reflects in their bikes, too. Aero, deep wheels, and weight is definitely on the back foot.

 

Then go to your climbers, and theyre bean poles... Can't sprint, can't lead the bunch, but body and bike have every gram shaved. And they fly up those hills.

 

Then the GC boys... A combination of both... I honestly think that the real skill in winning a GT is in keeping the correct body composition.

 

It's all about what you want, and what you've been given. My body structure will never get me under 85kgs... I've accepted it. Still doesnt mean I have to ride a farm gate... Even fatties feel the difference in a lighter bike, and that makes more gains that gravitational ones... The mindset, the confidence, the panache...

[Patensie]

There's a medium Spitfire frame going for REALLY cheap at the moment... May come with a fork as well, if you ask nicely enough. 

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/325093-banshee-spitfire-m-final-price-drop-ono/

I've seen it, but things are mos maar a bit deurmekaar. I'm also on that other fred...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I've seen it, but things are mos maar a bit deurmekaar. I'm also on that other fred...

Yeah man, I know. Sucks. You'd probably be able to flog your 5010 for a good amount though.

[MrJacques]

My friend gets slower on the descents when he loses body weight!

[fanievb]

I've lost 10kgs in the last 9 months (from 75kg to 65kg @ 1.66m). The difference in my riding is very noticeable. I am not as fit as i can be, but I'm klapping the hills i do ride. Had to buy a new wardrobe as the only things that weren't sitting like gôing sakke are shoes and onderbroeke...not that cheap either.

 

dis nou fynbrag as ek dit al ooit gesien het

[The Ouzo]

My friend gets slower on the descents when he loses body weight!

my dad weighs 20kg less than me, its frustrating having to hold the brakes going downhill so that he can keep up

[Milosh]

my dad weighs 20kg less than me, its frustrating having to hold the brakes going downhill so that he can keep up

 

LOL - my 15 yr old son said that last night , I said on Argus we must let the brakes go on downhills to help keep up average speed , He told me on 947 he was pedalling to keep up.

 

103 kg beats 60kg  ;-) 

[The Ouzo]

LOL - my 15 yr old son said that last night , I said on Argus we must let the brakes go on downhills to help keep up average speed , He told me on 947 he was pedalling to keep up.

 

103 kg beats 60kg  ;-) 

I was a heck of a lot fitter than my dad when we rode Argus last year, I'd help him up the hills and then think to myself that we'd pick up average speed on the downhills whilst we freewheel. No so unfortunately.

[Milosh]

It is however a fair trade off for the father and son time,  I am working on his fitness for Argus though. And with time age he will catch me.

[Wimmas]

Some interesting comments which hold a lot of truth. I think at the end of the day there are several factors to consider and which will have an effect. Some components are worthy of the upgrade and weight reduction, but what if your current bike and setup is already solid enough for the type of riding you do?

 

The bike:

 

• It is static weight which your legs need to drive
• Bikes have evolved and I think a lot of the new technology has increased riding comfort and performance. It's almost like how cars have evolved with technology. A VW Golf GTI of 15 years ago versus the modern GTI's are worlds apart.
• The expensive components hold a lot of benefit, but is the slight decrease in weight justified by the price you pay? Shaving 1kg off a bike will probably cost around R10k if not more, depending on the components you already have on the bike.

 

Body weight:

 

• There is obviously a balance, you do not want to lose so much weight and muscle that you lose strength, endurance and overall performance
• You also do not want to be overweight unnecessarily as it will also have an impact
• I personally believe in hitting the gym as well. A year ago I was at 84.5kg - I then changed my diet, hit the gym and came down to 75.5kg within 4 months. I had a lot of muscle gains, shed off a lot of fat and my overall performance shot through the roof versus what it was. This is the ideal!

Just to provide an example to get my point and original post across:

 

As stated in my first post, my current stats:

 

• 1.7m
• 84kg
• Unhealthy diet and lifestyle
• Do not really go to the gym
• Cycle once a week on a weekend for around 25 - 40km
• My bike weighs 12.6kg (2018 Scott Scale 960)

If I had to go back to the gym and eat healthy, do weight training with some cardio (Cycling + treadmill) and get back to 75.5kg. This will bring down mine and the bike weight from 96.6kg to 88.1kg - a weight reduction of 8.5kg and a much healthier, lighter rider who will surely have a massive boost in performance on the bike.

 

Or else, I can spend R5,5k on a Lyne Pulse 30 wheelset, R7,5k on a Rockshox Reba fork and R1,3k on a carbon handlebar. This will shave off 1 - 1.5kg from the bike only and cost over R14k, but I am still the useless rider I am now.

 

Hope this makes sense?

 

For some it makes sense to spend thousands - probably the very serious riders who compete and cycle almost daily, but I personally do not think for your average weekend rider it's worth spending thousands of rands to shed a little weight off the bike. For others it might be like getting a new toy as someone stated earlier. At the end of the day, the average rider can boost performance tremendously by just switching to a healthy diet, hitting the gym and shedding of unnecessary weight.

[Frail. "Will forever remain "Frail"]

My stats are

1.86m

77kg

Road 9kg

Mtb Beast at 17kg

 

It all depends on how my legs feel.

[ChrisF]

Wimmas regarding weight .... your eating plan will ultimately decide your weight.  The normal person cant out-exercise a bad diet .... 

 

 

I went from 108kg to 84kg.  The first 16kg was ONLY due to the correct eating plan.  Only after this did I start to exercise.  Dropped to 84kg, and 19% body fat.  Since then I have consistently exercised for more than 2 years.  Now down to 12% body fat, but up to 88kg.  I am 1,76m

 

When I fiddle with my eating plan I QUICKLY see the effect on my weight.

 

 

 

 

Back to the topic of rider weight vs bike weight ....

 

 

My commuter is light weight Alu hardtail bike .... you still need to put the power down to get up the hills.

 

My MTB is a full suspension tank .... obviously the commuter is much more responsive to acceleration. but once moving it is much of a muchness ....

 

rider weight and downhills - YES.  I have a riding buddy that weighs in at 130kg ... DAMN, he is FAST on those downhills !!  I have twice tried to stay with him to take GoPro videos.  I peddle my hart out and just cant keep up, and he kicks it every now and then .... but then again, he struggles with the longer hills ....

 

 

 

For the real snakes - It is interesting to see that nobody has spoken about "rotational mass" yet .... as "nice" as the plus size tires are, these things add weight at the WORST possible place on the bike !!  These SAP your energy each time you need to accelerate !!  For racers that need to be ready for sprint finishes - do play with lighter tire combinations .....

 

[Grubscrew]

Bike weight is probably not as important as most people think. Same riders, same bikes, same wattages, but with and without almost 2kg of ballast:

 

[buckstopper]

Question. What is the relationship between core body temperature and carrying extra fat, with regard to energy required to cycle uphill vs energy loss to keep body temp down. Surely cooler = faster, and surely less fat = cooler. And surely less fat looks cooler.

[DieselnDust]

Question. What is the relationship between core body temperature and carrying extra fat, with regard to energy required to cycle uphill vs energy loss to keep body temp down. Surely cooler = faster, and surely less fat = cooler. And surely less fat looks cooler.

 

Fat is an insulator so its going to increase your core temp and your sweat rate.

Heart rate will also be higher so overall more physical stress

[Eldron]

Bike weight is over rated - every body weighs a good 6-10 times the bike.

 

We lose bike energy for bling/ego but lost body weight is a much cheaper way to lose weight and I'd say most cyclists have a few kg to lose here and there...

 

Also - the only difference that weight makes when riding a bicycle is energy lost due to wind resistance. Of course that is a theoretical statement and is a little different in the real world but it is true none the less.