Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)
  • 1lb off bike or 1lb off gut, which makes you faster?
  • gavinpearce
    Free Member

    I’m sure this has been asked before, but having recently weighed myself for the first time in years and getting a bit of a shock, I could do with losing about 10lbs. So I wondered if a pound off the bike has the same effect as a pound off body weight on uphill performance. And if not why not?

    Yak
    Full Member

    Gut. If you put the effort in to lose a lb or so, then you are likely to be riding more and eating a little less, so will have more oomph to get the bike up the hill.

    But if you are going to spend – then tyres/wheels first, then all the other stuff for max impact for your money.

    marcgear
    Free Member

    The work is the same – you moved a mass a certian distance uphill – but the effect is not the same.

    Losing a pound of fat is effectively losing pound off your bodies insulation, it has to work less hard to keep you cool, which means you’ll need fewer calories and fluids to maintain the correct body temperature and as a result you will be able to maintain effort levels for longer.

    I could do to lose about 70lbs and I can’t shave that off the bike by using more carbon fibre.

    cakefacesmallblock
    Full Member

    My current bike weighed almost 4lbs more than it does now, I d bought a low spec Trance with heavy wheels and a steel stanchioned fork. Mostly it was a case of all I could afford, to get a decent frame.
    I got seriously back into MTB and put a lot of miles and climbing in . My weight didn’t alter, but I slowly changed shape and became much stronger and fitter.
    I then made all the upgrades to the bike in one go, after receiving a small work bonus.
    That made an instant huge difference.
    I’d say crack on riding harder, then take the weight off the bike, kind of rewarding yourself for the effort.

    hooli
    Full Member

    1lb off your gut costs less 😉

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Rider, on the basis that to lose any weight you’ll have to ride more so probably end up losing 2lb of fat and gaining a lb of muscle.

    Light bikes do give some instant gratification though. And I think that despite the simple physics of moving the weight from the bottom to the top of a hill, that lighter bikes are faster because it’s more efficient as soon as the track get’s rough.

    munrobiker
    Free Member

    I find I notice 1lb off the bike way, way more than I do 1lb off myself.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Weight off the bike will make if feel zippier and a pleasure to ride.

    Weight off you will make you feel good and probably healthier.

    I’d do both 🙂

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    If you buy an ultra-light XC race machine, the shame of being seen to be a slow bifter on it will increase your power output by at least 50w.

    GregMay
    Free Member

    Pounds off you are also better for your health – assuming you are carrying more than you should be and not already underweight.

    the-muffin-man
    Full Member

    1lb is neither here or there, but I’d rather be 7lbs heavier that ride a bike that was 7lbs heavier.

    njee20
    Free Member

    And I think that despite the simple physics of moving the weight from the bottom to the top of a hill, that lighter bikes are faster because it’s more efficient as soon as the track get’s rough.

    I agree with this. Completely get the physics, and don’t actually dispute it, but my weight changes by a couple of pounds on a day to day basis, with no direct correlation between weight and speed at those levels, I can’t tell any difference whatsoever day to day. If I stick a pound of weight on my wheels I go slower.

    That said, I don’t go slower with a waterbottle (measurably), so who knows.

    I’d advocate losing weight off you for all the aforementioned wider health benefits!

    IHN
    Full Member

    As I pointed out recently, my new road bike is 8.4kg, so if I lose 2kg from my belly it’s the same as having a UCI limit bike 🙂

    midlifecrisis
    Free Member

    An interesting thing to consider is that losing 1lb off the bike is possible to be done in one go and thus there will be a sudden and noticeable difference in the ‘before’ and ‘after’. In contrast, losing 1lb of fat is going to happen over a period of time and it is likely to be less perceptible.

    I’d agree that ultimately, the best benefit will come from losing body weight, but I can see how it might seem like lightening the bike will be better just because it would be easier to spot the difference.

    br
    Free Member

    I’m sure this has been asked before, but having recently weighed myself for the first time in years and getting a bit of a shock, I could do with losing about 10lbs. So I wondered if a pound off the bike has the same effect as a pound off body weight on uphill performance. And if not why not?

    Except you’re 10lbs over, and you won’t lose this easily off a bike 🙂

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    I seem to be predisposed to gaining weight but never loseing. Even having soup for lunch most days, eating sensibly at breakfast/dinner, cycling to work, running 3x a week and sailing twice a week, I’m not losing weight, I just put on muscle as my waist decreses. On the plus side I look thinner than a lot of people who are my weight and that usualy translates into enough speed on the bike to keep up with all but racing whippets.

    gavinpearce
    Free Member

    Interesting stuff. I think 1lb off rotating weight is disproportionate though, as it must be worth more than say 1lb off the frame weight. Tell you something though, its more fun buying new bike bits than saying no to a cheese straw.

    gofasterstripes
    Free Member

    but my weight changes by a couple of pounds on a day to day basis

    I don’t go slower with a waterbottle

    Get some new scales or drink more water!

    faustus
    Full Member

    It seems obvious and you may not need to, but i’ll say it anyway: increasing your aerobic fitness will also make you faster! It’ll likely have the benefit of losing you weight too. Surely worth focussing on your engine to make you faster, rather than just weight…?

    perthmtb
    Free Member

    Losing weight off your body is more beneficial than losing the same amount of weight off the bike. It’s not just about the physics of carrying say – 1 kilo of weight around. It’s also about the extra load on all your body systems servicing that extra kilo of body tissue. All body tissue has an overhead in terms of drain on your general metabolism to keep it at the right temperature, supply it with blood, oxygen & nutrients, take away the waste products etc. etc. This is a cost in effort over and above just the cost of carrying the weight of it around. So the equation looks like this:-

    Energy consumption from 1 kilo of body weight = effort required to carry 1 kilo of mass around + extra load on metabolism to service an extra kilo of body tissue

    Energy consumption from 1 kilo on bike = effort required to carry 1 kilo of mass around

    Superficial
    Free Member

    Having a light bike is nice.
    If you accept that your body (arms / legs) provide most of the suspension whilst you’re riding (you may have 160mm of full sus travel but your arms and legs are capable of moving a lot more than that), then the bike is unsprung mass and therefore lightening* that will help more than lightening the ‘sprung’ mass of your body. Especially on a downhill run.

    I think the above answers about aerobic fitness are all very valid. I suppose my example would be akin to whether it’s better to attach 1lb of tubes / tools / water / whatever to your bike or to your waist. You’ll be faster still if you aren’t a massive fatty though 😆

    *This may not be an actual word

Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)

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