Training with a heavier bike in low spec kit.
Are there any real advantages or just imagined when you race on your ‘proper’ race bike and put on the super stiff carbon soled shoes. Or is that just another old fashioned thing?

All my clubmates train on their best bikes in their best kit. This year I’ve only ridden my race bike once, and I’m yet to even wear my Zxelliums.

Quite interested to see if there are any proven performance figures when using full on carbon race shoes, as opposed to road shoes.

What matters is hitting your training objectives – you have worked out what those are?

Psychologically it’s bound to help a little.

Lighter, stiffer bike, stiffer shoes, race kit, psychology, its all bound to help, surely?

What matters is hitting your training objectives – you have worked out what those are?

Yep. Adapting to higher speeds within minutes, as the 3 – 4 hour races of yore don’t exist anymore.
Improve recovery speed.
So far so good.

I found a heavier bike was good for getting the strength back in the legs, but did not replicate the extra speed you tend to carry on a lighter bike, so for a while I was over braking and did not flow very well. You can pump a heavy bike and a light bike through corners, but they will feel very differently.

Of course its better to train with a heavier bike, not sure about the low spec kit though.
Why not wear good kit/shoes if that is what you’re going to be racing in, training with crap shoes will not make you better!

My proper training bike is around 100kg
My MTB which is my every day bike and chaingang bike is around 18kg with no stupid slicks on it.
The road/race bike is only brought out when i need to remember how to ride it and if i need an easy day.
You will be a LOT fitter if you actually make your training harder, some people don’t seem to get that :/

The bike makes no difference weight wise. Hit your TOs, that’s all you have to worry about.

If you honestly think that riding with a heavier bike will make a difference ask yourself this question “why don’t I just pedal a bit harder?”. Seriously, think about it..

How on earth could it possibly be a benefit? Do your legs produce more power with a heavy bike? As in does your max or threshold power go up? All you do is go slower at the same power.

Lightman, are you peddaling a motorbike for training purposes?

Heavy training bike will make race bike feel faster, but TBH saving best kit is purely psychological I think.

I commute in London on a heavy ish mtb with 2″ knobblies. I stop at lights and so my riding is a constant process of stop, wait, accelerate to max speed, about 20-25 mph, hold for 100 to 300 metres until next lights, slow, stop, repeat. Due to traffic and obstacles I couldn’t go any or much faster so a lighter bike would simply make it lesser exercise. Surely?

On the open road or trail is different.

mrlebowski & iDave

Are you really seriously saying/think that training with a heavy bike is pointless?!
I didn’t think people could be so clueless.

If you honestly think that riding with a heavier bike will make a difference ask yourself this question “why don’t I just pedal a bit harder?”. Seriously, think about it.

Maybe you should actually think about it!

Years ago when i was fitter, i used to go out on the fast chaingang on my road bike, i found it too easy, so i used 53×11 all the way around the quite hilly circuit, even then it wasn’t that hard. Next time i used my MTB and i found it very hard and i actually got a decent workout for once.
I don’t live at the bottom of mountains, so i cant use a road bike for a decent workout, so using a heavier bike, i bring the mountains to me.
Surely it cant be that hard to figure that out.
On the 100kg bike i can get a really really hard workout on the flat and when i actually come to a hill, i get an even better workout.
Of course you have to produce more power when you’re on a heavier bike, hence you get stronger.
I have done weights for years because i could NEVER get a really hard workout on the road before, but now i have my 100kg Cargo Bike, it actually feels like i am doing weights when i cycle.

Trust me when i say, i know how to train and i know what i am doing.

Maybe Chris Hoy and Craig Maclean didn’t know what they were doing either when they used to use a MTB loaded with weights and the brakes on when they were training!

I ride for a semi-pro team & not once has my coach advocated loading my bike with dumbells & going for a ride..

Ps Hoy? I’ll see your Hoy & raise you any pro-rider on the peleton..I don’t see Cav, Wiggins or the Schleks riding utility bikes on their training rides.

One more thought. Training methods are very dependent on the amount of time available to the individual. I train on average 15-25 hrs a wk & the majority of that is base. It’s made me fitter & faster than I’ve ever been before in my life. I don’t do any weight training apart from kettlbells for a core work-out.

Sorry I had to edit that a few times to get it right.

Did you miss the 53×11 comment?
As for your other pro riders, did you also miss the mountains comment? Cummon, at least read what i wrote.

So, because your coach has never advocated something that means it wrong, seriously!

I wont even tell you about the benefits of mid sole cleats as you sound like one of those people who are to scared to even contemplate trying something different.

EDIT: Why remove the change gear, Einstein comment?

53 x 11 🙂

I live in a very flat part of the UK that is devoid of any hills, I’ve done mostly base for my training & it’s worked for me ergo Im an advocate for that style of training.

I’m sorry I missed your comment on gear & it would be nice if you could be a little less patronising.

Thank you.

Ps you have your way, I have mine. That is all I’m going to say on the subject.

Night.

lightman, the OP is talking about a slightly heavier bike, not a 2″ knobbie mtb, with brakes on, logs tied to it etc.

I’d also suggest that you were either too AWESOME for your chaingang, or it was in fact not that fast at all.

Your testimoney sounds like guff, sorry.

I’d also suggest that you were either too AWESOME for your chaingang, or it was in fact not that fast at all.

+1

Hilly chain gang in 53×11 and it still wasn’t hard **swoon** 🙄

I can see advantages to a heavy bike if you do all your training with others, you’ll have to work harder to keep up. But as Dave says there’s no reason, or physical possibility that you’ll suddenly put out more power on a heavy bike, other than because you have to!

Surely though if you own 2 bikes, one 7kg and the other 15kg with wide tyres. You go out on a ride and want to say maintain 25mph. You will have to work harder to maintain that 25mph on the 15kg bike rather than the 7kp bike?

Yes, but if you train by time (as most good riders will) then you’ll just go further on a lighter bike. Aiming for arbitrary speeds is totally pointless.

53 x 11 = 34mph@90rpm

AWESOME.

To put that in context – that’s a sub 20min 10 mile time-trial pace. A pace very close to the Wiggins / Boardman records.

lightman and cynic-al you probably know/knew each other, and likely have been on the same chaingangs too.

riding a heavier bike must surely help develop/bring on power, much in the same way as weights would?

Only if you ride at a set speed.

Riding at 300 watts for 1 hour on a heavy bike is the same workout as 300 watts for 1 hour on a light bike (you just go faster on the light bike).

Riding at 30kph on a heavy bike is harder than 30kph on a light bike. But why train like this and not ride 35kph on the light bike?

53 11 too easy?

Sounds like Billy Bullshit world champion is alive and well.

I don’t think heavy bikes make any difference, they just reduce the enjoyment. Cycle training is all about specificity, you need to train as you mean to race.

Don’t forget context; there is a big 60-70-80-90 kg lump sat on the bike, so carrying a few pounds on the bike itself is inconsequential.

Years ago when i was fitter, i used to go out on the fast chaingang on my road bike, i found it too easy, so i used 53×11 all the way around the quite hilly circuit, even then it wasn’t that hard. Next time i used my MTB and i found it very hard and i actually got a decent workout for once.
I don’t live at the bottom of mountains, so i cant use a road bike for a decent workout, so using a heavier bike, i bring the mountains to me.
Surely it cant be that hard to figure that out.
On the 100kg bike i can get a really really hard workout on the flat and when i actually come to a hill, i get an even better workout.
Of course you have to produce more power when you’re on a heavier bike, hence you get stronger.
I have done weights for years because i could NEVER get a really hard workout on the road before, but now i have my 100kg Cargo Bike, it actually feels like i am doing weights when i cycle.

Trust me when i say, i know how to train and i know what i am doing.

Maybe Chris Hoy and Craig Maclean didn’t know what they were doing either when they used to use a MTB loaded with weights and the brakes on when they were training!

Cracking effort that one mate!!

You are surf matt and I claim my 5kg of ballast.

I can see advantages to a heavy bike if you do all your training with others, you’ll have to work harder to keep up. But as Dave says there’s no reason, or physical possibility that you’ll suddenly put out more power on a heavy bike, other than because you have to!

This really. All my solo training is either on turbos or off road.
Training bike is a Ti job atabout 10-11kg
My training shoes are cheap race shoes, just polycarb soles so quite bendy.
My race bike is sitting at 7. something little?
My race shoes are those ultra light yellow mavic ones