I'm currently at 109kg or 17 stone, working on heading back to 100kg
I enjoy fettling and upgrading my bikes as much as the next man but I always wonder if going lighter really makes a difference for the larger framed rider.
If my bike and I weigh in at 125kg saving a kg on a set of wheels doesn't seem like much.
If I was a 60kg whippet with a 10kg bike a dashing of a kg seems like good value
So at what point do you notice a difference.
It will be far cheaper for me to do 9kg of fat than bike mass
Bike mass? At the point the rider is at his optimal weight and fitness. Waste time and money spending anything on lightening your bike. Get fit and loose weight first then worry about how light your bike is. Note connection between weight and fitenss, being lighter dont make you fitter.
lower rotating mass helps though,
Very true on the fitness and weight but being lighter certainly makes the joints feel better
Funny you should ask that. Good article re light bikes and 'light riding bikes' in the current issue. Made perfect sense to me and I found myself nodding as I read it.
I'm roughly the same weight as the op, I'm reasonably fit. I ride with friends that are easily 5 stone lighter than me. On the flat i can match them for pace easily, however on the climbs they just shoot off, it's not that I can't make the climbs I just can't keep up with them. Over a long climb they are about twice as fast! At first I thought it was down to just fitness(part of it maybe) but i have got it into my head, if they carried 2 extra bikes on there back, would they still be as quicker than you up the hill? (obviously wouldn't be a fair test)
For my weight I don't think loosing any weight from the bike would make any difference. One of my goals for next year is to loose some weight and see the differences it gives me.
The good points though is being heavier you can get some right speed coming down hill without trying! Guess it's like throwing a rock and feather off a cliff.
Depends what you're doing. I'm about 16st and when I've been on big days out with a bit of hike a bike included I've wished I had a lighter bike, but thats about the carrying rather than riding. When it comes to riding I reckon the burlier bike is probably better for the bigger lad. Depends what type of riding you do though.
Edit: and basically all of what mark said above^^
If you're a big unit you need a lighter bike than the sacks on elbows and tendons have to level the playing field.
A lighter bike will make you a bit quicker up hill, but you'll still be slow overall because of your weight. A lighter bike may not inspire as much confidence downhill though. The problem with light bikes/parts is they can often be too flexy and fragile for someone heavy. If you stick to stiff, strong parts, you won't go far wrong. That donest mean you can't save weight on certain components, but things like frame/forks/bars/wheels/tyres should be stiff and strong.
One of the reasons I have shyed away from carbon in that far it might not take me
I imagine carbon would be fine, aslong as it's stiff and strong. Same with any other material.
Do you like new things? That's when it makes a difference 😉
5thElefant
If you're a big unit you need a lighter bike than the sacks on elbows and tendons have to level the playing field.
er, unless you can get bikes that have negative weight, then i think you are wasting your time tbh! What matters is power to weight ratio, as a bigger framed chap, i would expect you to be able to put out significantly more power than a racing snake, but if you still have a lower power to weight ratio, you're still going to be going slower etc.
Also you are never going to be able to ride as light a bike as those racing snakes, because the bike will need to be stronger, and hence heavier to deal with the larger mass sat on it.
If you're one of the big guys, and want to improve things, the best thing to do is just try to get out and ride your bike as much as possible, imo (exactly the same if you're a racing snake who wants to improve in fact......) 😉
Also being a " well nourished rider" , I was curious if the odd KG less on the bike would make any difference . Upgrading to a lighter set of wheels , the answer is a definite yes , just need to make sure they can still carry the weight !
In answer to the OPs original question, mass makes a difference all the time, but it's on a sliding scale. There is no break point.
as a bigger framed chap, i would expect you to be able to put out significantly more power than a racing snake
I doubt that, especially since being big generally signifies lack of fitness.
If you're trying to lose weight, shirley it makes sense to ride a heavy, hard work bike?
Would be cheaper and far more effective doing hill reps (work on your weak points) Strava is good for monitoring your progress, setting goals, how close can you get to that local uphill Kom?
(Unless your at the absolute peak of fitness and are struggling to make any further gains).
I have monitored my average with run keeper, didn't know about strava at the y ime, and my averages are improving weekly.
22kmh to currently at 26 over the past two months regular training routes that I complete.
I'm fortunate to live in a fairly mountainous area where I can get steep coins really enough but the majority is a nice constant gradient.
I was 18 1/2 stone in August so 10kg down again
Saving a few pounds in weight on the bike will make some difference but loosing a few stone off your body will make a big difference.