"I swear, when someone shows up at my club with a new bike, the first and only topic of discussion is weight."
Whenever someone asks me "how much does it weigh" at a stoplight when I'm riding the Protovelo, I say 17 lbs. Its a good way to end that conversation. On long rides when I'm trying to keep a good pace, little things like weight matter - but not as much as comfort. I actually think design has more to do with speed than anything else bike-related (rider makes the difference!). Esteban San Diego, Calif. On Dec 29, 10:44 am, dougP <dougpn...@cox.net> wrote: > "I swear, when someone shows up at my club with a new bike, the first > and only topic of discussion is weight." > > My guess is there isn't much else to discuss about a new racing bike! > Basic design, materials & components are all so tightly spec'd that a > customer has to know exactly what they want to get anything > different. A friend recently bought a MCRB and insisted on changes. > She's an experienced rider & spec'd a triple, wide range cassette and > flat bars. The shop built it up her way but it took some discussion. > She didn't buy the line about "it's so light you won't need lower > gears." Funny thing is shop guys argue against "the complexity of a > triple" and in the next breadth are touting the wonders of the 10 > speed. > > On the other hand, we can wax poetic about racks, bags, luggage, > lights, fenders, tires, etc., because We Have Choices! Cantis or V- > brakes? 28mm or 50mm tires? Nitto or Tubus? Grant said something to > the effect that a frame is just a place to install parts. So far, I > haven't stopped fiddling with my Atlantis. > > dougP > > On Dec 28, 11:11 pm, Anne Paulson <anne.paul...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > I love riding with my bike club, really I do, and they're wonderful > > people and great riding companions, but can I just rant here, among > > like-people, for just a minute? > > > I swear, when someone shows up at my club with a new bike, the first > > and only topic of discussion is weight. > > > WEIGHT IS NOT THE ONLY CRITERION WHEN PICKING BIKE FRAMES AND BIKE PARTS. > > > Thank you. I'll lower my voice now. I was very good today on my clubs > > bike ride, 29 miles, 3900 feet of elevation, lots of sections in the > > high teens in grade. I kept my mouth shut, mostly, did not swear, and > > did not mention that I thought my companions' bikes were ridiculously > > overgeared for what they were trying to do with them. I did not say... > > > ...No, a compact double is not significantly lighter than a triple, > > and if you can't climb that hill without weaving back and forth and > > getting in my way, not to mention dangerously cutting across the > > center line, you should put a triple on your bike. > > > ...You can't notice a two pound difference in weight. You can't, > > unless you can tell me with a straight face that you climb > > significantly faster when your water bottles are empty. > > > ...If you weigh 98 pounds, stiffness and compliance in a bike are > > irrelevant for you. Also, if you weigh 98 pounds, you're not climbing > > faster than me (when you do) because your *bike* is lighter than my > > *bike*. I could ride a weightless bike, and I'd still weigh more than > > you and your bike put together. > > > Yawn. As I said, I love riding with my club. But jeez, there's more to > > bikes than how much they weigh. > > > -- > > -- Anne Paulson > > > My hovercraft is full of eels -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
