Thoughts about road bike weight

[boydj]

Give me some aero vs weight saving any day (the chant of an unfit, over weight fella).

Pretty sure my bike now is about this -------------- heavy (honestly no idea) but i know i'm well over weight and well under fit however it's decently aero and on group rides is see the benefits in 80% of the riding, that uphill stuff however is only going to improve when my watts p/kg goes up.

Bike weight is not your only friend

You've got to be going pretty fast for aero to make much difference, given that most of the drag comes from the rider.

 

[StuAff]

You've got to be going pretty fast for aero to make much difference, given that most of the drag comes from the rider.

Not so. Even at 10 mph half your power output is spent overcoming drag. And that drag increases as the cube of speed- in other words, to double your speed you need eight times the power. At 30 mph, 90% of a rider's effort is going into overcoming that drag.
https://www.bicycling.com/skills-tips/a22107504/aerodynamic-definition-in-cycling/

 

[boydj]

Not so. Even at 10 mph half your power output is spent overcoming drag. And that drag increases as the cube of speed- in other words, to double your speed you need eight times the power. At 30 mph, 90% of a rider's effort is going into overcoming that drag.
https://www.bicycling.com/skills-tips/a22107504/aerodynamic-definition-in-cycling/

I'm aware of that, but how fast is an unfit, overweight guy going to be going? And only a small proportion of that drag is coming from the bike itself.

 

[StuAff]

I'm aware of that, but how fast is an unfit, overweight guy going to be going? And only a small proportion of that drag is coming from the bike itself.

Depends on how unfit and overweight he is. If he puts the effort in, he will get less unfit and less overweight, and aero tweaks will help. As the saying goes, every little helps. Just adjusting your riding position and making sure clothing fits well can make a difference.
And as velomobile owners would point out, a big proportion of drag can come from the bike…

 

[matticus]

Biggest drag reduction?

- Getting in an aero POSITION. The bike itself is 2ry

So bike aero isn't the biggest gain, and the slower you go, the less effect all aero has. (So quoting drag numbers at 30mph just isn't relevant to normal amateur riders who aren't in a flat TT. Sorry Stu! x )

 

[Colin Grigson]

Just get the lightest bike you can, power to weight ratio is important in every facet of sport - I love my 7kg road bike and I would never ride a heavy cumbersome BSO half as much as I do with my lightweight - it’s just fun to ride instead of a drudge