Bike Forums - View Single Post - Does weight really matter on flat roads?

07-10-19, 09:31 PM

#96

AlmostTrick

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Lesbrill54

If you stuck a 1.5L Kia engine (me) in a Suburban, I think you'd find that weight matters even on a flat road.

That 1.5 Kia motor is well over a hundred times more powerful than you. A typical pro cyclist will generate somewhere around 400 to 600 watts over a sustained period such as a time trial or climbing a mountain pass. At 746 watts per horsepower that's between roughly 0.5 and 0.8 horsepower. The rest of us produce even less. So yes, of course weight matters even on the flats.

Having said that, I agree that a pound or few in bike weight doesn't matter much, especially for heavier riders. For lightweight riders it matters a little more.

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