Body2big

Too an extent at least.

I have been riding for about 3 years on a basic aliminum Iron Horse bike with sora shifters. I did not ride much over this past winter due to work and family.

Anyway's I bought a new left over 2005 Orbea Volata yesterday. Went out on one of my regular 15 mile hilly (to me) rides. I increased my overal average by 1 mph.

I am a big guy and not a very fast rider. But this bike made a big difference.

Shawn

thehammerdog

Dude, all things being equal a bike may help ya but look to th eTour..each bik eis awesome..but the variable is the person, the engine. A new better lighter bike will yeild a better performance but at some point the best bike in th eworld will not make you a hero..
Train harder and fully enjoy your new ride.

volleybrad

Is that 1 mph faster just from 1 ride? Take a few and then average them out before comparing against your old average.

datlas 

Sorry to throw cold water on this, but this was most likely placebo effect, maybe with a little "real" effect from a more aerodynamic position on the new bike. Nevertheless, enjoy the new bike and ride, ride, ride.

Pedaleur

Good luck in the Tour.

uke

As someone about to take a class in the subject, here's an article on statistical significance and hypothesis testing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statist...thesis_testing

celerystalksme

this one time, i showered BEFORE my morning ride...and my average speed was up 2 mph on my normal training route!!!!! granted, the sample size is n=1, but i'm pretty sure it was the shower...

Saint

Well overall the engine is simply whats' going to get you from point A to point B. The vehicle itself is going to determine how easy or difficult it will be for that engine to accomplish its goal. I would say making a jump from heavy steel or older aluminum (like my bike) to an even lighter CF bike (better components etc.) will show significant gains.

Still.... a finely tuned and fit cyclist on steel could outperform any novice on a light bike. Ultimately the engine still is the deciding factor.

DataJunkie

Bragging about 1 mph? Odd

waterrockets 

No, it's the engine. I'm finding this more and more this season.

trek1

I think just the excitement of a new bike will kick you up a "1 mph" notch but a better or lighter bike will not improve speed as much as if you train harder. Enjoy the new ride.

mrbubbles

Placebo. There's a 2000% difference between my least expensive and most expensive bike. My most expensive bike does not make me go faster.

mazdaspeed

Oh please you don't have to be that good to "make up" for riding a steel bike. Someone that's trained for even 6 months would destroy novices with light CF bikes if they were on a schwinn varsity.

mazdaspeed

And I suspect the real gains are from newly greased and smooth parts, most likely a better fit, and placebo effect for the most part.

paimeii

Body2big

Well for one not bragging. for two I am a 273 lb rider. not a 140lb rider. I was into weight lifing for years. Then I stopped doing anything and got up to 340 lbs. I am currently working to get down to 225lbs.

I will never be a racer, don't want to be. I am considering entering my first triathalon next year as I started running a few weeks ago.

So for me even a .2 mph gain in my average makes a difference.

For the positive comments thanks.

hammond9705

Give the guy a break. He bought a new bike and he likes it.

uke

As someone on a Schwinn Varsity, I must agree.

bigtea

I know what you mean. Last year I was riding a nice, but Ultegra equipped rig with stock wheels. This year I bought a Pinarello Prince with fully Campy. As most readers would expect, I was invited to ride with team Caisse D'Epargne in the Tour. I made through the first two weeks, but had to drop on the Alp D'Huez stage when I lost it in a downhill turn. Not bad for a fifty eight year old, recreational cyclist. It's all in the bike though. It makes me wonder why more people don't just buy the most expensive bikes and ride with the pros.

Szczuldo

i'm 145 and at 5'11" i would not consider myself anorexic or lacking an upper body. On the topic of your bike, it's probably new toy syndrome. Especially if you didn't take care of your old bike you will see a noticeable improvement in efficiency, but if you did take care of your old bike then all you'll notice is that it feels better because it fits better than the old one.

maddyfish

ON a Saturday in Decemeber on my Trek 1000 it took me 5:37 (my best ever to date) to climb my favorite 1 mile hill. The next day (Sunday) after buying my new bike it took me 5:02. 35 seconds over a mile is nothing to sneeze at. Sure it is the engine, but the bike makes a world of difference.

paimeii

"It's the engine that matters" is used often around here when someone is contemplating upgrading from an already nice road bike to something a little lighter with nicer components. When I have to ride my old steel bike instead of my CF rig for some reason, I definitely am slower.

Defiance

As a kid I had wally world bikes, then I played with BMX for a few years and now I have this strange K2 frankenstein bike with a freeride fork. Now I'm soon to pick up a half-decent road bike. I wonder if that will make a difference riding around town?

Point being: The engine/bike comparison is aimed at the idea of spending hundreds of dollars to shed a few grams. Of course the right type of bike with a good fit and solid, tuned components will help significantly, but after that it's details and nuance. The time spend writing the check and installing the part would be better spent training. It's just meant to push you harder and stop thinking "well maybe if I had a lighter crank.."

AngryScientist 

my question is: if you are riding for fitness to lose weight and recreation, who cares how fast you ride?

will you not lose as much weight travelling 1mph avg slower? will you not have as much fun going 1 mph slower?

many people really talk up getting "faster".

to me its all relative. if you are trying to get in shape and maintain or increase fitness, keep an eye on your HRM, not speedo.

datlas 

+1....and don't foget to ENJOY the ride!