Lman

The topic of weight...which is more important....bike weight or your body weight ? Just curious, seems like you can lighten you bike by loosing weight.
Am I just silly pondering the correlations?

leob1

Removing a pound from your bike is similar to removing a pound from you body as far as riding goes. But there are more health benefits from losing a pound from you body.

Moe Zhoost

Weight is weight so no there is not much difference between body and bike, except that weights of rotating parts, e.g. wheels, do make a difference, especially in acceleration.

Lman

Just as I suspected.....why pay hundreds more for 5 pound lighter bike when I could really use to loose 15 pound of redundant tissue 🤭

Maelochs

I have dropped about 20 pounds off my body (with another 60 to go, but ... ) No way i could drop 20 pounds from any of my bikes ... i'd be riding unicycles ... or walking.

One point ... I can spend dollars to lose grams off my bike. it takes sustained effort to lose body weight.

Koyote

You can play around here: Bike Calculator

As you suspect, the key variable is rider weight + bike weight...though some believe that rotating mass (wheels, tires, crankset) is more significant than static mass (frame, handlebar, rider, etc.).

A few pounds, either way, makes relatively little difference in rider speed, though it will be felt first on climbs and in accelerations (which are similar in terms of the physics involved).

I think some cyclists focus so much on bike weight because (1) cool new gear is fun, and (2) it's easier to spend money on bike parts than to lose weight.

DorkDisk

Lighter people can ride lighter bikes.

caloso

Lose the weight off your body.

JohnDThompson 

What kind of riding do you do?

Bicycle weight is far more important for competitive riders than it is for commuters and recreational riders.

Eric F 

Spending a lot of money to lose a few grams off your bike is the most important thing of all.

Sincerely,
- The Bicycle Industry

Lman

[QUOTE=JohnDThompson;21301883]What kind of riding do you do?

Bicycle weight is far more important for competitive riders than it is for commuters and recreational riders.[/QUOT John I'm a casual weekend warrior 61 years old that is returning to bicycle riding that ive not done scince1977.....adopted two children and my motorcycle riding days had to come to a close.. my goal is to be able to do 65 miles on a satSatur on a greenbelt loop.
i think I'll focus on weight loss ...my two kids spend my extra funds quick enough.....lol.

Lman

John I'm a casual weekend warrior 61 years old that is returning to bicycle riding that ive not done scince1977.....adopted two children and my motorcycle riding days had to come to a close.. my goal is to be able to do 65 miles on a Saturday on a greenbelt loop.
i think I'll focus on weight loss ...my two kids spend my extra funds quick enough.....lol.

Lman

Funny ....love it

caloso

[QUOTE=Lman;21301916]Most likely, as you work your way up to your goal, body weight will start to come off on its own, as long as you keep a healthy diet and moderate caloric intake. As the weather warms up and you get fitter and stronger, then you might start to think about the bike. A good place to start is with some lighter, suppler tires.

dabac

If you’re a riding robot, then it doesn’t matter where the weight is saved.
IMO though, a lighter bike responds quicker to rider input. It feels more lively. As a consequence, riding becomes more fun, I try harder. And to faster.
I will admit that I can be as fast on a heavier bike, but it takes more determination.

livedarklions

One slight caveat--the answer depends at least a little on what body weight you have lost--losing leg muscle will have a different impact on your riding than losing the same weight in fat or even upper body muscle. Weight has its biggest effects on climbing and acceleration, which is also where leg strength can actually make a difference.

Overall, however, a pound is a pound.

Bill in VA

When I started cycling during the bike boom the question of bike weight was always asked.

One of the old shop owners who was a racer always said, "If you want to lose bike weight, push yourself away from the table..."

Personally that is still the golden rule. When I lost 40 pounds, it was amazing. Additionally, as the miles multiply, usually it gets easier, even if the 'golden rule' does not apply, but especially if you DO follow that rule.

Then reward yourself, as for me, the second amazing part was a good set of custom wheels with good tires.

wolfchild

Loosing weight is a catabolic process. When you loose weight, you're not only loosing fat but you also loose some muscle at the same time. There is no way around it, it's how the human body works...Loosing fat is a good thing but loosing muscle isn't a good thing. So before you decide to loose weight, you need to make sure that you have some strategy in place to help you preserve and build muscle.

TheDudeIsHere

Lose weight off your body!

I signed up for a timed event with some forum members. They race and the experts they are,they told me to buy new lighter shoes ( I wear MTB shoes) they told me to buy a lighter bike, they told me to buy some lighter wheels, they told me to buy lighter components.

I dropped weight and did the timed event of 12,000 ft/114 miles (guy that suggested lighter parts, beat him by 45 minutes, actually more but he contested his time for some reason and they removed a few minutes, hmmm!) and 100 miles with 10,000 ft (guy that suggested lighter parts, beat him by one hour) official posted times.

They didn't tell me to find lighter anything after the ride! And I outweigh them!

I only train when I have a reason though. Otherwise, I lollygag around and don't care about speed or light bikes.



IMO, it's about the engine! Want to go faster, train.

jpescatore

Just to take the contrarian point of view: my road bike did not get 5 pounds heavier over the holidays!

Gerry221

As a heavier rider, drop the weight from your body. Biggest change you can make on a bike is you.

friday1970

That is one of my biggest worries. I'm 49, 5'6", and 176 lbs. I'm faster now than I have ever been in my life. I'd like to lose 20lbs, but I do worry about how much muscle I'd lose. When I was in my teens and very lightweight at 130lbs, I could barely bike 30 miles or so. Now, 30 miles is like an afternoon snack.

Back to the OP.

Lose the body weight first, then worry about the bike when you are plateau'd.with your weight.

Phil_gretz

Do you drink sweet tea or other sweetened drinks? Stop that immediately.

Now, identify any refined sugars (including all forms of high fructose corn syrup) in your diet and find alternative items without those sugars. Particularly HFCS, which must be avoided.

Your corresponding initial weight loss will be astounding. PG

Maelochs

It did get a mile per hour slower, though.

livedarklions

Damn lazy bike!