StanSeven

I admit I spend a lot of money on cycling. Part of it is getting the latest and greatest whether it be CF, Ti or whatever material, the lightest, the most comfortable with still being minimal, etc. I've got 4 road bikes and the top two are very expensive and use the top of line components. I've spared literally no expense for lightness, speed, comfort, and whatever.

Today was really nice out weather-wise. I went for a ride on my old, often neglected bike. I had an amazing experience. I went as fast on it as my high end bike. Maybe the lack of CF (whatever and fill in the blank) component didn't provide the great comfort, but I thought is that what I'm out here for? I train hard, race some, do some tri's and TT's, and generally want improved fitness. When my HR gets to 85% or so, I don't care about whether the handlebar buzz is absorbed better with CF than Al or whether my saddle is making me comfortable -it's not comfortable to ride when you're breathing hard and your legs are burning in intervals and sprints.

The question is are we all too vulnerable to marketing hype and does all this CF cranks stuff really make a difference

Siu Blue Wind

When I saw the thread title the first thing I thought of was the Speciaized Zertz. It is supposed to be some sort of insert in the carbon to help with road buzz, similar to those in a running or basketball shoe. When I went to look at a Dolce Elite, the little Zertz thingy was on the floor next to the bike. I wondered to myself .......Here is a new bike and this happened, what about later on down the line after some miles? Does this in fact REALLY help with vibration? Wow.

woodcycl

I think it follows more of a 80/20 rule ... what I mean is: 80% placebo / 20% true benefit ... when all else is equal. Gotta love it!

'nother

all the latest fads? no
some of the latest fads? maybe

But even if none had any effect, don't think for a second that the cycle of new development and marketing is going to stop. There will always be new stuff for old guys to be grumpy about.

old and new

to a degree anything matters. A friend of mine,a triathelete. He takes off time to train.He takes over a week's vacation to fly to Hawaii to race.The man pretty much centers his life around cycling and such. If he reckons he can shave a few seconds off his time,YOU BET it matters.It makes the difference between being a $2,000 poorer loser and a winner who's enjoyed the vacation of his life.

samsation7

Hi Stan,

Good response. I think you represent most cyclists when you say that you spent tons of money on the latest and newest. I'm guilty of the same crime. However, I never wonder if they improve my performance, at least on the physical level. I think it helps more on the psychological level-giving me no excuse to be slow. Just race more often and you'll realize how ridiculous some of your assumptions are about the latest and lightest stuff out there. There will always be people who have the genetic gift for cycling without the gift of making money. These folks will drop you nonetheless.

Blaireau

Good question.
One's thing for sure those little rubber thingys are going to oxydise pretty quick.....I know carbon frames are not supposed to last forever, but they'll last longer than the "zert inserts" -- that frame will look mighty weird with holes in the fork and seat stays...

Siu Blue Wind

Imagine the tubulence the holes would cause when going down hill........

DrPete 

Zertz inserts are replaceable, and the bikes are totally rideable without them. I'd be MORE concerned if the little pieces of rubber were somehow important to the structural integrity of the frame...

DrPete 

But it's like free Zipp dimples. Guaranteed to add 7-8 mph.

Machka 

Speak for yourself! I had some carbon fiber parts on my bicycle, and this past winter, I removed the last of them. I've gone mostly steel! I also don't have the top of the line components. But what I do have, I've purchased because it works for me .... not because of some advertizing.

krazyderek

pinneralo doesn't...

ride a trek and a walymart both at max tire PSI if you really want to feel an exaggerated difference in road feel.

ceramic bearings do have a measurable difference in resistance compared to some of the new "long lasting" BB's that are packed with thick grease and sealed tight.

anything over 20lbs feels kinda sluggish to me, and i can actually feel my arms working alot harder to handle the bike out of the saddle

bruce19

First thing I thought of was my old HS English teacher.

StanSeven

OK. I have Zipp wheels with the dimples. That is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

DrPete 

A difference? Absolutely.

A measurable (in the real world, not a wind tunnel), noticeable, value-added difference? Probably not.

But at the end of the day, the R&D is going to continue for the folks for whom a 1% difference could mean the difference between 1st and 3rd, and for the rest of us mere mortals it's just fun to buy cool ***** for our bikes.

patentcad

>>rest of us mere mortals it's just fun to buy cool ***** for our bikes.<<

OK, that's the big reason.

The other reason is some of us need all the help we can get, psychosematic or otherwise.

Chucklehead

with things like zertz, it depends on how firmly it's being held in its little cavity. obviously it won't help much if it's laying on the ground beside the bike, but it also won't help much if it's rattling around in its own little hole in the bike.
a baseball bat will vibrate like crazy if it doesn't have anything bracing it when a ball hits it. it may still vibrate with someone holding it, but the vibration will be dampened quickly. works the same way with a bike frame.
i would guess that zertz works, but i wouldn't guess as to how well.

cccorlew

Look, it could be going for a boat, a motercycle, gambling, Hummel figurines, Franklin Mint collectables, jewlery, or any number of other things that don't make you healthy and cost more.
I enjoy bike toys.

CardiacKid

My Trek has Buzzkill end caps, which probably do exactly as good a job as Zertz. Which is another way of saying neither of them actually do any harm.

NoGaBiker

Each component contributes negligibly; I just bought DuraAce pedals and installed them tonight to replace the Shimano 540s I have had on my bike since I bought it, transferred from its predecessor. Why did I buy the DAs? Well, because I have a titanium Merlin with all DA everywhere else and it's just been bugging me. I've put up with the cheaper pedals for a year, and finally bought some lightly used DAs on the 'bay for cheap. Then got them home and found they were 20 grams lighter than the cheapo 540s. I would really have been a bit torqued if I had paid $200+ for them. I can promise I will never be able to tell one bit of difference.

But cumulatively, it all adds up. After installing those pedals, I moved the 540s to my classic 1982 top-of-the line Peugeot 531 CFX10, full campy NR bike. Then rode that bike around and got a good feel for just how far the bike world has come! IIRC, the Peugeot would have retailed for about $1800 or so outfitted like I built it back in 1983. The Merlin was around $5500 retail (I bought a 2-year old bike for much less because the shop couldn't sell it.) But comparatively, that's maybe twice as much, maybe not even that much, when real dollars are compared. And the full-package Merlin is easily worth a few grand more, to me.

Matt

Stallionforce

Do these things help?

Can cheese fly???

Quijibo187

well, not much is designed to last forever, even a rock wears out eventually.

VT Biker

Specialized having faulty manufacturing processes? No way. They ensure their Chinese built bikes are built with the best slave labor possible.

ranger5oh

I think what matters is that the money we spend, over time, allows manufacturers to make breakthroughs in technology. I think most of us agree that brifters are much better than the old crap from the 80s. If we didnt keep buying the new fun toys, the manufacturers would stop making it.

Its like computers, if you keep buying a new one every 6 months, you really wont ever notice the difference. BUT, if you wait a few years in between, you might notice a slight difference in performance. If you wait 10 years, you will notice an appreciable amount. Cycling is very simiar to me.

Blaireau

Except to your pocket book