Koyote

Anyone who's riding mostly or exclusively on a MUP is not a factor, if we are talking about actual training.

I can't argue with this, though I have never seen that rider.

You mean like the time Ashton Lambie showed up at my house on his fixie, wearing cutoffs and Keds? Yeah, he still dropped me that day - and every other day.

wolfchild

My advice is to avoid WallMart bikes because they are crap, very low quality components that don't last very long, uncomfortable, not assembled correctly, and impossible to get a good fit on them....It's better to buy a brand name bike that is lighter and higher quality.. You can always make a lighter bike heavier by adding racks and carrying stuff and easily remove them to make your bike light again..

guachi

I think I'd rather just find a hill or ride on the tops to get a better workout.

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caloso

If your definition of a better workout is the maximum number of calories burned in a given time interval, then all that matters is pedaling as hard as you can for that time interval. For example: do a 1 hour time trial on a 35-pound, poorly tuned Walmart POS. Then (after a sufficient recovery) do a 1 hour time trial on a 15-lb TdF bike. You'll put in the same energy into the TdF bike as you did the WM-POS, you'll just go farther in the hour.

The amount of energy expended is dependent on the rider, not the bike.

genejockey 

There are lots of things one can do to virtually any exercise to make it "a better workout", i.e. require more effort to do. If you ONLY ride a bike for exercise, sure, get a heavy bike. Hell, fill your seat tube with lead shot! But then, you could accomplish the same thing on a trainer by just turning the resistance to the maximum, so why even go outside? You'd never have to worry about getting run over by a car, unless you're working out in the garage and still use it to park cars in, and your wife comes home not paying attention to where she's parking.

People ride bikes outside because it's fun. It's more fun on a good bike that feels like part of you than on one that you're constantly battling.

phughes

Is there a slow clap emoji?

Seriously, I ride a heavy bike too, but you don't ride using more effort than a lighter bike. You use gears to make the force required to pedal about the same as on the lighter bike. If you don't, you damage your knees. Does it feel nice to get on a light bike after riding my heavily loaded touring bike? Of course it does, but it doesn't mean it is any less of a workout.

livedarklions

That's a lot of Texas.

10 Wheels

The ride had 13 days in TX.
I live in Texas.

Toadmeister

Einstein’s Laws of Relativity accurately predict your mass increases as you approach the speed of light, so...

Toadmeister

So all this time as a 270# Clydesdale I’ve been doing it wrong?

10 Wheels

I tried Lights. They didn't do much for my speed.

tomato coupe

I can burn over 4,000 calories on a 6 hour ride (200 W average) on my "aerospace" road bike. If I wanted to burn 4,000 calories in 1 hour on a "tank Huffy", I'd have to average about 1,200 W. No problem ... it's just a long sprint.

Sy Reene

In theory, a lighter bike, and expending the same effort (ie. watts), one would have finished that journey sooner, so having spent less time cycling at the same output, no?

HerrKaLeun

Weight only helps uphill or accelerating. Get a fatbike with aggressive tires and you pedal constantly, even on sections you usually coast. Even better, use cheap aggressive tires for more resistance. (they will suck off road, but sounds like this is a roadie)

tyrion

For the best workout: very heavy bike, skinny tires, riden in soft sand.

CAT7RDR

Where's the BF member that is going to tow his 120 lbs sailboat up steep grades? He owes me some pics.

Eric F 

Wearing a team/club kit and riding a road bike is not an indicator of cycling abilities or level of fitness. Also, there are lots of times when people are not riding at their limit. Yesterday, my buddy and I (both wearing the kit of the team/club we ride with, and riding high-end road bikes) spent over 10 minutes climbing a hill that I can ride in under 8.

Riveting

So to get a better workout I should gain 50 lbs?

10 Wheels

Fun for Me. Being 67 years old and a Texas Coast Rider all Flat Roads passing up Three 20 year old's in their home area.

genejockey 

See also "recovery ride".

Eric F 

Take a longer journey.

One of factors I find most enjoyable about cycling is rolling at a high speed on an efficient machine. A heavier and less-efficient bicycle isn't going to change my power output capabilities, but will reduce the fun factor.

Eric F 

Exactly. For us, it was the roll back home after doing a spicy group ride. No hurry.

genejockey 

Right. The heavier bike is only 'a better workout' if you go the same speed as you do on the light bike. If you are putting out the same watts, all the heavier bike is is slower.

Eric F 

MTB racing legend, Tinker Juarez, used to train with a backpack loaded with rocks.

genejockey 

Right. Or for me, there's the difference between a weekday ride where I'm trying to 'leave it all on the road' in an hour, and a Sunday ride where I have to ration my energy to last 3 1/2 to 4 hours. I'll push harder up the same hill knowing I only have to go a mile to get to the car, than I will when I have another 14 miles to got to get home.