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What's the dumbest thing another bicyclist has told you?

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What's the dumbest thing another bicyclist has told you?

Old 07-12-22, 12:59 PM
  #51  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
I have taken Physics 101 (and several more physics courses as well). I see nothing wrong with CheGiantForLife‘s point. If bike weight means nothing, why has significant effort be expended in reducing bike weight? If bicycle weight doesn’t matter why don’t pro racers ride 40 lb bicycles?
We're talking about training here, not racing. You can do the same effort on a light or heavy bike, the lighter one will be faster.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:03 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
Did you taken Physics 101? The reason the heavier bike is slower is because it takes more acceleration and thus more force and thus more work to move.
A heavier bike does not "take more acceleration"; it simply accelerates slower when a certain force is applied to it. If you apply the same force to two bikes of different weights, they accelerate at different rates, but the amount of work done is the same, if the force is applied for the same amount of time. If you're doing a workout (which is what the original statement was about) and you are producing a certain effort / power for a certain amount of time, bike weight only affects your speed.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:17 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
A heavier bike does not "take more acceleration"; it simply accelerates slower when a certain force is applied to it. If you apply the same force to two bikes of different weights, they accelerate at different rates, but the amount of work done is the same, if the force is applied for the same amount of time. If you're doing a workout (which is what the original statement was about) and you are producing a certain effort / power for a certain amount of time, bike weight only affects your speed.

There's a trivial sense where the statement heavier bike=better workout could be true, but even that one's is stupid--if you're talking about accelerating from zero to cover the same distance with the same grade. But all you have to do is add weight to the lighter bike or put the lighter bike in a higher gear when starting to recreate the added resistance of the heavier bike and you can equalize the work.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:19 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by chegiantforlife
dude never heard of water bottle cages?!?!
fify
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Old 07-12-22, 01:26 PM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
There's a trivial sense where the statement heavier bike=better workout could be true, but even that one's is stupid--if you're talking about accelerating from zero to cover the same distance with the same grade. But all you have to do is add weight to the lighter bike or put the lighter bike in a higher gear when starting to recreate the added resistance of the heavier bike and you can equalize the work.
Yep. Lighter or heavier bike doesn't change the limits of a person's power output over time, it only affects the results (distance, speed) of that power output.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:40 PM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Yep. Lighter or heavier bike doesn't change the limits of a person's power output over time, it only affects the results (distance, speed) of that power output.
Basically, if the weight is the only difference between the two bikes, there is nothing you can do on the heavier bike that can't be done on the lighter bike. And you can always make the lighter bike heavier if you really want to, you can't reduce the weight of the heavy bike.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:49 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Basically, if the weight is the only difference between the two bikes, there is nothing you can do on the heavier bike that can't be done on the lighter bike. And you can always make the lighter bike heavier if you really want to, you can't reduce the weight of the heavy bike.
Let's say that I can put out 250W for 60 min. That doesn't change with the weight of my bike. However, I am probably going faster on the light bike, and fast is fun!! Let's not forget about the fun!!
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Old 07-12-22, 01:51 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by trackhub
What’s the dumbest thing another bicyclist has told you?
Honestly, we don’t even need this thread…just peruse the forums here, and there’s no shortage of gems.
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Old 07-12-22, 01:58 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Let's say that I can put out 250W for 60 min. That doesn't change with the weight of my bike. However, I am probably going faster on the light bike, and fast is fun!! Let's not forget about the fun!!

This is so obvious that I can't help but think people who don't get it are so stuck in weight-lifting logic that they can't wrap their heads around it.
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Old 07-12-22, 04:23 PM
  #60  
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Absolutely the stupidest and dumbest thing I've heard on Bikeforums is that...Fixed gear bikes and singlespeed bikes are only suitable for riding very short distances on very flat terrain
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Old 07-12-22, 04:30 PM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by DorkDisk
Yeah i remember that one...Heavy truck battery strapped to a rear rack and brakes adjusted to drag will give you a super duper training effect, that's how pros train... This guy can average 20 - 30 mph in city traffic and pass all the roadies on their light weight carbon bikes.
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Old 07-12-22, 06:28 PM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by kirbyx
Miscommunication and inexperience can result in awful things... I have had similar situations as yourself. Pick any skill: 50% of the population are below the mean.

However, when I was younger and inexperienced, I had no idea what 'On your left' meant. It's what experienced cyclists say to each other. So when a voice from just behind me shouted 'On your left' I had no idea what it was, what it meant or what to do. On top of that, I've always had problems figuring out which hand is my right and which is my left.

So... as you said, I now assume everyone doesn't understand what I'm saying or doing when I"m on the bike, and assume that everyone is going to do something unexpected. And what about those cyclists who draft you without letting you know that they're there?. Oh, and get off my lawn :-)
New to club rides, I wondered who the ride leader was waving to, with his left arm bent at the elbow, pointed upward. Later: Oh, it's a "right turn" signal!

Yeah, the local bike path has signs telling riders to use "on your left".
No. I like "passing through", or even "good morning" if I'm passing slowly.
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Old 07-12-22, 09:54 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
… fast is fun!! Let's not forget about the fun!!
”Zwift, where fast is fun - GO!”
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Old 07-13-22, 07:20 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
If bike weight means nothing, why has significant effort be expended in reducing bike weight? If bicycle weight doesn’t matter why don’t pro racers ride 40 lb bicycles?
Exactly! Common sense is rare.

In the real world, we ride a pre-determined loop.
Heavier bike will require more work to complete said loop.
More work means better workout.

Basic math.
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Old 07-13-22, 07:31 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by Outrider1
Found a half-full bottle of vodka in a dumpster while on a ride
Must have been a huge dumpster.
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Old 07-13-22, 07:35 AM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by CheGiantForLife
Basic math.
...fails you.
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Old 07-13-22, 11:06 AM
  #67  
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1. Harder workout = better workout

2. Weight training will make you slow unless you're a trackie

3. "Electrolytes"
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Old 07-13-22, 11:30 AM
  #68  
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Dumbest things I've been told:
  1. Bike weight doesn't matter. This comment invariably comes from some old guy whose 30-pound bike is bristling with impediments such as racks, fenders, riser stems, obsolete electronics and a (shudder) kickstand;
  2. Fatter road tires are faster than the old skinny tires. Maybe, if you are comparing 23 vs. 28mm Conti 5000's both pumped up to 110 psi. But you pump the 28mm tires up to 80psi, and now they are slower;
  3. Disc brakes overall make you faster, since you can descend faster. This was actually told by a shop salesman, so I suppose it doesn't count as being conflicted advice.
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Old 07-13-22, 12:18 PM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Dave Mayer
Fatter road tires are faster than the old skinny tires. Maybe, if you are comparing 23 vs. 28mm Conti 5000's both pumped up to 110 psi. But you pump the 28mm tires up to 80psi, and now they are slower;
I suggest you spend a little more time examining this topic. I felt that way for a while, too. It turns out there are more factors to a fast tire than just rolling resistance.
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Old 07-13-22, 12:27 PM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by Dave Mayer
But you pump the 28mm tires up to 80psi...
What kind of savage does that - someone riding on ancient 17mm internal width rims with tubes?
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Old 07-13-22, 12:27 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
I suggest you spend a little more time examining this topic. I felt that way for a while, too. It turns out there are more factors to a fast tire than just rolling resistance.
I have. The fatter tires are also heavier, so more critical rotating mass. They also present more frontal area, so more wind resistance; wind resistance by far consumes the most watts of a solo rider.

Fatter tires also require fatter rims with are also heavier and less aero. Nevertheless, debating the performance characteristics of clincher rims/tires is like fussing over mods on a Ford Fiesta. 23mm tubular tires pumped hard present an insurmountable performance advantage over any clincher/tubeless setup, past, present and forever. Perhaps fat 25mm tubulars work at Paris-Roubaix.
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Old 07-13-22, 12:35 PM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by Dave Mayer
I have. The fatter tires are also heavier, so more critical rotating mass. They also present more frontal area, so more wind resistance; wind resistance by far consumes the most watts of a solo rider.

Fatter tires also require fatter rims with are also heavier and less aero. Nevertheless, debating the performance characteristics of clincher rims/tires is like fussing over mods on a Ford Fiesta. 23mm tubular tires pumped hard present an insurmountable performance advantage over any clincher/tubeless setup, past, present and forever. Perhaps fat 25mm tubulars work at Paris-Roubaix.
Yet, 25-28mm tires work for the guys who are most highly paid to be the fastest in the world on a bicycle. If skinnier and harder is faster, why not 18mm @ 180psi?
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Old 07-13-22, 01:26 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Yet, 25-28mm tires work for the guys who are most highly paid to be the fastest in the world on a bicycle. If skinnier and harder is faster, why not 18mm @ 180psi?
Why use a pneumatic tire at all!
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Old 07-13-22, 01:51 PM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by Dave Mayer
I have. The fatter tires are also heavier, so more critical rotating mass. They also present more frontal area, so more wind resistance; wind resistance by far consumes the most watts of a solo rider.

Fatter tires also require fatter rims with are also heavier and less aero. Nevertheless, debating the performance characteristics of clincher rims/tires is like fussing over mods on a Ford Fiesta. 23mm tubular tires pumped hard present an insurmountable performance advantage over any clincher/tubeless setup, past, present and forever. Perhaps fat 25mm tubulars work at Paris-Roubaix.
It may not be the dumbest, but it qualifies as the latest dumb thing! The dumbest is probably along the lines of someone explaining to me the natural dampening qualities of titanium are what makes his bike ride so smooth.
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Old 07-13-22, 01:53 PM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
Why use a pneumatic tire at all!
Air is for wimps.
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