Friday, August 8, 2014

Shocking secrets revealed!

Photo: One of our standard rental bikes "Bugno" set up for Larry

We're rarely fans of the "enthusiast press" those bike mags and websites with the "10 Ways to beat up your friends" or "What you must buy right now" headlines. Too often the content seems tailored to advertising rather than genuine information or reading enjoyment.

Now and then there ARE exceptions like this one on Velonews.com  Read "Bike weight and the myth of fast bikes" for example. Chances are this article will be next to an advertisement touting "world's lightest bike" or "sub 900 gram frame" or something similar.

We give them credit for the courage to publish information like this, despite what those advertising clients might say. Here's another great article on the same subject.

We harp on this subject because we see too many obsess about how much their bike does or does not weigh, especially to the point of choosing equipment that is fragile or just unsuitable to the kind of cycling most of us do, even when it comes to climbing the Passo Stelvio. (Larry rode the bike in the photo above up the Stelvio this year in fact)

We love lightweight bikes when it comes time to load them on the roof rack. The rest of the time weight (or lack of it) is not noticed, but when it comes to climbing steep hills, proper gearing and attitude make much more difference in enjoying your ride than whether your bike weighs fifteen pounds or twenty.



3 comments:

  1. Lets face it when it comes to weight most recreational cyclist could loose 5 lbs or more and save a bunch of $$$$ on expensive light stuff!

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  2. Reminds Larry of a review many years ago in BICISPORT of Campagnolo's newest Record groupset. They wrote something to the effect that unless you've already pared every excess gram from your own personal frame, there's really little reason to spend the extra cost over the Chorus groupset. Imagine an American magazine printing something like that! But in the end, our point is that a few extra pounds here or there don't make that much difference, so enjoy that risotto!

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  3. Now all we need is a similar article showing the silliness of "aero" wheels. A well-respected wheel wizard told us a the USA Cycling Race Mechanics seminar back-in-the-day that so-called "aero" wheels do little to nothing until speeds reach 30 mph. that's 50 kph...a speed most of us can reach only going downhill in a tuck. The rest of the time you're dragging more weight around, dealing with cross wind issues and getting beat up by too-stiff rims...but so many spend so much for the sexy look while the makers love that their logos are so visible on the slab-sided things...they should (as they do the pros) pay YOU to ride these!

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