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It Doesn't matters, It's not the bike/kit you have...
https://www.gribble.org/cycling/power_v_speed.html
Probably the best cycling app there is to see how weight/dynamics affects your performance,spend 30minutes comparing different things there and you will come to revelation...
In short, save your pennies it's all damn marketing hype/tricks..You can't really re-invent a bicycle (unless its an e-bike 
)
-Want to go fast?
Get in a good aero position to achieve the least surface contact area,
after you go past 15km/h it's all about aero (Mostly Aero OF YOU (~80%) , not the bike(~20%)
Under 15km/h it's all about the tyres you have, so the only thing you should invest in is a good set of tyres with good rolling resistance,
you can find info about most of the tyres here with all data: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com
-Wear good fitting clothes( don't need any special stuff) , loose some weight of yourself( less aero drag), and you will be just as fast on a cheap $50 Used 15kg mtb with NICE tyres ( Yes,just the tyres not some expensive Rims) than someone on a 7kg $5k bike wearing ridiculous outfit - as long as you have the same Aero Drag and aren't going up-hills.
-Going up-hills? Again a heavy MTB with GOOD tyres + Taking a poop before you set off will give almost the same results (2-3% difference) The weight of your bike/kit ONLY matters when you go up a hill (barely), in straights- almost 0 difference.
-Still Getting anxious about the weight of your bike/kit? It's not actually the weight of the bike.. It's The Weight of YOU+ the Bike, count those 2 together and you will realise that Just taking a poop or eating 2 less Doughnuts before you get on a bike is a much better strategy than spending money to reduce the weight of the bike.
*Does not applies to Pro-Racers which you see on TV (maybe 0.001% of all cyclists? ), the kit actually gives an edge over others (2-5% gain ,perhaps in most cases?)
So Unless you are one of those, Just Play around with your Data and see for yourself that it's all pointless.
Just go out and Enjoy cycling.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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Google the gcn cheap bike Vs superbike for a real world test of this sort of thing.
Superbike came out better if it was the one I saw? And was more enjoyable to ride, though the cheap bike wasn't bad at all, especially considering the price.
I get what the OP is saying but his examples are exaggerated, I have a 15kg mtb and an 8kg carbon road bike and the difference is night and day speed wise just on the flat...uphill on the mtb is a real struggle in comparison
I must say that my 7.4kg Niner RDO SS Mountain Bike is seriously fucking quick, depending on my gear ratios and tyres I've happily dropped into group roadie rides, and frequently fly past weekend warriors on the Dartmoor hills
But yes that super bike and my Wilier superbike are like night and day...
Best bike I own? a £140 on one frame sarcastically draped in Enve and Chris King.
The best bike is the one that makes you smile the most
Oh I've happily dropped roadies on my 15kg mtb with knobblies...but neither of us were breaking any speed records at the time
Agree with your last statement!!
[quote
I must say that my 7.4kg Niner RDO SS Mountain Bike is seriously fucking quick, depending on my gear ratios and tyres I've happily dropped into group roadie rides, and frequently fly past weekend warriors on the Dartmoor hills
[/quote]
How do you know thay are weekend warriors? They might be rank beginners or just riding to enjoy the scenery... you come across so superior, you must be a fabulous rider - a legend in your own lunchtime perhaps.
How do you know thay are weekend warriors? They might be rank beginners or just riding to enjoy the scenery... you come across so superior, you must be a fabulous rider - a legend in your own lunchtime perhaps.
[/quote]
Perhaps an ex-racer?
I've done my 11-mile commute to work on a carbon road bike, an alu hybrid, a mountain bike with knobblies and a mountain bike with slicks. According to Strava, there isn't a huge amount of difference in time, on average over a number of rides, between any of them.
Having said that, I'm sure I put more effort in if I'm not on the road bike and I couldn't sustain that level for much more than 11 miles - the roadie would win over distance.
I once passed a group of club riders on a hill, on the hybrid, with daughter in bike seat on the back, but I was rather sprinting to maximise training on short errands when they were rather racking up the distance. It was fun, though - would like to have seen how long I could have made it stick for, but had to turn off about a mile later.
Nice video, thanks. Shame they didn't spend a bit more on a better budget bike, particularly one with dual pivot brakes. A £300 (or less secondhand) Triban would have been interesting.
I suspect something from the £800-£1000 range would have run the superbike pretty close.
if you only compare figures, then it is quite remarkable how little difference the equipment makes
but if you have a bike which is awful to ride and which doesn't make you feel like riding it, then it's pointless - you just won't be motivated and it starts to feel like a chore, that's my main reason for splashing some cash - I am a decadent western consumer!
Mmmm..... I can't agree that a 15 kilo mountain bike is as fast as a seven kilo Carbon bike.
However. I do agree that the fitness of riders on various road bikes is hugely important. I have seen fit guys on cheap bikes such as £300 Kona Zings, or £400 Cannondale Caad 8s, completely crush riders that are not as fit, who are on £5000 Pinarellos or Canyons.
No point in a Five Grand bike with a Five pence rider.
How about I get you some really smooth tyres on a 15kg bike and attach a sail letting you ride into a head wind.
Most cyclists with a brain recognise rolling resistance is important, as is the bikes engine. The whole training upgrades rather than buying them makes perfect sense and I don't spend ridiculous amounts for grams (carbon bottle cages wtf). However, what is written above is largely nonsense or we'd all be on a Raleigh Shopper...
I will generally agree with the findings of itaa when I ride, smooth rolling is very important at my low commuting speeds.
So you have 8kg poops? I'll stick to my carbon road bike.
Maybe the OP is full of shit?
The OP (judging by his previous posts - below), only has an 15kg, 8-10 year old "cheapo MTB" and I suspect a limited budget.
http://road.cc/content/forum/233694-how-much-you-have-spent-year-bike-re...
http://road.cc/content/forum/233679-there-such-thing-very-bad-v-brake-pa...
http://road.cc/content/forum/232377-how-much-easier-it-climb-hills-road-...
From that perspective, putting on low rolling resistance tyres, shedding a few pounds from around the midriff (and improving engine efficiency in the process) and cutting down aero drag as much as possible with closer fitting (not necessarily bike specific) clothing makes sense.
However when comparing a 15kg klunker mtb to a 8kg carbon road bike there are many other factors beside weight that affect the overall speed:
- rider position: you can get far more aero in the drops than on a flat bar, and even on the hoods you will be leaning further forward due to the typically longer reach of a road bike.
- handling: much more direct, giving more confidence to carry speed into corners etc. Stiffer suspension (no suspension forks) means that less energy lost when transferring power
- gearing ratios: higher ratios allowing a higher max speed for a rider's comfortable cadence, allowing you to maintain pace over longer distances without blowing a gasket
- Cycle-logical (sic) effects : feeling good about your bike is worth at least an extra 5 Watts (sorry, no graphs to prove this!)
"Going out for a bike ride?"
"No. Need to poop first."
"loose some weight of yourself( less aero drag), and you will be just as fast on a cheap $50 Used 15kg mtb with NICE tyres ( Yes,just the tyres not some expensive Rims) than someone on a 7kg $5k bike wearing ridiculous outfit"
Er no.
If I rode the same route on a heavy mountain bike in crap kit and then again on a good bike with good kit, I'd be significantly quicker.
I don't think you understand what you are trying to communicate.
If Sustrans want to make themselves useful they can put helmet-shaped toilets at the foot of every hill
Yes but I feel superior for spending a fortune and trust me, as an ex-racer I can tell the difference.
agree, there's nothing worse than trying to attack a hill when you're dying for a crap - ask Tom Dumoullin.