bikes, bike porn, bike racing
Checking out the Amgen Tour of California. Lots of schwag. There was a sub 10 pound cannondale race bike on display.
Nice ride, but $13,000 price tag. About 4 pounds lighter than the same bike stock from the factory, but it was abou $1,000 per pound saved more.
It is a miserable day for the race. It's pouring right now. Glad I'm not riding 100 plus miles uphill both ways with a headwind in this.
Here are some pics of a sub 10 pound bike and the bike I rode.
The bike in the right background is the base model of the bike that is hanging on the scale.
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in
It knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.
It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle
when the sun comes up you'd better be running.
RNY 2/9/09 Buh bye Gallbladder 8/28/09; 100% EWL (181 lbs.) on 2/19/10;
Scott,
Great bike but the following article always seems to put things into perspective for me when it comes to forking out big bucks for latest, greatest cycling technology. GO LEVI in the TOC!
---The nonsense of buying a gossamer bike when that thing on the saddle is so heavy.
This point was made by several commenters, including a certain coach from Iowa. That would be David Ertl, who appreciates light bicycles but not when they're purchased for weight savings by overweight people.
Coach Ertl states his case in his eArticle, Losing Those Last 10 Pounds -- 12 Strategies for Getting Rid of Stubborn Excess Body Fat.
"We can buy speed by spending more money to get lighter weight components," he writes. "But the cost of reducing those last few ounces becomes exponential. To go from an 18-pound bike to a 16-pound bike might double the cost.
"We can spend literally thousands of dollars to drop 2-3 pounds from our bikes. But losing 10 pounds from our bodies doesn't have to cost much at all; you may even save a few bucks by buying less food!"
It's really a no-brainer. Pro riders moan when they're packing just 2-3 kg. of excess body fat. Their 15-lb. bikes can't legally be lighter. They know that body weight is what really matters because they can feel any excess hurting their performance, especially on climbs.
There's no requirement for the rest of us to be virtually fat-free. But losing weight to lighten a body is the smartest way to lighten a bike.
Ed Pavelka
Editor, Publisher, 3 Pounds Gone & 4 to Go
Sure it's the engine that powers the bike, but it is also the bike.
Having spent the last couple years riding an REI closeout bike which starts at 22 pounds, and is equipped with the cheapest shimano components they could put on it, I could instantly feel a difference.
With my bike I have to stand up and grind to get up to speed it is work. With the Felt or the Cervelo R3 I rode, the bike just wants to accelerate. The braking was superb and very precise. And the shifting was a dream. No going up and down the gears to get the chain to align just right and not rattle. I have had my bike worked on by 3 different shops, and none of them can get it to perform like the two high end bikes I rode.
It's like comparing a Ferrari to a Yugo. Sure any pro or serious competitor out there would probably beat me on a tricycle, but at least I'd enjoy riding my bike. Why do we make cars that have spedometers that go above 75 mph, I know California doesn't have any freeways that allow you to go faster than that.
As for non tangibles, one of the bike shops put it into that little bit of vanity/ego perspective. If you are happy with your bike, it looks and performs well, and you enjoy it, then you are more likely to ride it.
The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
