Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight? In other words, would
riding a bicycle that's five pounds lighter be the same as losing five
pounds off of your body weight?

There's an old Army saying; one pound on your foot (boot weight) is
equivalent to five pounds on your back. But I'm not sure what this has
to do with anything.

Thanks for your help.

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

there may be some difference between
rotating weight and non-rotating.

i e, wheels may matter more because they accelerate differently.

other than that, it should all be 'a pound is a pound'.

at least 1 lb more anywhere is a lb you have to move up a hill, and
accelerate from a stop.

no wait, i thought of another kind of weight - sprung [you]
vs unsprung [the bike].

if you get off the saddle for bumps, the bike will
'hit harder' if it;s heavier.

if you don;t get up, it;s all unsprung.

wle.

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

wle wrote:
there may be some difference between
rotating weight and non-rotating.

i e, wheels may matter more because they accelerate differently.

The rule of thumb that I've been told goes, "an ounce off the wheels
equals a pound off the frame."



other than that, it should all be 'a pound is a pound'.

at least 1 lb more anywhere is a lb you have to move up a hill, and
accelerate from a stop.

no wait, i thought of another kind of weight - sprung [you]
vs unsprung [the bike].

if you get off the saddle for bumps, the bike will
'hit harder' if it;s heavier.

if you don;t get up, it;s all unsprung.

wle.

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight? In other words, would
riding a bicycle that's five pounds lighter be the same as losing five
pounds off of your body weight?

Dead weight "weighs" more than live weight.

{pause}

That should keep Fogel busy all weekend!

eg

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

Bruce W.1 wrote:

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?

No. When climbing, possibly, but in handling terms a lighter bike is
always better. Taken to extremes, the heavy rider/light bike
combination is much easier to bunnyhop.

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight? In other words, would
riding a bicycle that's five pounds lighter be the same as losing five
pounds off of your body weight?

The only time when a part of the bike weight is more significant is
when accelerating. Then the weight of rims and tires (and a fraction of
the spoke weight) is twice the effect of weight elsewhere. All other
weight in all other conditions can be considered the same (unless you
wish to be very precise). I'm just refering to locomotion... if you are
riding trials or technical MTB, then a light bike could be more of a
factor.

BTW, weight is quite important when climbing and accelerating, but not
on the flat at a steady speed.

There's an old Army saying; one pound on your foot (boot weight) is
equivalent to five pounds on your back. But I'm not sure what this has
to do with anything.

I don't know if that 5 to 1 ratio is correct (surely it would vary
depending on grade), but cycling is not the same as walking. When
walking you have to pick up your foot to take each step, and that
energy is lost, but when cycling the effect of heavy shoes/pedals
cancels out (the loss of picking one up is balanced by the gain of the
other pushing down).

-Ron

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

"Eric Hill" wrote:

wle wrote:
there may be some difference between
rotating weight and non-rotating.

i e, wheels may matter more because they accelerate differently.

The rule of thumb that I've been told goes, "an ounce off the wheels
equals a pound off the frame."

Oh, it's getting even better! The old saying used to be: An ounce off the
wheels equals two ounces off the frame.

But it really isn't. For reasonable wheels and tires, and typical
accelerations, an ounce is an ounce regardless where it is. And yes, losing
5 pounds off your body is the same as getting a 5 pound lighter bike (but a
lot cheaper!).

Art Harris

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

In article ,
Bruce W.1 wrote:
Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight? In other words, would
riding a bicycle that's five pounds lighter be the same as losing five
pounds off of your body weight?

Depends on where the 5 pounds comes off your body. If you lose muscle
as well as fat, then you are losing strength.

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

Arthur Harris wrote:
"Eric Hill" wrote:


wle wrote:

there may be some difference between
rotating weight and non-rotating.

i e, wheels may matter more because they accelerate differently.

The rule of thumb that I've been told goes, "an ounce off the wheels
equals a pound off the frame."


Oh, it's getting even better! The old saying used to be: An ounce off the
wheels equals two ounces off the frame.

Hey now, it's time for the new saying to take over. It's much more
impressive!

-eric



But it really isn't. For reasonable wheels and tires, and typical
accelerations, an ounce is an ounce regardless where it is. And yes, losing
5 pounds off your body is the same as getting a 5 pound lighter bike (but a
lot cheaper!).

Art Harris

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight?
 

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 19:43:48 GMT, "Bruce W.1"
wrote:

Is body weight equivalent to bicycle weight? In other words, would
riding a bicycle that's five pounds lighter be the same as losing five
pounds off of your body weight?

Weight on your body can mean different things -- it can be muscle that
propels you or fat that you carry around and feeds you. Or even water
that is necessary for life.

JT

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