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Bike weight

  • 29-06-2011 8:25pm
    #1
    noeleoreid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 106 ✭✭


    so ive been contemplating recently upgrading the bike to something a little higher spec. I have an old Giant OCR 4 at the moment in perfect working order and the only thing that originally prompted me to even want to upgrade was to shed some weight and get something a little lighter.

    As it is , the OCR4 only has basic shimano sora spec all round and is bang on 10kg in weight but i dont see any issue with that , as everything works perfect!!

    I have looked at bikes even up to a price range of near 1500 euro and i see by buying these id only be shedding about of 1.2 kg in weight , maxamium. And buying something in the range of 1000 euro I would only be shedding about 0.4kg in some cases.

    So just pondering , it seems illogical to spend this kind of money on a bike and only be making such a little gain??

    Another factor may be that , components might preform better , if I was upgraded to something like ultegra groupset or similar? Ive never ridden with these components as the OCR is my first. Is there really a dramatic difference... I doubt it but maby I am wrong?? Am i?

    Also , maby I am wrong also about the weight issue and shedding half a kg or more will make a dramatic difference to speed when cycling.. even though I doubt it?

    Comments??


Comments

  • #2
    catweazle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,830 ✭✭✭catweazle


    The weight wont matter at our level Noel its all about the engine that is powering it. I was impressed with your time in Salthill particularly your swim time but your bike time was very very poor in relation to the swim and run

    Being honest with you there is huge improvement on that time to be had even on the OCR. A kilo or two or an upgrade on your gears will make hardly any difference. I would wait till next year before even considering a new bike - wait till you get your speed averaging 30kph + and then you can justify the expense

    Now I am not one to talk as I am a poor biker myself but are you getting the work done on the bike - your times should tumble down if you are as you are starting from a low base.

    Good luck in Athlone this weekend! Its will be a totally different experience to Salthill with the sheer numbers involved


  • #3
    PatientBear
    Closed Accounts Posts: 51 ✭✭PatientBear


    The first thing that comes to my mind is the sentence used in Going Long regarding bike purchases for the Ironman.

    Spend less than your budget...

    Also, I know one Olympic athelete from the UK who was doing a lot on the half IM courses and he told me a story whereby the pro bikes were stolen and they had to give them some rigged up items at short notice. The guys with the odd bikes still came in the top four, despite the sizes being completely out of whack.

    So, personally, I think the lighter bike wouldn't make that much difference. If you want to treat yourself to something and you have €1,500, why not consider some professional coaching somewhere on the mediterranean? The knowledge you'd gain from a pro-athelete would be excellent, and you'd have a chance to show them your current training schedule and get some feedback on it.

    That's what I'd do anyway. If the gear you have is still good, then invest in the knowledge first. You'll have that forever.


  • #4
    Nwm2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 548 ✭✭✭Nwm2


    noeleoreid wrote: »
    so ive been contemplating recently upgrading the bike to something a little higher spec. I have an old Giant OCR 4 at the moment in perfect working order and the only thing that originally prompted me to even want to upgrade was to shed some weight and get something a little lighter.

    As it is , the OCR4 only has basic shimano sora spec all round and is bang on 10kg in weight but i dont see any issue with that , as everything works perfect!!

    I have looked at bikes even up to a price range of near 1500 euro and i see by buying these id only be shedding about of 1.2 kg in weight , maxamium. And buying something in the range of 1000 euro I would only be shedding about 0.4kg in some cases.

    So just pondering , it seems illogical to spend this kind of money on a bike and only be making such a little gain??

    Another factor may be that , components might preform better , if I was upgraded to something like ultegra groupset or similar? Ive never ridden with these components as the OCR is my first. Is there really a dramatic difference... I doubt it but maby I am wrong?? Am i?

    Also , maby I am wrong also about the weight issue and shedding half a kg or more will make a dramatic difference to speed when cycling.. even though I doubt it?

    Comments??

    Is this for triathlons or road races?

    The weight makes an appreciable difference when climbing hills. But if you have a few spare pounds of fat, it is far preferable and cheaper to get rid of those first.

    If you are doing triathlons, the bike makes a big difference primarily due to the aerodynamics of bike + rider, rather than the weight (triathlon courses tend to be quite flat).

    There is a large improvement to be gained (minutes in a 40k) by putting aerobars on your OCR4, if you have not done so already. That is by far your best next step.

    If you have aerobars, then a triathlon specific bike will still give you an improvement (again, small number of minutes in a 40k) not because of the weight, but because of the aerodynamics again (of the bike + rider), plus the different geometry of the tri bike allows you to get better power in this aerodynamic position than on a road bike + aerobars.

    In summary - lots of time to be gained, not by getting a lighter bike but by being more aerodynamic.


  • #5
    noeleoreid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 106 ✭✭noeleoreid


    catweazle wrote: »
    The weight wont matter at our level Noel its all about the engine that is powering it. I was impressed with your time in Salthill particularly your swim time but your bike time was very very poor in relation to the swim and run

    Being honest with you there is huge improvement on that time to be had even on the OCR. A kilo or two or an upgrade on your gears will make hardly any difference. I would wait till next year before even considering a new bike - wait till you get your speed averaging 30kph + and then you can justify the expense

    Now I am not one to talk as I am a poor biker myself but are you getting the work done on the bike - your times should tumble down if you are as you are starting from a low base.

    Good luck in Athlone this weekend! Its will be a totally different experience to Salthill with the sheer numbers involved

    Howa John, good to hear from ya again, I was thinking along the same lines as you but just needed to ask the question.. in case!! Id be lying to myself if I said I was getting out on the bike enough. Another factor at play is I am still waiting to get shoes and clips in place, so im still with runners on the bike and its definitely not making life easier nor is it ideal as im only getting the down push wen pedalling.

    As for the weight issue , I couldn't see getting a bike that weights 8.5 kg instead of 10kg knocking 10 mins or more off my 20km cycle time, like you say, without the work being done first!! The cycle is definitely where I need the most improvement!

    Salthill was grand for my first sprint, as I was familiar with the course due to seb training sessions on the prom but it was nothing special either, even I knew that. Looking forward to athlone now and hopefully improve a little on the time. It looks like a pretty decent day out and a well run event.


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