Weight Weenie: A Winters Tale

[Robbos]

I wouldn't consider myself a huge weight weenie, as I know that 1) the weight I could stand to loose is on my frame, and not my bikes, 2) I don't have the means, and 3) I know that 99% of the time one probably cannot tell the difference of 100grams, except maybe in a tire/rim.
I ride roughly 80km a week for my commute on my old converted MTB. I just put on my Schwable studed winter tires, front and rear as I transport my kid on the sunnier, warmer days the short distance to school. The weight difference? Schwalbe Marathon Racers (great tires): 465 grams each.
Marathon Winter: 1150 grams each.
So I've added 1370 grams in rotational weight along with the serious drag of carbide studs. My god, what a workout. What a horrible workout.
I just find it funny in the context of weight weenie-ism (aluminum vs brass nipples, carbon vs aluminum rims) to experience each winter such a massive and very perceptible weight change. At least it helps me appreciate all the more my lighter bikes in the spring!

[leftyfreak]

Yep, we call that fast-proofing your bike around here. It's a winter ritual. Switching back in the spring is a revelation!

[oldpotatoe]

I wouldn't consider myself a huge weight weenie, as I know that 1) the weight I could stand to loose is on my frame, and not my bikes, 2) I don't have the means, and 3) I know that 99% of the time one probably cannot tell the difference of 100grams, except maybe in a tire/rim.
I ride roughly 80km a week for my commute on my old converted MTB. I just put on my Schwable studed winter tires, front and rear as I transport my kid on the sunnier, warmer days the short distance to school. The weight difference? Schwalbe Marathon Racers (great tires): 465 grams each.
Marathon Winter: 1150 grams each.
So I've added 1370 grams in rotational weight along with the serious drag of carbide studs. My god, what a workout. What a horrible workout.
I just find it funny in the context of weight weenie-ism (aluminum vs brass nipples, carbon vs aluminum rims) to experience each winter such a massive and very perceptible weight change. At least it helps me appreciate all the more my lighter bikes in the spring!

I think the tire, the construction, the studs, the sluggishness has more to do with the pain in riding these than just the weight..altho that may have something to do with it. Energy to 'accelerate a bike and rider is the mass of the bike and rider'. 'Where' it is doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

I tried a set of Conti Touring tires..and altho not that much heavier, were just So Sluggish..

[Robbos]

I think the tire, the construction, the studs, the sluggishness has more to do with the pain in riding these than just the weight..altho that may have something to do with it. Energy to 'accelerate a bike and rider is the mass of the bike and rider'. 'Where' it is doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

I tried a set of Conti Touring tires..and altho not that much heavier, were just So Sluggish..

Absolutely. Being in the big ****ty, there's lots of stopping and starting. Getting these things up to speed is a chore, but one going they're OK....until the next traffic light. And the carbide studs definitely create loads of friction. But my legs will be stronger for it!

[Tickdoc]

Reminds me of my favorite 55 lbs of gravitationally challenged rolling mass. I love riding this thing around the neighborhood where the hills are slight and stopping distances are easy. It definitely gives you a workout and an admiration for what thousands of swiss soldiers had to do to survive the bicycle brigade.

Don't you love how it makes you feel like freakin Eddie Merckx once you get back on a road bike, though?:D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Handgod/182BDAC4-AA9A-4886-BE1D-6561CD837161_zpspvzurqtf.jpg

[Bradford]

I also think its the studs and not the weight.

I have three bikes I regularly ride, all different weights. The biggest gap is between my Serotta and my tandem, with the Tandem being heavier by at least 50 pounds when you factor in my daughter who isn't contributing any thrust. I also have studded tires for my touring bike I ride in the snow. The touring bike with studded tires on it is more of a chore to ride than the tandem with a 6 year old on the back. Up hill, than tandem/child is a work out, but on the flats, it rolls without too much effort. The studded tires are a drag on the flats and really wear me down over time. I have the studded tires on separate wheels and only ride them when I have to.

[Robbos]

Don't you love how it makes you feel like freakin Eddie Merckx once you get back on a road bike, though?:D

I remember coming back from a bike touring trip and almost crashing my Cervelo in the first few pedals strokes. I had become so used to a very heavy and stable ride that I forgot how nervous and reactive a road bike could be.