On Aug 5, 2011, at 6:01 PM, Aaron Schmidt wrote: > This might be an unpopular opinion but in my experience wheel weight, > and where in the wheel the weight is, can make a difference. Of course > the amount of difference it makes is likely to depend on the total > payload of the bike and rider. (Clearly I'm verging on religious > territory here, but I can perceive a difference when riding my 19ish# > go-fast (Salsa Primero) and my 30+# LHT. I did an 18 mile uphill TT on > these bikes (using a similar gear ratio) to see if reality matched my > perceptions. Indeed I made it up the hill faster on the lighter > bike.
I would reasonably expect an 11# (or more) weight difference to be noticeable. Imagine riding with a gallon and a half of water added to your bike- you'd notice it. With the OP's question we're talking a change of a few ounces- imagine the difference between riding with a full versus empty water bottle. Few people claim to notice this difference, but it's much greater than the 30 grams of tire weight some claim to be able to feel. Also, the frame geometry differences are going to give the bike a different feel in terms of handling which can make a rider feel faster or slower without actually being faster or slower. > My cross bike with 35c Marathons feels pokey on the road compared to > when I'm running 28c Gatorskins. On rough gravel roads I feel just the > opposite! I probably lose more water weight on a long ride than the > Marathons weigh more than the Gatorskins, true. However, they sure > feel different when riding. Those are very different tires in construction as well as size, so they are difficult to compare. > Only going down to 32s, it doesn't sound like you're going to go > weight weenie so who knows if you'll get up the hills faster. But > maybe the smaller tire with higher PSI will make you feel faster. > Totally counts for something. > > Can you borrow a wheel set from someone and see what you think? A reasonable idea. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
