Addendum: Since I've experienced this fit/feel-cum-speed thing over almost 15 years with the '99 and for almost 10 with the '03, I think I can discount psychology. With the Herse, the immediate feeling was: "How like the Rivs!"
Shoulda kept it -- except that I needed the $$. I hope the Ram ends up feeling as good -- and! That it does not end up costing as much as the Herse. So far, it's much less. On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 11:13 AM, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > Beside weight, tire quality and width, strength, and frame flex -- or, > better, suitability of frame for the rider: leaving these out, can anyone > speak (with meaning) about rider position, bike fit, and geometry suited > for rider position, and their relation to speed? > > I come back to the Herse I owned: heavy, stiff, mediocre tires (at least > my take after riding them for a few K miles on two bikes): yet the Herse > seemed to encourage spirited riding in a way that other bikes of similar or > even lighter weight and tires no worse did not. > > What I experienced on the Herse is what I experience on the two Riv > customs: they just "feel" right and let me pedal at higher cadences for > given perceived effort in a given gear or very close range of gears, again > compared to other bikes that don't have the same "optimum fit and feel" > quality. This includes the Motobecane which is made from light, > narrow-tubed 531; the H and 2 Rs are of stouter (and in the case of the > Rivs) larger diameter tubing. > > Anyone? > > > On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 10:08 AM, Jan Heine <hein...@earthlink.net> wrote: > >> Patrick in VT wrote: Would I rather shave 5lbs bike/body or increase my >> functional threshold power from 300w to 325w? It's a no-brainer. >> >> You are absolutely right. And that is why frame flex is so important. >> Imagine a bike that allows you to put out 325W instead of 300W for the same >> fatigue! From our testing, that is how "planing" works - the frame isn't >> more efficient for a given power output, but our power outputs vary with >> different frames. From our observations, it appears that you build up less >> lactic acid when the frame smoothes your pedal stroke, by storing energy >> during the downstrokes and releasing it during the dead spots. >> >> For those who think power output is constant, no matter the bike, it may >> help to think about pushing against a concrete wall. The wall doesn't move, >> so no work is done. Zero Watts. Yet you'll get tired pushing against the >> wall in no time. Similarly, if your frame doesn't move during the >> downstroke, it seems to limit how much power you can put into the system >> before the bike "pushes back" like that concrete wall. Then your legs start >> to hurt, and muscle fatigue limits your power output. On a bike that >> "planes," your legs don't hurt, and your cardiovascular fitness becomes the >> (higher) limiting factor. >> >> That explains why in our experience, performance correlates only very >> weakly with weight, but very strongly with optimized frame flex >> characteristics. (Of course, weight and optimized frame flex >> characteristics are correlated on most bikes, hence lightweight bikes often >> perform better than heavier ones.) >> >> Jan Heine >> Editor >> Bicycle Quarterly >> >> Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/ >> >> >> On Tuesday, January 15, 2013 8:33:36 AM UTC-8, Patrick in VT wrote: >> >>> On Monday, January 14, 2013 2:58:13 PM UTC-5, Skenry wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> The only real way to compair weights is to have a frame built up with >>>> normal duty "heavy" Riv-ish parts and then build it again with lighter >>>> "racing" parts. Then you'd be able to notice a weight diffence. >>>> Scott >>>> >>> >>> If that's the case, I'll weigh in. I have two identical steel frame >>> bikes - same exact fit on both. One has a full-on race build for CX and >>> weighs about 17lbs. The other has a stouter build for >>> gravel-grinding/rough-stuff and is around at 20-21lbs - but is still worthy >>> as a pit-bike for CX racing and/or fast club riding. I absolutely notice a >>> difference between the bikes, but that difference is irrelevant to 90% of >>> riding I do ... it doesn't matter and I don't think about it. We're >>> talking seconds (and not a lot of them) on a long climb or a TT. That's >>> what any "performance" gain amounts to from dropping a few pounds off a >>> "go-fast" bike, or a rider's weight for that matter. Seconds. Maybe a >>> couple minutes on a long ride. >>> >>> In my experience, step function improvement in performance primarily >>> comes from improved fitness/power, particularly functional threshold power >>> (basically the max power one can sustain for an hour). Far bigger gains in >>> performance can be had there. Would I rather shave 5lbs bike/body or >>> increase my functional threshold power from 300w to 325w? It's a >>> no-brainer. Lightweight might feel good, but being strong and fit feels >>> better - in my case, to the point where I don't sweat a carrying a few >>> extra pounds on my frame or a bike frame. >>> >>> It's not all that different with running. A general rule of thumb that >>> gets kicked around is 2 seconds per mile per extra pound of body weight. >>> So if I weigh an extra 5lbs for a local 5k, i can expect to be about 30-45 >>> seconds slower unless I improved my run fitness along with the weight >>> gain. in any event, we're still talking seconds or maybe a couple of >>> minutes on a 10 mile run. doesn't matter unless it matters, like trying to >>> qualify for the Boston marathon or if somebody is serious about setting >>> personal records (which a lot of runners are). >>> >>> >>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/ixuj4ebYfMsJ. >> >> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. >> > > > > -- > > ------------------------- > Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA > For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW > http://resumespecialties.com/index.html > ------------------------- > -- ------------------------- Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW http://resumespecialties.com/index.html ------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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