just wondering why people living in flatlands would care if their bikes are ultra light. i live in the mtn.s and less weight is nice. but if i were in the great plains i might consider a nice steel bike.

just wondering why people living in flatlands would care if their bikes are ultra light. i live in the mtn.s and less weight is nice. but if i were in the great plains i might consider a nice steel bike.For me is a hobbie and business! At least on the road. On the MTB, saving 2-4 pounds makes it MUCH easier to manuver around tight trails, quick steep climbs and easier to jump.

Its a challenge to see how low you can go and still get reliability, longevity while keeping functionality.

Well, I can understand getting lighter wheels, since thats less rotational mass. The less the weight, the faster you can move (in theory.)

It's like having sex with a skinny chick or a fat chick.

just wondering why people living in flatlands would care if their bikes are ultra light. i live in the mtn.s and less weight is nice. but if i were in the great plains i might consider a nice steel bike.

As a non-racer, I put comfort and reliability as first on my list of important bike attributes. I shun low-spoke count "show" wheels and gimmicky lightweight parts (I weigh 180+). I’d rather just ride and not worry. I live in a fairly flat area so a pound or two makes no difference to me. I love all 3 of my steel bikes. If I ever do get called up to ride the Tour, then by all means I'll switch to ultralight!

Its like buying a sports car when you live in a city stuck in permanent gridlock. Simply for the BLING!

just wondering why people living in flatlands would care if their bikes are ultra light. i live in the mtn.s and less weight is nice. but if i were in the great plains i might consider a nice steel bike.

Some flatlanders race, and feel that a lighter bike handles better in one. Some like ti, or carbon, and it's really hard to find one of those that's heavy. And of course there are the poseurs....

I grew up in the flats, and always thought bike weight was relatively unimportant. Then I moved to where there are hills.

It makes me feel superior to others.:rolleyes:

Been riding my 25 lbs cross bike all winter until yesterday - took out my 15.5lbs road bike. Do this and you will understand why light is attractive

I'm certainly no weight weinie, but I think that weight is important whether on flats or hills. Less weight on the flats means better, faster, easier acceleration as well as braking. I also think lighter bikes handle better in corners, all else being equal. BTW, all my bikes are steel, but that doesn't mean they're heavy.

Weight consciousness on flats = bling, doesn't matter.

Weight consciousness on hills = matters twice as much as it does on flats; which is not very much at all.

Drop 5 pounds, and i dunno, you'll gain a couple of meters on your favorite climb.

I have a fairly light bike-15.7 lbs, I certainly don't need it but I think it's cool, and I make no claims that many of it's components are little more than bike jewlery. Better than spending money on hookers and blow.

I'm a gearhead and technogeek. It's also a challenge, as JMT said, to build up something light yet everyday rideable. There are very few weight weenies who think there is a substantive performance advantage. One benefit to WW'ism is getting a realistic idea of what is durable and what isn't. I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out that a lot of WW stuff is muy durable, much more so than their presumptions lead them to believe.

WW'ism is certainly not about bling. The idea that it is comes from handicapped thought processes..

Well, I can understand getting lighter wheels, since thats less rotational mass. The less the weight, the faster you can move (in theory.)

Actually, reducing rotating mass allows for quicker acceleration, not higher speeds. And to quantify "quicker" - it's not much quicker. See analyticcycling.com for details.

It keeps me from going bald.
It makes women think that I'm a great lover
It make me ride 5 mph faster
People think that I race for a living.
If I ride a lighter bike, it's OK to pack on some pounds.
People tend to rationalize just about anything when they "want" something.

When you get into biking, you become addicted. When you're addicted you need more. Sometimes you can only have one. So instead of buying multiple bikes, you use that money to upgrade your bike, people generally view less weight as an upgrade.

Disclaimer: I have multiple bikes, and a couple in the works. So, by my logic, I know nothing on the matter of WW'ism, and the above is false.

As a non-racer, I put comfort and reliability as first on my list of important bike attributes. I shun low-spoke count "show" wheels and gimmicky lightweight parts (I weigh 180+). I’d rather just ride and not worry. I live in a fairly flat area so a pound or two makes no difference to me. I love all 3 of my steel bikes. If I ever do get called up to ride the Tour, then by all means I'll switch to ultralight!

These days, if you want to pay for it, you can get light weight, reliability, and comfort. It's not that hard. Things don't have to be heavy to be reliable. Low spoke count wheels, been riding them for years now, and nary a problem to be seen. They stay true, and bomb proof. I just ride and not worry, and spin around on a 16 pound bike. Lighter on race day.

Before I ride, I always;
Trim fingernails and toenails.
Shave (face)
Vaccuum lint out of saddle bag
Take diuretic so bladder is empty
Fill tires with helium
Blow nose
I don't know, but it really seems to help up those steep hills. Now, all I need to do now is lose those last 30 pounds to get back to race weight!!

... and the overwhelminging majority of Internet posters tells us so.

Better than spending money on hookers and blow.

I am expecting a rebuttal to your post from Charlie Sheen

... if you want to pay for it...

I don't want to pay for it. Nothing wrong with lower weight but its not going to improve my enjoyment of cycling. If that's old thinking, it's becasuse... well.. I'm old. After 20 years of riding, I'm not going to get any faster, so I might as well enjoy the ride