Lose weight from bike or rider, which has most effect?

lofty102

Hello,

Just a question that has raised its head at work over the past couple of days, which we can't answer!

Where is it more beneficial to lose 1kg from, the bike or the rider? Or is there no difference as the overall weight will be the same wherever the weight is lost from.

Obviously it's easier and much cheaper to lose a kilo from the rider, but if a 80kg rider lost 1kg would they notice a difference, and if the same 80kg person had an 8kg bike and and reduced the bikes weight to 7kg again would they notice it?

Thanks.

ju5t1n

It might depend whether the 1kg lost from the rider was water, muscle, or fat?

deadhead1971

You'd also notice a bigger difference if it was 1kg lost from the wheels, rather than the rest of the frame/components because of the physics of angular momentum and all that stuff.

topdude

I suspect you would notice 1kg off the bike because it would be an instant weight reduction.
1kg off the rider would take a couple of months so hardly noticeable.
Unless you cut an arm or leg off, then you certainly would notice the difference

team47b

Go out with a litre of water on the bike, drink the water, any difference

imposter2.0

deadhead1971 wrote:

You'd also notice a bigger difference if it was 1kg lost from the wheels, rather than the rest of the frame/components because of the physics of angular momentum and all that stuff.

You might have to explain that one. Wheels are usually a good place to start shedding weight from a bike, but other than reducing the overall weight of the bike (which can sometimes be significant), the effects of lighter wheels are generally over-stated...or over-anticipated...

jibberjim

topdude wrote:

1kg off the rider would take a couple of months so hardly noticeable.

Most people will vary by more than 1kg within a day.

dilatory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DRQwKREgvI

sungod

assuming rider power is constant...

going from 88kg to 87kg means you'll need c. 1.14% less energy to go up climbs

on a long climb, this adds up, i.e. climb for 100 minutes, you reach the top over a minute sooner for the same energy expenditure, on descent you'll go slightly slower due to lower potential energy but the drag due to far higher speed means it has less impact

on the flat it only makes a difference when accelerating, which tends to be short duration, so unless there're a lot of accelerations weight is less noticeable, and if you're not wasting energy braking then on the heavier system you'll lose speed a bit slower so it balances out in terms of energy expended

taking 1kg off the wheels is noticeable on hard acceleration (and even more noticeable on the wallet), but at constant velocity it makes no difference where the weight is

btw some people think saving weight on wheels vs. elsewhere matters on long climbs, but physics says otherwise

styxd

deadhead1971 wrote:

You'd also notice a bigger difference if it was 1kg lost from the wheels, rather than the rest of the frame/components because of the physics of angular momentum and all that stuff.

Did you lose weight from your brain?

diamonddog

jibberjim wrote:

topdude wrote:

1kg off the rider would take a couple of months so hardly noticeable.

Most people will vary by more than 1kg within a day.

This^^

Anonymous

Depends how you lose the weight from the bike.

If you have a 22lb bike and go out and get a 16lb one, trust me, that will a lot better than losing 6lb off your butt.
Best thing is always to do both though ;-)

JayKosta

Losing 'fat weight' or even 'excess cycling muscle' (e.g. huge chest & arms) will give more benefit in the long run than weight off the bike.
WHY? because in addition to less combined bike+rider weight, body weight needs to be kept warm and fed - and that takes calories away from pedaling the bike.

The 'deal' with lighter wheels is that while riding there is always some amount of acceleration / deceleration even when attempting to ride at a constant speed. The physics of 'spinning wheels' is that lighter wheels need less force to be made to spin faster than heavy ones.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

neeb

diamonddog wrote:

jibberjim wrote:

topdude wrote:

1kg off the rider would take a couple of months so hardly noticeable.

Most people will vary by more than 1kg within a day.

This^^

True, but if you lose 1kg of fat your weight will vary around an average that is 1kg less. You'll also probably find that your weight doesn't vary that much on a daily basis at about the same time of day when you are doing the same things, unless you are dehydrated.

poppit

So far this year I've lost 8kg and I can tell the difference

Anonymous

GCN have two videos on this on there website

Sprool

poppit wrote:

So far this year I've lost 8kg and I can tell the difference

Well thats a whole road bike so no wonder. Where did you lose it?

poppit

Sprool wrote:

poppit wrote:

So far this year I've lost 8kg and I can tell the difference

Well thats a whole road bike so no wonder. Where did you lose it?

Everywhere really, bodyfat is down by 4%, waist down by 4.5", another 7kg to go! :shock:

rolf_f

Sprool wrote:

poppit wrote:

So far this year I've lost 8kg and I can tell the difference

Well thats a whole road bike so no wonder. Where did you lose it?

His bike got pinched!

Anonymous

I think people often confuse a 'lighter' bike with a 'light' bike.

Its always better to have a light bike, from toddler to OAP. its as simple as that really.
Anyone trying the old lose weight from your body rubbish is often just trying to justify having a cheap bike or sound cool and knowledgable IMO.

There is only about half a stone between a heavy and light bike. The weight difference between a heavy and light rider is about 10, 15 or even 20 times that.

If someone weighs 16 stone and has a 23lb bike, he will notice far more difference if he buys a 16lb bike than slimming to 15.5 stone.
I am not sure the 23lb bike would ever feel as good as the 16lb one, no matter how much weight he lost.

Before you say he should not be riding a 16lb bike, I personally do not buy into the whole rider weight v bike weight thing so would suggest anyone does both if they are wanting improved performance and enjoyment.

If you are talking about having a 'lighter' bike then yes, putting a carbon bottle cage on or upgrading your groupset is daft if you could lose half a stone.

napoleond

I did a circuit race on my 9.5kg ribble winter/audax bike yesterday withy heavy training wheels on. Put it this way, it wasn't the bike that prevented me from winning.

Anonymous

Guessing the other people in the race had the biggest effect on the outcome.
Much bigger than you losing weight from either yourself or your bike if you do not think a faster/lighter bike would have helped.

As we are giving real world examples, I went home on my 'road' road bike for the first time in months (rather than the usual commuting bike) the other night and put it this way, I would not have gone as fast or had as big a smile on my face if I could have done a 6lb dump before leaving work

Am now thinking of getting a couple of carbon bottle cages

rayjay

I am a weight weenie ,I am always finding ways to lighten my bike.
I think if you drop a few pounds off your bike it will feel different.
IMO It reacts much quicker and you are not fighting it so much ,,,if you get me.
I suppose the downside is a heavy bike feels much more stable going down a mountain.
If you get the fat off your body then you will feel better and if you are carrying a stone or 2 of blubber then losing it can only be a good thing.
Anything else then you need to look into it, as you don't want to deplete your energy for the sake of losing some weight.

w00dster

Ive spent a bit too much cash being a weight weenie. New stem, seat post and saddle, also new wheels.
The wheels arent on yet, but I can tell you that the hundred or so grams ive lost on the bike makes absolutely no difference what so ever. The only difference ive noticed is the hole in my bank account.

napoleond

Oh don't get me wrong. I have a splendid, light, best bike that is a nicer ride! I just don't think the outcome of the race would've been any different if I was on that rather than my ribble. I'm all for blinging bikes up.

neeb

w00dster wrote:

I can tell you that the hundred or so grams ive lost on the bike makes absolutely no difference what so ever. The only difference ive noticed is the hole in my bank account.

I have weenie tendencies myself, but the absolute minimum weight loss you are actually going to be able to notice is about a kilo, probably nearer two kilos.. Of course to lose a kilo of bike weight you generally need to make lots of little 100g savings that all add up..

w00dster

I have Ultegra 6800, saving up to put dura ace mech on, but that will be at the end of summer. New handle bars are an option. Anyone has any suggestions for light bars then let me know.....
Other little tweaks i've done, 3t carbon top cap (pointless I know) and ti skewers.

rayjay

w00dster wrote:

Ive spent a bit too much cash being a weight weenie. New stem, seat post and saddle, also new wheels.
The wheels arent on yet, but I can tell you that the hundred or so grams ive lost on the bike makes absolutely no difference what so ever. The only difference ive noticed is the hole in my bank account.

Hi can you tell me what parts have you bought? I would be interested to know.
cheers

rayjay

w00dster wrote:

I have Ultegra 6800, saving up to put dura ace mech on, but that will be at the end of summer. New handle bars are an option. Anyone has any suggestions for light bars then let me know.....
Other little tweaks i've done, 3t carbon top cap (pointless I know) and ti skewers.

w00dster wrote:

I have Ultegra 6800, saving up to put dura ace mech on, but that will be at the end of summer. New handle bars are an option. Anyone has any suggestions for light bars then let me know.....
Other little tweaks i've done, 3t carbon top cap (pointless I know) and ti skewers.

You can pick up some Zipp carbon bars on ebay quite cheap or some 3t bars both come in at under 200grms.
I have some Zipp bars and cut them down off the ends and the weight drops to around 155grms.

You may also look out for ITM 101 bars,,, the older model was well under 200grms.

markos1963

The very act of losing weight from the rider will give you a bigger gain than the lighter bike. Why, because the training needed to loose that weight means you're a more efficient rider who has worked harder to get there. If it was a question of just using the best, lightest components then why aren't pro riders 100kg?

VmanF3

I've lost 13kg since September last year. I've been riding the same bike during this time. At 13kg heavier compared to 13kg lighter, I can confirm that ascending The Rock of Gibraltar was a heap easier the second time.

Most of the weight was lost due to changes in lifestyle and diet, not increased training.

That been said, now I'm at this reduced weight, I reckon I'd see more of a benefit from a light bike as losing a similar amount of weight again would probably de-power me!