[Closed] Thinking about losing some weight. Will I notice?

Thought this thread was going to be about bodyweight, you will certainly notice 10kg on your body more than 200g on the wheels 🙂

The stock wheels on my Defy are around 2kg and for just over £300 I could lose 500g with Prime wheels from CRC/Wiggle.  It seems like a lot to lose and may well make me quicker uphill but in reality all that saved time will be spent at the top of hills waiting for those who are 10kg overweight to catch up. 🙂

If your all in weight is, say, 100kg then losing 200g will make you less than  0.2% quicker up a hill. That's 7 seconds in an hour of climbing.

Losing the 10kg off you will make you around 10% faster. 6 seconds for every minute of climbing.

10Kg off you - big difference

250g off the bike - maybe a second or 2 quicker over 2K on a 5% climb

Pffft you lot are on a downer today.

Light bikes feel nice, dropping 500g off the wheels makes the bike feel a  whole lot more lively and eager to accelerate.

Light riders do go faster though.

If your all in weight is, say, 100kg then losing 200g will make you less than  0.2% quicker up a hill. That’s 7 seconds in an hour of climbing.

Losing the 10kg off you will make you around 10% faster. 6 seconds for every minute of climbing.

Not strictly true. If you're already at your racing weight then losing weight will make you slower as you're losing muscle and still have to carry the same skeleton, organs etc up the hill.

Conversely someone comparatively sedentary losing 500g via exercise would get a simultaneous boost in power so the improvement might be >>10% (losing say 20kg fat and gaining 10kg muscle).

I'm guessing from the tone of the question though that the 10kg the OP mentioned isn't because he's been squatting in the gym!

Question though... Is a beer gut more aerodynamic than a flat six pack?

Question though… Is a beer gut more aerodynamic than a flat six pack?

depends, if you bare that six-pack to the world and get your torso down and horizontal to the direction of travel, there might be some sort of boundary layer effect from your rippling stomach that helps reduce drag.

Similarly if you can fashion some sort of profiled fin to wear on your back, that combined with a nice round gut, could make an excellent aerofoil type shape when sat up.

So "Marginal gains" and all that...

It's not just the rotational weight your bike will lose, there's a very good chance that new wheels could have smoother operation, both while pedalling or freewheeling.

I recently swapped the Fulcrum Racing Sport DB wheels; butyl tubes; 700x28 Conti Grand Sport race tyres; Shimano RT-54(?) 6-bolt basic rotors for Hunt Aero Light Disc wheels; Vittoria latex tubes; 700x28 Conti Gp4000 S2s; Shimano RT800 ICE centerlock rotors on my Cube. The weight loss was ~700g.

Even though I've been carrying extra water water weight in the heatwave, the very odd power climb I've done has given new PBs up some cat4s, but I can also feel much better pickup when I start pedalling or freewheel.

500grams off the wheels makes a massive difference imo

Thanks for all the replies.

I’m guessing from the tone of the question though that the 10kg the OP mentioned isn’t because he’s been squatting in the gym!

Ah, well, weirdly, it is! I'd been training for the Etape du Tour this year and what with hill reps and squats and dodgy steaks went up from my usual flyweight of around 70kg up to the more paperweight 80kg. I don't know which is my actual fighting weight but I am fitter now than I have been in years.

Yes I'm looking at keeping/increasing power while losing/maintaining weight, but as said at the top, the "my bike's lighter than yours" thread got me thinking about throwing money at the bike, which then became a "would I notice the weight loss from the bike with this extra girth around my thighs?"

I'm not actually even sure if I am looking to be talked in to or talked out of spending money.

OP you will feel the bike being lighter. Whether that's worth the £ is up to you only.

there’s a very good chance that new wheels could have smoother operation, both while pedalling or freewheeling

If you mean in terms of saving energy, then no, there absolutely isn't.

Question though… Is a beer gut more aerodynamic than a flat six pack?

Judging by the local club’s 10mile TT, it’s the beer gut. 😁

If your all in weight is, say, 100kg then losing 200g will make you less than  0.2% quicker up a hill. That’s 7 seconds in an hour of climbing.

Silly buggers.  As if that's what he's trying to do 🙄

You will notice nice light wheels yes.  It makes the bike feel much snappier on acceleration.  You won't care how many seconds per hour of climbing it saves.

You can get the same effect by buying a trailer for less £££ and more practicality. After 4 hours with it yesterday the bike feels much lighter today!

I love a light bike but I'm realistic, I don't think it's making that much performance difference. What it does do, is encourage me to work harder- light generally means responsive and responsive means your inputs feel more productive. My Soul has stupidly light wheels and man, it just makes me want to pedal like ****.

Ah, well, weirdly, it is! I’d been training for the Etape du Tour this year and what with hill reps and squats and dodgy steaks went up from my usual flyweight of around 70kg up to the more paperweight 80kg.

First time I've ever heard of someone putting on 22 lbs training for the Etape 😂😂. It would have been much better staying close to the 70k and just worked on fitness. How much fat do you have on you now, try and loose some of that for a start.

 Light bikes feel nice, dropping 500g off the wheels makes the bike feel a  whole lot more lively and eager to accelerate.

This all the way, I love how a light bike feels even though I'm more the Clydesdale these days 🙁