New bike thoughts....bike Weight vs body weight

Losing weight on the bike always seems more dramatic than losing body weight, probably because the latter happens over time and you slowly adjust to it.  Going down 7 lbs of bike weight overnight however will seem like you just dropped 30 lbs off your body!  You'll be able to toss the bike around more easily, it will seem like it climbs effortlessly, and acceleration will be brisk, like you had a mini motor attached!  What you'll definitely notice though will be the dramatic change in frame stiffness and how little it flexes compared to the Soft-Ride.  Take one out for a short ride and see if it's not true!

Too bad about the limited color choice though....

Congrats on the 80 of 100 lb weight loss!!!!!!

That's AMAZING!!!

I can relate - Bike Lust.... My 20 yr old Raleigh was a good bike in it's day but.....

I can imagine the difference 7 lbs would make....

Gonna disagree with Bear here, but just a little. Losing 7 pounds of body weight, especially by dieting will negatively affect power output (but, unless it's from crash dieting where you lose muscle mass), it's very slight. Losing 7 pounds of bike weight has no affect on power output.

But, the loss of power is most likely so slight it's nearly negligible. So for all intents and purposes, Bear's right. Except not really.

Hi,

I would say that if you have the money, go for it...  7 pounds it's a lot on bike weight.  Mine weight 20 pounds with aerobars, saddle and cages...  so if I bought a mid rage road bike, will be like 18 pounds +/-.  For me investing $1,500+ to loose 2 pounds, is not significant, but 7 weight it is.

Wow...lots to mull over. Hey I want a new bike....probably going to get one....just trying to decide what type I want to get first.

I'm down 26 since the first of the year. I would defy you to detect a loss of power here, especially relative to the weight (i.e. strength-to-weight ratio)

I lost a bunch of weight really fast last year because of my jaw issues, and despite heavy training, I know I lost power. I'm guessing your weight loss wasn't soley from diet (like mine was). I know I lost muscle mass. 

Another good example of what buying a new bike might do! Like I need more incentive.

<< My Raleigh is only 19 years old! Kathy, Can't answer your question exactly, but... how much of the 7 pounds could you pick up by switching to some of the same components on your existing ride? If you could drop 2 pounds of rotating mass (like wheels & tires), you'd notice that much more than dropping 2 pounds from the frame. So...if you could get half the weight savings by upgrading your components, you'd probably get more than half the benefits (especially if you like the ride/layout of the Softride). As for hill-climbing...didn't Softride achieve some fame by one of the Kona winners riding one (10-15 years ago)? Doesn't Kona have at least one monster climb?>>

I don't really want to put more money in my bike....I have 105 parts and a big weight saving would be wheels but that is like more than 50% cost of the new bike I'm looking at. Softride frames are heavy. The other issue is Softride just went bankrupt 10 days ago...now it will be hard to get parts or warranty issues that may come up from beam technology.

A side note based on the above:

While this has no bearing on the lighter frame, which is certainly a help on the hills, one of the big perks of the softride is the fact that the carbon fiber is only in the beam.  If you get up out of the saddle just a little bit the give of the carbon fiber becomes a moot point. 

It is fairly commonly accepted that you lose something in the hills with a Softride.  They will always weigh more than a comprably equipped "regular" bike.  What you lose in the hills you get back in overall ride comfort and slightly improved aerodynamics (for a similarly priced bike).

You basically have to decide which is more important to you.  Good luck.  Oh, and of course many congrats on the impressive weight loss.

bts

7 pounds is a lot of weight.  If you do a lot of climbing, you'll definately notice, and appreciate the difference. If you ride mainly on flat ground, not so much.