What a difference 4,085 grams make.

[Borg]

Ok..got my new wheel set rolling recently, and I know I got pummeled for falling for the sales pitch...but, today, on my ride to work, whatever the case may be...I noticed a substantial increase in speed going down a hill.

Normally, I would not have gone over 40mph, but today, (usually on this hill, I was usually near 36-38 range) I hit 41 miles per hour with the new wheels.

Not sure if it was due to the lighter mass (how much loss of mass would make "X" mph difference?)...or the fabeled bearings...but something made a difference, and in the positive direction, so I'm happy.

My steed:

[PaloAltoCougar]

NOOOOOOOO! I'm so sorry PAC. That is terrible news.

A couple of years ago my buddy got his first carbon ride. He went all out to the tune of about $5K. The FIRST time he went to take it out for a ride, we were in his driveway getting ready to go when his bike slipped off the car that it was leaning against. It landed against the corner of the house that was all brick and left a couple of nice gashes on his top tube. You could tell that he was devastated, but he remained stoic throughout. He took it to a friends house and was able to make it look as good as new with some carefully mixed and applied nail polish.

Thanks for the empathy. The seat doesn't look bad; I think it makes her look like the serious rider that she is. When we picked the bikes up, I reminded her of a famous Silicon Valley tragedy from the '80s: On the day Eagle Computer went public, its newly rich founder, Dennis Barnhart, picked up his new Ferrari and took it for a spin. He lost control near the Lexington Reservoir, flipped his new wheels, and was killed instantly. We've stepped up from the cycling equivalent of serviceable Fords to Ferraris. We'll be careful.

[bluegoose]

Her saddle sustained a mild scuff

NOOOOOOOO! I'm so sorry PAC. That is terrible news.

A couple of years ago my buddy got his first carbon ride. He went all out to the tune of about $5K. The FIRST time he went to take it out for a ride, we were in his driveway getting ready to go when his bike slipped off the car that it was leaning against. It landed against the corner of the house that was all brick and left a couple of nice gashes on his top tube. You could tell that he was devastated, but he remained stoic throughout. He took it to a friends house and was able to make it look as good as new with some carefully mixed and applied nail polish.

[PaloAltoCougar]

While I was working (sort of) here at home this morning, the wife took off with her cycling buddies on another 50-miler. She observed a huge difference with the new bike, and her pals were laughing at how much faster she was, leaving them in the dust a few times (and some of these women are very serious, including a spinning instructor). Unfortunately, when she was out in front of the pack near the crest of a short but steep climb, she goofed with her shifting and was suddenly in a very high gear and she "stalled." She didn't get out of her new road pedals fast enough and she took a tumble, receiving the usual chainring tattoo and some lacerations on her calf. Her saddle sustained a mild scuff but otherwise the bike wasn't damaged. After dusting herself off, she pedaled another 15 miles to lunch at the Wente Golf Club where she clean up the blood and applied a butterfly bandage to the open wound.

I did a bit more clean-up when she got home, and she says the only thing hurt is her pride, although it's kind of an ugly wound. I mentioned that I assumed this meant we wouldn't be doing the Calaveras climb tomorrow as we had planned, but she looked at me disgustedly for even thinking such a thing and said simply, "Please..." So off we'll go. Sometimes she really scares me.

[PaloAltoCougar]

...Very nice, PAC. I was looking for a picture online and couldn't find one. Do you have one that you can post?

I intend to submit a picture of both of us with our new wheels but that'll happen Saturday. Which is just as well--although PAC in Spandex is considered art by some, it is thought to be pornographic by certain administrators at work, and I don't wish to see any of you get fired by viewing us from your offices. Still, here's a photo, along with a link to a full review of the bike. The review has more photos, including the frame color we ended up with. We got the black and white models, eschewing red, both because of principle and a lack of availability...



http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/bl...-bike-preview/

[pellegrino]

Ok...I fell for a technology sales pitch. Made sense to me...not knowing the intricacies of the build...

Disregard anything I say....I'm a pushover for a good salesman...er...woman...HEY! No wonder I fell for it!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5j4i...eature=related

[creekster]

Regarding bearings, I think that they can make a difference, but for most of us the benefit would be completely unnoticeable. I can't imagine that the benefit of having ceramic bearings would be worth near the cost of paying for them.

This is a better wya of stating it. Are ceramic bearigns better? Sure. But th ebig difference is the lower masas at rim and spoke.

Before believeing naythign I say on this topic, however, keep in mind that I most often ride a bike that is set up as a tourer and has more spokes than a DT factory on the rear wheel.

I love maple bars, too, BG, which means you are not allowed into the pick up. They are all mine. But I will keep a cold bottle of ovaltine ready for you.

[bluegoose]

"SHOTGUN!!!" I like maple bars, creekster, and if you don't mind I prefer Ovaltine to plain Chocolate milk. TIA.

Very nice, PAC. I was looking for a picture online and couldn't find one. Do you have one that you can post?

You are going to love the new steed. When I went from Steel to Carbon I lost about 5 pounds and noticed an immediate difference. Throw in a minor drop in my body weight, and my Death Ride time dropped almost an hour and a half from the old bike to the new one.

Regarding bearings, I think that they can make a difference, but for most of us the benefit would be completely unnoticeable. I can't imagine that the benefit of having ceramic bearings would be worth near the cost of paying for them.

[Borg]

Ah, come on Creek, it's so simple! Maybe you need a refresher course. It's all ball bearings now a days!

Ok...I fell for a technology sales pitch. Made sense to me...not knowing the intricacies of the build...

Disregard anything I say....I'm a pushover for a good salesman...er...woman...HEY! No wonder I fell for it!!!

[mtnbiker]

Given th info I have found out about some of you recently, I am thinking about leaving the bikes home and just driving my pick up around the lake as the sag wagon, eating donuts and drinking chocolate milk. Stopping every few miles for a nap. Actually, that sounds pretty good.

mmmm... donuts! Actually, I was planning on taking a bungee cord and hooking it from your seat post to my handle bars so you can drag me around the lake.

[pellegrino]

Not sure its the bearigns that make that much difference. Most of the sealed bearings these days are very simialr if not identical (I know a lot of comapnies brag about their bearings, but it is mostly hoo-hah).

The real issue is rotating mass. The biggest wya to makew a weight loss matter (apart from a strict diet for the engine) is to elimiante weight at the rim and in the spokes. Rotating mass requires lots of energy for acceleration so reducing weight in the rims and spokes makse you faster off the line and in sprints and allows you to stay at speed with less energy. That's why road racers use skinny tubulars instead of clinchers, etc. It's all about reducing rotating mass.

Ah, come on Creek, it's so simple! Maybe you need a refresher course. It's all ball bearings now a days!

[creekster]

Awesome...good job!

Another major deal that I have recently discovered myself, is an upgrade in wheelsets.

Better bearings = improved/easier wheel rotation = faster times, less effort.

That might be a significant factor too. I'm stoked that you finally got the new 'steeds' out for a run.

Not sure its the bearigns that make that much difference. Most of the sealed bearings these days are very simialr if not identical (I know a lot of comapnies brag about their bearings, but it is mostly hoo-hah).

The real issue is rotating mass. The biggest wya to makew a weight loss matter (apart from a strict diet for the engine) is to elimiante weight at the rim and in the spokes. Rotating mass requires lots of energy for acceleration so reducing weight in the rims and spokes makse you faster off the line and in sprints and allows you to stay at speed with less energy. That's why road racers use skinny tubulars instead of clinchers, etc. It's all about reducing rotating mass.

[creekster]

I've read about gram shavers, and how serious cyclists spend hundreds of dollars on components that reduce weight by a few dozen grams. Well yesterday my wife and I picked up our new bikes and weighed them vs. our old hybrids. We have each shaved over 4 kilos off of our steeds. We took them out for a quick spin this morning, and reduced our fastest times on our morning loop from 51 minutes to 45. I wasn't pushing it as hard as when I set my personal best on the old bike. The trip includes a short climb that was noticeably faster.

We're still getting used to the gearing and somewhat different riding position, but this is going to be fun. I've mentioned it before be we're each riding a Look 566, with all carbon frame and posts and SRAM Rival componentry. I'm really looking forward to Saturday when we'll go for distance.

You are going to love the bike and you are going to fly around the lake.

Given th info I have found out about some of you recently, I am thinking about leaving the bikes home and just driving my pick up around the lake as the sag wagon, eating donuts and drinking chocolate milk. Stopping every few miles for a nap. Actually, that sounds pretty good.

[mtnbiker]

Awesome...good job!

Another major deal that I have recently discovered myself, is an upgrade in wheelsets.

Better bearings = improved/easier wheel rotation = faster times, less effort.

That might be a significant factor too. I'm stoked that you finally got the new 'steeds' out for a run.

You never did tell us what your old wheels were and what new wheels you went with. What did you decide on, and how much of a difference is there in weight and perceived rolling resistance?

[mtnbiker]

We took them out for a quick spin this morning, and reduced our fastest times on our morning loop from 51 minutes to 45.

Wow, you were doing tons of climbing before (pun somewhat intended). You're going to turn into a mountain goat now.