Re: [CR]Bike Weight

(Example: Racing)

Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:50:57 -0400
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "John Betmanis" <johnb@oxford.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Bike Weight
In-Reply-To: <423700.17824.qm@web82208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
References: <28dcb8780807030419p553dcb3fq3f7f15cb58a3029c@mail.gmail.com>


At 08:30 AM 03/07/2008 -0700, Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
>It's not a myth at all. A wheel with more mass far from the center of rotation, i.e. the rims and tire, does take more energy to accelerate to a given speed as you concede.

Even Jobst Brandt concedes it only makes a tiny difference. http://yarchive.net/bike/rotating_mass.html

I suspect the story about an ounce saved on the wheels being equivalent to a pound saved on the frame stems from using tubular tires. They just feel so much more livelier than clinchers (at least the clinchers of 40-50 years ago) and of course, they were lighter.

John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada