On Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:27:00 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 6/19/2019 1:48 PM, Zen Cycle wrote:
On Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 12:49:48 PM UTC-4, duane wrote:


5lbs? My Tarmac is probably closer to 12 lbs lighter than my cro moly
Volpe.

I hear you, my Scott CR1 is 7 pounds lighter than my Merlin Road - with the same wheels.


And no in reality it's not a subtle or imagined difference. And no,
it's not just about weight unless everything else is exactly the same.

The difference in overall performance between a decent carbon racing frame and even an exceptionally well-made steel racing frame is striking. The acceleration is startlingly quicker, the handling/cornering is more precise and quicker. The ride feels nearly as compliant, not enough difference such that a five hour ride leaves you feeling any more fatigued. IT simply comes alive with any real effort. This may come across as more of something that is only of interest to racers, but it isn't. My CR1 is a joy to ride, as much as I realize the Tarmac is to those who have enough experience to understand it.

Differences in acceleration are a little more complicated than
differences in climbing speed, but not much. When accelerating, you've
got to generate not only the translational acceleration of the entire
bike; you've also got to generate the rotational acceleration of the
wheels and tires. But the latter is quite a small portion of your total
effort. If you put your bike on a workstand, you can give the wheels
that acceleration value using one finger on a spoke. It's barely a blip
compared to accelerating 160 - 200 pounds of bike+rider.

Rigidity of the frame feels nice when accelerating, and I suppose it may
make some difference. But I'm not aware of tests proving it's significant.

Overall, when someone is convinced that a design aspect of their bike
makes them faster, we should have a way of determining it's not just a
placebo effect, or an imaginary effect. Psychology is powerful in athletics.

Has anyone done a before-after test on a bike that got painted red?

Good Lord! There is no need to make any tests to prove that red bikes
are faster. It is a known fact.

Just exactly like the fact that a bright white light on your bike
guarantees your safety. (particularly those sold by guerrilla sales
persons).


--

Cheers,

John B.