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so is lance right, it isnt about the bike?

3K views 41 replies 31 participants last post by  noremedy 
#1 ·
So I am searching around for a new bike like a mad man but is it really necessary? The bike I have seems fine. It is a hard tail but I seem to prefer them over FS due to my over analyzing everything simple works better for me. Its not heavy, good components but some reason I am under the impression that if I get a nice new shinny bike I will be faster next season.

Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I think for some people buying a new or better bike is motivating to them to train and/or push harder...if that's the case then you might well be faster next season on a new bike.
 
#3 ·
jeffkenn said:
but some reason I am under the impression that if I get a nice new shinny bike I will be faster next season.

Any thoughts?
I think that a new bike will not make you significantly faster. Training smarter could make you faster though.
 
#8 ·
If you talking professional ranks where everyone is on a top level uber bikes, it's not about the bike. At the amateur level if you're trying to compete on a 26 pounder against someone on a sub-20 professional level machine, it can be about the bike. Also if you're on an old decrepit bike that can finish a race without mechanical problems, you have a great chance of losing more time to someone with significantly inferior fitness, but can ride steady for the whole race.
 
#9 ·
Even at the amateur level, Johnny Fat Boy on a 26 pound hardtail vs. Frank Fatty Pants on a 20 pound Scott Scale isn't going to make a big difference. If you're out of shape and/or have lousy bike handling skills you're not going to have the ability to get the most out of the bike.
 
#10 ·
Agreed with it's not the bike but the rider.... but the one thing that can make a difference is if it's a different geomotry. If you are cramped on your bike, then a bike with, say, a longer top tube may make you faster. There's a lot on a bike that can make a bike feel more comfortable to YOU, I emphasize the you because it's not the bike making you faster but being more comfortable on the bike that makes you able to be faster.
 
#17 ·
I think wheels and tires can play a big part... low rolling resistance and low rotating mass help reduce fatigue, especially if a tight twisty course where you're constantly having to slow down and re-accelerate...
 
#18 ·
That is where the smart $ is.

MI_canuck said:
I think wheels and tires can play a big part... low rolling resistance and low rotating mass help reduce fatigue, especially if a tight twisty course where you're constantly having to slow down and re-accelerate...
For technical courses a solid bike that the rider is comfortable on can be more more of an asset than absolute fitness levels. Heavy wheels and tires will turn any bike into a slug.
 
#19 ·
If it wasn't about the bike, why would Lance and Co. have been spending all that time in wind tunnels on bikes increasingly made of plastic over the last decade or so? Surely those scientists weren't taking accurate measurements of Armstrong's determination and grit. My friends, we should look at that sentence for what it is, a nice title for a book.
 
#21 ·
bike has a lot to do with it but the law of diminishing returns is at play. For example, would an amateur riding a 30lb hardtail see an improvement by using a 26 pound short travel race bike? I would think a definite yes for most trails.

However, would the same amateur get an equal improvement by going from that 26 pound bike to a 22 pound bike? probably not.
 
#23 ·
I resemble that remark

Berkeley Mike said:
If you listen to the folks on MTBR it's about the bike if you switch to a 29er, SS, or fully rigid.:D

Well it works for me
If you go to extremes comparing a 40 lb rigid with a 22 lb FS, yeah, the bike will make a difference. But when your in the same ballpark it's about the rider's fitness and skills.
One way that it is about the bike is if your bike makes it to the finish line. Have your mechanical shiite sorted out so a flat or some other mishap doesn't take you out.
 
#24 ·
It's really not about the bike, but ti think what Slufyer said is 100% true and if you feel like you need a new bike it might well give you the encouragement to ride faster next year. I know when I get a new bike it sure insoires me to ride hard and try more stuff.

sluflyer06 said:
I think for some people buying a new or better bike is motivating to them to train and/or push harder...if that's the case then you might well be faster next season on a new bike.
 
#26 ·
nathanbal said:
bike has a lot to do with it but the law of diminishing returns is at play. For example, would an amateur riding a 30lb hardtail see an improvement by using a 26 pound short travel race bike? I would think a definite yes for most trails.

However, would the same amateur get an equal improvement by going from that 26 pound bike to a 22 pound bike? probably not.
Its cheaper and much more effective to get yourself into better shape and drop 5 lbs. of body weight .
 
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