'97 Kona Cindercone hotrod - Now with paint and decals!

Is my build retro enough?

  • Yes. Were nearly in 2010 ffs!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Well its kinda retro modernised...

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • NO

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Its somewhere in between mate but still very cool ;)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
KeepItSteel":2ttfuvde said:
Neil":2ttfuvde said:
Most people would be better served losing a couple of pounds of bodyweight...
I have to disagree.
Although losing weight will serve you getting fitter and enjoying your ride more...

Which is quite significant, no?

KeepItSteel":2ttfuvde said:
it wont make your bike feel lighter & whippier, it wont get you up & over obstacles easier (within reason) , & it wont accelerate any more rapidy.

It won't make your bike feel lighter - but that won't matter quite as much - you'll likely be fitter, and lighter - and as for the rest - yes it will help.

Your combined weight will be less - so you'll definitely accelerate quicker - especially if you are fitter. And there will be less mass to defeat gravity to get over obstacles.

KeepItSteel":2ttfuvde said:
Lighter bikes, especially in the frame & wheelset area, feel faster/better/more nimble than a heavier equivalent no matter what your BMI is.

I'm not denying that light bikes have a feel of their own - but the laws of physics simply can't be defeated in the way you imply.

KeepItSteel":2ttfuvde said:
By all means lose the weight though, it improves the overall package!

Which is just as significant.
 
im not looking to cause controversy, I just think its lazy to argue that you dont need a lighter bike, but that you just need to be fitter.
its almost anti-high-end-bike snobery

I acknowledge that a lardy arse will not be significantly faster on a lighter bike.... fitness will have a more beneficial effect. But fitness and lightweight bikes go hand in hand as an overall improved package.

Put an elite rider on a bike 3 or 4 lbs heavier than his usual over a longish distance, and he wont thank you for it at the end of the race.

A lighter bike is easier to lift and easier to haul and easier to accelerate on than a heavier equivalent, no matter what your proportional weight/fitness level is. Thats physics in action.

pick apart my opinion if you like, but lighter bikes just feel better and are less tiring to ride over distance. I also acknowledge that for some (perhaps less fit) riders the benefit will only ever be a placebo effect, but even that will mean that you ride faster...so surely its a win/win situation?
 
A lighter bike is easier to lift and easier to haul and easier to accelerate

nope , a bike with the correct geometry and fit is .

Theres no way I'd be anywhere near as quick as I am now if I had to ride a bike that had kooky lengths and angles .

A good case in point is when I last rode with unocogero ages ago . Normally I'd be able to leave him behind quite happily with my 33lb dmr , but that day I was on the 23lb Kona that at the time had bars a mere 22" wide , I was pretty much a dead weight that ride and struggled to not lose the group :LOL:

and I haven't even mentioned weight distribution ...
 
sigh... :LOL:

Ok, assuming you are reasonably fit, and that you have a bike suited to your build with the correct geometry and componentry size.... then a lighter weight bike comes into effect

my final casing point, how many olympic xc racers will be riding full suss(which is supposedly far more efficient over rough ground)?. none...they obviously have bikes that fit them properly (I thought that was a given)...but for endurance, they will demand the lightest weight possible, to preserve energy and allow them to lift easier and accelerate faster.

enough already! im glad you like your heavy bikes, honestly! I just get frustrated by the 'just lose weight,its cheaper' brigade. it is a good point, and possibly more beneficial to the average rider... but at the end of the day you will go faster if your bike is lighter. lose weight and switch to a heavier bike, you will most likely go slower than sticking to your lighter bike.
can of worms springs to mind.
can we just agree?, ride more , get fitter , ride faster , go lighter, ride even faster. just ride!
 
Where does faster, smarter, lighter, upside down, through water and over the moon come in to it.
I thought he was building this bike for fun and the weight of it is his goal, aim, joy in all of this :roll: riding it is a mere distraction at the end.

Hell if we didn't worry about weight then we would all still be riding around on 40lb+ Townsend's and trying to loose weight.
 
I thought he was building this bike for fun and the weight of it is his goal, aim, joy in all of this Rolling Eyes riding it is a mere distraction at the end.

Is that me you refer to as 'he' there?

I did have weight in mind a little when selecting parts but if I wanted to build a bike with the sole purpose being light weight I wouldnt build it around a old steel kona frame. I know this will be quite a light bike in the end and I will be pleased if its under 24lb (which it should be) but ultimately this bike is being built to ride. I like steel Konas for their handling. If that handling comes with a slight weight penalty its a worthwhile compromise.
 
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