Jean
12-31-1969, 08:00 PM
"Southern Girl" <Alice-in-Webland@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:9543-46906394-25@storefull-3132.bay.webtv.net...
| I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
| serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
|
| I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
| 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
|
| The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
| Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
| that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
| for riders who will not be racing?
|
Your sensitivity to the weight of the bike is a function of two things -
how much you have to accelerate the bike (as in starting up from a stop or
pedaling up a hill), and how much horsepower you can generate.
If you won't be doing much stop-and-go riding and you don't expect to
encounter many hills, the bike's weight won't be much of a factor.
Otherwise, the weight may be an issue if you aren't physically able to
generate much power.
Based on your signature, I'm assuming that you are female. Most of the
posters in this group and guys and, pound for pound, have more muscle mass
and therefore, can generate more power than a female. On top of that, they
are BIG guys (like over 200 lbs) so they can be expected to have a LOT more
power than a typical female. For them, the difference between a 20 lb and
25 lb bike is such a small percentage of their body weight that it has
little importance. For someone like myself (female, 110 lbs, a member of
AARP) that 5 pound difference is noticeable, but not too objectionable,
when I ride around town (lots of stop-and-go) or tackle a hill.
The bike you mentioned looks like a good one for someone who is just
starting out. I'd probably ditch the suspension seatpost to trim the weight
(the suspension is probably superfluous given that the bike has 28mm
tires). And if you really get into the biking thing, maybe next year
consider getting a lighter bike with drop bars.
Jean
news:9543-46906394-25@storefull-3132.bay.webtv.net...
| I have read many of the posts and this group appears to be oriented for
| serious cyclists. I hope you will indulge a newcomer.
|
| I will be riding in charity/group rides on rolling hills in lengths of
| 25 to 50 miles. I am riding for fitness not for speed or competition.
|
| The bike I wish to purchase is the Jamis Coda Comp. According to the
| Jamis website it weighs 24.75 lbs. Is that a good weight for rides of
| that length and terrain or is too heavy? How important is bike weight
| for riders who will not be racing?
|
Your sensitivity to the weight of the bike is a function of two things -
how much you have to accelerate the bike (as in starting up from a stop or
pedaling up a hill), and how much horsepower you can generate.
If you won't be doing much stop-and-go riding and you don't expect to
encounter many hills, the bike's weight won't be much of a factor.
Otherwise, the weight may be an issue if you aren't physically able to
generate much power.
Based on your signature, I'm assuming that you are female. Most of the
posters in this group and guys and, pound for pound, have more muscle mass
and therefore, can generate more power than a female. On top of that, they
are BIG guys (like over 200 lbs) so they can be expected to have a LOT more
power than a typical female. For them, the difference between a 20 lb and
25 lb bike is such a small percentage of their body weight that it has
little importance. For someone like myself (female, 110 lbs, a member of
AARP) that 5 pound difference is noticeable, but not too objectionable,
when I ride around town (lots of stop-and-go) or tackle a hill.
The bike you mentioned looks like a good one for someone who is just
starting out. I'd probably ditch the suspension seatpost to trim the weight
(the suspension is probably superfluous given that the bike has 28mm
tires). And if you really get into the biking thing, maybe next year
consider getting a lighter bike with drop bars.
Jean