There is tremendous interest in road bikes right now. Many people think that the most important question is How much does this bike weigh? We feel that we need to gement on this aspect of road bike performance, a factor that we feel is important, but maybe overrated. Lots of people are currently considering buying their first road bike ever, after years of mountain biking. Everyone has heard stories about the extremely lightweight road bikes that are currently being used by pro racers. Actually, the governing body of pro cycling, the UCI (International Cyclists Union) has set a minimum weight of 14.99 pounds for a race-legal road bike. We would wager that virtually all major bike manufacturers have the capability of building bikes that are even lighter than 15 pounds. Do you really want or need a bike that light?
Most road bikes sold in the U.S. cost less than $2,000. To mountain bikers accustomed to MTB price tags that are somewhat lower, sticker shock is the first reaction. It should be noted that both road and mountain bikes can exhibit incredible levels of engineering sophistication. Space-age materials and manufacturing methods yield wonderful performance enhancements, but this all gees at a price to the bike rider. On MTBs, we have seen improvements in suspension, frame designs and disc braking systems, and these improvements have trickled down into lower-priced bikes. On road bikes, the most obvious improvements are seen in better geponents, that are lighter in weight and that stay in adjustment; and in the creative use of carbon (even on entry-level bikes) for frames and forks, and every other part and geponent. (Carbon is light, stiff yet shock-absorbing, and very strong.) Finally, wheels are faster to accelerate and roll because of improved alloys, new aerodynamic construction designs, and fantastically efficient hubs.
No comments:
Post a Comment