Weight loss body vs bike

[Hell27]

Hi, I'm currently on a mission to shed a lot of weight as through injury, breaks in training, Christmas and beer festivals saw me go up to an awful 20st 1lb at Christmas. I've shed 1.5 stones, so am now 18st8lb, and it's getting better. My strava times are improving and I'm aiming for a target of 14st. In kg, I've shifted 9kg, and am aiming to shift another 28. That's the equivalent of 4 heavy road bikes! However, I was wondering if shedding weight on the body had exactly the same effect as shedding weight on the bike? My head is saying it should, but does anyone know differently?

[smifffymoto]

If you are down to your lowest ideal bodyweight then you can only lose it from your bike.I would say most cyclists could lose abit more bodyweight rather than buy a carbon stem for example.
No amount of carbon will shift 30 odd kg that I need to shift.

[smn159]

Losing bodyweight should be more effective on the flat as it will also reduce your wind resistance as you get slimmer. On hills, gravity takes over as the main slowing force and so weight saved from your body or your bike is of equal value. Although you'll struggle to shave 28Kg from your bike

Subjectively, a lighter bike will 'feel' better as it's more responsive and spins up to speed faster

Edited by smn159 on Monday 20th February 19:42

[mcelliott]

Carrying the minimum amount of weight is a great way of improving your performance on the bike. The last 3 or 4 months I've shifted 4 or 5 kg of bodyweight, and the difference is massive, especially uphill. I'm currently 75kg and singe digit body fat. Climbing is way more comfortable than when I was at 80kg, even if my strength levels are roughly the same.

[Banana Boy]

100% shift the body weight first! I'm the lightest I've been since my teenage years and I'm faster than I've ever been! The biggest things I've noticed are a definite pick up in my acceleration on the flat and an improvement in my ability to carry speed up hill. Other improvements have been an increased flexibility so now I'm not only more aero in terms of frontal area but I am more comfortable tucked into the drops!

That said, when I hit my target weight I fully intend to treat myself to a pair of lighter, more aero wheels...

ETA: Wheels and tyres are easily the most noticeable place to lose weight from the bike. I went from the 4.5kg standard wheels and 35mm Schwalbe Marathons supplied with my Dawes Galaxy to a pair of Fulcrum Racing 5s with 25mm Conti 4000Sii tyres and cut over 2kg off the total bike weight - it genuinely felt like a completely different bike! Much more responsive to power transfer and more nimble through the corners.

Edited by Banana Boy on Monday 20th February 21:49

[finishing touch]

Spend a fiver a week with Slimming World.

Loosing weight is a win win as you will be quicker on the bike and feel more comfortable when riding,

AND all sorts of other health benefits as well. I don't recommend heart attacks, blocked arteries, or diabetes
which is what comes with being over weight.


I was 17-2 when I joined SW on the 20th Oct and now (21st Feb) 14-2. My aim is 13st 10lbs as that will be a 20% weight loss.



A word of warning though; anyone can sit on their ass and talk about it. You have got to WANT to do it.

Paul G

[Kawasicki]

I started cycling again after a few years break with 72kg...fat, unfit and not much muscle, even if I did look slim. My arse hurt so much for the first three weeks!

Just over 6 weeks later I was down to 64kg and way stronger/fitter with it.

One year later I ended up hitting just under 62kg, which was too light for me, I was fit but my strength suffered.

I lost 1 kg from the bike at the same time, down from 8.8 to 7.8kg, most of the weight saving achieved with a wheel upgrade, including light tubes and tyres.

[BoRED S2upid]

A lot cheaper to loose it from the body than the bike. Both will see you go quicker.

[greenamex2]

There are three categories of weight/mass in a vehicle -

Unsprung
Sprung
Rotational

Obviously some weight falls into two categories, and on most bikes we aren't too concerned about the difference between sprung and unsprung weight.

So your wheels and to a much lesser extent crank/cogs/chain/pedals/feet/legs/shoes etc fall into rotational weight will give the biggest gain for any weight loss. And the further distance the weight is from the center of rotation the better...so losing 100 grams from for wheel rim will be really noticeable. Losing 100 grams from your crank much less so, more akin to losing the weight from non rotational weight.

Losing weight from any non rotational part will have pretty much the same effect, whether it is a carbon frame, some body fat or an extra bathroom break before your ride.

Of course if you are are losing fat from your body through exercise you are probably also building up strength so it will be a double bonus.


However it is a lot easier to buy some weight loss on your bike than eat better/exercise more, especially if you are already light. And who doesn't like a shiny new bit for their bike!

[tjdixon911]

Having been in a similar position myself, I started at c.21st at my heaviest, back in 2002 I decided something needed to be done, I went on a Diet (Special K diet at the time) and started doing some activities, the weight dropped off and within that year I had reached 16st, then it slowed right down, to the point that I kept fluctuating between 16-17st for quite a few years and no matter what I did I didn't seem to loose anything, I really started to get back into cycling in 2006 but obviously I enjoyed food too much!! Fast Forward to 2014 when I went travelling in my Camper for 6 months and with no income we rationed our food and I learnt that I was eating too much, I got down to about 15st during this period, I thought I had cracked it but no, I got back up to c.16.5st again and no matter what I did it wouldn't shift...

Early last year I decided to start seeing a personal trainer and since then I have started to really understand what I eat (probably in a similar way to Slimming World) and I am now weighing in at around 14st (Fluctuating from high 13's, to low 14's) which I am really chuffed with but feel I could loose a little more, my trainer will give me that push, motivation and direction to get there... Also it has given me the knowledge of what to do in the Gym to make me fitter and stronger on the bike and I have continuously improved over the past year (according to Strava!) - I don't think I am anywhere near my best and can still improve...

To the OP, I am sure there will be ups and downs in what you do and like me you will get to a point where you feel what ever you do the weight won't shift, if you get to this point, change something, join Slimming, World, Get a PT etc. Mine has been quite a long journey but its worth it...

Also, if it motivates you to ride more, buy new bike bits, it works for me!

p.s. I also follow a Facebook page "MTB Fitness" the guy who runs it is a keen MTB rider and PT who gives some good advice both on nutrition and training to become a stronger rider.

[Chicken Chaser]

I'm a bit sporadic in my cycling. There are occasions where I can be quite intense and then life gets in the way and the miles drop off. Usually when I start riding and i'm doing decent mileage, I'll find the weight drops off (I'm not that heavy but can lose a stone in weight). This time however, I've barely moved. I started again in November and i've done around 900 miles. Finding it strangely difficult to shift, even after the Christmas excess. Less in more out is the general plan, without going into deficit too much and finding myself weak from lack of energy.

[Usget]

Another Slimming World advocate here although a) all of the advice/website/marketing is targetted at women and b) I don't go to meetings. But the diet makes a lot of sense if you bring it back to basics, build it into your daily routine, and don't cheat too much. But like the other poster said, set a goal and then reward yourself with a lighter bike when you achieve it. It might not make you any faster but everyone likes bling

[okgo]

I've lost a few kgs over winter and feel better for it. Not much quicker up hills, but then losing weight to the tune of a few kg's isn't going to turn anyone into Contador.

I wouldn't worry overly about losing weight off the bike until your weight beings with a 12, 14 stone is still pretty heavy unless you're very tall.

[Dannbodge]

I found that once I got to a certain point I couldn't shift anymore weight without looking/feeling ill so went for a new bike.

I want to lose more weight (I'm 74kg and want to be about 70) but can't seem to shift any more.

[yellowjack]

Dannbodge said:

I found that once I got to a certain point I couldn't shift anymore weight without looking/feeling ill so went for a new bike.

I want to lose more weight (I'm 74kg and want to be about 70) but can't seem to shift any more.

Sounds like we're in the same sort of place. I'm 5'6" and currently between 73kg and 75kg (depending on which scale you believe!) and whilst my BMI says "overweight", my wife says she'd not want me to lose any more weight. Although when we first started seeing each other I was about 59kg, trying to stay in the heavy end of the Bantamweight division when I boxed. Sub 60kg seems like a lifetime away now, and I doubt I'll get that low again whilst still being healthy.

My target is to get below 70kg. The lightest I've been over the last few years was 71.1kg (accurate, calibrated scale). The heaviest I've stepped on a scale at was 79.9kg. But I'd already started losing some weight before starting to weigh myself.

I too am stuck now. Weight varies between around 71kg and 73kg mostly, and when I work at it, it mostly hovers around 71kg. But the work I put in is all exercise. I'm a terrible glutton when it comes to food, with a pathological hatred of food waste, so I'll hoover up whatever's left in the pan, and at home whatever is on anyone else's plate when a meal is over. That's my undoing really. I rode 212 miles in three days this weekend. Then on Monday night I tamp down fish and chips. Only I added an extra portion of chips to the order, intended for sharing between three of us. There were no takers, so I ate the lot. Can't seem to help myself! So I suppose you could say that the answer is obvious. Eat a bit less, cycle just as much, lose the weight easily.

Another aspect of the OP was body v. bike. I'd say body, until you're a proper flyweight. I've got (or at least had) three road bikes, one a heavy, cheap 1990s steel thing, definitely a heavy beast. The 'middle' one was a 10kg-ish aluminium framed Merida from 2010 (sadly now broken). The light one is a Trek Emonda at about 7kg. According to a brief bit of trawling through my Strava data, there's very little in it between the three bikes as to the spread of my fastest segment times. And they all have a different 'character' to them. So often I perceive myself to have ridden a route faster on my carbon fibre lightweight than before, but the Strava upload tells me that my actual time was quicker on the steel beast. I know it's not scientific, and that wind, weather, gearing, tyres, and my fatigue level could all be different between bikes and rides, but there's certainly no "well, the lighter bike is always faster" rule, at least for me. That said, there's no substitute known to science for the placebo effect of shiny new bikes, or components. They really do inspire you to get out more, and try harder (even if it's only to justify the purchase cost)...

[Usget]

yellowjack said:

currently between 73kg and 75kg (depending on which scale you believe!)

The one which says 73, always

[Dannbodge]

yellowjack said:

Sounds like we're in the same sort of place. I'm 5'6" and currently between 73kg and 75kg (depending on which scale you believe!) and whilst my BMI says "overweight", my wife says she'd not want me to lose any more weight. Although when we first started seeing each other I was about 59kg, trying to stay in the heavy end of the Bantamweight division when I boxed. Sub 60kg seems like a lifetime away now, and I doubt I'll get that low again whilst still being healthy.

My target is to get below 70kg. The lightest I've been over the last few years was 71.1kg (accurate, calibrated scale). The heaviest I've stepped on a scale at was 79.9kg. But I'd already started losing some weight before starting to weigh myself.

I too am stuck now. Weight varies between around 71kg and 73kg mostly, and when I work at it, it mostly hovers around 71kg. But the work I put in is all exercise. I'm a terrible glutton when it comes to food, with a pathological hatred of food waste, so I'll hoover up whatever's left in the pan, and at home whatever is on anyone else's plate when a meal is over. That's my undoing really. I rode 212 miles in three days this weekend. Then on Monday night I tamp down fish and chips. Only I added an extra portion of chips to the order, intended for sharing between three of us. There were no takers, so I ate the lot. Can't seem to help myself! So I suppose you could say that the answer is obvious. Eat a bit less, cycle just as much, lose the weight easily.

Another aspect of the OP was body v. bike. I'd say body, until you're a proper flyweight. I've got (or at least had) three road bikes, one a heavy, cheap 1990s steel thing, definitely a heavy beast. The 'middle' one was a 10kg-ish aluminium framed Merida from 2010 (sadly now broken). The light one is a Trek Emonda at about 7kg. According to a brief bit of trawling through my Strava data, there's very little in it between the three bikes as to the spread of my fastest segment times. And they all have a different 'character' to them. So often I perceive myself to have ridden a route faster on my carbon fibre lightweight than before, but the Strava upload tells me that my actual time was quicker on the steel beast. I know it's not scientific, and that wind, weather, gearing, tyres, and my fatigue level could all be different between bikes and rides, but there's certainly no "well, the lighter bike is always faster" rule, at least for me. That said, there's no substitute known to science for the placebo effect of shiny new bikes, or components. They really do inspire you to get out more, and try harder (even if it's only to justify the purchase cost)...

I was 70kg for years and it started creeping up a while ago but because I cycled quite a lot over the last year I put it down to muscle building.
I don't eat much crap or sweets/chocolate ( I don't eat much full stop) and I rarely drink alcohol. So I struggle finding things to cut out to help.

[W00DY]

I think bike weight and bodyweight are not really related other than from a durability perspective. After all you wouldn't say a 10kg skateboard would be any good simply because you could stand to lose a couple of stone.


For me a 10kg road bike and 7kg one make little difference, with mountain bikes it depends on the ride a 40lb DH bike feels good as does a 22lb XC machine, but for different things and both aren't much fun outside of their strengths.(odd how I think of MTBs in lbs and road bikes in kg) and I think that seems to be broadly true for most riders regardless of weight.

[Barchettaman]

Firstly, congratulations on your weight loss already, that´s a great achievement, and best of luck with getting to your goal weight.

Secondly, I would speculate that weight lost on the body is likely to be of more use than weight lost on the bike, because a 14 stone ´you´ is likely to be considerably fitter than an 18 stone ´you´!

[anonymous-user]

I lost just over 9 stone with a mix of mountain bike riding, gym work, clean eating and no booze.

I didn't notice a great improvement in my riding, but I certainly felt fitter and my recovery and energy levels were much much better.

Then I took a year off and piled nearly half of it back on again, and now I really notice that 4 stone weight gain when I ride, it's like going back to day one and I'm so disappointed that I worked so hard to lose it all and then put it back on.

I've managed to lose a stone since the New Year and am hard back at it, but the cycling is still slow going with the extra weight.

To summarise, you may not notice much difference when losing weight, but when you put it back on it feels like riding through treacle.