Smaller Frame= Faster??

[JudeChow]

I am a small, short guy..and I have a small frame road bike, but I have strong legs from years of Track and Field mainly sprinting, I was wondering, if a small frame weighs less then would a smaller rider have weight and aerodynamic advantages??....again I could be way off........??....My bike weighs 21 lbs..considered pretty heavy here..

 

[wilmar13]

I am a small, short guy..and I have a small frame road bike, but I have strong legs from years of Track and Field mainly sprinting, I was wondering, if a small frame weighs less then would a smaller rider have weight and aerodynamic advantages??....again I could be way off........??....My bike weighs 21 lbs..considered pretty heavy here..

No you got it right, a smaller frame weighs less than a larger frame, and will certainly be faster... to get even lighter and faster yet, make sure you empty your water bottle, drill holes in non-structural components such as brakes, crankarms, etc. With some perseverence and some strategic drilling you should have your bike down to 18lbs and be at least 16% faster (21/18=1.16). good luck!

 

[netscriber]

No you got it right, a smaller frame weighs less than a larger frame, and will certainly be faster... to get even lighter and faster yet, make sure you empty your water bottle, drill holes in non-structural components such as brakes, crankarms, etc. With some perseverence and some strategic drilling you should have your bike down to 18lbs and be at least 16% faster (21/18=1.16). good luck!

Brutal Sarcasm. Come on man, give the guy a break.
Not everyone who joins and posts into the forum will have all the knowledge and knowhow. Which is why they asks such questions in the first place.

Hey Jude, sounds like you have just entered the world of cycling. There are other people here that can actually give you numbers about advantages from a size/weight perspective.
But, I do not think those advantages are enough to overcome all the weaknesses that a beginner has.

 

[RapDaddyo]

Hey JC, welcome to the world of the science of cycling. Cycling is all about power and resistances. Resistances come in several forms and, if they didn't exist, you would go very fast on a bike. There is always rolling resistance, which is a function of the resistance of the road surface and the resistance of your tires. This is actually surprisingly important, especially at speeds <=15mph. Since you can't do anything about the road, the only way to reduce this resistance is to use low rolling resistance tires. These don't actually cost more than high rolling resistance tires. Here's some data on tires and their rolling resistance numbers http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-1503651.html.

The 2nd key resistance is air resistance, also always present and at speeds >15mph this becomes the most important resistance. You can do a lot about this resistance with your position on the bike and with aerodynamic equipment, especially wheels. The 3rd key resistance is what you asked about specifically, weight. How important this factor is to speed is a function of the road gradient. On the flat and downhill, weight is not very important. Uphill, this quickly becomes the #1 resistance you have to overcome. Basically, you are lifting your entire body weight + bike weight vertically.

There are two links that will get you up to speed on all of this. One is a set of interactive tools where you can play with different assumptions to your heart's content http://www.analyticcycling.com/. The second is a discussion of the factors that contribute to reducing elapsed time in a time trial http://www.cervelo.com/content.aspx?m=Engineering&i=Aerodynamics. After you have fully absorbed the content at those two links, you could give a lecture on these topics.

 

[velomanct]

I'm 6'2" and ride a 58cm because I like the better handling of a smaller bike. It also gets me a little lower than a larger frame.