Tour day Schmalz

He's back and he's as good as ever.  Mandatory reading for 21 days in July.  

Tour day Scmalz 

Weight weenies rejoice

Does being a weight weenie go against the RRR ethos? Maybe a little. More so with some members than others, right Lightness Larry? You don't get a nickname like Lightness without having a long history of gram counting. KK's weight weenie-ness, on the other hand, is less recognized, but no less powerful.

I think most cyclists have at least some part of them that keeps weight in mind when considering new bikes or parts. We all have this hope that shaving grams will transfer into faster riding. But, how do you know whether your gram shaving is actually making any difference on the overall weight of your ride? Sure, weighing small (often greasy) parts on your wife's kitchen cooking scale is great for seeing how many grams that 250$ carbon stem is saving over your original aluminum one, but isn't your overall bike weight the one that really matters? I found a $3.00 solution on Ebay. With free shipping, this luggage scale makes bike weight comparisons dead simple. And it comes cheap. So, with scale in hand, I decided to test out the weights of my 2 primary bikes.

2011 Trek Hifi 29er - is this weight a bit porky? Time to source some lighter tires...

2008 Specialized Tarmac. Ahhh, that's more like it. Full carbon, dura ace goodness equates to sub-17lb lightness. No wonder I STOMP the mit guys up the huge climbs around Steinbach.

After weighing my primary rides, I admit I started to get a little carried away...

I wonder if Leah will appreciate the carbon handle bars I have on order for her trike.