MR>     It would be easier and cheaper to "Just Say No to McDonald's" and 
 MR> take the pound and half of MY body!
VF> The way I had it explained to me was this - it doesn't
VF> matter as much how much you weigh when you lift a weight. If
VF> you're doing dumbbell curls with a 25Lb weight in your right
VF> arm, and a 20Lb weight in your left, one arm is going to
VF> tire faster than the other - not because of your weight, but
VF> because of the weight you're moving.
Yeah, but.. If you're doing push ups, you'll tire faster if you're carrying 
more body fat than you will without the extra body fat.  Since riding a 
bicycle includes your own body as mass that's transported, it does indeed 
matter.  I know I'm faster when my body fat is lower.  Lifting dumbbells 
isn't a good analogy to cycling.  Pushups is a better one.
VF> The bike is what you're moving, in this case. Road bikes,
VF> especially: the more you can take off the bike, the better.
I agree with this if speed is the goal.  At one point, speed was my goal. Now 
durability has crept up as a secondary but almost equal goal.  I don't like 
to break down out on the road and am willing to put up with a little more 
weight to eliminate breakdowns.  I've gone back to a heavier, thicker (and 
cheaper) rear wheel.  I kept breaking spokes.  (I'm a heavy fella. About 225 
lbs.)  I carry a pump, extra tube, patch kit, tire tools, a spoke wrench and 
extra spokes.  They're all extra weight but it beats walking in cleated shoes 
for miles. :-)
                                  Dewey

--- timEd-B11
---------------