Does the weight of a person influence how fast they will be on a road bike?

Question

Lets assume there are 2 people in good shape and both have great technique, but they are different sizes. Does the smaller person have to work harder to get more speed? Thank you.

Answer 1

This is one of the biggest factors.  You can spend thousands on your bike to get it as light as possible.  But you can loose 5 pounds and it has the same effect as thousands of dollars.  

PS - Carl im guessing you have never heard of Magnus Backstead of Slipstream-Chipoltlie........There are very big pro riders!!

Answer 2

When the road is flat there is not much difference. You'll see pot-bellied, middle-aged roadies who can rock and roll in a straight line all day because they have years of aerobic base.

In a sprint the bigger rider is normally faster because he/she can apply more power (arm power, too) to get up to speed quickly.

On a hill or mountain the smaller rider has a huge advantage.

Answer 3

A tough question.  Many factors are involved.  Smaller people have less surface area, and thus less wind resistance.  On a climb, a lighter person has the advantage of less weight to carry.  A larger person carries more momentum.  Longer legs provide more leverage over pedals.  What it really boils down to is skill.  I believe that if size were a significant factor, bike racing would have size/weight divisions like boxing.  Many races do, in fact, have a "Clydesdale" division, which would support the obvious: really big people tend to be slower.

Answer 4

It takes more effort to move an object that weighs more. I think the smaller person has the advantage. You don't see any big pros, do you ?