Of course, a light bike and a light body is your best bet for picking up speed on the trail.
Q:Would I be better off with a bike 5 pounds lighter than my current one or better off losing 5 pounds of body weight?
—DS, who is going to lose 10 pounds soon
A: The bike first, then you. Here is our logic: The lighter bike feels more responsive, will accelerate faster and will hop over stuff (as your body weight kind of floats over the bike) way better than a bike that is 5 pounds heavier. The lighter bike, being a lot more fun to ride, will motivate you to ride harder for longer periods of time, and that will help you lose those 5 pounds on your body.
Another suggestion: Don’t try to take 5 pounds off your current bike. Reducing that much weight by replacing components will set you back more than what your bike is worth. That type of dramatic weight reduction is best achieved by buying a new bike that sits on the show- room floor at the 5-pound-less target. And, if you are riding a bike similar to a Specialized S-Works Epic or Trek Top Fuel 9.9 Carbon, the weight will have to come off your body, because you are not going to take 5 pounds off any top-end bike.
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