Correlation between Mental Strength and having the Best Equipment?

[Bustedknuckle]

Agree that body weight makes a huge difference in month long grand tours. But how many people do you know that are racing GT's at an international level? The OP definitely isn't. This thread is about equipment anyway, not body weight.

When it comes to equipment, it's not the arrow, .. it's the Indian.

Heard from a team mate of Eddy Merckx, " Eddy can win on my bike, I can't win on his'.

 

[ihavenolimbs]

Way to much emphasis on equipment rather than the rider and the ride.

Training mostly, but also sensible equipment, can help us maximise our potential, regardless of the genes we are stuck with. We can always try to train smarter, and faster equipment can be bought, but we (currently) cannot buy better genes.

So I admit I am a training and gear freak. I spend a lot of time reading training articles, and evaluating equipment, as these factors of performance are under my control.

And I do believe there is some psychological advantage knowing that I've adapted my training and equipment in an attempt to find a good compromise between my innate strengths and weaknesses.

P.S. Though ultimately, I do ride for fun and a cheap, heavy, 2nd-hand bike is probably enough to achieve this.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

A lot of what's going on here is that most people are tricked into believing that this wheel set, or that frame set will make you faster. You can blame the marketing department of pretty much every major cycling brand on the planet for lying through their teeth. The unfortunate thing is that the marketing department usually has more say in the hierarchical scheme of things than the engineers, or designers of the actual product. Much of the testing data, weight counts, and performance claims that people put so much faith in is shamelessly embellished, sometimes just blatantly made up from thin air. Put your favorite team or pro on the product no matter how crap it is, jack up the price into the upper stratosphere and it'll sell because people are like sheep.

 

[Black Dog]

A lot of what's going on here is that most people are tricked into believing that this wheel set, or that frame set will make you faster. You can blame the marketing department of pretty much every major cycling brand on the planet for lying through their teeth. The unfortunate thing is that the marketing department usually has more say in the hierarchical scheme of things than the engineers, or designers of the actual product. Much of the testing data, weight counts, and performance claims that people put so much faith in is shamelessly embellished, sometimes just blatantly made up from thin air. Put your favorite team or pro on the product no matter how crap it is, jack up the price into the upper stratosphere and it'll sell because people are like sheep.

A Big +1!!!

So sad yet so very very true. There is no shortage of claims and a complete lack of any evidence to back them up! These guys have found a way to cheat fundamental physics, if you believe their claims, they should be building time machines not bikes!!!

 

[Frodge]

I ride a 6 year old aluminum Giant OCR2 frame. Literal crap in todays world of bicycle frames. I have a decent set of wheels and a Thomson seat post, set up with Ultegra. I'm the fastest guy in my area. If equipment is that much of a difference, then I need a new bike and will go pro.

 

[Hmmmmm]

I don't know too many people whose mental strength has been increased due to riding the "best equipment". Maybe it boosts their confidence but I don't know anyone who can suffer more because of it. If having better equipment makes you want to get out and ride, great! Some things are better, and as such, are faster. But it is the motor that turns the cranks and keeps the wheels spinning.

I agree with a previous poster that there is a lot of marketing hype out there. Maybe these companies believe there are a lot of gullible, misinformed, and ignorant people out there to take advantage of. I don't know, I'm not one of them