Topic: The Cycling Thread

[Swagomatic]

So the gf finally got round to buying a helmet for her bike (got to set a good example for the kid now) and I have to say we were impressed by the shop assistant who sold it to her. She made sure that the helmet she got fitted her head right, regardless of cost. The fact is, the gf spent about a third less than she was willing to pay, but came out with the right helmet.

I do like it when shop assistants actually care more about making sure you've got the right stuff rather than try to sell you the most expensive thing in the shop.

I bought a new bike helmet recently. It sucks. My old helmet was awesome but it was about two years old so I needed a new one.

Me too, the one I had was a great fit (I have a huge melon) and it had a visor that actually shaded my eyes.  Then I wrecked and busted it.  I haven't been able to find a comparable one since.  The one I have now is okay, but the visor really sucks.

[jaypee]

Yeah.. I had a Rudy Project helmet because it came free with a pair of prescription sunglasses I bought.. that was awesome.

I just bought a $30 Schwinn helmet.. it's really the worst thing ever. I'm not even sure if it was worthwhile. There isn't really even any plastic, it's just styrofoam with a very thin plastic shell. It certainly wouldn't deflect any blunt puncturing objects like my old one probably would have.

[WC]

I'm totally fine with my Giro, it was the only one in the store that fit the day I needed a replacement. Makes me look like a dirt bike dork, but I already looked like a dork anyway. Plus it was like 45 bucks. I was expecting to throw down a hundred something, but they didn't have a single thing in stock that fit my stupid head, except one last Giro. Good enough.

[Cognoscento]

I have a Giro Stylus for training.  I use the Giro Advantage II for racing.  What I have my sights on next, though, is this:
<<Drool>>
The Giro Selector!

<<Drool!>>

[WC]

If you got the Selector in black, you could do Abed's Alien costume;

Community Halloween Episode: Troy & Abed Alien costumes

Bonus.

[Cognoscento]

If you got the Selector in black, you could do Abed's Alien costume;

Now that's FUNNY! LOL

If that doesn't work out, I can always get a job on the Death Star...

[jaypee]

Forgive my agnosticism, but are those things really worthwhile? I guess if you're competing against a group of people who are at around the same skill level as yourself, it might provide a slight edge.. but in my experience I can blast past any d-bag on a $5,000 bike on my $500 bike. The only time I've been beaten by someone on a bike over any distance less than 75 miles was this one dude who I would see on my morning commute from my last house who rode this rusty POS fixie and inexplicably was able to maintain a speed of around 25mph over distances of a mile or more.

I probably couldn't hold my own against the iron men in this thread, but I'm definitely a big fish in a small pond, which is why I fail to see the benefit of all the expensive cycling accoutrement. I even stopped using cleats and Shimano pedals after about a one year flirtation with them because I ended up deciding that they were impractical and pretentious for getting around a city.

[Cognoscento]

It's all about competition.  Obviously the motor is the most important component.  That being said, in a race where everyone is a pretty solid cyclist, you're going to want to utilize every possible advantage that you can.  TT bikes, aero helmets, aero wheels, light carbon frames, the position of your water bottles, hell even the decision to wear gloves all have some impact on your drag.  Add them all together and that impact is significant.  We're talking 50-60 seconds in a 40K time trial.  Over an Ironman bike leg the impact is huge - maybe 3-5 minutes.  It doesn't sound like much, but if you're gunning for a spot on the podium, every second counts.  I would like to know that if I have to hold 22mph for 112 miles, I am cheating the wind as much as possible. 

Sure, there are "freds" out there with all the most expensive equipment that couldn't go fast if you threw them off a cliff.  I pass guys like that all the time.    I have also been schooled by dudes in cut-off jeans on a 30 year old steel frame single speed.  There's always some one out there faster (and slower) than you.  I like triathlon, because it is also an individual sport.  In the races that I know I have no chance of making the podium, I can still compete against myself - trying to get the absolute best performance out of my hurting body. 

[Alex Simmons]

Forgive my agnosticism, but are those things really worthwhile? I guess if you're competing against a group of people who are at around the same skill level as yourself, it might provide a slight edge.. but in my experience I can blast past any d-bag on a $5,000 bike on my $500 bike. The only time I've been beaten by someone on a bike over any distance less than 75 miles was this one dude who I would see on my morning commute from my last house who rode this rusty POS fixie and inexplicably was able to maintain a speed of around 25mph over distances of a mile or more.

I probably couldn't hold my own against the iron men in this thread, but I'm definitely a big fish in a small pond, which is why I fail to see the benefit of all the expensive cycling accoutrement. I even stopped using cleats and Shimano pedals after about a one year flirtation with them because I ended up deciding that they were impractical and pretentious for getting around a city.

As someone who does aerodynamic testing for improving cycling performance, then I can say that the right helmet on the right athlete can and does make a difference to their speed for a given power output.  How much of an improvement is individual as the way such helmets interact with a rider's aerodynamics is quite specific to them.

As an example, I tested some aero helmet choices for a client of mine who was attempting to set a new UCI world masters record for distance ridden in one hour.  The choices of helmet we had available meant that the best helmet for him was worth over 1km extra distance for his power output than the worst helmet.  He set a new record for his age category of 48.315km.

The impact on performance of equipment and position choices can be measured quite precisely.  Main choices are wind tunnels and field testing with a power meter, the latter I am involved with a lot and the right techniques and analysis protocols will see it just as precise as the best low speed wind tunnels.

These helmets are for specific competition purpose only, not for general ride use.  Riding one for general use would be just silly, and place you in dork land.

Then there is this:

[Cognoscento]

Forgive my agnosticism, but are those things really worthwhile? I guess if you're competing against a group of people who are at around the same skill level as yourself, it might provide a slight edge.. but in my experience I can blast past any d-bag on a $5,000 bike on my $500 bike. The only time I've been beaten by someone on a bike over any distance less than 75 miles was this one dude who I would see on my morning commute from my last house who rode this rusty POS fixie and inexplicably was able to maintain a speed of around 25mph over distances of a mile or more.

I probably couldn't hold my own against the iron men in this thread, but I'm definitely a big fish in a small pond, which is why I fail to see the benefit of all the expensive cycling accoutrement. I even stopped using cleats and Shimano pedals after about a one year flirtation with them because I ended up deciding that they were impractical and pretentious for getting around a city.

As someone who does aerodynamic testing for improving cycling performance, then I can say that the right helmet on the right athlete can and does make a difference to their speed for a given power output.  How much of an improvement is individual as the way such helmets interact with a rider's aerodynamics is quite specific to them.

As an example, I tested some aero helmet choices for a client of mine who was attempting to set a new UCI world masters record for distance ridden in one hour.  The choices of helmet we had available meant that the best helmet for him was worth over 1km extra distance for his power output than the worst helmet.  He set a new record for his age category of 48.315km.

The impact on performance of equipment and position choices can be measured quite precisely.  Main choices are wind tunnels and field testing with a power meter, the latter I am involved with a lot and the right techniques and analysis protocols will see it just as precise as the best low speed wind tunnels.

These helmets are for specific competition purpose only, not for general ride use.  Riding one for general use would be just silly, and place you in dork land.

Then there is this:

Sigh,  that kid's wheels cost more than both my bikes combined.  LOL


EDIT:  Totally agree with you.  What works best for an individual rider varies greatly.  Hell - Chrissie Wellington utterly destroys all the women (and a large portion of the pro men) and she doesn't wear an aero helmet.  She also rides a rather "mediocre" TT bike compared to many of the other pros.  Motor trumps everything!

[khendar]

Then there is this:

I'm surprised he's not going for the standing start with his feed already clipped in and his dad holding him up.

[Alex Simmons]

Motor trumps everything!

In such events, the ratio of power output (W) to aerodynamic drag (CdA measured in m^2), i.e. W/m^2, trumps everything.

A focus on one and ignoring the other leads to sub-optimal performance.

[Alex Simmons]

Sigh,  that kid's wheels cost more than both my bikes combined.  LOL

Those wheels are approx $5,000 for the pair.  That's the low end for that brand BTW.  They go up from there.

[Cognoscento]

Lightweights.  Too rich for my blood.

I am excited to try out these new wheels made by some local Vegas guys.  They look VERY promising - and they're reasonably priced. http://www.flocycling.com/index.php

[GodSlayer]

...$5000 for a pair of wheels?

wtf is the prize money like?!