Bicycle companies will often put glossy promotional advertisements on their websites while putting forth their sales pitch. Sometimes, they'll even go ahead and even compare a bicycle model from their line to that of a competitor's.
As an example, I was stumped by the frontal view of these two bikes. It was put on Specialized's website in a tutorial pdf called "The Importance of Aerodynamics In Cycling". The idea was to show how 'skinny' the Transition looked from the front compared to Cervelo's P3C.
Fig 1 : Side by side frontal area comparisons
As you can see, there is no rider on the bikes, and no pedals either (hardly the case in the real world).
Specialized makes a big deal out of Cervelo's cables sticking out in the front end. They also critique its flared out seatstays and commend the tucked-in design on same in their bike. If you put things into perspective, these things are probably going to make negligible differences to your power output at constant speed. 70-80% of the drag is from the cyclist, not even shown in this picture, much less from the bike, and still much lesser friction drag from cables. Unless you're fighting for a mere tenths of second or a couple of feet with a your opponent, cable drag is hardly an issue. Even then, remember top pros back in the days had cables sticking out like the antlers on a deer. They did fine, and even broke plenty of records. Armstrong, Lemond and Valverde are just a few specific names.
Anyway, the real interesting thing happens when you flip the Transition sideways. Like in the following image. This isn't on the promotional pdf.
Fig 2 : Exposed cable in side view of the Transition
If Specialized is so keen on discussing exposed cables, perhaps they should have talked about the segment of ugly cable housing peering into the air from the downtube. But they won't. For all they did with ultranarrow stays, integrated brakes and 1 inch steerers on this bike, you'd think they wouldn't overlook this obvious detail.
Getting back to Fig 1, they compare some fat ugly wheelset on the Cervelo p3C with their aerodynamic Roval hub. If Rovals are so good, why aren't they used on the top of the line Transition, as shown in Fig 2 and in the component listing for the bike on their website? Apparently, Rovals aren't good for the best bike in the time trial lineup and they shamelessly stick with Zipps.
Now lets view the P3C from the side.
Fig 3 : P3C Side View
Compare and contrast this clean look with the bent proportions of Fig 2. Which is better? Since Specialized makes a big deal out of frontal area, perhaps they would know that sloping top tubes actually increase frontal area and is generally a bad profile for aerodynamics. But they won't tell you this either.
Only someone like Bike Sport Michigan will thoughtfully critique this sort of bad aero design.
Fig 4 : Bad design elements for TT aerodynamics
Don't get me wrong. I have no overwhelming affections for Cervelo. But this was just a poor show from Specialized against one of the best time trial designs in the market. Cervelo created a benchmark with the P3C, and I'm sure you'll agree with me.
So here's the bottomline : A company will only highlight some couple of points of a product that are favorable to their proposal. These will generally look good. If they highlight bad points, then whats the point in selling it in the first place, right?
Well, turns out that this is really a limited view for the audience who see it. For customers and interested parties pouring over advertisements and promotional product materials such as these, it pays to do some good critical reading and cross checking information before falling too easily.
As for Specialized, it seems like they should really study some aerodynamics themselves first before writing "tutorials".
Specialized Transition Vs Cervelo P3C
Freak Bike Accident - View With Caution
Below are some almost unbelievable photos of the severe leg injury incurred by a cyclist after a freak bike accident.
He was on a ride last week after the storm the weekend before last. The guy he was riding behind ran over a large branch which kicked up and impaled Bob’s leg when he ran into it. The EMT’s had to cut the ends of the branch off to get him in the ambulance.
They have him on heavy-duty antibiotics. They did not place any screws to set the broken Fibula, fearing that disturbing the bone might complicate contaminants getting further into his body.
The prognosis is good. He has to go back to the trauma surgeon on Friday to work out plans for a skin graft.
Apparently there may have been a line of riders, maybe 6 - 10 riders, two abreast, going approximately 25 mph, and the rider’s bike in front of him kicked up a branch, and you can see the results. The branch did not have a spear point at the end that went through his leg. That is why it broke his bone.
Imagine the pain. This happened a couple of weeks ago. He is going to be fine.
Be careful while riding your bike. You never know what can happen.
Olympics gives BMX a boost – the next big thing?
Following its debut in the Beijing Olympics, the sport of Bicycle Motocross (BMX) is seemingly on the rise. The recent Interbike trade show had more than usual BMX frames, full bikes and components on offer and it was hard to avoid the hype surrounding the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics.
Latvian pro rider Maris Strombergs rode a One BMX bike to victory in the men’s BMX final in
“We have been waiting years for the BMX racing scene to gain real momentum in the
"Since the Olympics our customers’ interest in BMX racing has totally overtaken all other areas of cycling. Most seem to be 30-40 old-school BMXers that burst back into life after the Olympics and want to buy all the cool stuff they couldn't afford as kids.”
These things aren’t pocket money prices either, with frames at £385, complete bikes from £580, and if you want the Olympic-standard outfit it’ll be a cool £1580. Posh Bikes say they’ve already specced BMX bikes at £2000-£2500.
If you would like to see Maris Strombergs and the One BMX in action, check out: http://www.bmxaction.net/item/olympic-bmx-video-men-final
So, will you be returning to your youth and adding a BMX to your stable? Let us know in the comments box below.
Riccardo Ricco banned for two years for doping
Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco was on Thursday banned for two years by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) after he tested positive for EPO during the Tour de France.
Ricco, 24, was suspended from riding by CONI in July after admitting to using the banned blood-booster. He was kicked off the Tour de France and sacked by his Saunier-Duval team after testing positive following the fourth stage time-trial.
Ricco today admitted he was "very disappointed and bitter" at the ban, and said he had hoped for "more understanding" from CONI.
He initially protested his innocence but following a meeting with CONI officials, he admitted to his offence, even criticising testing procedures because he had passed many tests despite being doped.
Ricco's sanction entails bans of 18 months for the EPO doping offence and a further six months for having consulted disgraced doctor Carlo Santuccione, the Ansa news agency reported.
Santuccione is suspected of playing a key role in a doping affair that came to be known as "oil for drugs", and was served a life ban from working with athletes in December 2007.
According to Ansa, Ricco will be free to ride again from July 30, 2010.
Until recently, the new strain of EPO used by Ricco, called CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), was notoriously difficult to detect. Since July, French experts have also pioneered a blood sample test for CERA, which they say is even more efficient.
Exclusive look: Belt-driven Trek cyclo-cross bike
Former mountain bike pro and current Trek test bunny Travis Brown raced a prototype belt-driven Trek cyclo-cross bike at CrossVegas September 24.
The bike has unique tension adjusters built into the dropouts. Brown was equipped with a few "cog" options so he could make a final gearing selection at the race once he saw the course. The bike was built off a standard Trek XO2 cyclo-cross platform and had the rear dropouts and chainstays replaced to accommodate the belt. The chainstays are off a Trek T900 tandem; their heavier gauge minimizes lateral flex and compression loads that could make the belt skip.
Trek's Advanced Concept Group has been tinkering with how belt drive bikes can fit into the line. Right now belts are on a few commuter models (including the Trek District) and some other prototypes running around the office but watch for them on more and more bikes in the future.
According to Trek's brand manager Scott Daubert, the dropouts are eccentric.
"If you are familar with Trek's ABP suspension set up you understand how it works," he said on Trek's "Up The Road" blog. "The inboard eccentric plates are slotted to accept a conventional hub. A "QR" threads in from the non-drive side and pinches everything together."
