Bikes used by Team GB on track

[CoolC]

I've been fixed to the track cycling over the past few days and something has stood out at me.

All the bikes except the GB ones have forks very close to the front wheel with next to no clearance, the GB bike look like there is room for a 2.1MTB tyre

Why is this? and if it's such a good way of dealing with frontal airflow (presuming that's the reason) why doesn't anyone else use the same idea?

Who makes the bikes for Team GB?

[Fluffsri]

Dunno who makes them but they are just under £20k a pop now. I'll take 2 please.

[fid]

Only the sprint forks it seems http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/cycling/

[CoolC]

fid said:

Only the sprint forks it seems http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/cycling/

Interesting link, thanks for that.

[DBSV8]

often wondered how light could you actually go , ie: for personal use not restricted by competion rules ?

below 6kg ?

[Uriel]

Supposedly they improve the aerodynamics by redirecting the flow around the rider's legs. Same thing with the flared ramps of the bars moving air around the rider's arms.

[Uriel]

DBSV8 said:

often wondered how light could you actually go , ie: for personal use not restricted by competion rules ?

below 6kg ?

There are rideable, 20 speed road bikes on Weight Weenies that are well down in the 4kg range. Someone like UK Sport could easily make a track bike less than that. How well it would stand up to Sir Chris's kick is another matter!

[Gizmoish]

Uriel said:

There are rideable, 20 speed road bikes on Weight Weenies that are well down in the 4kg range. Someone like UK Sport could easily make a track bike less than that. How well it would stand up to Sir Chris's kick is another matter!

That's the key point. I could make a bike of 3kg out of cardboard, but it'd flex and be pointless. Even CF isn't "perfectly" stiff - see the F1 deliberately-flexing wings - unless you want it to be, which takes a bit more weight etc.

Looks to me like the sprint bike forks aim the air down in between the rider's legs, which is interesting.

[itsnotarace]

The world record bike is 2.7 KG and it's not made out of cardboard, but off the shelf parts with some customisation.

[DBSV8]

Uriel said:

There are rideable, 20 speed road bikes on Weight Weenies that are well down in the 4kg range. Someone like UK Sport could easily make a track bike less than that. How well it would stand up to Sir Chris's kick is another matter!

its well documented that the late great Reg Harris created so much torque that he once broke the bottom bracket of his Reynolds 531 track bike

[Uriel]

Hoy tweeted the other week that in his pre-Olympic training, the wattbike recorded his peak torque as being higher than a Ferrari Enzo! That's some effort.

[paranoid airbag]

Uriel said:

There are rideable, 20 speed road bikes on Weight Weenies that are well down in the 4kg range. Someone like UK Sport could easily make a track bike less than that. How well it would stand up to Sir Chris's kick is another matter!

It depends what you want - said lightweight bike might crumble under Hoy, but it'd probably be plenty stiff for weaklings like me.

O/T, The torque output of a cyclist is an excellent way of teaching people why "omg this x35d engine has 800 torques it must be so fast" is not true IMO. Hoy is good but I somehow doubt he'd outsprint an Enzo, despite the fairly huge weight advantage...

[anonymous-user]

paranoid airbag said:

Uriel said:

There are rideable, 20 speed road bikes on Weight Weenies that are well down in the 4kg range. Someone like UK Sport could easily make a track bike less than that. How well it would stand up to Sir Chris's kick is another matter!

It depends what you want - said lightweight bike might crumble under Hoy, but it'd probably be plenty stiff for weaklings like me.

O/T, The torque output of a cyclist is an excellent way of teaching people why "omg this x35d engine has 800 torques it must be so fast" is not true IMO. Hoy is good but I somehow doubt he'd outsprint an Enzo, despite the fairly huge weight advantage...

you do realise that there are holes in this comparison wide enough to drive the aforementioned Enzo through dont you?

[khushy]

^true^ but down the pub #pissedasafart its a #greatpieceofbullst!

[paranoid airbag]

pablo said:

you do realise that there are holes in this comparison wide enough to drive the aforementioned Enzo through dont you?

erm, that's sort of the point? Comparing engines based on peak torque alone is a VERY silly idea - as illustrated by the fact that decent cyclists have very high torque outputs, but are comparatively slow, because gearing, the shape of the torque curve, and the ability to rev are equally important - something that many seem to be ignorant of.

[anonymous-user]

paranoid airbag said:

pablo said:

you do realise that there are holes in this comparison wide enough to drive the aforementioned Enzo through dont you?

erm, that's sort of the point? Comparing engines based on peak torque alone is a VERY silly idea - as illustrated by the fact that decent cyclists have very high torque outputs, but are comparatively slow, because gearing, the shape of the torque curve, and the ability to rev are equally important - something that many seem to be ignorant of.

ah, i see, as you were!

[maffski]

There was a good bit on the BBC website the other day: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19089259 including some comments from Chris Boardman about the technology and UK sport.