Rider A's Bike.....................................Rider B's Bike
Hmmm……who could have won this event? The answer, we don’t really know. Rider B sure looks like he would win, but when it comes down to the truth, we don’t know. Yes, there was a reason I put the Shiv up against an Allez Expert, simply to try to fool you, which I hope I didn’t.
This is the beauty of cycling. Yes rider B may have every aerodynamic advantage, spending thousands of dollars to do so, but the truth is if the engine sucks nothing can help you. So it’s true a well-trained cyclist on a Specialized Allez Expert can in fact, blow by a Specialized Shiv.
Sadly as the competition gets stronger and the riders more equally matched, the aspect of money can come into play more. For if two athletes are exactly the same in every way, the individual with the more aerodynamic advantaged “should” have a better time. Their result will looks better on paper, because of the money they have or are willing to spend, but they’re actually on the same playing field. It is sad to see the money people will throw down just to shave a few seconds of their time. (you can click on chart to increase size)
There are indeed some advantages of having a TT bike, other than aerodynamics. For instance they can be more comfortable in a TT position and you have a bike already set up for doing TTs. For me any time I want do a time trial, I have to play around with my position on my road bike: moving the saddle forward and tilting the nose down. If you spend hundreds of dollars on a bike fit, you potentially undue some of that work. A road bike can be converted, by simply purchasing a bent seat post ($100), that will allow a 76-78 degree seat tube angle, and clip-on aero bars ($100) a relatively competitive position can be obtained for a fraction of the price. Really the discussion is yours to make. But remember without an engine, the bike means nothing!
Until Next time!
So, I was right.
ReplyDeleteSome people just like "bike porn" ;)
ReplyDelete