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The Ticket to the Races : Biological Passports, How Good?
2008-01-13 02:39:00
Before I start, I'd like to mention that the results of some wheel tests done on a bunch of new hoops are over at Roues Artisanales for 2008. As always, I'm excited to see new tests done on racing products. This test in particular addresses aerodynamics, inertia, lateral stiffness and bearing resistance of wheels in a 5 part series (of which only part 1 is available today as I type this). Interestingly, some of the latest models of Mavic seem to be on the higher end of aerodynamic inefficiencies.While NASA is testing the LRO for the upcoming moon mission and President Bush remarks there should be world peace at whatever the oil price, UCI is on a race to implement biological passports for riders. We are told that its introduction has been successful beginning this year.In my understanding, they brought this idea up last year after doping controversies were just flooding the reputation of international cycling and all that called for a solution to tackle the problem lest the whole...
More About: Good , Advocacy , Races , Ticket , The Ticket

Whats In Your Athletic Wear?
2008-01-09 22:58:00
I was away in Olean, NY for an intensive 2 day interview with Dresser-Rand (I got the job!). I'm back in Buffalo, and I have rocketed into my base building for the season. (Is it just me or do I think one legged intervals are awesome, especially for building some ripped obliques?!)In a perfect world (at least for me), the microfiber jerseys, shorts,running pants, under armor and base layers we wear would be odor resistant.The stink that they carry after a session of training or racing comes really from sweat and bacteria, that love to thrive in moisture (think socks). While its nice that this problem can be simply avoided by soaking in detergent water, it'll be better still that odor can be taken care off on the spot, while we train and ride.In this new era, we have moisture wicking jerseys and shorts. You pay a premium for them, but I really question how good they are. How about our base layers? Its really those pieces that are sticking to our bodies that need a small revolution...
More About: Advocacy , Wear , Athletic , How Its Made

Going Crankset Crazy
2008-01-06 00:53:00
I was in a "wheelie-wheelie" cranky mood today. Here are somethings that interested me.PMPPMP's new cranks are certainly unique. The external bearings, oversized axle and hollowed-out backs of each arm are not far out of the mainstream, but using a square taper on the end of the spindle in this day and age is eyebrow-raising. PMP has re-invented the square taper, however. Besides being much larger, the square axle end is split at the four corners. The chamfered head of the bolt expands the end of the square end of the spindle to bind more effectively with the crankarm.Is PMP missing an "i" and an "ed"? You might wonder who in the world PMP is. History has it that PMP was among the first (I'm not sure who the others were) to make non-straight 'Z' type cranksets. I certainly haven't seen these myself. Your grandfather might have.FULCRUMAfter ZIPP, FULCRUM has invested their energies in a crankset of their own. Its interesting to see many bicycle companies are extending their pro...
More About: Crazy , Modern

How its Made : C02 Cartridges
2008-01-02 23:06:00
Hi readers. I hope you had some great time with family and friends. While the New Year fever quietly wears away, get a cup of tea (highly endorsed by this blog!) and watch some sweet manufacturing in action!CO2 cartridges are lightweight, and convenient to carry. The best convenience is in the fact that they pack a powerful punch so you don't loose any time to the devil at the pit stop. How are those nice zinc plated bodies of steel made anyway?The deep drawing process is most interesting to see. The same technology is used to make soda cans. Here's also a patent to the "Bottle-Shaped Can Manufacturing Process". Thanks to TimStrab for the video.
More About: Made , Cartridges , How Its Made

Cannondale Six 13's Biaxial Braid Solution
2007-12-29 20:50:00
Hi readers.First of all, have a great and prosperous year 2008 ahead. I hope will achieve greater heights in your job, communities and in all your A races for the season. And fireworks... Boom....! (Oh, and don't forget how to open a champagne bottle!)The last post for this year features an article (courtesy of one of my favorite websites, Composites World) describing exactly why Cannondale engineers, who have loved to work with Aluminum in the past, sought after carbon fiber in their Six 13 frame (if you'll remember, the same frame was outlawed by the UCI in 2003 for being "too light"). Some of you may be familiar with the carbon fiber "weave" found in racing frames. Well, this article looks at a new "braided" type of CF construction and the some of the decision making present behind going for this cost effective solution. Its also interesting to see the variety of suppliers who helped Cannondale realize these solutions. It is clear that many brains were at work.Those of you who ...
More About: Modern , Solution

A Field Test for Calculating Aerodynamic Drag Area?
2007-12-27 01:49:00
We all know and have seen professional cyclists with bent, flat backs over the aerobars or knees closer to the top tube while pedaling. The lore of aerodynamics is that drag increases as square of the velocity, so the faster you go, the double becomes the drag against you. The biggest area exposed to the wind is the cyclist himself, so the largest gains in speed are made if one minimizes or streamlines this exposed area. In mathematical terms, its called CdA.Traditionally, aero drag area of a cyclist was measured in wind tunnels. But it has been found that the energy expenditures of operating the wind tunnels overwhelm the costs of the measurements. It is a big investment.Ordinary folks (or extraordinary folks) sit on their saddles wondering how they can calculate/quantify this area. I have many times.There has been conventional methods described by engineer Rinard on his website. They are well and good. But if you want to sink your head deeper into numbers, there is a paper I dis...
More About: Drag , Test , Area , Field

Track Crash at Melbourne
2007-12-25 00:02:00
Going strictly in sequence, I want to point your attention to crash # 4 and 6. The slow motion makes everything look like poetry, but it gives one an excellent chance to analyze a high speed crash. Crash 4 involves a direct hit on the hip area and the head, while crash # 6 has the individual somersaulting in a sideways position before he lands on another rider. Actually, wait. Its a bicycle that lands on him. Oww....ccchhhThe other crashes were no less severe, and some took blows to the head and chest. I think the slope also worsened everything in the end, making riders slip/linger away in pain inspite of their split second ordeal.Bike racing is not funny. I hope the racers are doing fine, but fine is no word if you want to get back to racing again.On a more peaceful note, Merry Christmas and have a fantastic new year!
More About: Track , Melbourne

Why Bottom Brackets Are Made Stiff!!
2007-12-23 02:18:00
Anyone who took a conventional steel frame of the 60's or 70's and compared that to a modern carbon frame will notice the beefiness of the bottom bracket area that is unique to modern era bicycles. Ofcourse, its all there for a reason.In layman's terms, its there to decrease deflection one would say. So "every ounce" of energy would go into the road.I'd like to put some more insight into this.All frames, whether steel, aluminum or carbon have a certain elasticity to them. This contributes to the comfort and "liveliness" of the bike. If they didn't, one is better off riding a bicycle made of reinforced concrete. Try a century on that one! Ouch...The external work done on an elastic member in deforming it is transformed into strain energy, or potential energy. If the member is deflected or deformed by distance y, this energy U is equal to the product of the average force, F and the deflection.U = F.yThe above equation is general in the sense that F can also mean torque or moment....
More About: Made , Bottom