Cav and 2014

[thom]

With all those marginal gains at your disposal, you must be storming up the rider rankings..??

yeah exactly - how much do these equipment upgrades improve your performance ?
I mean, it is a lot of money to be spent and my impression was that few mortal cyclists ever notice the difference - far better to just work on your fitness and ability to get up hills.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

yeah exactly - how much do these equipment upgrades improve your performance ?
I mean, it is a lot of money to be spent and my impression was that few mortal cyclists ever notice the difference - far better to just work on your fitness and ability to get up hills.

totally agree and to be honest all the bikes I have far exceed my ability upon them, and I doubt I use them to their maximum but I brought them for no other reason than they make me smile.
I dare say I could improve my Crit ability if I trained harder and took it more seriously, but I don't.. It's all a bit of fun for me.

 

[thom]

totally agree and to be honest all the bikes I have far exceed my ability upon them, and I doubt I use them to their maximum but I brought them for no other reason than they make me smile.
I dare say I could improve my Crit ability if I trained harder and took it more seriously, but I don't.. It's all a bit of fun for me.

That's fair enough but it comes across as a very consumerist form of fun - still someone has to stimulate the "economy"...

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Next he will be riding a child size...

 

[screenman]

Mr H, I like your style.

 

[SteCenturion]

Next he will be riding a child size...

Just viewed that Cav 49' bike.

Now - I am a MASSIVE Cav fan...

But...

Is he MENTAL ??

I mean - I would have thought that a 49 frameset would only suit a tiny Chap or small Chapess !!

@ 5-8' he is maybe slightly below average height for modern man & I would expect that a 54' maybe would be the size best for him - although I am definitely not a geometry expert.

Even if he switches to a v. small 49' frame - his body is still the same size & will be hit by just as much 'air resistance' possibly more this way.

At bang on 6-0' I ride a 58' & still would ride a 58' in a Cube (I have been advised to go 60') even though they come up a bit small, so yes I Would rather go 'a little' small than too big.

The other things I noticed were (Zipp 404 Firecrest - 'Strictly for training') !!
Are these tubs not good enough for race day ?

The most laughable though was this - "Superlight Zipp SL stem" - @ 195 grams I believe - this isn't even light never mind Super Light - a lot of alloy stems come in lighter than this inc my 3T Team at around 130-135 grams.

Still - he is the Pro & I am a mere mortal.

 

[jowwy]

i'm always of the opinion that if you can afford something and you want it - go get it. cause at the end of the day its up to the person who's paying, riding, enjoying, to get what he/she wants.

Mr H has some cracking looking bikes, he rides them and enjoys them as much as anybody else would. doesn't matter whether he races or not.

I've seen plenty of golfers in my playing and club building days with the most expensive equipment available on the market and can't swing a club for toffee, but they enjoy it, so chapeau to them.

Long may you enjoy your rides @Mr Haematocrit

 

[Hont]

Just viewed that Cav 49' bike.
Is he MENTAL ??

Well Cav is known to favour a long stem, so this will compensate a little for the frame being theoretically too small for him (and may add enough weight to make the stem heavier than other options). My guess is that he likes the low front end but, as the article says, he may change back in a couple of weeks.

 

[SteCenturion]

Well Cav is known to favour a long stem, so this will compensate a little for the frame being theoretically too small for him (and may add enough weight to make the stem heavier than other options). My guess is that he likes the low front end but, as the article says, he may change back in a couple of weeks.

Just been on the Zipp website - claimed weight for the Zipp SL Sprint stem is 165g for a 100mm stem.

Granted this is fairly light - but 100-110 are 'probably' considered average/standard stem lengths as supplied on new bikes to the public & so if Cav 'rides a long stem' (insert smutty humour) it will weigh fractionally more.

Not a problem as the UCI has a total weight limit of 6.7 kg (could be 6.9) on complete bike weight anyway.

The point I am making is that the SL moniker for a Carbon/Titanium built stem that is not SuperLight is a bit of a joke (all though it does look strong for sprint purposes).
Again my aluminium/titanium 3T stem is approx 130-135g.

Add length to anything though and surely you have more flex (not good for sprinting).

Still can't get my head round that frame size though.

The 49'' top tube must be a lot smaller than a 52" & so you would need a very long stem to compensate.

The geometry in relation to his body size must be way out.

No expert as I say - just seems like Madness.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Still can't get my head round that frame size though.
The 49'' top tube must be a lot smaller than a 52" & so you would need a very long stem to compensate.

The geometry in relation to his body size must be way out.
No expert as I say - just seems like Madness.

The 49 has a top tube of 518mm with a stand over height of 741mm and the 52 has 537mm top tube and stand over height of 766mm
Cav is experimenting with 120mm and 140mm stems on this bike apparently

 

[Basil.B]

In his book Boy Racer, Cav mentions he has short legs and long torso.
If my memory serves me well.

 

[Chris Norton]

Same body as me. I have 24" legs and therefore have to have quite small bikes but a longer stem to compensate. I'm 5'6 and am looking at a 48cm Raleigh as my roadie. Much bigger and its all wrong.

 

[montage]

The 49 has a top tube of 518mm with a stand over height of 741mm and the 52 has 537mm top tube and stand over height of 766mm
Cav is experimenting with 120mm and 140mm stems on this bike apparently

Assuming they measure bike by the seat tube - why do this? Top tube length is far more important in a bike fit, seat tube just tell you how much seatpost you need sticking out!

 

[SteCenturion]

In his book Boy Racer, Cav mentions he has short legs and long torso.
If my memory serves me well.

Short legs/long torso you say.

We could be 'Twins' - 'cept I am 6 ft tall & faster (in a 30 foot sprint to the bar).

I ain't no oil painting either.

Err - long lost cousins ?

 

[andrew_s]

Assuming they measure bike by the seat tube - why do this? Top tube length is far more important in a bike fit, seat tube just tell you how much seatpost you need sticking out!

Sizing by seat tube dates from when all bikes had horizontal top tubes, and what was most important was not castrating yourself on an involuntary dismount. Fortunately sloping top tube frames are more accommodating of adjustment, so getting the wrong size doesn't matter so much. That's good as, like you say, quoted sizes don't mean very much?