Is this new TT helmet a step too far?

[Beebo]

What’s new? Starlight Express was doing this back in the 80s.

 

[Dogtrousers]

And then there's the category of amateur RACING cyclists, who ideally will be able to easily afford most stuff they see raced on the telly, and use it without crazy technical support or whathaveyou.

A good point. esp. at youth level if the kid with the parents with the deepest pickets can win.

But I think the main complaint about this hat is not its expense or aerodynamics ( they already apply to lots of gear) but its daftness.

 

[matticus]

But I think the main complaint about this hat is not its expense or aerodynamics ( they already apply to lots of gear) but its daftness.

"the main complaint " have you done a survey? Are we talking about public opinion, or what the UCI are thinking?

Whatever, I can't address everyone's view, and I'm not the UCI; but I do have an opinion about aero helmets, and I think I stated it with great eloquence and precision in my earlier post. I hope it was helpful x

 

[Cycleops]

A good point. esp. at youth level if the kid with the parents with the deepest pickets can win.

That's only if you subscribe to it's supposed advantage. They can't buy him more powerful legs.

 

[geocycle]

It baffles me why the UCI allows different helmets for time trials at all. What if they insisted that a rider wears only one style of helmet throughout the whole of a competition......

Completely agree. I’m not a big fan of TTs in stage races from a spectator point of view anyway but if you have to run them they should be properly embedded. To me that means the same bike and kit. TTs are becoming an event within an event, so where do you draw the line? A few laps of a velodrome, a BMX circuit… ok I exaggerate, but the best TTs are those closest to the spirit of the main race eg the one in the tour to Planche de belle Filles.

 

[matticus]

Completely agree. I’m not a big fan of TTs in stage races from a spectator point of view anyway but if you have to run them they should be properly embedded. To me that means the same bike and kit. TTs are becoming an event within an event, so where do you draw the line? A few laps of a velodrome, a BMX circuit… ok I exaggerate, but the best TTs are those closest to the spirit of the main race eg the one in the tour to Planche de belle Filles.

Not everyone is aware that a number of lower-key stage races have TTs run entirely with road-bikes. This is due to logistics; typically fly-away races for the European teams, and where they overlap with other races for the squad, meaning TT bikes are in short supply.
Those races complete successfully. No-one says "Well, Stefan could have gained 30 seconds with TT bikes, and that would have changed the result; we're very disappointed after the team working hard for him throughout the race. ...blah blah ... "

 

[FishFright]

When did " I don't like it so it must be banned " been an acceptable thing to say ? It doesn't seem that long ago it would have been considered hilarious .

 

[mjr]

These are sooo big that they must be offering more protection than the smaller hats. That's the only way Giro could realistically fight the ban - sure they're faster - but they're also safer...

In theory, having more polystyrene to compress could make it possible to assume more energy in a crash, as long as it's structured not to split more easily... but the inside view of the Visma-Lisa helmet seemed to show a drain like |||| layout, probably to avoid adding too much weight, which I suspect will help split the extra plastic in a head-on crash. It might still have some benefit in a side-on crash, but that's not part of the standard tests.

Most gear used by racing cyclists over the years has made life better for ordinary cyclusts doing things like touring:
Pneumatic tyres
QR wheels
Derailleurs
Lycra shorts

Only pneumatic tyres are better. Quick Robbery wheels means tourers now have to lock their wheels else thieves don't even need a spanner any more. Derailleurs aren't much better for touring than a good hub gear, plus racing has led to thinner and thinner sprockets and narrower chains which are both worse for touring. Lycra nappies have led to so much sweating and abrasion that I suspect they've resulted in more saddle sores than good sprung padded saddles ever would. At least it keeps Dermol 500's maker in business.

That's only if you subscribe to it's supposed advantage. They can't buy him more powerful legs.

Not legally, at least. 😉

 

[Dogtrousers]

Completely agree. I’m not a big fan of TTs in stage races from a spectator point of view anyway but if you have to run them they should be properly embedded. To me that means the same bike and kit. TTs are becoming an event within an event, so where do you draw the line? A few laps of a velodrome, a BMX circuit… ok I exaggerate, but the best TTs are those closest to the spirit of the main race eg the one in the tour to Planche de belle Filles.

But TTs always have been "events within events" in the big stage races, or at least have been for a very long time. The first ITT in the TdF was 90 years ago, in La Roche-sur-Yon. And probably the most famous ITT, LeMond v Fignon, was 35 years ago, and that was one where aero equipment was a major talking point. Plus ça change and all that.

As to whether doing TTs on the same bikes and kit as road stages would make them any better ... I'm unconvinced. I mean, if the racing gets a bit dull you can get to point and laugh at the silly hats.

In fact I really like the stages where they change bikes. Ok I mainly like them in the same way as I like team TTs. They're a great demonstration of teamwork when they go like clockwork and can be hilarious when they go wrong.

(And what's wrong with a few laps of a velodrome? Paris-Roubaix does alright)

 

[Dogtrousers]

"the main complaint " have you done a survey? Are we talking about public opinion, or what the UCI are thinking?

This thread, social meeja, etc. There are plenty of aero helmets that don't look ludicrous, and they go unremarked.

 

[winjim]

Saw this magnificent tribute to the cycling helmet while I was out and about today.

 

[cyberknight]

But TTs always have been "events within events" in the big stage races, or at least have been for a very long time. The first ITT in the TdF was 90 years ago, in La Roche-sur-Yon. And probably the most famous ITT, LeMond v Fignon, was 35 years ago, and that was one where aero equipment was a major talking point. Plus ça change and all that.

As to whether doing TTs on the same bikes and kit as road stages would make them any better ... I'm unconvinced. I mean, if the racing gets a bit dull you can get to point and laugh at the silly hats.

In fact I really like the stages where they change bikes. Ok I mainly like them in the same way as I like team TTs. They're a great demonstration of teamwork when they go like clockwork and can be hilarious when they go wrong.

(And what's wrong with a few laps of a velodrome? Paris-Roubaix does alright)

until 1975 the TDF did finish in a velodrome for a long time .

 

[Jenkins]

Has the designer been watching too many 1980s sc-fi comedy films?

(Rick Moranis - Spaceballs)

 

[classic33]

Has the designer been watching too many 1980s sc-fi comedy films?
View attachment 723916
(Rick Moranis - Spaceballs)

See post #19.

 

[mjr]

See post #19.

You are the new TinyMyNewt.