USA Track bikes ,

[User33236]

Chris Boardman said the other day it's allegedly marginal gains due to air speed travelling slightly slower on the left hand side on an anti-clockwise track. He didnt sound convinced though lol.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I doubt you'll find consensus about the imagined mechanics of the left chainring. I can just visualize the entire world's TV audience making hand moves and shoulder twists right now to imagine the airflow over the bike.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

[QUOTE 4416386, member: 45"]Apparently they're also all wearing copper bracelets.[/QUOTE]
No no no. They're those power things. What were they called again?

 

[winjim]

I doubt you'll find consensus about the imagined mechanics of the left chainring. I can just visualize the entire world's TV audience making hand moves and shoulder twists right now to imagine the airflow over the bike.

How does this affect your opinion of the use of the terms drive side and non drive side to describe the right* and left** sides of a bike?

*left
**right

 

[CanucksTraveller]

As long as they're not wearing Livestrong wrist bands, my blood pressure might stay sub-Meldrew.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

How does this affect your opinion of the use of the terms drive side and non drive side to describe the right* and left** sides of a bike?

*left
**right

So glad you asked. It seems that my preferred terminology holds true no matter which side the chain is on. It is universal and therefore better. I hope that settles it once and for all. Thanks USA!

 

[mjr]

I haven't seen Team USA win a great deal

USA Cycling has less funding than British Cycling and bigger distances to deal with. http://velonews.competitor.com/2016...s-how-to-improve-the-u-s-track-program_393682

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

USA Cycling has less funding than British Cycling and bigger distances to deal with. http://velonews.competitor.com/2016...s-how-to-improve-the-u-s-track-program_393682

That's totally irrelevant

 

[mjr]

That's totally irrelevant

Correlation of funding and results suggests otherwise, doesn't it?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Correlation of funding and results suggests otherwise, doesn't it?

Not when the discussion is re position of chainsets on a bike being a marginal gain, an ineffective one.

Do keep up

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Correlation of funding and results suggests otherwise, doesn't it?

They could have saved money simply by cycling the other way round the track....

It would seem that the Lottery funding model used in the UK is reaping benefits. Sorting their funding would most likely be more productive than swapping drivetrains over.

 

[Globalti]

A commentator mentioned last night that the temperature inside the velodrome is at 30 centigrade; I bet that will make a bigger difference to overall speeds than the silly chainset swop. That's as hot as my room in the Sheraton in Lagos when the hotel AC is running on only one chiller to save money.

 

[mjr]

Not when the discussion is re position of chainsets on a bike being a marginal gain, an ineffective one.

Do keep up

Oh I'm sorry, moderator, the discussion appears to be "USA Track bikes" not only the position of the chainset on it. I suggest their relative lack of funding affects the bikes they can use.

It would seem that the Lottery funding model used in the UK is reaping benefits. Sorting their funding would most likely be more productive than swapping drivetrains over.

Publicity could help sort their funding and I think using the drivetrain swap that Boardman says is too marginal to be worthwhile is a publicity stunt: look at how you're all talking about it.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Large Diameter Solid chainrings are draggy when at an angle to a flow of air. Putting them in the inside of the frame, in the shadow of the front wheel will affect their draggyness. In a world of marginal improvements some marginal improvements are more marginal than others for sure but if a bike manufacturer, who probably employs the odd engineer, has access to a wind tunnel, computer modelling and the occasional slide rule, wants to try it I'd probably take more notice of them than a bunch of internet experts.

Too marginal to be worthwhile is an economic equation. If all other factors are equal an improvement that is too marginal to be worthwhile will suddenly become the marginal improvement everyone wants.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Not when the discussion is re position of chainsets on a bike being a marginal gain, an ineffective one.

Do keep up

How do you know it was ineffective? What dataset are you using?