What is the difference between professional riders bikes?
A professional racing bike is inherently indistinguishable from what you can buy in a store. Although some features still occur.
And, believe me, professional riders even on the Tour de France do not always use all the best, and we will talk just about bicycles from this and similar events.
Name sticker
On each bike participating in the race, there is a sticker with the name of the rider. Sometimes the address of the Twitter account is added. It is located on the upper tube, allowing viewers and the team to easily identify the owner of a particular technique. After all, if we are talking about a team, then all the bikes there are the same, and the mechanics need to somehow navigate. Well, the audience sometimes turns around the buses of their favorite team, so this is done for them.
In some cases, the stickers are even placed on the wheels. Here it is difficult even to assume their purpose. It’s probably for mechanics. Despite the fact that all the wheels in the team are the same, the rider may have their own preferences for the air pressure in the tires. Other parameters may also be taken into account, such as the tension force of the spokes.
Member Number
An equally obvious attribute of a racing bike is the participant’s number. It is fixed to the rear brake with a special adapter, or on the seatpost. It helps to identify the rider in the group, and this is in addition to the number that is located on the jersey.
It also makes it easier for mechanics to work if a spare bike is placed on the team car.
Low and long takeaways
There were times when steel frames had no alternatives, and then their custom-made production according to individual parameters flourished. The carbon age dictates its own rules, no custom manufacturing takes place, and riders are transplanted to standard sizes.
However, they tend to be smaller frames, and the lack of its length is compensated by a down-piled outrigger with a length of 140-150 mm.
The point here is that aerodynamics are important for riders. And if so, then you need to hold the steering wheel lower and stretch out as much as possible, which is what racers do.
Just do not rush to cut down the stem of your fork) Athletes through long training come to such an understated landing, and you and I, after it, may need a chiropractor. So, it is better to read the recommendations for setting up a landing before you start imitating the professionals.
The purest transmission
Here is what you can safely learn from the racers, so it is the perfect purity of the stars and chain. With the tape, in general, you can eat, so it is clean.
This is not surprising, because the transmission is washed after each training run and after each race, which is understandable. Dirt, simply, does not have time to accumulate.
This is not achieved for the sake of aesthetics, it is secondary here. Wear of the chain or stars here also does not play a significant role, it does not even have time to occur, since the components are often changed. Cleanliness is important to save precious energy.
In addition, during large racing events, the steering wheel winding is also replaced daily.
That’s why team bikes always look like brand new.
Tubes
the vast majority of bicycles ride on clincher tires, but when it comes to propelotone, the choice falls on the tube.
the peculiarity of the tubes is the need to glue them to the rim, which means that it is no longer necessary to create a specific shape of high sides, as it is not necessary to increase their strength. As a result, a significant reduction in the weight of the vilset.
yes, the uci has a strict limit on the weight of the bike at the level of 6.8 kg, but why not lose a couple of extra grams if you fit into the regulations.
By the way, the weight, in this case, is secondary. And, no, the myth about the influence of the weight of the wheels on acceleration has nothing to do with it.
the fact is that gluing tires to the rims allows you to ride them even after breaking through. the tube will not fly off the wheel, as a clincher or tubeless tire can do.
An important factor is the ability to drive at a pressure of 9.5 atm., which is convenient on smooth roads. the personal impressions of the riders are also important, and they consider the tubes to be the most pleasant and effective in driving.
However, the propeloton is slowly moving to clincher and tubeless. Both have less rolling resistance with modern technology. Tubeless, by the way, also show themselves well with punctures, which can not be said about clinchers. however, you already know everything.
Fine tuning
What’s really hard to detect is fine-tuning. it is invisible to the naked eye.
The question remains — how to detect it?
No way. There are no external signs of it, unless you caught the team mechanic at work.
The bike is configured for the rider, according to his individual parameters and preferences in the fit, which he developed for many hours, if not years.
Classic aluminum steering wheel
An amazing trend is observed in the professional environment in terms of steering wheels. In the age of carbon dominance, aluminum is in demand.
And the thing is that aluminum is able to withstand falls. Lots of falls. That carbon is given much more difficult. Transportation between races by aluminum is also much easier to carry. The information does not seem obvious, since carbon fiber allows you to reduce aerodynamic drag, but just look at the photos from any serious event and all doubts will be dispelled.
The shape of the steering wheel is also close to the classic in most cases. in addition, a large radius and low drops are used. The classic form is especially popular among sprinters, as it allows you to sit on the bike as aerodynamically as possible.
Hints
Another interesting feature of a professional bike that does not fit into the entourage of digitalization of absolutely everything is an improvised map of the upcoming route. Given that large races are held on closed roads, cyclists do not need a map of the area. But before the eyes is constantly a memo indicating the necessary actions in the group at different sites, or indicating the required power level. And once again-this is a very strange decision in the age of progressive development of electronics.
Power meters
Power meters can afford and ordinary mortals, as well as many other things from the above list. However, it is the power meter that is the most useful device in terms of finding out personal efficiency in the saddle.
It allows you to take readings in real time. Therefore, on the cheat sheets from the previous paragraph, you can see a list of capacities.
These indicators are targeted, because many hours of driving on virtual and real routes helped to find out the most effective values by means of the same power meter. The effectiveness of training with this device also becomes much higher. The results of improving their characteristics are achieved faster, since no time is spent outside the season searching for ” yesterday”. There is an opportunity to track your real indicators, and not calculate any coefficients based on the lap time, which is also regulated by the force of a headwind or tailwind.
In general, a very useful thing)