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Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

fittish.deadspin.com

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Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#281

Post by redblacktree »

jdietrich wrote: post #81
paulmd wrote: post #64

Just take the bike out of the race entirely. Declare a year in advance that the bike will be XYZ model Q so people can train on them, and the race maintains custody of all race bikes, spares, etc. It's already a money-competition to see who can buy the best super-bike. Yes, you have to have a minimum weight, but that just means that you can take a superbike and spend the extra weight applying aerodynamic fairings whe…

Technology is an integral part of cycling, just as it is in motorsport. There are some one-design motorsport racing classes, but they are far from the most popular. Fans like to see innovation, we like to coo over the beautiful new machinery on display. Some of the greatest moments in cycling are directly related to technical progress, most obviously the Obree/Boardman battle for the hour record. On one side a profes…

> There are some one-design motorsport racing classes, but they are far from the most popular.

NASCAR would like a word with you.

Edit to add: I know that NASCAR allows more than a single design, but it's in the same spirit. The options are extremely limited.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#282

Post by davidw »

freehunter wrote: post #280
davidw wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not like they're going slow in those races - the wheel probably had a lot of momentum. In any event, reposting an old video, with a couple of grainy shots of unidentified riders whose bikes were not subsequently checked counts more as "casting aspersions" rather than "proof" in my book. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if someone somewhere was cheating, but I've come to dislike these kinds of hit pieces.

Well obviously no one is being disqualified on this video alone. The idea is to draw attention to what could be a real issue. But calling it debunked because of another video that is just as dubious seems a little like hand-waving. What's happening is that people are trying to get the officials to look into the idea that there may be tiny hidden motors in some bikes. And what you're doing seems like you're trying to…

People have been talking about this issue for a while in the cycling community. That's why they're doing tests. I'm more than happy for them to do more tests, too, so... no, i'm not against that, at all.

What I don't like are 'accusations' that aren't aimed at anyone and so just kind of sit there.

Also, when you see that the Corriere della Sera barely covers bike racing, but then splashes out on big things like this, it's pretty grating. It's like bike racing is only important when we're talking about doping or cheating or something.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#283

Post by jandrese »

jdietrich wrote: post #87
dclowd9901 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If technology is integral, then why ban motors at all? Small motors and powerful compact energy supplies are technological advancements.

It's a balance between man and machine, between tradition and progress. F1 racing cars would be faster if they replaced the driver with a computer. The fans want to see the skills of the driver tested, so the sport bans common driver aids like traction control and anti-lock brakes. Cycling with motors isn't cycling, it's motorcycling. Allowing motors would change the sport in an undesirable and irrevocable manner. In…

It wouldn't be the same Tour De France if they used mopeds.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#284

Post by jandrese »

rosser wrote: post #57
maxerickson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cut up all the bikes. Or use the more reasonable suggestion in the sibling to my comment and just dismantle them enough to do a good inspection.

Or, you know, just X-Ray them. Aren't most competition-level bikes using carbon fibre frames these days? For metal frames, ultrasound would work just as well.

X-Ray would work on the thing aluminum chassis of a low end racing bike too. You might have to crank the power up a little, but it's going to see those powerful little magnets clear as day.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#285

Post by nradov »

lmm wrote: post #194
nradov wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No the extra weight of a flywheel plus motor/generator would far outweigh any small advantage. The energy density is just too low for any flywheel small enough to fit on a bike. And the gyroscopic effects would mess with handling.

Citation? Flywheels can be very efficient especially with modern engineering. And it could be oriented so that the gyroscopic effects were stabilizing or destabilizing as desired, plus I think in any case riders would adapt quickly - I ride a "twitchy" bike with no front fork sometimes, and my old professor built a bike with a counter-rotating flywheel to disprove the myth that cyclists rely on gyroscopic effects to…

What kind of citation are you looking for? This is just common engineering knowledge. The airtight safety housing alone would be way too heavy for bike racing. You can't have a flywheel spinning at zillion rpm sitting out in the open because it could kill someone in a crash. Plus the flywheel would need to be in a near vacuum to avoid air drag.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#286

Post by thescriptkiddie »

buro9 wrote: post #206
wl wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The last time I bought a new bicycle, I had to try a lot of them before I found one I really enjoyed. I'd imagine world-class cyclists are even pickier than I am.

They get team bikes. They aren't picky. Long gone are the days of a pro rider turning up on a relabelled bike of their choice (their bike, their sponsors' logos). The bikes tend to be distinct enough that they are definitely riding the frame of their team sponsor, and the wheels have become similarly distinctive too (no more Lightweights disguised as Mavic).

At the amateur level, bikes are always customized by the rider to some degree. Teams are usually sponsored by both a manufacturer and a bike shop, so riders have a good source of discounted components. It's not uncommon for them to strip the bike down to the frame and rebuild it the way they like. The manufacturers also ask for feedback on the frame designs and tweak them every year. I can't imagine things are much different at the pro level.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#287

Post by kazinator »

matheweis wrote: post #154
kazinator wrote: post #4

Duuuudes, chill out! I just rebuilt my bottom bracket the other day and forgot to grease it.

And yet somehow you were faster for it, hmm...

Seriously, though, in the image, the seat tube temperature seems to peak several inches above the bottom bracket. The rear stays are cold.

Re: Thermal camera footage allegedly shows pro cyclists using motors

#289

Post by qb45 »

freehunter wrote: post #268
qb45 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WTF? Who did that and when?

I'm not really finding any primary sources, but there is a lot of unsourced blogs talking about it. Allegedly it was Hippolyte Aucouturier in the 1904 Tour de France, which apparently was so rife with cheating that it almost got canceled. http://www.bikeroar.com/articles/the-4-greatest-bicycle-chea...

Oh, OK. I was imagining something like that happening more recently and couldn't quite believe it.
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