Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped • Hacker News Board

Re: Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped

#201

Post by seanp2k2 » Thu, Apr 28, 2016, 11:18 AM UTC

mirekrusin wrote: post #97

Why do they care about such a niche/illegal market, this idea is fantastic, imagine Boris bikes in London for example - they could recharge batteries when docked, it would be awesome to have this kind of engine in those tank-bikes. Extra points - please distribute heat on the handles because it's often cold. Thank you.

On a totally unrelated to this post note, heated motorcycle grips are the best thing in the world, and if you're a rider even in the Bay Area, it's an incredible upgrade for anything with handlebars. You won't regret it, I promise.

Re: Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped

#202

Post by poooogles » Thu, Apr 28, 2016, 11:51 AM UTC

seanp2k2 wrote: post #199

alistairSH wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends how you define "casual". I tend to think of casual cyclists as avid cyclists who don't race. Anybody who isn't avid is just a guy/gal on a bike. By that definition, casual cyclists spend ridiculous amounts of money on cycling kit. $2000 for a set of carbon fiber wheels. $1000 for a power meter. Trek has a custom line of bikes (Project One) that retail in the $7000-$15000 range (US).

In Silicon Valley, I see people all the time riding >$5k bikes as commuters. It's also not uncommon to see people here riding carbon aero wheels (thousands of dollars for a set) on casual rides or getting groceries. It's the "taking the Ferrari to pick up milk". Free country and all, I just find it a massive waste; they'd be better off with some sew-ups and light rims instead of deep-section carbon jobs, but I guess…

>Free country and all, I just find it a massive waste; they'd be better off with some sew-ups and light rims instead of deep-section carbon jobs, but I guess they do it for the bling more than the performance.

Depends upon the roads you ride. For anything less than 4/5% aero is king. Sure light weight feels nicer to ride, but if you're after performance then you're in the wrong place.

Saying that, perception plays a huge part in performance, so heh.

Re: Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped

#203

Post by poooogles » Thu, Apr 28, 2016, 11:54 AM UTC

zyxley wrote: post #93

alistairSH wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends how you define "casual". I tend to think of casual cyclists as avid cyclists who don't race. Anybody who isn't avid is just a guy/gal on a bike. By that definition, casual cyclists spend ridiculous amounts of money on cycling kit. $2000 for a set of carbon fiber wheels. $1000 for a power meter. Trek has a custom line of bikes (Project One) that retail in the $7000-$15000 range (US).

By my thoughts, somebody who's spent more than $1000 or so on bike and gear, maximum, isn't a "casual" cyclist. If they're buying individual parts that cost more than an entire road bike that would be recommended by a store clerk to some guy walking in off the street, they're well beyond "casual".

By this logic, you're a motorsport enthusiast if you've spent more than $1000 on a car?

$1000 get's you a decent entry level bike to commute on, that's pretty casual if you ask me.

Re: Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped

#204

Post by jeeva » Thu, Apr 28, 2016, 2:12 PM UTC

poooogles wrote: post #203

zyxley wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By my thoughts, somebody who's spent more than $1000 or so on bike and gear, maximum, isn't a "casual" cyclist. If they're buying individual parts that cost more than an entire road bike that would be recommended by a store clerk to some guy walking in off the street, they're well beyond "casual".

By this logic, you're a motorsport enthusiast if you've spent more than $1000 on a car? $1000 get's you a decent entry level bike to commute on, that's pretty casual if you ask me.

Given that I suspect you can't get a brand-new assembled car for $1000, I'd say you could extend the "motorsport enthusiast" level to $20000 or more easily.

[Please note that I've never bought a new car, nor a car in America]

Re: Hidden motors in cycling: Van den Dreissche banned for 6 years, titles stripped

#205

Post by syncsynchalt » Thu, Apr 28, 2016, 5:19 PM UTC

Someone wrote: post #141

Gmo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because you don't know about the early days of the Tour de France where the racers would drink wine along the way.

The early years were different, though. It was illegal to get any help. In one famous case, a rider got a 3 minute time penalty because he let a boy operate the bellows while he welded his own bike ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Christophe#1913_... ) And aside: alcohol works! The correlation between "drinking champagne during a stage" and "winning the Tour de France" is surprisingly high, even in recen…

I'm 90% certain you're making a joke; the last stage is pro forma (for GC) and the presumptive winner traditionally shares a bottle or two of champagne as they ride into Paris.

No easy feat even for riders comfortable with group riding, but of course they are pros for a reason! At least they've switched from glass to plastic in recent years.