[CR]BioPace and pro riders

(Example: Racing:Roger de Vlaeminck)

From: <travis.harry@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:55:11 -0500
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]BioPace and pro riders

The presentation and reading of Aldo Ross's splendid (mostly) daily pics for historical insights has led me to wonder about BioPace. Yes, I've searched and read for a couple of hours in archives, first.

Did professional riders, road or track, sponsored or not, ever ride on BioPace chainrings? Did another company sponsor teams to ride their ovals?

Yes, I know from Sheldon Brown that Shimano put out a white paper on the lab program testing ergonomics , da da, da, da da. But, are there pro or sponsored amateur riders these, and the front ders, were tried out on; or was Biopace an instance of a technical innovation NOT driven by promoting the fantasy in consumers that they could be racers, too?

(I think Biopace would have been field tested prior to 1984, but if not, so that it is OT, some comments on other ovalized chainrings and sponsorship would be appreciated. I'm interested in evolution and selection in different niches.)

For anyone new to this, do read Sheldon Brown first. Biopace was different than ovalization. It pushes beyond a first-order intuitive argument. More like the incorporation of flywheels and harmonic balancers in automotive racing engines....

Harry Travis
Washington, DC USA