Re: [CR]Re: Classicrendezvous Digest, Vol 61, Issue 103

(Example: Racing)

Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:04:09 -0700
From: "John Wood" <braxton72@gmail.com>
To: "Emily O'Brien" <emilyonwheels@emilysdomain.org>
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: Classicrendezvous Digest, Vol 61, Issue 103
In-Reply-To: <20080131043603.21000.qmail@server291.com>
References: <20080131043603.21000.qmail@server291.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

On Jan 30, 2008 9:36 PM, Emily O'Brien <emilyonwheels@emilysdomain.org> wrote:
> Another difference is how pro races work, and how the format has changed.
> Stages of the Tour de France have gotten shorter, but they've also gotten
> faster. When it started, support wasn't allowed at all; now those guys
> don't even take a piss without help. They don't have to ride for nearly as
> long at a stretch, but they have to go a lot faster.

That's a valid point for the tour, but as far as I know the spring classics have remained pretty much the same, yet the classics riders are using pretty much the same equipment as the stage racers. I'd think that the changes are more tied to better overall road surfaces than to changes in race length. And perhaps this is why Peter Post's average speed for Paris-Roubaix has stood for all these years - the new stuff is not optimized for poor roads. But the riders have to ride the bikes that their teams sponsors are building and selling. Perhaps the entire industry is driven by a single race!

Those are the things I'm curious about; after all, it's always a two way
> street.
> It does make me speculate about how the geometry or ride styles from
> different periods might suit different riders or body types in different
> ways. Seat tube angles, for example, will vary partly with the usage,
> partly with style over time, but partly with the biomechanics of an
> individual rider's leg and the requirements of what they're doing.

When you look at racing bikes from the 50's , they have pretty much identical geometry to modern touring bikes. I personally feel that this is the geometry that is best for most people, and for most riding, on most roads. But of course I live in rural Montana, where a stretch of smooth pavement is about as common as a vegetarian restaurant. We have 'em, but just don't expect to find one very often.

John Wood
Red Lodge, MT