Originally Posted by
smashndash
I don’t understand the point of this post. Are you trying to say that it is impossible to make a bike/rider faster using... science?
Most changes involve pros and cons. Nothing is “free”. But for a given course, there’s usually an optimal bike setup and an optimal physiology. Part of what makes bike racing fun is that a setup/rider who is really good on one course may be really bad on another.
I’m very confused by your statement that no lab test can translate to real world results. Plenty of people have aero bikes, kits, helmets, wheels and faster, wider, grippier tires that allow them to go much faster than they did when they didn’t have those things. Maybe your average speed on a solo ride will only change a little - but what’s easy to ignore is how much training is required to be able to gain that speed increase with no setup changes.
ill tell you only what i know from logic , a lab test is not the real world , its almost impossible to account for every unknown variable , when it comes to bikes every variable you solve will have a counter , the only fact is that it will ALWAYS have a counter ,
put , say a 200 watt rider on the bike with all the advancements he goes slower than a rider doing 225 watts on a slower bike with old tech , there is no way to really say what is FACT when it comes to cycling , you can come close , but its like going down the wrong street for a long time in the right direction , you still end up in the wrong place but your close to your goal
you can do all the tire tests in the world but you will never know what is really the fastest tire , it seems like most people just try to convince you rather than prove it ,
this guy does try really hard to make a good case and we could give him credit for giving us a base set of rules to follow , but there will always be a counter because there is so many known and unknown variables in cycling , and the many reality of cycling , and this guy is even countering the data we where told by a lab test
no one area will ever be truly conquered , there will always be a way to counter it ,
some areas are easy to nail down like frame stiffness , but try to make a case for best saddle height , best spoke tension , or try to even crack tire vs rim combinations , cleat position, aero gains vs power , BIKE FIT !!!!!!! ect.....
cycling is like a multiverse inside a multiverse , cycling is the physical embodiment of evolution , based in real time natural selection , where the users are nature ,
you say you can get the best results from indoor track but its a lab test where everything is controlled, no wind , no bumps , same track , but there are always going to be variables you cannot prove facts for
trying to prove what tire rolls the best just makes me chuckle , we cant even agree on what brand , what era , what material is best , good luck with your " science " though