Originally Posted by
Morelock
A2 does have a number of wheels to test (although I'm not sure on specifics. An 808 is likely though. I do know they don't have any track specific wheels like an iO)
Some things to think of (for everyone, not just @
carleton) is say I test 33cm Alpina's and 34cm Nittos. How would you want them tested? Rider off the bike? Rider on bike? How would we feasibly account for the difference in reach and drop between two sets of bars? If you don't account for it, then the 1cm difference will be swallowed up in the rider's position changing.
Lets say I borrow an iO and an 808. What tyres will make the test fair? An iO (besides the Rio) wants a narrow tyre, like 19mm... but that won't match the profile on a Firecrest or newer 808. What if the wheel I borrow already has a tyre glued to it, but not the optimal one? Or the 808 I borrow is a clincher?
Just some things to consider.
Thank you for the offer as well @
carleton. I'm not sure if the interest is there as a whole... but it's not unprecedented to have a sort of crowdfunded tunnel session.
link
The problem (morally at least, to me) is that if I took anyone's money, it would have to be a bigger *scope* project than just tacking it on to the end of my own personal testing. To control so many variables would take a bigger team than just me, the tunnel operator and my handler/eyes/runner.
Triathlon world there is that kind of interest to support a project like that, not sure about the track world though.
Well, since this isn't a proper scientific study that's gonna be peer-reviewed, I think if you designed a basic test for every scenario you want to consider, I think the audience will be pleased. Hell,
designing a test is a significant exercise in and of itself.
Basically:
- Don't overthink it.
- Don't make work for yourself.
- It's your time, money, and energy do what you think is best...and feasible.
Also, if you
did design a series of tests in order to be peer reviewed and accepted, you should get paid in either cash or college credit. I've always wondered why this hasn't been tackled by some Masters or Ph.D. candidate.
When Lee Childers, Ph.D. was still a candidate at Georgia Tech and a regular at DLV, he gave this presentation that I attended:
https://math.gatech.edu/seminars-col...lders-20100120
The Biomechanics of Cycling for Bike-Geeks - Going from Zero to Hero with a Turn of a Hex Key
Cycling represents an integration of man and machine. Optimizing this integration through changes in rider position or bicycle component selection may enhance performance of the total bicycle/rider system. Increasing bicycle/rider performance via mathematical modeling was accomplished during the US Olympic Superbike program in preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview on the science of cycling with an emphasis on biomechanics using the track pursuit as an example. The presentation will discuss integration and interaction between the bicycle and human physiological systems, how performance may be measured in a laboratory as well as factors affecting performance with an emphasis on biomechanics. Then reviewing how people pedal a bicycle with attention focused on forces at the pedal and the effect of position variables on performance. Concluding with how scientists working on the US Olympic Superbike program incorporated biomechanics and aerodynamic test data into a mathematical model to optimize team pursuit performance during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Not sure if it was his thesis or not (not sure how that works). It was a great presentation, though.
Ha...just found the
PDF of the presentation.