Originally Posted by
taras0000
One of Japan's Women TP riders was running a single strap. Maybe the Enduros are going to start coming around?
It's pretty simple to test. Even on a trainer or spin bike that has a power meter (Wattbike, CycleOps).
I think it's cultural. As soon as members of a top tier team start using them, everyone else will be using them within months.
Originally Posted by
taras0000
So that BIG 62x14 gear was actually Yudai Nitta. My friend seemed to be misinformed. Did some sluething because I saw that none of the bikes in the TS finals matched that bike (everyone ran double discs). Found this pic of him crashing out in a keirin (Pruszkow) with what looks like the same straps, bike, and monster chainring. It was his set up for the F200, which he DNS'd.
62t/14t*27" = 119.6" (nominal), which isn't too crazy for a Keirin or F200. That might be huge for a TS...BUT, I did notice that the NZ team posted a (relatively) slow opening lap time (17.997" for 5th fastest), but laps 2 and 3 were as fast as expected. My guess is that they are gearing-up Man1 to sacrifice absolute lap 1 time in order to maximize drop off speed (the speed at which man1 peels off and leaves man2 to take over).
Fast lap times but slow drop off speeds are common in lower levels of TS specialists who may not train together. Basically, Man1 (training alone) might focus on recording the absolute fastest standing lap time in training, and gear accordingly. What can happen is that the best gearing for the best lap time might actually have the rider slowing down at the end of the lap, thus not providing the best launch scenario for man2. I've been man2 before i this situation and I've had to backpedal on the home straight as man1 slowed, then I'll have to re-accelerate off of the exchange.
This is in line with my thoughts of the Team Sprint being a synergistic event and not simply, "Who has the fastest standing lap + who has the fastest standing 500M + who is a kilo rider (or enduro) = best team sprint team", which is how I've seem many teams conceived.
The NZ team has consistently been one of the best at every event they've entered in the past few years. I'd follow anything they do...or don't do.