Smoking some roadies!
#52
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,491
Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1516 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
457 Posts
That's not really even a race.
It's a known quantity that a 'bent has a significant aerodynamic advantage over an upright (even the most aero of TT bikes). With that knowledge, don't you feel that your gold was a little, um, hollow?
Back when I used to race in the SCCA there was always this argument about talent vs equipment. Then "spec" classes started popping up. Do you see what I'm getting at here?
It's a known quantity that a 'bent has a significant aerodynamic advantage over an upright (even the most aero of TT bikes). With that knowledge, don't you feel that your gold was a little, um, hollow?
Back when I used to race in the SCCA there was always this argument about talent vs equipment. Then "spec" classes started popping up. Do you see what I'm getting at here?
#53
semifreddo amartuerer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 4,599
Bikes: several
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I wonder if there are motorcycle forums where they have "Smoking some 'bent riders!" threads. Given BlazingPedals' explanation above, it's pretty much the same thing. And really cool. Or not.
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,491
Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1516 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
457 Posts
Last I checked, motorcycles aren't human-powered. To turn carlfreddy's argument around, is it really a race when one rider is stronger than the other? Or is it a race only when two competitors are perfectly matched?
#55
Super Modest
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 23,563
Bikes: Trek Emonda, Giant Propel, Colnago V3, Co-Motion Supremo, ICE VTX WC
Mentioned: 107 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11037 Post(s)
Liked 4,778 Times
in
2,178 Posts
Many upright riders seek an advantage by building up a 16# bike with the most aero wheels and parts that they can afford. Bentriders just take it a step further and bust free of the "safety" frame that's been around for over a hundred years. It's funny how a $1,000 set of wheels on an upright isn't cheating but an aerodynamic bent is.
__________________
Keep the chain tight!
#57
Devilmaycare Cycling Fool
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wynnum, Australia
Posts: 3,819
Bikes: 1998 Cannondale F700
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#58
Devilmaycare Cycling Fool
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wynnum, Australia
Posts: 3,819
Bikes: 1998 Cannondale F700
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Me neither, to be honest. But I don't begrudge anyone that want's to have a bit of a brag, warranted or not. It's all in good fun.
#60
Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Powder Springs, GA
Posts: 33
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Really this thread is pretty Lame. It is obvious that the upright riders were not in their drops so they were not racing you. Oh yeah, except the ones that were REALLY trying after your battery went dead. I ride a recumbent and this is the kind of attitude that causes friction. I have out run a few upright riders and I have been out run by some. So what. There is always someone out there faster.
To those that say recumbents can't climb, there were two recumbents that rode Six gap in Georgia this year under 6 hours. The fastest being 5:40. That is a good time for 100 miles and 10,700 feet of climbing for any rider. Granted they were not as fast as the young studs but again a very respectible time.
To those that say recumbents can't climb, there were two recumbents that rode Six gap in Georgia this year under 6 hours. The fastest being 5:40. That is a good time for 100 miles and 10,700 feet of climbing for any rider. Granted they were not as fast as the young studs but again a very respectible time.
#61
Devilmaycare Cycling Fool
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wynnum, Australia
Posts: 3,819
Bikes: 1998 Cannondale F700
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The talent vs equipment argument is a bit pointless. Bike racing has always been about talent plus equipment.
#62
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: W. Atlanta
Posts: 150
Bikes: Trek 7200,trek t 800,Jamis Quest
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
love it
smokin roadies is what I long to do why cause I ride a hybrid and get beat all the time soon I will get my revenge
#63
RacingBear
#64
Acquiring new target....
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 1,276
Bikes: Trek XO-1, Gary Fisher Rig
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think all recumbent riders understand quite well. The fast bent riders aren't claiming to be better/stronger riders than the uprights, they're claiming to be faster. Recumbent riders recognize that the bike and rider are both parts of the same package; so optimizing the bike is just as valid as optimizing the engine. Roadies recognize this too, thus spawing a large market for upgrade parts; but there's a UCI line that's taboo for them cross. That line doesn't bother us, else we wouldn't have bents in the first place. In any forum but this one, if a newbie asks how to get faster, the answer is always "work on the engine, changing bikes will make no significant difference," along with platitudes about Lance winning some hypothetical race using a Huffy. That argument won't fly here.
Each bike has it's advantages, and one advantage that a 'bent has in spades is being significantly easier to push through the air. I hear you specifically say you're aware of that and I can clearly see that you understand why that invalidates the "roadie vs 'bent" argument. However, there are other 'bent riders participating in this thread that appear to have a rather large "chip" on their shoulders because they feel others criticized them based on their selection of bicycle. And as a result of this criticism we have all this over-zealous "ZOMG I TOTALLY SMOKED LIKE ELEVENTY MILLION ROADIES WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT!!" threads.
My one and only point is that any results of a "roadie vs 'bent" race are invalidated on the basis that a recumbent has a significant aerodynamic advantage over an upright.
Let's examine a different, more applicable analogy. Suppose you are in a track and field race on foot, say the 400m. Your opponent starts from the blocks, but you get a significant 50m head start. Obviously you win the race, but what kind of victory is that?
#65
Acquiring new target....
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 1,276
Bikes: Trek XO-1, Gary Fisher Rig
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#68
Devilmaycare Cycling Fool
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Wynnum, Australia
Posts: 3,819
Bikes: 1998 Cannondale F700
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Do you also think it's an unfair advantage in the hills to have the lightest bike possible?
Last edited by Allister; 11-29-07 at 11:50 PM.
#70
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,401
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 15 Times
in
15 Posts
by the way Tri-riders are top of the bike chain
Odd, though, that the weird-beard 'bent riders are getting their slide-rules all a-twitter trying to defend the bikini-wearing tinkerbells.
#71
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,491
Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1516 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
457 Posts
Under HPRA rules, a lowracer without fairings is in the same class as an upright. I think you're the one trying to force the recumbent riders into some UCI philosophy.
#72
Wheezing Geezer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Crowley, Tx
Posts: 1,782
Bikes: Bacchetta Corsa, RANS Stratus XP
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
And roadies came all the way to this forum to call me a geek? Actually, I guess I am a geek......
But, what brought them here to begin with? Are they hurting enough these days to be thinking about going 'bent? Hmmmmmm. They'll be embarrassed for sure if their roadie friends find out they been hanging out in the recumbent forum; they're scarred for life now......
But, what brought them here to begin with? Are they hurting enough these days to be thinking about going 'bent? Hmmmmmm. They'll be embarrassed for sure if their roadie friends find out they been hanging out in the recumbent forum; they're scarred for life now......
#74
Acquiring new target....
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 1,276
Bikes: Trek XO-1, Gary Fisher Rig
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
In response to uprights running in the same class as 'bents in the HPRA: If I decided that I wanted to race in the HPRA and I had a choice between my upright or a 'bent I would always choose the 'bent. It'd be asinine not to. Why would I put myself at a significant competitive disadvantage? (I'm extremely competitive)
#75
semifreddo amartuerer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 4,599
Bikes: several
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
And roadies came all the way to this forum to call me a geek? Actually, I guess I am a geek......
But, what brought them here to begin with? Are they hurting enough these days to be thinking about going 'bent? Hmmmmmm. They'll be embarrassed for sure if their roadie friends find out they been hanging out in the recumbent forum; they're scarred for life now......
But, what brought them here to begin with? Are they hurting enough these days to be thinking about going 'bent? Hmmmmmm. They'll be embarrassed for sure if their roadie friends find out they been hanging out in the recumbent forum; they're scarred for life now......
Anyway: I hung around and posted mostly for laughs, but also to expose the complete idiocy of the original post. Fair to say the latter task has been accomplished, several times over. I'm still laughing though — this is great comedy!
So, please, smoke away! And post more videos and threads. I'll retaliate by...continuing to laugh at your pathetic asses.