BikePower

I didn't see a Racing section of the forum so I guess I will post this in the General.


I would like to see 100 meter straight line racing for bicycles. It could be different classes depending on type of bike and also open class and with any kind of human powered bike. The goal is to get to the finish line the fastest. I havent seen much on youtube or online. If you were going to build a bike for 100m straight line racing, how would you gear it?

WhyFi

There's an entire racing forum with sub-forums: https://www.bikeforums.net/racer-s-forum/

wolfchild

For 100m sprint....Me personally I would choose a fixed gear with 44 x 16 gear ratio or something very close to it.

TPL

100 meter straight line race ?

Participants should be required to make a 'vroom-vroom' sound as they go

BikePower

or they could put playing cards in their spokes like we did when we were kids!

ofajen

How about 402 meters or 1/4 mile? Vroom vroom sound or card in the spoke would be required. And laying down some rubber at the start, I think.

Otto

shelbyfv

Wonder why?

MinnMan

From a track stand start? Make it a track bike.

BikePower

I dont know, probably monkey see monkey do. What do you think ? Basically it would be just an acceleration contest. I love watching 100m track and field. Its probably the main event in track. It would be great to see bike sprints too. What times do you think we would see? 5 seconds?

BikePower

I would think for maxiumum acceleration off the line you would need a variable gear system, click shift. Maybe three speeds. Have you ever tried to accelerate as fast as you can from a dead stop? What would you estimate ET would be and top speed? Without doing any math Im thinking 5 seconds and 33 mph.

According to this calculator
ET-MPH-HP Calculator (wallaceracing.com)

If you can do the quarter mile in 20 seconds on a bike and the bike and rider weighed 200lbs, you would be generating 5 hp.

Koyote

Seems to me like this would do away with most of the things that make bike racing interesting.

Trakhak

That distance isn't used because it's insufficient for bikes to get up to top speed. What you want is the event that's considered by track cyclists to be the most excruciating of all.

BikePower

Thats cool! Its still a 1 minute race that is largely aerobic, local muscular endurance based. A 10 second sprint on the other hand is anaerobic, explosive fast twitch muscle and all power like 100m sprinting in track. I think there should be a place for sprinters in biking. I can envision a friday night gathering where people bring their bikes and try to beat the best 100m time which goes on the board for all to see. Then have different classes for kinds of bikes like bmx bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, track bikes, and the open class where any kind of bike can compete. So i dont know how far you can travel in 10 seconds from a dead stop but whatever that distance is it could be the name of the event. If its 100m or 200m I dont know Ive never tried. Friday night bike sprints. Then people could talk about gears and physics, bike weights, crank length, shifters, fixed vs variable and the proof will be on Friday nights. Well maybe years ago a wholesome activity like that would have been fun on Fridays but nowadays maybe its too hard. and yes that 1k is excruciating.

big chainring 

Two speed kickback hub would be the way to go.

Pratt

You could make it a Le Mans start.

BikePower

where the race starts with you running to your bike, getting on and taking off?

WhyFi

My guess is that, if you were to go beyond idle musing, you'd quickly find practical reasons for the absence. Or are you assuming that you've had a unique thought that hasn't occurred to anyone in the hundred plus years of bicycle racing?

Siu Blue Wind

According to most of your posts, you are superior to others, aren't you?

Bmach

Interesting distance. Like a 1/4 mile drag race gearing would depend on the engine. Are you a big block low cadence or a small block high cadence engine?

Trakhak

Close enough?

urbanknight

Not a chance. The world record for the flying 200m is 9.100 seconds (4.55 seconds per 100m). Going from a standing start is going to stretch that out a noticeable amount. Maybe 7 seconds?

I would also suspect that 100m isn't quite enough distance to reach a rider's overall top speed, or is that not your intention?

urbanknight

That's no longer about pure acceleration. Track riders get into a rhythm and pace themselves for the standing 500m.

ofajen

jk

MinnMan

OP, is there a velodrome anywhere near you? I get that really you're just daydreaming, but if you have half an interest in seeing people put out the watts, that's where you'll find it.

As to your Friday night fantasy, I suggest you write a script for Hollywood. If the movie gets made and makes it all seem exciting, then people will imitate it and make the fictional real.

Like Quidditch.

LAJ

As part of the Morgul Bismark one year, they had this nonsense.