rydabent

My point remains, is it fair that some guy "breaks" the record on an aero CF bike. It seems to me totally unfair to the old record holder on his round tube frame.

Therefore they are being inconsistent.

Trakhak

Can you name any major sport where equipment rules have remained unchanged since the 1920s? Motor sports? Yacht racing?

You're going to say "pie-eating contests." I'll give you that one.

3alarmer 

...I actually took several classes out at the Tech school here, after retirement, where they teach some of this stuff. I can say quite honestly that I still don't completely understand all the ways that networks can go astray in todays automotive vehicle. They are great when they work, and they can be very insulting when you have to figure out why one stopped doing its job. I have more or less given up working on my BEV from Nissan, except for pretty easy stuff that even a moron like me can figure out. I'm glad I don't have to do it for a living.

I guess at the dealerships, they at least get access to the latest technical updates and bulletins. When you're on the outside, it's pretty lonely.

tomato coupe

********! (It's on TV so it must be a major sport.)

On edit: Apparently, you can't use ******** on this forum. But, it's the sport where you toss little beanbags through a hole in a piece of plywood 27 feet away.

indyfabz

Yeah. A while ago I tried to mention “it” being on TV and “it” got censored.

PeteHski

I think it is fair because AFAIK the old record holder wasn’t forced to ride a round tubed frame. It’s just that they weren’t smart enough back then to realise that a CF aero frame would be much faster.

It’s a man and machine contest and there are some rules limiting the machine. The question is did those rules ever prohibit the use of CF aero frames? If so then I agree it would be totally unfair and inconsistent. Otherwise not.

genejockey 

STOP! Ye who would cross the Bridge Of Death learn what the codes mean must answer me these questions 3, ere the other side he see..."

genejockey 

Faulty premise. Again.

dedhed

Not a problem. You just need to have plenty of replacement smoke in stock when you let the old smoke out.

dedhed

Don't get me wrong. I loveA/C, fuel injection and electronic ignition but the modern cars with bells & whistles are a nightmare. There is just too many things to fail especially here in the rust belt. My old square body has exactly 3 wires to run the engine and the underhood wiring harness is probably 3/4" diameter. Look under the hood now and if you can even see it the harness is 2" thick. tracing down electrical faults is 10 hours of diagnosis and 5 minute of fix @ $XXX/hr.

Kind of why my newest vehicle (2005) has crank windows, manual locks and mirrors but the 5.3L LS and 4L80E and pretty bulletproof for modern drivetrain. in the 60's-70's getting 100K on a car was a big deal. Now I don't even buy them until they have that many miles.

PeteHski

Mine have been fine, although I don’t usually keep cars longer than 3 or 4 years so maybe the next owner has to deal with the nightmare.

dedhed

Yeah, we're on different ends of the spectrum. My daily driver is a 1992 and the rest of the fleet is 1998 and 2005. The 98 replaced a 1976 last year.
But I also do most of my own work unless it takes specialized equipment like charging A/C or alignments.

squirtdad

that logic would then state the improved training methods are unfair to old records, so current riders would need to train on wine and cigarettes.

or that people should ride the tour de france on single speeds with wooden rims

records are there to be beaten, they are a target to measure technical advances and training advances UCI just trys to keep the playing field level (in their ham handed idiosyncratic way) no different than nascar or F1 or marathon running

zymphad

I've come to the conclusion UCI and Pro Cycling exists to to be billboards and marketing for the cycling industry. It's already been in news some pros are paid to rid gear that is proven to be slower, but if they win using it they will be awarded bonus. What more proof does one need to know why UCI and Pro Cycling exists?

So their rules don't have to make sense, they only have to make sense for the big brands they are shilling for.

big john

If we replaced all the modern cars with cars from the 1920s we'd have a tough time breathing. Not to mention the unsafe handling and braking, crappy fuel mileage, lack of survivability from crashing, and inability to cruise at highway speeds. And the things wear out much faster than modern engines.

big john

Why does any sport exist? To make money. Pro sports are supported by advertising, especially cycling. There is no selling of tickets for the Tour de France, advertising pays for everything.
Bicycle manufacturers probably only pay a small part of the cost of running the tour. Maybe just a small fraction.

GamblerGORD53

1920?? LOL. They rode SS bikes, maybe flip/flop 2 speeds. And carried their own tools, spares and ??.
TdF was 3,419 MILES in 15 stages, avg. 228 MILES. One was 300 miles. There were more flat days.
Their boss Henri Desgrange was a mad man.

PeteHski

So basically you have concluded that bike manufacturers use pro cycling to promote their brand. 👏 👏 👏

smd4

If it was like that it might be more fun to watch.

PeteHski

Yeah, watching some guys fixing their own bikes by the roadside on a 300 mile plodfest stage sounds very exciting. I’m sure the hours would simply fly by.

Steel Charlie

When I was a kid, long long ago in a galaxy far far away, that term referred to a certain sort of sexual activity and we just called the game beanbag. Played on rain days in the grade school basement. A couple of my older friends also recall that and we LMAO every time the competitions are on the news. For a while we entertained ourselves by inventing team names. Geezers are sometimes easily amused I know. We all still wonder who/why came up with that name for that game? He most certainly deserves recognition and an award.

wheelreason

"A swallow? Carry that fuel filter here all the way from Bavaria?...

smd4

Obviously written by someone with zero interest in bike mechanics.

PeteHski

Yep, zero interest as a spectator sport.

smd4

Fair enough. Sort of like me and soccer. Sorry. "Futbol."