GhostRider62

The hour record has gone from ca. 51km to 56.792 km over the past 10 years.

There are independent aero tests for bikes and wheels. You just have to search for them. Or you can test your own gear. Hint: frames, wheels, helmets, and kit have gotten faster.

And pros don't even dope anymore

Sy Reene

Net of equipment changes. I realize somewhat challenging of a question.

RChung

Ugh. So, decades ago I studied what are called extreme value distributions and that has probably influenced my perspective on record performances and equipment improvements. I think it likely that an exceptional athlete from decades (or centuries, or millenia) ago would still be an exceptional athlete today, but that the population of near-exceptional athletes is larger, and we filter them into areas where their speed or strength are more easily observed than before. That is, I think training and nutrition are better, and equipment is certainly better, but I'm not so sure that mitochondria are different, or bone density, or oxygen transport. So the physiology is likely to be pretty much the same.

seypat

This. If you could send an athlete through a time portal, he/she would have to grow up in that time period. His/her performance would be limited by the training methods, equipment, lifestyles, etc of whatever time period he/she goes to. Most every athlete that went back in time would have lower performance and the reverse for moving forward. That might/might not change their performance relative to their peers in whatever time period they end up in.

seypat

The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were this past weekend. Overall the depth of the competitors times/performances are getting better. Still plenty of records standing from as far back as the 80s, though. Plenty getting broken as well. The Distance Medlay Relay is an awesome event!

https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/tr...rack-and-field

terrymorse 

A big piece of that filter is a sports culture that selects, supports, and develops promising athletes from childhood onwards. Soviet East Germany is an obvious example. Also, Kenya's running culture.

tomato coupe

Yeah, someone should do that. It would make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

RChung

I bet the demand for that kind of info would be high in the dozens of people, with tens of dollars at stake.

PeteHski

British Cycling’s rise to prominence is a good example. They went from nowhere to World dominance in less than a decade.

prj71

My brand of bike is faster than your brand of bike especially when I let Tadej Pogacar borrow it from me.

bruce19

There are many, many variables that make one bike "better' than another. Brand is not one of them.

teejaywhy

Just think how many more tournaments Tiger Woods might have won if he weren't hampered by those crappy Nike clubs.

RChung

Was that the brand of club his ex was using when she bashed in the windows of his car?

alcjphil

Going back to the OP: How is it that Tadej Pogacar is ripping up the roads this year on an inferior bike? Answer: his bike is not what might hold him back, it is as good as anything out there

PeteHski

All you can really say is that it's good enough for him to win races on. Whatever marginal gains other teams bikes may or may not have are not significant enough to make Pog uncompetitive.

I think this principle applies to all levels of racing. If you are on any modern bike from any premium brand, it will be good enough to be competitive.

terrymorse 

Probably true. An exception might be if your modern bike is not aero.

blacknbluebikes 

It ain't the bike holding me back. I'm quite sure that Peter Sagan on a child's bike would still lap me.

PeteHski

I meant like-for-like bikes across the brands. So for example Spesh Tarmac vs Trek Madone vs Canyon Aeroroad vs Cervelo S5 vs Factor Ostro etc. Same goes when comparing dedicated climbing bikes or endurance bikes across the big brands. All of them are competitive in their field and there is no stand-out bike that would give you a significant advantage, assuming it fits properly and is the appropriate type of bike for the event. Turning up to a flat race on a non-aero climbing bike is going to put you at a slight disadvantage to someone on an aero bike.

To put it another way, modern engineering is pretty consistent across major manufacturers and there are not many dogs on the market.

wheelreason

There are no faster or slower bikes, just faster and slower riders.