It has been another busy week of tech news, from leaks of a possible new Cannondale SuperSix Evo to Passoni’s unique half carbon/half titanium aero bike. Talking of leaks, or rather stopping them, we also brought you that new Q36.5 jersey called ‘The Condom’ that offers a lightweight, aero solution to riding hard on wet days… yes, the one that caused much childish punning from our end…
We’ll try to be a bit more serious for Tech of the Week, our round-up starring some high-tech aero testing, the world’s first aluminium velodrome, a new bike, lock, tyres, and all rounded off with some news from Strava.
Dan Bigham and Specialized take aero “to a new scientific level” by riding through lasers
The top story of Tech of the Week is aero testing meeting sci-fi/warehouse raves, the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe crew (led by their aero expert Dan Bigham) heading to a 100-year-old railway tunnel in Northamptonshire to fire lasers and “elevate aerodynamics to a new scientific level”.
At 2.7km-long Catesby Tunnel was once part of the Grand Central Main Line connecting Sheffield to London via Nottingham and Leicester. Now disused for rail travel, it has been redeveloped into a unique testing environment, offering a perfectly straight route of near-perfect aerodynamic-testing conditions with perfect surface and without wind or other climate variables outside.
Add in some lasers — that’s officially Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) — a technique previously used solely in Formula 1 testing, and Bigham, Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe and Specialized are confident they’ve taken pro cycling aero testing to the next level.
It involves making the airflow visible, capturing the air movement around a rider and their bike in detail by using millions of microscopic helium bubbles illuminated by lasers. The result is data showing how air moves around rider and bike
“We want to understand what’s really happening – not just whether something is faster or slower,” Bigham explained. “With this PIV test, we’re finally looking beneath the surface of aerodynamics – making visible what was previously unseen in cycling. We’re bringing Formula 1 technology onto two wheels and creating knowledge that will change the sport.”
Jai Hindley and Florian Lipowitz have both visited the tunnel for testing, Bigham’s insights and expertise adding to Remco Evenepoel’s aero supremacy a frightening thought for anyone taking the Belgian on in a TT next season.
Aero testing in cycling currently consists of a combination of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling on a computer, wind tunnel testing, and track and real-world work. While those tell engineers if a bike, position, kit choice etc. is faster or slower, Bigham reckons this PIV method will take things to a whole new level, showing why things are quicker or slower.
“We’re making visible what was previously unseen in cycling,” he summarised. “Riding through a laser beam – that’s not something you do every day. Seeing the airflows around me live for the first time was fascinating. Normally, we only know whether something is faster, but not why. Today we could actually see the why.
The world’s first aluminium velodrome
Tucson, Arizona, is the home of “the first aluminium 250-metre, 42-degree banked velodrome”. While our first reaction was scepticism at the choice of material, after all Arizona’s notoriously hot summers mixed with a good conductor of heat seems a somewhat questionable surface for cycling.
However, its designers say the aluminium surface was specifically chosen “to suit Tucson’s climate” and will “allow the velodrome to withstand the hot temperatures in summer and allow year-round use”. That’s us told…
Ridley launches its first “high-performance carbon youth bike”
Some Christmas for any kid who wakes up on the 25th of next month with one of these under the tree. Ridley’s new Yungstr is aimed at riders between eight and 12 and will set you back €2,699 (that’s around £2,400). There’s no getting away from the fact that’s a hell of a lot of money for a ‘youth’ bike, although Ridley would argue it’s got a lifetime warranty (even after resale), is designed to be able to handle road, gravel and cyclo-cross, and is a true “high-performance carbon bike” for “the legends of tomorrow”.
The tyre clearance allows that discipline-hopping, the Yungstr able to fit 42mm rubber on 650B wheels and 32mm on 700c. Ridley also says the bike is designed to ride like its race-ready adult models and features “low weight, stiffness, reliability and versatility”. The full spec and info is on Ridley’s website.
Pirelli updates Cinturato gravel tyres
Pirelli has given its Cinturato gravel tyre a bit of an update, launching two separate lines: the High Performance (HP-Line) and Performance (P-Line). Unsurprisingly, the High Performance line is “designed for top-level performance”, while the Performance line is “designed to provide an optimal balance of performance and versatility”.
In the High Performance line there’s the Gravel H and M models, which retain the existing tread design but add a more advanced protective casing using tech from Pirelli’s latest-generation MTB tyres. Pirelli claims the H offers 20 per cent better puncture resistance and reduces rolling resistance by 10 per cent on the current model. Likewise the M, designed for loose terrain rather than the H’s hard terrain, is apparently seven per cent more puncture resistant than the current model and offers rolling resistance reduced by 15 per cent.
Meanwhile Vittoria releases its “most anticipated product range in a decade”
Vittoria has some new gravel tyres out this week too, the Terreno Pro Gravel Range apparently its most anticipated range in 10 years. Vittoria tells us that compared with its Terreno Endurance range, the Pro tyres are five per cent faster, have 19 per cent more grip, and 18 per cent more puncture resistance.
Performance claims aside, that brown colour is the most eye-catching thing here and it’s a natural tone which Vittoria’s CEO says they want “to become the norm in a few years, while the old-school black ones, with carbon black, start to look outdated”. Thoughts?
Strava links up with GoFundMe to make fundraising easier
Remember when Strava removed the ability for users to share URLs in activities or posts, meaning you couldn’t share your fundraiser on the platform any more? Well, not only has the ride-sharing app reversed that unpopular decision this year, but now it has teamed up with GoFundMe to add a ‘for a cause’ option to uploads, making fundraising easier.
“The world’s first long reach, angle grinder resistant U-lock”
British lock manufacturer Litelok reckons it’s made the “world’s first long reach, angle grinder resistant U-lock”. Forget the space race, this is the one everyone’s been after.
Litelok tells us it means more space to lock accessories, or locking bigger bikes like cargo models, or securing multiple bikes. Maybe you just want to lock the back wheel and frame in one? It weighs 1.9kg, is priced at £199.99 and the brand claims it is five times more secure than the current best-selling, best-performing U-locks on the market. We’ll have to get one into our next angle grinder test…
In case you missed it:
12 thoughts on “Dan Bigham and Specialized take aero “to a new scientific level” by riding through lasers, plus the world’s first aluminium velodrome, loads of new tech and more”
It’s only £10…
It’s only £10…
https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-equipment/tyre-inflators-and-pressure-gauges/michelin-bibendum-tyre-pressure-gauge-377219.html?sskey=099bf472da6045fb96d8aada2371106c&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=69063&utm_campaign=optimise
Ridley “high-performance
Ridley “high-performance carbon youth bike” making the barrier to entry of our sport a little bit higher. Rubbish move.
The aluminium velodrome is a
The aluminium velodrome is a great idea for training. But I calculated that a 250 m track will expand by 172mm if it heats up from 20 to 50 degC. It would be interesting to see how the designers allow for expansion and obviously no times set could be ratified.
Also in hot sunny conditions the surface temperature will heat to well over 50 degC. Tissue starts to burn at 52 degC. So cyclists will have to get up pretty quickly if they crash.
Would maybe be a low cost training solution for the UK? As long as it was secure from scrap metal theft.
As long as it was secure from
As long as it was secure from scrap metal theft
That’s going to be tricky, given the new police dodge of refusing to attend to theft of anything to do with cycling if it has been left in the same place for over 2 hours
Apparently it has cooling
Apparently it has cooling fins underneath which utilise aluminium’s high conductivity to drain heat away from the surface and it’s “anticipated” (which one takes to mean don’t actually know yet) that it will get no hotter than the ambient air temperature and will be cooler than an outdoor concrete velodrome surface.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
I’m no engineer, but I imagine most options for dealing with expansion would mean that the length of a lap doesn’t change.
Quote:
… apart from the many other things across many different fields that it’s been used for over the last several decades…
Sounds like a great use of a
Sounds like a great use of a non-renewable and critical resource: helium.
The Aluminium velodrome is
The Aluminium velodrome is unfortunately another nail in the “cycling is green” coffin. Aluminium companies have destroyed the forests around Perth Australia.
https://endforestmining.org.au/
I believe you know whereof
I believe you know whereof you write…
RE Vittoria brown tyres:
RE Vittoria brown tyres:
The quote from the CEO makes it sound like it’s just a fashion thing that they’re trying to make happen. Is that the case, or is there any more substance behind the choice?
As I understand it, various previous tyres that have eschewed carbon black for the sake of aesthetics have never really taken off, because carbon black is pretty useful in achieving various aspects of tyre performance, and no-one has yet managed to achieve the same level of performance whilst omitting it.
It’s an interesting choice
It’s an interesting choice isn’t it. I wonder if there’s some reason they’re not advertising loudly behind this choice. E.g., some issue in supply of carbon black, or some upcoming regulatory issue, or something.
My understanding is same as yours – carbon black is critical for adding durability to tyres.