There have been some interesting new bikes announced recently, as usual I have an opinion about such things so have jotted down a few observations.
In ascending order of interest….
New Triathlon/TT Bike Releases – Cervelo, Fuji, Pinarello
New Mavic CXR60 Wheels
Following on from the release of the CXR80 wheels Mavic have brought the technology to both a shallower depth and a clincher model. Given that they’re 60mm deep they’ve logically named them the Mavic CXR60. Additionally they’ve released some really interesting supporting data.
So I’m also going to discuss the supporting data as it adds useful information to the body of publicly available knowledge. As well as taking an holistic approach to examining the performance of the wheelsets used in Mavics testing for this project.
Cervelo RCa Released
Cervelo have released a successor to their Halo road bike – the R5Ca makes way for the RCa – the Ca referring to the fact that the frames are built in California. Unfortunately the price tag that accompanies the R&D and exclusivity (only 325 made) means that discussion of this bike is for most of us an academic exercise. But that doesn’t make it any less interesting (after all – no one can afford space ships but sci-fi movies are very popular).
Unlike the cycling media I’m not going to repeat all of the press release – what is particularly interesting is the tube shaping that has gone into the new frame and the comparative wind tunnel testing performed during development – so I have, of course, done a bit of extra analysis on that information.
Triathlete Magazine Windtunnel Testing: Part Deux
After I finished yesterdays article about Triathlete Magazines Windtunnel Testing it occurred to me that there were additional elements worth considering. So today I’ll look at the effect of different bikes at IMNZ and consider the impact of adding a water bottle to the frame – which works in the favour of the Specialized Shiv Tri.
Triathlete Magazine Windtunnel Testing
Triathlete Magazine has made drag data available from a recent bout of Windtunnel testing involving the new Orbea Ordu, Specialized Shiv, Trek Speed Concept and Cervelo P5. Unfortunately the conclusions they draw from the data are rather simplistic.
Happily Speedtheory is here to do the complicated analysis and then present it in a way that (hopefully) makes it meaningful for our readers…
Auckland Ironman 70.3 2012
I’ve added a page for the Auckland Ironman 70.3 under the Race Analysis tab – comparing the splits to the Tauranga and Taupo Halves.
Also, I posted a gallery of 1000 photos from the Bike leg on Facebook – mostly trying for side on shots (often at the expense of clarity) so that viewers can evaluate their bike positions (or ask for my opinion).
Hammer Nutrition Review
This review is in some ways a retraction. I’d never given Hammer Nutrition much consideration, for several reasons:
- The issues that Rebekah Keat had (claimed that contaminated Hammer supplements had led to a positive drug test)
- On arrival in NZ it was promptly adopted by some training groups that I felt were too eager to look for a magic pill
- The thought of a multi hour bottle of Perpetuem powder was a bit nauseating
As part of my association with the Rotorua Half Ironman I’ve been taking Training sessions on the course and it seemed appropriate that I should have a working knowledge of the nutrition sponsors product – Hammer. They were kind enough to send me some samples which have eliminated my reservations.
Trek Speed Concept 7.0 2013
The new range of Trek Speed Concepts finally arrived in NZ last week, allowing two of my clients to finally get some sleep (as they both wished to race on the weekend just gone).
The XL model had to be special ordered so is the only one around, the small is a bit more widely available.
Cervelo P5 Review
Orbea Ordu 2013
Last year Orbea suffered the indignity of having their star athlete, Craig Alexander, abandon them mid-season – breaking a life-time contract as he had discovered in the wind tunnel how much time he was losing to competitors on better bikes.
Orbea have finally done something about this with the release of a new Ordu for 2013. I’ve noticed a few things so as usual will offer a view other than that of regurgitated press releases.