Fixed wheel in Tour de France Time Trials

vitus2000
vitus2000 Posts: 13
edited July 2009 in Pro race
Does anybody know if the riders could choose to ride fixed gears in a TDF TT?
Everybody seems to ride the TTs with 10 speed cassettes fitted even on the flatest courses :?: I can only assume this is down to legislation.

Comments

  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    edited July 2009
    I seem to recall either Stuart O'Grady or Brad McGee rode the Giro prologue a few years ago on a fixed gear bike, but it was only about 1 or 2 km.

    In any other circumstances I wouldn't see the point.

    Edit: It was 2005 Giro prologue of 1.15 km and it was O'Grady on a fixed gear:

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/88th-g ... e-0/report
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • vitus2000
    vitus2000 Posts: 13
    I was thinking some of the cogs would be dead weight, but isn't there a minimum weight the full bikes have to be anyway. Without the cogs they'd probably be overweight. Does that make sense?
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Not really - many manufacturers can now produce frames that lead to bikes significnatly under the regulation weight and the bikes have to be specced up to the minimum weight.

    If bike weight was that important in a particular TT, then it is unlikely a fixed gear would be suitable for the course (i.e. it would probably be very hilly).
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • vitus2000
    vitus2000 Posts: 13
    Sorry Davey, I meant without the cogs the bikes would be underweight. As you said the bikes have to be specc'd up. I still don't really see why, on a flat, short TT they still ride with 2 chainrings and 10 on the back, surely they do't use all those ratios. Interesting you recall a rider riding fixed over 1-2k though. I wonder if ground clearance would be an issue with fixed in the corners.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    When was the last time the Tour had a flat, short TT? The London prologue in 2007?

    Even there, you'd need a large gear for the high speeds that you'd reach which would have a detrimental effect on accelerating at the start and then accelerating out of the corners. I doubt even a rider like Wiggins, who is used tor riding fixed, would have even contemplated it.

    I ride fixed a lot but for high speeds it only makes sense on the track.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    DaveyL wrote:
    I seem to recall either Stuart O'Grady or Brad McGee rode the Giro prologue a few years ago on a fixed gear bike, but it was only about 1 or 2 km.

    In any other circumstances I wouldn't see the point.

    Edit: It was 2005 Giro prologue of 1.15 km and it was O'Grady on a fixed gear:

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/88th-g ... e-0/report

    I remember that as well.. it was super short and straight
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • vitus2000
    vitus2000 Posts: 13
    Fair point, Andy. But why do they bother with the small ring on the front though? Surely they don't use that for TTs?
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Go and find a video of the 2003 Tour de France prologue, that'll show you why.

    David Millar was all set to win it, and take the yellow jersey, when he dropped his chain in the final corner. If he'd had a front mech and small chainring fitted he might have saved it.
  • Airwave
    Airwave Posts: 483
    Pretty obvious is'nt - riding a bike is their job,their livelyhood there not going to muck about they just want to go as fast as they can.If they think they may need a small gear even for a tiny stretch they would rather have it than not.
    TT photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/steverob/
  • vitus2000
    vitus2000 Posts: 13
    Again all good points. I do remember the Millar incident but hadn't considered the advantage of a front mech. We've probably exhausted this one . Thanks for all your replies.

    Cheers.
  • Pokerface
    Pokerface Posts: 7,960
    Time trial bikes are usually heavier than road bikes - especially with a disc wheel - so dropping the cassette to a single cog on the rear wouldn't bring it under the legal weight.

    As to why they use a full cassette vs. a single speed - mostly it's down to practicality. Team mechanics have enough to deal with without having to faff about with running single speeds on TT bikes. They keep lots and lots of extra stock of product - and it's just easier to throw on a stock cassette. Having to retool a TT bike/wheel for different styles of TTs is just unneccessary work.

    And weight isn't as big an issue in a TT compared to a road stage. Aerodynamics are more important - so shaving a few ounces off a TT bike really isn't going to make that much difference.
  • Vino2007
    Vino2007 Posts: 340
    i think under new uci regulations, fixed wheels have actually been banned from u.c.i events
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    I think the OP was referring to a fixed gear rather than a fixed wheel, even though he said fixed wheel in the title.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    It would be too dangerous in a long TTT to ride a fixed wheel, and no advantage to ride single gear, even the flatest roads have subtle gradients, wind changes, surface changes that require a change in gearing to adjust, also changing cadence would help to relieve the rider

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