79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/10/2018 11:11 AM |
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Watching Peter Sagan tighten his stem bolts in the late kilometers of the Paris-Roubaix.
http://www.velonews.com/2018/04/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/technical-faq-sagan-wrenches-on-his-bike-during-paris-roubaix_462875
The broadcast I watched had the commentators saying this was great free advertising for Specialized. The Velonews article mentions that last year Niki Terpstra refused to ride the Specialized shock absorb-er steerer so Specialized made a prototype plug for the top portion of the steerer. A second, better engineered plug was apparently made but not installed. Terpstra crashed out George Hincapie style after breaking that prototype insert. (That Specialized would even give Q-S a thin-walled prototype that hadn't been reviewed by the engineers before P-R - huh? Make a clunky thick one that's ugly and way too heavy. That way you know 1) it is unlikely to break and 2) the Q-S mechanic will be quite motivated to get the properly engineered one in before P-R.)
For me, all this is truly cringe-worthy. Apparently no one involved has any sense that the structure between the fork ends and the handlebar tape needs to be completely beyond doubt. Now this is flat P-R where no crash is likely to happen at over 48 kpm and under 42 is more likely. But still ... I wonder if the Bora riders are going to ever think of "do I trust my mechanic?" as they descend the mountains in a month. And as for the Bora mechanic perhaps having to find a good balance between enough bolt torque to survive P-R and still not risk breaking the steerer? Is it too hard to provide a P-R fork with an extra strong steerer? So those critical bolts can be socked down tight? Especially for Peter Sagan who is going to take the craziest lines over the cobbles. (Watch him try to shed Dillier on the Carrefour.)
Not confidence inspiring! I suspect this will have zero impact on Specialized stem (and stem equipped bikes) sales, but it is more fuel to keep me happily riding my steel steerered forks (with threaded HSs and quill stems, no less!).
Ben
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/10/2018 05:08 PM |
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My (admittedly cynical) reaction to that scene was that it was all a bit of manufactured drama....the only way I have ever noticed my stem being loose (via the cinch bolts) is that the stem gets off-center from the wheel. I have never once felt any looseness in the stem.
And given how many times Sagan “turned” the Allen wrench, that stem would have been REALLY loose....so loose that it would have gone askew over th cobbles. And he never straightened his stem.
I don’t think his stem was loose...I think he saw an opportunity to spread the lore of Sagan as they physics-defying bike handler and supercool dood who does crazy things on the bike.
Mission accomplished. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/10/2018 06:42 PM |
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So it looks like he had the Specialized Future Shock system.
Also looks like he had his usual Zipp Sprint SL stem.
Any potential compatibility issues?
I don't think it was suspension lockout, that would have been the big knob up top, right? Agree that given how much he turned, no way stem was loose. If it was that loose he wouldn't be on his bike, don't care if your name is Sagan. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/10/2018 09:17 PM |
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Same here, watched that allen wrench get a lot more movement that was warranted. If the had to tighten it that much it was on the verge of falling off.
Sagan... meh, who does he think he is pulling the adjustment-on-the-fly move, Eddy Merckx?  |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/11/2018 12:57 AM |
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Dale, years ago I watched B & W footage of Eddy Merckx the year after his big crash struggling to hang in the break and having to pull out his wrench and adjust his seat height, several times. Didn't look like he was having fun.
Then, maybe a year later, got to see him back at his best, just destroying a race. Not one big move but kept attacking until no one was left, then solo'ed in.
Ben |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/11/2018 08:22 AM |
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| That was what I was referencing with King Eddy-- his fiddling with the seatpost mid-race |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/12/2018 11:33 AM |
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| Watched another race. think it was Tour Of Flanders, rider adjusting his saddle height.. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 04/12/2018 12:01 PM |
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| Correct me: I thought suspension was banned at PR. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/12/2018 12:15 PM |
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Posted By Frederick Jones on 04/12/2018 12:01 PM
Correct me: I thought suspension was banned at PR.
There's a couple that rode with Future Shock system, Sagan including from looks of that big knob (shock adjuster) that's evident in video. Basically replaces the old zhert (spell?) inserts absorber system.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/gilbert-and-stybar-to-race-paris-roubaix-on-unreleased-specialized-gallery/ |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/12/2018 03:00 PM |
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lsd, you can go to the Paris-Rouaix website and open up the rules of the race. I read them but don't recall seeing anything about shocks (but then it never occurred to me to look).
Ben |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/12/2018 08:49 PM |
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Posted By Frederick Jones on 04/12/2018 12:01 PM
Correct me: I thought suspension was banned at PR.
Not banned as far as I know...SKy had rear suspension in their bikes.
@OC - “zertz” |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 04/13/2018 09:10 AM |
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| I’m recalling the heavy move into suspension a couple of decades ago, which UCI stopped. That was then.
PS: Zertz looks like a gimmick compared with real suspension with separately moving parts. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/13/2018 09:14 AM |
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I don’t remember the UCI stopping it, though...riders just eventually found it unnecessary. IIRC, the movement against suspension started when Mapei began their domination of the race on standard Colnagos and other teams were still rising suspension of some variety.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/13/2018 11:11 AM |
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| Yes Zertz was always a bit gimmicky. Comparatively speaking Future Shock is actually functional (or should be). I think Sagan's "tooling" on the bike in front of cameras was meant to give it some exposure. Probably worked. |
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