Has Cycling Tech Innovation Gone Crazy? | GCN Tech Show 324

[@gcntech]

Let us know what you think Pogačar had in that saddle bag ... wrong answers only 🤔

[@jascollinscork]

A battery pack 🤔😂

[@DaanHoogland]

A new giro helmet

[@mstrasser]

a book to pass the time waiting for the peloton to finish

[@chrislehr07]

Andrew Feather

[@davidpala7882]

A banana

[@billcodey1430]

My 12 year old came in while Ollie was demonstrating chain stretch and he asked me what is that stylish man doing with his hand and finger.

[@gcntech]

😂

[@JonCannings]

"stylish man" well, there is the first lesson!

[@BTcycle]

Hide your children when watching the GCN tech channel.

[@tomekjedynak2971]

01:48 "we have seen this kind of thing before". Yes we did, in Mel Brooks' "Space Balls".

[@mikefenster3556]

I would absolutely love this helmet if they went all-in on Space Balls and painted it Darth Vader-style with matching kit

[@tomekjedynak2971]

@@mikefenster3556 love the idea!

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Ahhhhhh. Great point!! When you announce an epic move ahead of time, and then you actually do it... indeed, that makes it more legendary!

[@gcntech]

Mind-blowing 🤯

[@robertsweatt760]

That’s where Pog stored his cyborg batteries! Man is a MACHINE!

[@gcntech]

Hahaha 🤖

[@SonnyDarvish]

28:25 I'm with you on this, Alex! Hookless limits the choices and many don't like their wide margin of errors taken away from them. When I got a Zipp set, it wasn't for it being hookless, but rather was curious how wide 25mm internal would ride, on top of bling, lightweightness, etc. But a few things were very clear by Zipp at the purchase time as they did release an initial chart of which tire size goes with their wheels. So I knew I could only run minimum 28mm and the tires must be tubeless, set up as tubeless or with inner tube. As a heavy rider, I was initially pumping them to 72 psi, but after trying lower pressure as suggested by Zipp, it's been somewhere between 62 and 68 psi. No problem for almost 2 years.

[@Gixer750pilot]

I do love the irony of Ollie talking about funny headgear whilst wearing a baseball cap backwards indoors . 1987 wants it’s hat back !

[@alexpatonGCN]

This is one of my fave comments this week!

[@Gixer750pilot]

@@alexpatonGCN cheers Alex !! Love you guys!

[@GregLanz]

2 Colnago Masters with Campagnolo in the bike vault = best bike vault ever!

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Having a few thousand miles on one many years ago, I can't fathom wanting one for anything outside of being wall ornament

[@rob-c.]

Except the second one is crying out for a quill stem - the front end just doesn’t look right at all.

[@gcntech]

Colonago's are hot right now 🔥

[@releasethekraken5299]

If you ever watched speed skiing, the Giro helmet would be almost perfect for it and you wouldn't be shocked by its shape. It quite makes sense for TT.

[@sidmonty13]

Time trials should come down to a persons athletic ability not who can afford the best tech or has access to a multi million dollar wind tunnel. This is a a sport, not about spending millions to save a a watt.

[@jkeid315]

The helmet looks like the rider can see the road in front of them with their head still tucked

[@gcntech]

That sounds like a good thing to us 👀

[@nicklame2647]

Why not replace visor with cameras and display. Make aero extensions to suit arms so pilot can tuck his head between them etc.

[@Back2Basics1871]

​@@nicklame2647 that's exactly what they do with recumbent racers... Well, not all of them but there's certainly been on shown in a @gcn video before

[@65xRacer]

The only thing that was in Tadej Pogačar's saddle bag was the hopes and dreams of all his competitors that day 💪🏻

[@gcntech]

He took those with him then 🤣

[@kurtallen8837]

The best breakaway in my opinion of all time is Chris Froome's tour of Italy. Probably Ollie was in Tadej saddle bag 😂

[@bmess2674]

As a correction, the entire road line of ENVEs are hookless, not hooked, including tadej’s

[@zypang1447]

Oh good, the entire line of ENVE are for losers who give a shit what pros do instead of the 99.99% normal humans.

[@georgeschreck6886]

Time trial helmets always looked odd and you aways would look ridiculous riding one outside of a tt. We have become used to the traditional tt helmet, but when looked at in isolation,they look ridiculous. Eventually, everyone will get used to the new versions if allowed to persist

[@SeppoWefers]

In other sports like downhill skateboarding or Olympic Ludge such Aerodynamic Helmets are the standard.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@SeppoWefers lugers don't wear weird helmets. Downhill skaters certainly do but downhill skateboarding makes time trialing look extremely popular😅

[@overcookit1433]

As I only ride racing bikes converted to TT bikes, I also ride troughout the year with TT helmets, during fall/winter a Louis garenau Prologue, during spring/summer the Specialized S-Works TT - and I give a shit on whether others think its ridiculous or not. In the rain, my head is kept dry, and no rain in my eyes due to the visors, and in summer the sun can't burn down on my head.

[@gcntech]

That's very true! Bikes look very different now as well don't they?

[@JC-jn7ld]

FINALLY!!! I finally made the vault. I was Zwifting while watching the show & nearly fell off my bike when I heard Ollie say in his distinctive accent "John... John... has a Colnago Master". Thanks for looking past the bodge tire alignment & extra long valve stem (had a flat). Also note my Master has a modern groupset just as the other Master featured-only it is Campy Chorus groupset of the people!

[@gleb_917]

thanks for sharing my bike chaps!! appreciate super nice!!

[@gcntech]

No worries! It's a beauty 🔥 Thanks for being part of the GCN Tech community

[@McBeatha]

The helmets are fire! I Love how they look, they look super fast, and I love how upset everyone is about it. That said, disc brakes do not belong on road bikes. PERIOD!

[@Cyclist-o6e]

The helmet does look ridiculous. However, I was more surprised by the GCN reaction to it than the helmet itself. As a regular GCN viewer, I fully expected Ollie to tout its “0.5 watt aero gains” before miming a push at his nerd glasses 🤓to get them back into position. Aero helmets have always looked ridiculous. “Aero bras” are ridiculous too. Aero and carbon fibre everything is ridiculous in general. It did make me laugh how Ollie seamlessly went from worrying about the helmet to speculating if carbon fibre rotors, chain waxing, and rim width helped Pogacar completely (almost unbelievably) destroy the competition this past weekend. If we think real hard 🤔, I bet we can come up with another reason.

[@draugmithrin]

GCN realizing techs gone too far and unaffordable for mere mortals, glad to see.

[@daki222000]

the helmet is very similar to a speed skiing helmet, which has been around for a long time. (as are the leg fairings by the way.) I'm shure that is where the inspiration came from. cheers.

[@gcntech]

Very interesting! Are there any other sports you think cycling can learn from?

[@cruachan1191]

I've got a Topeak Backloader saddle pack (6L) and the inner dry bag that came with it has the air valve, not the bag itself though.

[@rob-c.]

There’s been a review of it on this very KZbin channel 😂

[@JackMott]

Saddle bag could be just foam inside to improve aerodynamics. they do sometimes.

[@FlyingPastilla]

What I thought as well. Water bottles behind the saddle have been proven to make one more aero than without. No idea how legal this is though

[@prestachuck2867]

And you can carry a pre-loaded Dynaplug tire plugger in it. On parts of that course, one could stab a dynaplug into a punctured tubeless tire and get rolling faster than you could wait for a wheel or bike change.

[@gcntech]

That's an interesting point! 👀

[@JackMott]

looking at the pictures though, it kinda looks like he just forgot to take it off, heh. Its not super carefully aligned. sometimes the answers to mysteries are mundane. some kind of flat kit would be faster to access in a jersey pocket.

[@JonCannings]

Hate the new TT helmet if you want, but for me, it is innovation & development - The exact innovation that made me fall in love with cycling tech ❤️ Right now the industry needs this after battling a headwind since the Covid boom!

[@_MrSnrub]

Glad to have you back Benedict!

[@mikepeligro]

If the helmet gets frequently worn by cyclists and proves to be fast like marathon supershoes, it will soon be popular among competitive cyclists. The aesthetics will not matter if it is fast.

[@xprodigy1x674]

Honestly, I adore weird and goofy looking helmets in the name of speed. I'd love to give a bunch of them a go. I don't think they look as severely bad as everyone is saying it does.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I want this Giro helmet solely because it looks so laughably terrible😂

[@peterwillson1355]

Oh yes they do

[@oplkfdhgk]

9:28 i wouldn't be supriced if it was like 15watts because it seems like it could reduce alot of turbulance.

[@gcntech]

We can't wait to see the numbers! 🤓

[@joelogjam9163]

"There is no limit to helmet size." You guys are damn lucky that I'm fresh out of helmet jokes.

[@felkerino1]

Is it time to launch a GCN e-bike channel? Sure feels that way.

[@SpicyTrifongo]

They already have an e mountainbike channel that barely gets views

[@seanhannagans]

Welcome back Abby. Even though it looks like anime cosplay, that helmet looks no "worse" than what was sat on Lance Armstrong's head in the 1999 TdF time trial, and I bet it's significantly faster... I wouldn't wear one though. 😂

[@Fedelia86]

I think the helmet looks hilariously great. I'd love to see roadies rocking those in the wild. (Tight lycra, aero socks, bras and shaven everything are also questionable aesthetics to some ... so why judge some funny go-fast helmets)

[@tertiaryeel2066]

Week 52 of asking for a “The UCI has no jurisdiction here” T-shirt

[@JonCannings]

A whole year. 😢

[@williamschultz8198]

Yeah...Allister is back from Holiday!!!

[@thecoffeeblog]

Hookless has been around for a while without incident for low-pressure mountain bike ties. The issue is the high-pressure road tires/hookless combination. It is explosive. 💥

[@Vaasmios]

Ollie demonstrating chain stretch with his hands is far better than any graphic.

[@gcntech]

Don't tempt him 🤣

[@andydee86]

Ollie’s Adam Buxton reference with the no one’s ever called me stylish before was amazing

[@gcntech]

Nice little easter egg for you 🥚

[@scottburkettmichael8696]

Mom, the dog has his head stuck in the yellow bucket again!

[@feedbackzaloop]

Biketech nerdery is always so serious, good to have some knobbly comic relief from time to time trail.

[@Garybaxter1]

Athletic Ollie lol! nice one guys! 👍😁

[@gcntech]

We promise we didn't only interview his friends in Bath 😂

[@andyman127]

The helmet is absolutely F'ing ridiculous. That absolutely cannot become common place.

[@petembb]

Main issue i have with the new helmets is i dont believe they improve safety, but might actually be less safe then normal helmets with all the "lose" plating that is only there to make it more aero. Frankly any part of a helmet that doesnt improve safety should be banned. That simple, with exceptions for vents for airflow.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

It's not like the old TT helmets weren't just a regular helmet with a fairing added to it. My LAS tt helmet was literally just the inside of a normal road helmet with a huge plastic shell glued to the top of it.

[@kokonanana1]

Wax your legs at the same time you wax your chain???

[@01FozzyS]

Welcome back from New York,Neville!

[@gcntech]

New York Neville 🤣 That one is going to stick!

[@01FozzyS]

@@gcntech LOL! Good one!

[@bryanbowerman9580]

I’ve been following GCN for years and have been a huge fan of Ollie since he joined. His explanation of chain stretching just reaffirms what makes him such a great and fun member of the gcn crew

[@JonCannings]

😂😂😂

[@jebrossard]

The quick and easy solution to that ridiculous time trial helmet is to ban time trialing.

[@dominicbritt]

A lot of people don’t realise that the UAE own the UAE Team (not just a sponsor) and have also bought Colnago - Colnago literally exist to optimise bikes for the race team without compromise.

[@DicconHill]

That Giro helmet looks like the helmet used for that downhill speed record a few years ago. So, it's not so new, really. I think the chap had a nasty crash and survived, in that attempt. Also set a world record.

[@randallmiller3842]

I looked up speed skiing helmets. Just the same. People still ski and don’t worry about it.

[@shawnbruch7460]

My take? No more TT bikes, helmets or specialized aero kit. Level the playing field. Ride your “regular” set up and let the legs do the talking.

[@davidlau2467]

Without doing any in-depth research, I think the issue is with having the insert. When you hit something, the tyre deforms, changing the volume, hence you'll have higher pressures locally. As the 'free volume' is decreased due to the insert, it may be that the spike in pressure is just too high for the tyre to stay on the wheel.

[@SteevyTable]

Ah jeez, didn't have a bell to wake me up for the bike vault this week.

[@gcntech]

Hahahah the job bell is still ringing in the studio 🤣

[@scottpritchard543]

Glad to see Culthbert is back from holiday.

[@geraintjones6401]

I like that new lid. There, I said it and no, my head isn't shaped like a Toblerone.

[@paulgach7606]

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Ollie got it wrong when he explained chain wear. Both pin and roller are made of hardened steel, so they don't wear. Besides, inside diameter (I.D.) of the roller does NOT touch the outside diameter (O.D) of the pin. Take apart one link completely apart and lay down one of the inner plates on the table. Then, take a roller and place in place on top of the inner plate and you'll see that the roller rotates about a "boss" on the inner plate. This boss on the link is made of softer steel and it wears down and gives the chain it's "stretch". Oh yeah. Love your show.

[@edmundhodgson2572]

I see that dura ace chainset and, to me, it screams Cavendish! Love it.

[@rob-c.]

I see a Dura Ace chainset and to me it scream “parts bin” 😅

[@andymonis5368]

Don't mind aero helmets for TT only. I think in normal "race" mode, the job of a helmet should primarily be safety, but without the chaos of the peloton, anything goes. Its kind of fun

[@PsyKeks]

Anything? Recumbents as well? (Asking as a recumbent rider, who would love them to have recumbents in TTs.)

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Seems like we can expect a round of updates from wheel manufacturers! Granted, some are already at 25 mm inner width, many are still at 20 and 21 mm. My DTSwiss Arc 1400 and Roval Rapide CL II for example.

[@fidelisprayudha]

Hi GCN, i have some problem with worn out axle thread on rotor 2inpower SL, currently using allez sprint 2022 with BB30, having to fit the crankset based on specs written in the manuals, but it caused a worn out axle thread, what should i do?

[@soggywilson]

I think the GIRO helmet looks much better than the specialized and POC ones. I would 100% wear it

[@Al.2]

That helmet design is absolutely beautiful and relevant to the task at hand! That will not discourage any kid from taking on cycling, they are well aware there's room for improvement in every area, including equipment. So I don't get all that head shaking at this. Yeah, you need that airflow going alright? And one more thing - your 105% rule guru is sending you a handlebar bag that costs like 10 watts... Send it back. Also wider tires are faster, so f**k his rule, only applicable to high yaw angles anyway. 😁

[@markbradshaw4960]

Ollie, the Ortlieb bike packing bags have an air bleed valve. It’s Ortlieb, of course it’s gonna be good!

[@realvaughnfelix]

T shirt, regular shorts and flat pedals here, with the exception of padded liner shorts. And a regular Bontrager helmet. But I don’t race, I just have fun and ride.

[@WredFawks]

I'll say this about the aesthetics over function in regards to the Giro helmet: is it a fast helmet? Seems to be. Does it have better peripheral visibility compared to other time trial helmet? Looks like it. Does it fix the issue I've commonly heard about frontal visibility in TT helmets? Doesn't really look to do that, in fact the overhang might make it worse. Maybe it's best we take a step back in maximum aero and more towards maximizing visibility and situational awareness might be.... a bit of a help in regards to keeping Time Trials a viable branch of the sport.

[@robertragon8904]

Pretty funny. So, I’m leaving the house on my triathlon bike today wearing my Lazer Tardiz TT helmet (an old one that is reasonably priced) and my 10 year old rolls her eyes and says: “ Dad, you look ridiculous, please don’t wear that helmet!” 😂. I did get the KOM on a 7.5 mile TT loop though!

[@merckxy54]

The red Colnago Master was a super, super, super nice!

[@fastfire04]

The helmet fills the space between the arms and the head. I’m sure it is a lot more faster than any other helmet.

[@MichaelLonetto]

Love that Colnago retro-mod!

[@eirikkristine]

To bad you have a new helmet sponsor

[@andrewdenny5571]

Too

[@maximiliano8540]

Another finger and palm demo idea for Ollie is to explain why seatpost keeps sliding despite properly tightened screws (one more reoccurring gcn tech clinic question).

[@matt_acton-varian]

In terms of weird TT helmets, the Poc Tempor is tame nowadays for the shock factor. I would wear one of those or maybe the oversized MET ( if I could afford one) but not the new Giro Aerohead. I'm not having anything protruding that far in front of my head.

[@tobimaxx]

Nothing wrong with the helmet, better than padding out your skinsuit for a TT. You are talking about pricing out people from the sport that has £12000 plus bikes that we think are normal.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Given Tadej's epic performance... can we please have a video on all-time greatest breakaways?? Dominant performance would certainly carry a high weight in rankings but something like Victor LaFay breakaway in last year's TDF also seems significant, giving Cofidis their first stage win in 15 years.

[@skovborg4835]

But it is super aero, so fxxx looks👍🏽 there are MANY helmets that looks some kind of this as mentioned on the show

[@Tyler.Etheridge]

Tadej's saddle bag was stuffed with Potica, a delicious Slovenian sweet treat!

[@gcntech]

sounds delicious! 🍰

[@hutchy_4297]

I would buy one and wear it on group rides just to piss people off, haha

[@lbx5359]

Tons of bikepacking bags have air bleed valves. Ortlieb comes to mind

[@philippannawitt3606]

Sorry guys, but I find this both sideism on hookless too easy: on the side saying they want hookless banned: all pro riders, on the side defending it: small wheel manufacturer who went all in on hookless and faces huge trouble if it were banned, and the tire manufacturer whose tires blew off in both instances. This is just not equivalent. I am also not sure that compares to tubulars coming off nor do I recall professional riders calling for the ban of tubulars. Also tires have evolved away from tubulars and there is a reason they are barely used these days. But hookless is an unnecessary safety risk to pros and to consumers for no benefit other than reduced cost in manufacturing. There are no performance benefits over hooked tires I am aware of. Correct me if I am wrong here.

[@SteveJohnson-r2y]

That guy in the helmet looked like a very flamboyant Darth Vador.

[@bigbikerjohn64]

I can see how this type of helmet will eventually evolve into one that incorporates a camera at the tip so the rider in a tuck position will not have to look up viewing the image projected onto the inner surface of the visor; kind of like a modern rear view camera/mirror.

[@thomasjacques8400]

surely Froome on stage 19 of the Giro at 80KM out is just as Epic 80km with that solo attack on the Colle delle Finestre. The nutrition tech of that was landmark change to cycling.

[@jascollinscork]

Great video!! Lease-bikes new helmet is pure ugly BUT great idea… providing better visibility whilst maintaining aero positioning 🤷🏼‍♂️ Also nice to meet you Mr. Glad to be back 😂😂

[@janetw9016]

To the wind tunnel Ollie!! 🎐🎐🎐

[@sameer_dhingra]

The alien helmet looks sick... Cmon.

[@danielguderian4649]

hey, who was that reporter doing the interviews? she was very enthusiastic and cheerful - you should bring her on the shows sometime. Also, something like that real world reactions was kinda cool; more of that!

[@alexpatonGCN]

That was El who works behind the scenes here at GCN mega base! She did a great job!

[@Cyclehub_dk]

Before the race, in our group ride we guessed Pogačar would use 32mm tires. So maybe next year, we are spot on -:)

[@gcntech]

Fat tyres are becoming the go too! Would you ever ride on 32mm?

[@Cyclehub_dk]

Yes, in a Strade Bianchi a 32mm seems right size. Normal Road race we see 28mm, or maybe 30mm becoming normal@@gcntech

[@ChrisGuarraia]

1:13 it’s like Visma Lease-a-Bike got sponsored by Spaceballs and and are now all Shark Helmet.

[@gcntech]

What other cult classic film would you like to see sponsoring team? 🤣

[@ProfeTa6]

Just before this video was posted Hambini posted one talking about the pitfalls of hookless rims when it comes to engineering. Can´t see myself ever using them.

[@PrzemyslawSliwinski]

2:39 - As someone has already pointed out: an adult in lycra messing around outside a swimming pool should never judge by the look...

[@almin9751]

For normal people who learn how to ride a bike as a kid and are a target or potential consumer or their kids and the topic of the video is the fuzz about this helmet repelling people...well go to stores and see the price tags...you are doing great bringing new people to the sport.

[@WendsH]

I love that Alex will sacrifice his dignity for 10 watts. There's so many jokes to be had here.

[@DougMorley1]

On the hookless rim situation there was no mention of teams leaving bikes and wheels out in the sun before a race all with hookless wheels and tyres at the correct pressures only to have the tyres come off the rims due to the pressures rising in the heat.

[@Cederien]

If the safety margin on hookless is THAT low, it's a deathtrap. Set it up correctly, ride a few hours up a mountain in the summer heat and have your tires blow off because lower outside pressure (higher elevation) and outside temperatures increased the pressure in the tire by what? Half a bar?

[@nathanstuyvesant7191]

Do you dip the chain in the wax before applying it to your legs or vice versa?

[@fasdiablo]

Its funny how you say that aero additions to bikes are banned by UCI , but if you can divert your eyes from the Space Balls helmet, look at the aero bars on the TVL bike, they're fully aero'd . . .

[@antonh4915]

Great show again guys. My question is if the UCI schould require bike to be made from only recyclable materials in the future? So no more carbon and plastics? This would also make the pro tour connect with the customer market again.

[@ariffau]

Bodies. Pogacar carried a saddle bag in that race to carry all the dead bodies when he attacked.

[@gcntech]

He really did not leave and prisoners 🤣

[@adamweb]

People get confused by the term chain "stretch"... even though a worn chain is technically longer, we should call it chain "disintegration" or something that better describes the wear occurring lol

[@chrisridesbicycles]

The UCI should step in and make this years TT worlds ridden on drop bar bikes, normal helmets and bibs and jersey. (Who do you think would win?)

[@gcntech]

Oooo road only TTs! That would make the racing very interesting 👀

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@gcntech My bet would still be on Josh Tarling but a lot of surprise behind.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@gcntech Presenter challenge 10k TT without gimmicks?

[@JMecc]

Watching pro sports is interesting in seeing how much better these athletes are than what you'd see locally. When you see how much faster they are than people you see in your city that also have super expensive bikes there's a wow factor. But this is a change that makes it look to most people like "yeah of course they're fast but they're playing a different game".

[@noptimized]

I hope Brother Michigan doesn’t pause at 33:15 this week.

[@MisslanterneRouge]

Eric or should we say Bananaman called and asked for his space helmet back. Just send it back to 29 Acacia Rd. hahaha