Mid-Level Bike Vs 50kph Race! Can We Survive?

[@gcn]

Does the spec of a bike really matter? 🤔 Let us know your thoughts 👇

[@JonCannings]

Hmm, on a really hilly ride yes. But pancake flat like that circuit and no dead turns, once you get that bike rolling its absolutely fine

[@FabioKasai]

pressure in the tires?

[@gcn]

@@FabioKasai this is a very important factor, especially when racing on a circuit like this. It was very smooth!

[@wertacus]

Absolutely. If you were on my bike, you would have lost hands down 😂

[@prestachuck2867]

In matter of importance for a crit scratcher bike. 1.Bike Fit, 2.Tires, 3. Wheels, 4. Gearing for optimal cadence on the course. 5. Lubricants (both bearing grease and chain lube), 6. Everything else

[@tofu521]

That high pitched "look mum im on tv" is gold

[@GilbertTang]

I burst out laughing.

[@gcn]

What it's all about! - TV TIME!

[@ross88mac]

Wasn't Chris Miller from Nero was it?

[@discbrakefan]

@@ross88macNah he wasn’t in this race. He did the one earlier in the week.

[@ross88mac]

@@discbrakefan ah! Fair enough. Chris and Alex did meet. Anyway great video!

[@GilbertTang]

Alex, looks like you were 25th. Leader (Conor Leahy, a pro with Team BridgeLane, name sometimes spelled with two n’s, seems to be a track ninja) finished at 52:34 and you were last of the +7 group. Next group starts at +31! Looks like Team BridgeLane is partnered with Cervélo, incidentally. Considering all that’s on your plate, that is an amazing, inspiring result.

[@gcn]

Woah there! Alex will think of making a comeback 🔜!

[@jeg3776]

Yeah, he was 25th: results.auscycling.org.au/Road/2024/TDU24/Mens/MensCrit.pdf

[@chrisridesbicycles]

GCN Tech is absolutely flying at the moment. First Ollie with the Tour des Stations 1000, now Alex banging out the watts in the crit. If he only had borrowed that 54 ring from the Dura Ace chainset in the parts bin.

[@gcn]

uh-oh, not the Dura-Ace bits under the workbench again... 😂 Ollie and Alex are like a fine wine 🍷, getting better with age! (that's what they keep telling us in GCN Megabase anyway)

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Yeah, had been thinking at least a 52 for that crit.

[@iaavsb]

It was a pleasure to meet you Alex and see the bike in real life! Thanks for spending the time for a chat post that tough race 😊

[@GCNalex]

Hey, great to chat and hear all about your cycling!

[@stephenleahy987]

You finished 25th at +7 seconds. Cycling Australia results

[@gcn]

We've told him to write ✍ I MUST TRY HARDER x100 😂

[@mecoollearoyd]

The camera he had to take was worth 7 seconds!@@gcn

[@speedsociety9177]

For crits like this, the Tire/wheel/pressure combination is probably far more important than frame/groupset as long as it's something decent

[@alexpatonGCN]

Wise words. Agreed

[@gcn]

THIS ☝ What tyres would you run? We've got a run down on Alex's crit bike over on GCN tech 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpLEeoCKhMeMgrc

[@speedsociety9177]

@@gcn I'd probably go for 30 (or even 32) rear 28 front, tubeless. I personally like Schwalbe Pro one or Conti GP 5000

[@MrGarycoww]

Crit racing is no joke!, seriously good numbers Rupert!. Love the bike and it goes to show how much a good engine matters!!😎🔥🌟

[@gcn]

Rupert has a finely tuned engine (and bike!) 🔧

[@BH-cy9tb]

You did absolutely amazing. The power and speed for almost an hour 💪👍

[@gcn]

With jet lag too! (or so he keeps telling us 😂)

[@philbailey2647]

LOVED this Norbert, class video. You're on form in 2024...

[@gcn]

Norbert was sad to leave Australia 🦘

[@alexpatonGCN]

Thanks Simon😂

[@discbrakefan]

@@gcnNeed to let him stay longer next time! So much more good cycling to experience in the Australian summer! Send a whole crew!

[@EireGTi]

Cool to see some RCA Jersey's in the bunch at start.

[@dustinmhill]

I love to look of that bike. The paint job is really cool.

[@gcn]

We should do a challenge, if you can beat Alex in a race, you get to keep it. The question is... Is @alexpaton6795 up for it?! 👀

[@phil_d]

I've done the same with the last generation of Orbea Orca that had rim brakes. Picked it up off eBay for £450 (!!!) and then sourced some lightly used Reynolds Black Label 65/80 deep carbon rims. With some upgrades here and there it tops the scales at 7.2kg fully loaded (the wheels are 1700g mind you), perfect for a race or two this coming season!

[@gcn]

That's the sort of project we love! An incredible bargain to get it for that price off eBay, and some lovely wheels for crits too - we can hear the whooshing sound of them now!

[@phil_d]

​@@gcn Cheers chaps! Who knows, I might make it to Castle Coombe sometime this year 😉

[@gcn]

@@phil_d you may well bump into the Castle Combe _mafia_ aka Alex & Ollie! (or at least they tell us they are)

[@willhartley2696]

Mid level? Custom paint job. Carbon 50mm rims. Aggressive frame geometry. That's basically as good as it gets on a flat crit.

[@andrewmorris9013]

'Up next: is Ultegra good enough to ride up Alpe d'Huez? Follow Andrew Feather as he puts this dirt cheap Japanese groupset through its paces on the 21 hairpins.'

[@julianallen515]

Both the bike and Alex's effort are next level. Well done, mate.

[@BTcycle]

Love the bike and the budget friendly setup. Nice power output, Alex.

[@wardieleppan8443]

That’s the sweet spot: aluminum frame and 105 group set (preferably mechanical) for most normal road cyclist, IMVHO of course. Doubt any normal road cyclist would get anywhere near those insane stats, though.

[@kevin._.farren]

Alex looking race fit!

[@gcn]

He's looking very sharp isn't he! 👌

[@GilbertTang]

I love watching Alex race. What a machine!

[@gcn]

He certainly didn't let us down! Where/what do you want to see him race next?

[@GilbertTang]

@@gcnIf he’s up for it, definitely a gravel race or crit in America, preferably in California, so I can cheer for him and make some (hopefully) awesome photographs.

[@MichaelWilliams-iv6dj]

Those are some pretty impressive power numbers. I bet there are times when something bigger than a 50 tooth chainring would have been nice. A video on budget upgrades to the bike would be fun,though what I really want to see is GCN sending Ollie out to road bike TT or hill climb on that bike this season.

[@OnkelHucke]

Beautiful paintwork on that bike. And great effort. According to Zwift I can do over 1200 Watts for a very short time but I weight about 110kg. So you are a machine and I am only an old man who needs to train more. 🤓

[@gcn]

Glad you like the paintwork - it certainly stands out! 1200w is ace ⚡

[@ttq711]

AssCam is a great innovation. More pls

[@gcn]

We don't know if you are joking or not!? 😳

[@DH-.]

I would love to see the best cheapest bike you and your palls can put together by buying a used bike and customizing it.. flea markets , mom and pop bike shops etc

[@gcn]

Sounds like a fun series to make!

[@Faustoverdenova]

In a Crit the only thing that matters to me ..Stay in it, and go home with all the skin you left with .. For me that's a win .

[@treyquattro]

great effort by Alex, great video by the team, down under. Those numbers show the massive gap between pro-level riders and the rest of us (OK, speaking for myself). I too would love to know what kind of power the guys in the lead group were putting out.

[@amishrider]

Still got it, Alan! Between your performance here and the multiple vids where GCN challenges Feather, it's increasingly obvious that the frame, groupset, and wheels have a tiny impact relative to the riders ability. If you had Dura-Ace, integrated handlebar, deep carbon wheels and aero frame it would cost you thousands to be a few seconds faster. Or you could spend another 6 months training and dieting and you'd likely be a few minutes faster. All things being equal most of us would choose the easier, expensive option... I better get training

[@권용대-b5v]

Coolest bike indeed and you did an amazing race Alex! I’d love to see you on this bike in many future videos!

[@samhamfast]

Well done, Alex.

[@urbanbedenik8894]

Damn, the paint job be slapping 👀

[@gcn]

[@suhdud4646]

I really enjoy seeing presenters mix it up with us common folks and at times opting to use . Cheers Alex. Regarding the kit, I just spec'd my newest build with 12s 105 mech and not because I cant afford Di2 but the gains to be had with buying an aero lid, socks and suit are for more beneficial use of cash regarding gains. Nice to see Cam Nicholls RCA in the mix.

[@discbrakefan]

Poor Alex was trying to get a recovery drink when two muppets were looking for a chat and a selfie… Alex was very gracious. Thanks! Also that was a brutal crit for sure. Elite Australian crit racers are bloody weapons.

[@bulletprufrodo]

Amazing video! Great effort!

[@lesliereissner4711]

This can't be the same Alex who blew apart in Mallorca! Fabulous numbers and a tribute to one strong rider--as well, perhaps, to the effect of that delicious paint finish on the Cannondale.

[@justinsmith1426]

He was a pro

[@gcn]

It's his twin brother!

[@n22pdf]

Go Alex you could make a comeback dude dude no problem.. first class buddy.. well done 😊 Pete 🚴🏻👍😃

[@veloman59]

Great bike and great effort Alex 🏅

[@rudolphpyatt4833]

CAAD’s have a great reputation. Great job putting this one together and putting it through its paces.

[@ollieelgie]

I can confirm that finished in first place (in my heart…). Great video as always, Alex! Looking to get into racing this year, just need to figure out how.

[@gcn]

Hey! Thanks for the comment and glad you liked the video! Your national federation should be able to point you in the right direction regarding the basics of how to start racing! Let us know if you need any help finding the federation! thanks

[@alexpatonGCN]

Thanks Ollie. Go for it, get racing! Local clubs are great and have a fun community

[@glennpettersson9002]

Great story, great effort. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@alexpatonGCN]

Thanks Glenn

[@_MrSnrub]

Congratulations Leeroy! You did great!

[@davesuddaby768]

Haven't seen the build episode yet but loved that ! Great stuff Alex

[@ProfeTa6]

From my own experience a 50-34 crankset is a handicap. Specially on a flat and fast course.

[@Dr.Schlitz]

Agreed. In fact, you could run 1x with a 53 or even a 54.

[@PlanetEchelone]

Next time you are in Australia you really should extend your stay and do a piece on the riding in the Victorian Alpes. Mt Hotham is a stunner.

[@occyman]

Good on you mate…it would be good to see more of the GCN guys actually racing

[@gcn]

Who would you like to see race? And what event? Maybe, just maybe we can make it happen! (And watch them suffer in the process!)

[@cyclist2906]

perfect bike for a crit. clearly fast enough and doesn't cost a fortune if you crash or replace anything so you can be fearless.

[@gcn]

Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@maxgrass8134]

I could do those average numbers but not the 2 minutes, 1 minute or 30sec bursts. Also not good at holding the wheel in high speed curves. Respect! I love the bike. Ride a Caad12 myself

[@iansingleton]

Well done Alex! Awesome effort mate, you done yourself proud. You've really got the bug again haven't you! Bike looks sick! Great film only one downer! Watching you ride in sunshine and warmth 😂😂

[@johnstrac]

Nice one Brian.

[@gcn]

thanks, Brian.

[@blackflamesolutions526]

I'm planning to race elite criteriums here in NL on a van Rysel alloy endurance frame with Campagnolo Centaur. Have splashed out on 600 euro carbon rim wheels however.

[@janetw9016]

Great video and effort Alex! Surprised to see a compact crank 50/34. Would a mid sized 52/36 have made a difference on that track?

[@gcn]

Great question, and one for Alex to help out with for sure! The 52t chainring would have given approximately 13cm more per revolution of the cranks compared to the 50t. Sometimes it can be quite nice as a bit of a "rest" to put it in a bigger gear, but looking at how frantic that race was there didn't look like a moment to rest! 🥵

[@edmundhodgson2572]

Good effort alan, especially against Aussies as they have nothing else to do all day but ride! looking forward to the comments(if they can be bothered) x

[@johndef5075]

Im still using Sora 8 speed. Works fine and I love the Campy style thumb levers.

[@PyroBlank]

Hehe I somehow managed to decently finish a 40km race here in india with a steel frame MTB converted hybrid (flat handlebar, front suspension fork with no lockout, a bottom bracket that was powderised at the end of the race and 2 inch track width tires) I ripped past everyone on the brutal uphill (thanks to the mtb transmission having a stupidly low first gear up front) and nearly fainted on the final straightway where the top gear of the mtb transmission wasnt high enough for 40 kmph. In that straightway, I came down from 6th to 23rd (50ish people participated). Fun.

[@gcn]

Blimey! That sounds like you did amazing - enough to destroy a bottom bracket! Are you planning on getting some bigger gears so you can continue that great performance?

[@PyroBlank]

@@gcn my cassette is some obscure off-brand Chinese make that nobody seems to be able to get off. Same for the bottom bracket that now sounds like it's filled with sand. Well, what can you expect from a 200 kwid bike.

[@williamortiz13]

I hear it over and over again it’s not the bike it’s the legs. I appreciate this video and I’m going to hold onto my mid-level..

[@hornetluca]

You finish first to my eyes

[@davlddemarest2626]

Nice run,Awsome bike...

[@Dr.Schlitz]

Was this an amateur field? If so, was it similar to a Cat 1 field in the USA Cycling system? Also, you should send your footage to Jeff at NorCal Cycling for race analysis!

[@troycollett8540]

National level race basically with domestic riders and riders from the Aussie track team etc

[@charlesjungclaus]

I second this with a like and a comment. Let's get the Jeff treatment people! Push the comments and likes!

[@DazzzTube]

The paint job on that bike is 👌🏻

[@gcn]

Pretty cool isn't it?! 🎨 Did you see when we built the bike 👀 👉 gcn.eu/azx

[@stijnw5336]

Does it hold its speed?

[@saracen888]

Going well 💪🏼

[@gcn]

Alex has certainly "wintered" well!

[@pinoyeh]

IMO, it depends on the rider to make the bike performs to its full potential. Great racing ! ! !

[@gcn]

yeah, the bike can't pedal itself after all! But the bike does count a bit 😉

[@silolojose]

26th Place

[@nerigarcia7116]

Bike is 🔥

[@Stefanosinf]

great effort!

[@Pionirish]

If 1271W doesn't deserve a wattage bazooka, then I don't know what does!

[@ByronAllis]

You want the real deal.baptism of fire but don't expect it to be a bed of roses when you are put through the furnace 🔥🕊️

[@saxon1376]

Man that looked fun 🤩

[@diegoeleazar9154]

I dont know why are there so much hate on CAAD13.

[@Taz86]

Unrelated to this particular video, but being that you guys are in the UK I'm half wondering why I've never seen you put a few sets of Hunt rims through their paces and kind of do a review of them. I personally love them and I'm about to be on my second set when spring rolls around. I've been seeing more of them on the road over the past year, but I still feel like not enough riders know about them. IMO they're the best wheels you can buy for the pricepoint (

[@Kimberlietriracer25]

Nice job!

[@phoffen3829]

Nice. Valves not lined up and hand in the way of the stem.

[@gcn]

You tell him!

[@edwinhuizinga3042]

Who knew! That scrappy kid with a desk job at GCN

[@matthewbaynham6286]

It looks like working as a GCN presenter is just so hard, flying to bueatiful places and racing in the sun.

[@jk2302]

so good!

[@fabiopellizzari9466]

That bike is so cooool

[@cbb3062]

Hiw is an expensive electronic groupset the groupset of the people. Yes tge old 105 was the groupset of the people but not anymore

[@TreyGruel]

It's the 105 mechanical, not the electronic. That said, Shimano is pricing even mechanical 105 out of the "of the people" moniker.

[@cbb3062]

@TreyGruel honestly used campingolo record, that's the groupset of the people mad price drop on the used market and always last a long time.

[@McLovin38FFs]

I hope Portescue did some more videos whilst here down under and I really hope he got to see a kangaroo this year. He seemed so disappointed when he didn’t see one last year!

[@jascollinscork]

Well done Alex….. you got a great opportunity AND you made the most of it 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 TBH if you had a top spec bike you may have even came out with the same result??

[@gcn]

He did ace, didn't he?! It would be really interesting if we could run some aero data comparisons to know the "time" saving if he was on a different bike etc.

[@jascollinscork]

@gcn I'd like to see Alex OR Hank maybe do some crit racing in UK as it would be great insight from GCN perspective in the Pelaton? 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[@Garybaxter1]

Lovely bike 👍😁

[@dblissmn]

Love the video. What size is the bike frame?

[@seanyoung7184]

Love the bike. Wish I started riding when I was your age LOL

[@NiallC980]

Chris Miller predicted this video lol

[@alexpatonGCN]

It's not much of a prediction when I told him what the video was 😂. Chris was racing a few days before this with me too.

[@gcn]

🔮 if Chris Miller could also tell us this weekend's lottery numbers that would be great!😂

[@s2pacific]

Awesome

[@tonypapas9854]

"I'm at a RACEtarck.....for a RACE!". LMFAO

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome :)

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Alex been training.

[@NimrodGilAd]

Is it due to the coriolis effect down under, that the race is going clockwise? 🙃

[@prestachuck2867]

I guess it goes along with driving on the wrong side of the car and road. 😂

[@gcn]

It most certainly is, they attempted going counter-clockwise but they ended up backwards, it was pretty dangerous! 😉 🌪

[@morrisizing]

Mr Lyons says, "Get some 195 cranks" on there.

[@gcntech]

only 195?

[@mlee6050]

Axel curious does transponder just go in the back pocket

[@gcn]

usually attached to the frame, front fork. In cyclocross it can be on the backside of a race number, or on a riders ankle (due to the bike changes that occur) 👍

[@mlee6050]

​@@gcnthanks, fastest response possible it seemed 👍

[@pippinc7113]

Cool!

[@johnyoon5399]

I can’t find any meaningful difference in performance between my custom build CAAD13 and Aethos, except on hills (per Strava times). They have similar spec levels, except CAAD13 has alu wheels and Aethos has carbon. The CAAD13 is huge value for the money, per CAAD tradition.

[@56cmcc]

Keep in mind that Elisa Balsamo won the Elite WC on a bike with Ultegra...

[@SteveHealey]

How many times did you use the word “like”?

[@williamoftexas1489]

Dang you're strong

[@Popmycherryyo]

Nice, going to sign up to my next bike race close to me with my old tandem bike that I inherited from my grandparents who stole it back in the 2nd world war!

[@gcn]

A tandem race?! That sounds amazing - which GCN presenter duo would you like to see ride a tandem for: a) laughter b) performance

[@Popmycherryyo]

Holy, for A) it would OBVIOUSLY need to be the least fit person and the most fit person in your crew (unsure who that is, as hell, all of you, except the two amateurs which hadnt ridden a racing bike before you have on from time to time) as for performance..well, the 2 most fit? It would still be ONE hell of a video that I'd surely watch, lol :P@@gcn

[@vozzen]

7:05 push the opponents into the fence?

[@cherriagana]

No matter how much I like your video's, I just don't like the "groupset of the people" title anymore for 105. From all my riding buddies most can't afford 105 anymore, even seeing more chinese groupsets now then 105.

[@fotmheki]

What happened to Alex mustache?

[@alexpatonGCN]

Some of it blew off in the wind!

[@gcn]

🪒

[@gcn]

@@alexpatonGCN 💨+🥸= 😯

[@brotherfranciz]

Had to go. Not aero.

[@reginaldscot165]

Out of interest what bike was the winner riding? 😁

[@alexpatonGCN]

Not sure, was too far back to see hahaha

[@GilbertTang]

A RadWagon 4.

[@jeskli11]

Great vid and bike. It's impossible to bare it like that, as if you were on a higher spec bike, you would likely still draft the same wheels and finished the same place, just a tiny bit fresher, however, if there's some way to theoretically implement your power data onto a different bike (let's say your Orca Aero, you would have to take this and the better bike to a wind tunnel to measure the aero difference and somehow model that also with the weight difference between the two bikes), how much earlier could you in theory cross the finish line and how many places better result could you in theory get?

[@gcn]

This is a great question and theory, it would be really interesting to use this kind of modelling with apps like like myWindsock (Ollie's favourite) to know how many watts could be saved under those conditions. However, in a bunch race, it is very hard to get quantifiable results as this situation has so many variables, Alex sitting on wheels to save himself for the sprint 😉 It is a really great subject to look into!

[@jeskli11]

@@gcn My main point was, we all know what the aero and on inclines weight benefits are between lightweight and aero bikes (I think aerodynamically speaking Alex's crit bike could be considered an average lightweight bike) on a steady-state effort, but what could be (see I'm using 'could' instead of 'would') the difference with that exact power file on a flat criterium, but with really high average speed and huge amount of near-sprint accelerations? One more point, potentially for Josh Portner, could be the effectiveness of the chainring sizes, as, yes, it's an easily swappable component, but generally aluminium bikes like Alex's come equipped stock with compact chainset (as he used) and higher- and top-end bikes and especially aero ones tend to come equipped with 52 or 54 tooth big ring as standard.

[@mbastos1000]

You got last! 😂😂😂

[@gcn]

Shots fired!