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PL Performance Examines - Light or Strong?


The question facing every rider is how to build up a bike that suits their needs. The most obvious factors that need to be weighed are price vs performance, but within the realm of high performance, there are products that are light and products that are strong.

When building the bike on paper, it seems that weight is the ultimate definition of "good" gear.

But it is important to remember that performance isn't just about how light your bike can get. For example, you could build a bike out of styrofoam and attain a weight under a pound. But we all know what would happen if you tried to ride this bike.

Most companies these days seem to be courting the edges of safety with unbelievably light bikes and it is true that there are phenomenal new materials and manufacturing methods that have been developed such as with metals such as 7046 series aluminum and scandium as well as advanced modern techniques for carbon construction that can be seen with our collaborations with 3M, but it is also true that scraping away too much material can easily end up with a compromise.

The two primary areas of compromise are in safety (obviously) and power transfer.


Our products are all designed first and foremost to the demands of our R&D Team. With nearly 30 years of professional racing under his belt, he understands that safety is usually a secondary consideration to speed for racers.
YES, We are also keenly aware of something often overlooked with many racers.

POWER TRANSFER

Over the course of a race, there are usualy three main situations for bike performance.

1. Sprint or hard pedaling

2. Spinning or riding in the saddle

3. Corner Control


These are the same regardless of the type of race or type of bike. They apply for downhill just as much as for ironman or multi-day tour races.
Bike rigidity and strength contribute very much to each of these three situations.


Under what conditions is high lateral strength and rigidity needed?
Do you like to go fast?

It's obvious that rigidity and strength are critical to corner control, both in ramped, high-speed track situations and in tight hairpins or slalom switchbacks, but what about cadence riding or out-of-the saddle hammering?

With spinning in the saddle, the primary type of rigidity is torsional. Force is directed from the drivetrain, passing first through the axle to the hub, then to the spokes, following through to the rim and tire.

Rigidity does not equal Strength

Don't be mistaken. A material can be very strong, but not very rigid. Likewise, a material can be very rigid, but not strong.

Two examples:

steel cable - very strong, not at all rigid
styrofoam - much more rigid than steel cable, but not at all strong

Manufacturers must balance these two characteristics, but their impact on safety and performance might surprise you.

Factors that can affect this include spoke pattern, spoke tension, spoke material, hub material, nipple material and rim specifics.


However, most of those are negligible influences. The biggest influences are spoke design and spoke tension. Things change when entering a climb or a sprint.

MOST WHEELS ARE DESIGNED FOR THIS.

IS YOUR WHEEL DESIGNED FOR THIS?


Suddenly, the demands on the bike and rider are much higher. It is quite common to see riders come out of the saddle and 'hammer' to gain momentum or to use different muscles.

Good form dictates that the bike remains vertical at all times, but that's just not realistic.
As the bike comes off of vertical, some of your force is directed laterally into the wheels.

How much of that force can become forward momentum now also depends on the rigidity of the wheel to off-axis forces. If the wheel is too soft, it will flex like a wet noodle and waste your energy.

Remember: The weakest link will flex first.

When your wheel flexes, you are putting your energy into bending your wheel back and forth like a spring.
You don't ride a full suspension bike in a road race for the same reason.

There's a reason why track races and sprint speed records are done primarily with super-stiff full carbon wheels. Yeah, our Padova is heavy, but it's the rigidity that has people looking specifically for it for their world record attempts. Speed isn't just about being light.

And everybody knows that spokes are at an angle to give exactly this type of rigidity.

So that's good enough right? That depends on you and your riding style.


If you are very light and ride with strict form, never coming out of the saddle, even on climbs and sprints, then perhaps this is so.

However, even if you aren't spending all your time on a track, it may still be worthwhile to consider the role of strength in your riding and evaluate whether you would be better off with something lighter or something more rigid.

There's a reason that people tell us that our wheels "feel fast".

TinyURL for this page: http://tinyurl.com/PL-PE-LightOrStrong

Designed, Tested and Refined by experienced racers and riders.

UCI Crash Testing

We have received some important documents from the UCI.

The Gavia and Vicenza wheels have been crash tested and passed the test with flying colors. The performance of these wheels was very good in every aspect of the testing. These wheels can now be found on UCI lists. You can click here to view the list.

As per UCI specifications, this is not an endorsement of these items, merely an acknowledgement that they have been tested and are permitted in the applicable races.

The ONE - Hot Product!

As winter sets in, tulips under the snow are getting ready to push through and so, it seems, are young cyclists all around the world.

In the past few months, we have seen a tremendous upsurge in interest in our bike for serious young athletes. From Malta to Japan. From the UK to the US. Young athletes are champing at the bit for the snow to melt, the frost to loosen its grip and get their feet in the clips.

In response to this, we have begun a series of features on young riders with the PRO Interviews - Junior Athletes spotlight. We hope to present a few of these, so stay tuned.

What makes the ONE so special?

It can be pretty difficult to be taken seriously when you are young. You don't have as much money to spend on equipment. There aren't as many races - and when you do compete, many adults brush off any accomplishments.

Here at Pro-Lite, we remember what it was like to be a young rider. We remember having to stand up to pedal because the seat wouldn't go low enough. We remember how difficult it was to find a bike that FIT. We remember how irritating it was to pedal around town on a plastic bike or some ancient solid steel behemoth handed down from parents/cousins/grandparents/pre-Neolithic ancestors about that funky new discovery called the 'WHEEL'.

Our answer to these frustrations is a real quality bike. It features geometry that FITS younger riders. It sports hand-built, high quality wheels that go through the SAME stringent quality control that ALL of our wheels face. It has components matched both to the size of the bike and to meet current technology.

Like all of the bikes made here at Pro-Lite, it has been designed thoughtfully by experienced professional racers with scrutiny on every part.

It is affordable, but not "cheap".

Most importantly though, it is race quality.

For parents and youngsters alike, we hope you enjoy reading about youth in other countries.

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1 Queen Bed / 2 Twin Beds; Chinese and Western Breakfast; Two orders of Deluxe Continental Breakfast; Complimentary ADSL Internet Access; Complimentary Valet Parking; Airport transportation available upon request ; Tax and Service Charge Included; Extra guest or rollaway services are not available.; Free shuttle bus to TWTC; No pets are allowed

PRO Interviews - Junior Athletes - Tsukino Machin

It is always exciting when we hear of riders taking first place on a Pro-Lite frame or on a pair of Pro-Lite wheels, but you can imagine how we feel when people write in to tell us when a young rider puts it all down and takes center stage on the podium on our bike for junior riders - The ONE.

Well, we can imagine that there is one guy who is happier than we are about this. That's James Machin.

Meet his daughter. Tsukino Machin.

Tsukino recently took first in her age class and 7th overall in a youth ride in Japan.

At an age where most kids are still riding with training wheels and pink streamers, this girl chooses instead to don a jersey, grab a couple of HIGH5 Energy bars, strap on a helmet and go riding with dad.

Tsukino: Hi, I’m Tsukino Machin. I’m currently a first grade student in Japanese elementary school, I pretty much do what all kids my age do but between March and November my weekends and holidays are taken up with traveling around Japan with my Dad to compete.

PL: Do you belong to any teams?

Tsukino: Yes, I joined Positivo Espresso. Last summer once I was old enough to race in the JCRC series here in Japan, but I also attend events held in conjunction with the Tokyo Cycling Club.

PL: What type of racing do you do?

Tsukino: Currently I race stage and road races but I also ride off road and I’m considering competing in cross country races in the off season.

PL: How long have you been racing?

Tsukino: Due to the age limits I’ve only had one years experience on the racing circuit, but I’ve been riding for fun for several years now.

PL: What got you interested in racing?

Tsukino: My dad has been racing seriously for several years and I’ve always thought it was an exciting sport, especially the sprint finishes. I remember how happy and excited he was after he came 3rd in the final stage of the Tour Du Japon last year and It really inspired me to race more seriously in 2010.

PL: What kind of riding do you do for fun?

Tsukino: I like to ride my mountain bike around the local park with my friends and little brother, it’s the only time when my dad isn’t pushing me to ride faster or choose a more appropriate gear ratio to attack hills.

PL: What equipment do you use?

Tsukino: I’m currently training and racing on the Pro-Lite “One” with the 20” hand built wheel set that the Pro-Lite team built for me and I love it.

PL: How is it?

Tsukino: I tried many other children’s road bikes and they seemed to large or too small for me, a lot of the time the reach for the breaks was just too far and as this was my first road bike I wanted something I was comfortable riding both on the open road and closed circuits. It also needed to be competitive in build and weight.

One of the biggest differences between the Pro-Lite “One” and other Children’s racing bikes are the wheels… at all the races many of the adult riders ask me about the wheels as they really stand out and being hand built offer the same benefits of 700c or 650c wheel sets.

PL: Do you have anything else to share about your Pro-Lite gear?

Tsukino: It’s cool! Compared to other brands out there the design and looks of the bike really stand out at races and I get many comments on just how good it looks! Also my Dad has commented that it’s probably one of the best built children’s bikes he’s ever seen and how easy it is to maintain, especially the wheels.

PL: Wow, thanks so much for the kind comments! Where can we read more about you and your team?

Tsukino: The best place to follow my progress for 2010 will be on my Dad’s blog as the team will be supporting him to win the 2010 JCRC series and the Tour of Japon and as my races are on the same day he will be my mechanic, support team and coach.

You can also follow mine and the team’s progress here.

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