CyclistHow does frame geometry affect a road bike?Warning: in the next few paragraphs you may experience wobble, flop and twitch. Dont be alarmed they are terms that will help you to better understand the complex subject of bicycle handling. Put simply, handling is the input required to control a bikes direction, and the biggest factor is the bicycles geometry.It has taken a century to get close to fully comprehending the dynamics but Assistant Professor Arend Schwab of Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, is one of a team of physicists that claims to have eventually cracked the problem in 2011.In our equation there are 27 parameters, he tells Cyclist. These include tube angles, dimensions, fork rake, bottom bracket height and centre of gravity. Change just one element and the handling changes.Decades of cumulative experience have led framebuilders to a general geometry for road bikes thats an acceptable balance between weight, comfort, efficiency and handling.This means that, today, most of the tweaks for handling are made with the head tube angle and fork offset, sometimes called rake, because they determine trail.To get an idea of trail, imagine a beam of light shining down through the centre of the head tube. It will touch the ground ahead of the point where the front tyre touches the ground.The distance between these two points is the trail and its one of the main factors in how a bike handles. Related Posts Number crunching: How to understand bike handling Bike frame stiffness: Why it matters and all you need to know How bike-fit has changed: Phil Burt interview What is a bikes wheelbase and how does it affect handling? How far can you lean a bike in a corner? Goding ImagesTrail affects the stability of the bicycle, says framebuilder Richard Craddock of Craddock Cycles in Bromsgrove. All bicycles are more stable the faster they move but more trail makes it easier to stay upright. On the downside, more trail means more wobble when youre out of the saddle and it requires more effort from the rider to steer when it comes to cornering.Its this last point that energises Anders Annerstedt of Luxembourg bike brand Rolo. A bike with a longer trail is more difficult to keep on the ideal trajectory around a corner. So on a hairpin youll have to steer through the turn with maybe two or three different inputs. You have to be forceful because the geometry wants to keep the bike in its existing trajectory, he says.With less trail the rider doesnt have to expend as much energy to make those corrections and can do so quicker, Annerstedt adds. He tunes his geometry to eliminate excessive wheel flop low-speed instability and all framebuilders aim to adjust the trail to provide the kind of handling most suited to the intended use of the bike.So a touring bike might have a lot of trail to provide a stable, predictable ride, while a race bike might have a small amount of trail to offer quick, sharp cornering.Matthew Loveridge / CyclistThere are two main ways a framebuilder can adjust trail: by changing the angle of the head tube or by adjusting the rake (offset) of the fork. To reduce the trail, you can make the head tube steeper, increase the fork rake, or both.Road cyclists have generally come to favour the handling of bikes where the trail is 50-60mm. A head angle in the region of 73 with a fork offset of around 45mm tends to acheive this.Many framebuilders are cagy about their precise figures, but if you know two of the three variables you can calculate the third at the bikecad.ca website.There is an extra complication with small frame sizes because the front wheel is closer to the bottom bracket, which brings a risk that it will be clipped by the riders toes.To increase the clearance either the head angle must be made shallower or the fork offset increased, either of which will affect handling unless other design changes are made.Weights and measuresMike Massaro / CyclistUnfortunately, checking the geometry chart to assess trail wont tell you all you need to know about handling, because there are other factors involved.Framebuilders cite bottom bracket height and wheelbase as the next two most influential geometrical elements for handling.Further changes to handling can be made by altering the length of the stem, the width of the handlebars, and the type of wheels and tyres.Heavier wheels and tyres, for example, have more inertia and require more effort to turn the bars.The way a bike handles is also down to the stiffness of the frame and forks, which means materials and tube shapes play their parts.The choice and use of material allow a bike manufacturer to achieve more specific bike-handling characteristics within a defined geometry, says Tim Hartung, design engineer at Trek Bicycles. This is where composite materials have a major advantage over isotropic materials such as steel and aluminium.He likes how carbon allows him to control and tune stiffness precisely through lay-up patterns, tube thicknesses and cross-section shapes.Modern developments such as disc brakes on road bikes have also had an effect on the way a bike handles, according to Hartung: Typically, thru axles are much thicker [than standard quick releases], commonly 12mm or 15mm.The thicker axle is stronger and stiffer and also creates a stiffer system connection between frame and wheel. It can create a scenario where the front and rear wheels are not in sync with each other.The rear wheel and frame will tend to stay more in the same plane with each other, which can be bad when trying to hold a constant line in high speed cornering.You can end up with a bike that does not have enough give or flex in the system to hold a good line in a corner or allow you to successfully counter-steer accordingly.This could mean your tyre contact patch with the ground in the rear could be compromised. Or you end up hitting the brakes to adjust your line in a high-speed corner on the road, Hartung adds.Neither of these are desirable in race situations. Keep in mind that this level of detail is really only noticed by elite cyclists and some of this effect can be mitigated by changing your frame stiffness parameters.The organic elementLizzie CrabbNo matter what geometry and stiffness levels have been dialled into a bike, there will always be one variable that is impossible for the framebuilder to accurately predict: the rider.Body shapes and riding styles are going to affect the dynamics of handling, and Arend Schwab of Technical University of Delft has definite views on how the riders position relates to the handling.The pose or position of the rider isnt so important when it comes to handling but the way you hold the handlebars is very important, he says.The steering structure is very light and if you add the big mass of arms and upper body, it can influence the system and its response.Schwab suggests that, theoretically, holding the bars with straight arms at the same angle as the head tube would be best for stability because then your arm and upper body mass has minimal influence on the steering system.Framebuilder Tom Donhou adds, You really want to keep the centre of gravity in the right place, particularly when youre riding at speed. Speed wobble is down to weight placement so you need to get the right distribution of weight between the wheels.For a framebuilder, trying to balance all the geometric elements against the riders physiology can be a daunting task, especially when customers can be remarkably demanding, while simultaneously unclear, about the kind of handling they want.People use words like responsive, reactive, agile, nimble, aggressive, says Tom Rodi of American bespoke builder Parlee Cycles.There are 20 or 30 adjectives that youll hear. Sometimes someone will talk about a bike feeling nervous. It could be too steep at the head tube or the fork being too rigid.There are a lot of pieces to look at. Theres the torsional rigidity of the head, top and down tubes, the torsional responsiveness of the whole fork assembly and theres the vertical compliance the ability of those things to bend in reaction to road abnormalities.What is apparent is that theres no simple solution to predicting a bikes handling. Its something that framebuilders will continue to tinker with and refine as much through trial and error as through science.And once youve got your frame, the parts you attach to it will also have an effect too, but mostly the way you carve through that hairpin bend will be down to you. The way a bike handles is largely down to the person handling it.This article was first published in 2018. Related Posts Number crunching: How to understand bike handling Bike frame stiffness: Why it matters and all you need to know How bike-fit has changed: Phil Burt interview What is a bikes wheelbase and how does it affect handling? How far can you lean a bike in a corner? The post How does frame geometry affect a road bike? appeared first on Cyclist.

Although Tadej Pogacar was as powerful and dominant as ever on stage 16 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, those GC candidates behind had more mixed days. One of those to struggle and lose time was the INEOS Grenadiers' Geraint Thomas.Thomas' teammate, Thymen Arensman however looked a lot stronger, securing...

For the fifth time at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Tadej Pogacar was the first rider to cross the finish line on stage 16 as the Maglia Rosa continues to dominate his rivals. Speaking post-stage however, Pogacar's loyal super-domestique Rafal Majka admitted another stage win wasn't in the initial plan....

Throughout the Giro d'Italia, there will be many riders to withdraw from the race, for several different reasons. We make a list of all riders who leave the Corsa Rosa, as well as list out a few of the main crashes that take place during the race.Stage 1No riders have abandoned the race on it's fir...

CyclistHow much is the 2024 Giro dItalia prize money?The total prize pot for the 2024 Giro dItalia has increased slightly from last year, now standing at 1.6million in comparison to 1.5million. The overall winner of the maglia rosa will receive around 265,000. The second-placed rider wins 133,400 and the third 68,800.Thats the same as the 2023 Giro dItalia, but in contrast, the 2023 Tour de France total prize purse was more substantial, around 2,500,000, and yellow jersey winner Jonas Vingegaard won 500,000. Sepp Kuss won 150,000 for winning the 2023 Vuelta a Espaa.Lets break it down even further Related Posts 5 storylines to follow at the Giro dItalia 2024 How much is the 2023 Tour de France prize money? The fascinating history of the maglia rosa Giro dItalia 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know How much prize money is available at the Giro dItalia?Obviously 1.6m is a heck of a lot of money and it doesnt all go to one person. Its spread throughout all prize winners over the course of the entire three weeks.Besides the cash for actually taking the title, there are other classifications to be won than just the general with sprinters, climbers and young riders jerseys all getting a slice.Even beyond that. theres money doled out on each stage for the jersey holders and for the top 20 riders on the day. That means theoretically 420 daily prizes over the course of the entire Grand Tour just for stage placings.Its also important to remember that prize money is usually split among the team rather than just going to the individual rider. It is a team sport after all.GC prize moneyThe maglia rosawearer at the end of every day is awarded a nice 2,000, so even if a rider loses a jersey all is not lost. Money for the overall GC standings comes from the race organisation and also special rewards. Weve added them together. 1. 265,6682. 113,4123. 68,8014. 21,5165. 18,1546-7. 13,5888-9. 10,72510. 7,86311-20. 2,863Sprinters jersey prize moneyThe points classifications are a little different as the riders who bag the most points on a given day also get some cash. Thats 700, 400 and 200 for the efforts. Theres also 750 for themaglia ciclamino jersey wearer at the end of the day. At the end of the three weeks though, heres how it shakes up:1. 10,0002. 8,0003. 6,0004. 4,0005. 2,000Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesKOM jersey prize moneyThemaglia azzurra,or King of the Mountains, competition is almost identical to the sprints with the daily prizes for jersey wearer and points scorers the same. However the Giro obviously doesnt value climbers as much (or, rightly, understands the best climbers are the GC men) as the final prize money is half theciclaminomoney.1. 5,0002. 4,0003. 3,0004. 2,0005. 1,000Young riders jersey prize moneyObviously this isnt a points classification, so the only daily prize for themaglia biancacompetition is 750 for the jersey wearer. The money has been doubled since last year. At the end of the Giro, the top five get the same as the sprinters:1. 10,0002. 8,0003. 6,0004. 4,0005. 2,000Teams classification prize moneyAnd of course, overall team performance reaps rewards. The three best teams on the day bag 500, 300 and 100 and the final standings reward:1. 5,0002. 4,0003. 3,0004. 2,0005. 1,000Stage prize moneyAs mentioned previously the top 20 riders on each stage win cash although there is a steep drop-off. Heres what each place wins:1. 11,0102. 5,5083. 2,7534. 1,3775. 1,1026-7. 8268-9. 55110-20. 276Extra prizesThe Giro dItalia is the working mans Grand Tour, thats because it bangs on several other classifications and prizes to reward the less financially equipped teams to get something from the race.Firstly theres an individual intermediate sprint competition, with the top five riders at each individual sprint getting money:1. 5002. 4003. 3004. 2005. 100And a final intermediate sprint classification also having its own prizes:1. 8,0002. 6,0003. 4,0004. 2,0005. 1,000That is not all though. Were still going. Theres a breakaway competition, too, with the rider that had the most kilometres in the break bagging 200 (double last year) each day, and the final classification winner awarded 5,000.Dont forget the combativity award, too. The daily prize is 1,000 and the winner overall at the end of the race gets 5,000.The Intergiro sprints award 1,500, 1,000 and 700 for the top three and the final Intergiro classification prizes are 7,000, 5,000, 4,000, 3,000 and 1,000.For all our Giro dItalia content, visit our Giro hub page. Related Posts 5 storylines to follow at the Giro dItalia 2024 How much is the 2023 Tour de France prize money? The fascinating history of the maglia rosa Giro dItalia 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know The post How much is the 2024 Giro dItalia prize money? appeared first on Cyclist.

Stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia is a very very hard day. It is a day fully within the Alps with several climbs that begin right at the start of the stage. We preview a day that shouldn't be important for the Giro's victory battle, but could prove quite exciting for the places behind and the stage win....

Polish hub maker Soul-Kozaks new LoopsDrive concept is a completely unique solution for creating fast-engagement bike hubs. While pretty much every geared bicycles hub ever made transfers pedal input through compression loads inside a freehub (or freewheel), the LoopsDrive concept uses a series of rings (or loops) pulled in tension to transmit the riders power into the rear wheel. And by pulling this point of power transfer out of the tiny environs of the freehub, the Soul-Kozak LoopsDrive promises less drag, improved resistance to dirt, dust & debris, lighter overall weight, and ultra-fast engagement.Think a minimum of 65 POEs, or as many as 780 points of engagement with no reduction in durability. Or it could even go as high as 1500 POEs when ultra-fast engagement where a priority!Soul-Kozak LoopsDrive alternate freehub concept(Photos/Cory Benson)The trick is, LoopsDrive is just a concept. Soul-Kozak has patented the idea. And theyve created a working prototype that combines elements from several different cycling component makers. But for the LoopsDrive idea to really take hold, Soul-Kozak needs even more hub, cassette, and wheel manufacturers to get on board.OK, so what really makes this idea special?Whats new?The LoopsDrive freehub clutch really comes down to two basic concepts: tension vs. compression, andseparating hub/axle sealing and the engagement mechanism vs. making everything tiny to fit inside a sealed hubshellA freewheeling drive system in tensionPretty much every freewheeling system works by using a mechanism that jams in between the separately spinning outer hubshell that is laced into the wheel, and the freehub body that holds the cassette. Whether its a series of pawls or a ratchet mechanism, teeth slam together transferring the force of your pedal input via compression from the chain/cassette to the hub/spokes/rim/tire.The LoopsDrive solution hangs loop springs (green) off the biggest cog of a cassette (purple) that then catch hooks machined into an externally toothed ring (silver) fixed to the driveside of the rear hub shell. As the cyclist coasts ahead, the loops glide over the top of the hooks. And when the rider pedals, these gently spring-loaded loops get caught by the hooks creating a load path (silver-green-purple) in tension to transfer pedal input to forward motion at the ground.In this system, the loop in tension (green) can be theoretically made from a relatively low-cost carbon composite or plastic material that works well in tension. And they could be cheaply and easily replaced as they wear out over time.(Photo/Soul-Kozak)Soul-Kozaks inspiration for LoopsDrive came from nature, in the humble Burdocks hooked burrs that inevitably get stuck to your clothing. Much like how they inspired Velcro, the hook and loop interface can be simple and strong.(Just to clarify, the mock-up model in the video above has the silver teeth facing the opposite direction of a bicycle drivetrain. All the other photos that I took of a mock-up model and the rideable prototype wheel have these teeth in the opposite direction to propel a bike forward and coast forward. I hope that makes sense.)A freewheel mechanism outside of the hubSoul-Kozaks overarching idea behind the LoopsDrive uni-directional clutch mechanism is separating the freewheel function from the bearing and sealing precision needed to make a bicycle wheel spin smoothly in all conditions. A bike hub and its bearings needs to be manufactured to super tight tolerances to ensure wheel stiffness, reliable handling, and smooth operation. Then, those bearings must be precisely sealed, both so they are durable, but also so there is no unnecessary drag added to the system. Fitting a freewheeling clutch into the hub means everything has to be super tiny to fit in and around the bearings. And all of those tiny parts need to be incredibly well sealed away from the elements. (Have you looked inside and seen how tiny the springs & pawls in most hubs are?) By moving the clutch mechanism about 10cm away from the axle, the teeth of the Soul-Kozak LoopsDrive system can be much bigger The LoopsDrive 52 teeth in this mockup are about 5mm tall vs.1mm tall teeth in my DT 36SL Ratchet EXP hub. And spaced 1cm apart vs. 3mm.Those much bigger teeth (even with ~1.5x as much engagement) mean that the level of manufacturing precision required is much lower. And an easier-to-machine material can be used aluminum vs. steel, in this comparison. But carbon or composite structures are also possible.A clutch exposed to the elements?Soul-Kozak assures that the open LoopsDrive system is designed in such a way that it will be self-clearing of debris. Again they look to nature and the flower cluster of hazel shrubs for a light open structure. That sounds a little bit like a scary concept when we are talking about a freehub clutch exposed to the elements. But the loop interface does not require lubrication, so it wont attract grime. And putting it next to the cassette-chain interface is a quick reminder that this system already works quite well, fully exposed. Sure, your cassette will get dusty, dirty, or even super grimy depending on how you lube your chain and what conditions you ride in. But in reality, it works as self-clearing/cleaning most of the time. And is easy to clean further whenever needed.What does high-POE actually mean? Where does it make sense?Pretty much every high-end hub maker touts how fast their hubs engage. Either talking about how many points of engagement (POE) they have (often, but not always, the same as number of teeth) or their angle () of engagement. The general idea is: faster engagement means a more responsive feel between your pedals and the power delivered to the ground through the rear wheel tire. Faster engagement is great when you want to get a bike up and over an obstacle (most often off-road) with a quick partial turn of the cranks.Soul-Kozak says their LoopsDrive will come in 65 POE as a baseline with 65 teeth. 195 POE with the same number of teeth but 3 sets of loops offset from each other. 780 POE is also possible with 12 offset loop positions, or even 1500 POE with a 125T ring and 12 offset loops. (This mock-up model features 52 teeth, and 156 POE with 3 offset loops.)Industry Nines latest Hydra hubs tout 690 POEs. Hopes Pro 5 delivers 108 POEs. DT Swiss latest DEG hubs top out at 90 POE (more on those very soon!) And Chris King RingDrive delivers 72 POEs. But a lot of regular high-quality hubs hit a sweet spot around 35 points of engagement.But you see, faster isnt always better even here in Soul-Kozaks LoopsDrive concept. First off, ultra-fast hubs exaggerate the feeling of pedal kickback in many full-suspension mountain bike designs. Thats the reason OChain systems exist in gravity mountain bike racing. Plus, more POEs typically adds drag to the hub. And generally, squeezing more POEs inside a hub shell will reduce long-term durability.How does high-POE measure out on the trail?Lets start with the middle-of-the-road 36T engagement thats common on premium hubs like Shimano XTR or DT Swiss 240s. If we talk about a 29er mountain bike with a 2.4 tire, those 36 POEs translate to 65mm/2.5 along the ground. Thats how far your tire could roll back before your freehub would engage. Or If youre looking at a 170mm crank arm, that means your pedal could move down 30mm/1.2 before the wheel would start to move forward. If you are trying to get over a sharp-edged or slippery obstacle on the ground, that might not cut it. Imagine getting on top of a small wet log or big slick root 100mm/4 in diameter where you come to a stop. And your rear wheel could roll back 65mm? You likely would have a hard time getting up and over it. On the other hand, the 65 POE LoopsDrive wheel could only roll back 36mm or let your crankarm drop 16mm. Tripling that 195POEs, the tire could move back just 12mm or crankarm drop just 5mm. Either of which could make it easier to get up an over something on the trail.Interestingly, it looks kind of like diminishing returns in my head the higher engagement gets. The Industry Nine Hydra hub cuts tire movement to just 3.4mm, and pedal movement to just 1.5mm. LoopsDrives 780 POE option would be 3.0mm & 1.4mm, respectively. The jump from 36 POE to 65 or 195 are all pretty big. But I doubt many riders would feel any benefit going from ~200 POEs to 690, 780, or even Loops theoretical top out at 1500 POEs.OK, so what happens now with Soul-Kozak LoopsDrive?Thats the million-dollar question that I asked Soul-Kozak about their new LoopsDrive tech. Right now, this is just a concept. Albeit, an interesting idea in my mind. Soul-Kozak has a patent pending on the LoopsDrive concept. But this is not a product they want to produce on their own. They could in theory machine all the hooked aluminum hubs, make the loops themselves, and even machine the matching cassette if they needed too. And the hub maker hinted that well likely see a more developed solution from them, as early as this summer into autumn.But Soul-Kozak knows that it would be much more efficient, and LoopsDrive would become more widely-adopted, if they could get more brands on-board.Wheels are already a mix of manufacturers, so that doesnt seem like a huge stretch. This rideable prototype gravel wheel is already made up of at least 8 different elements produced by several different manufacturers. Soul-Kozaks silver centerlock disc hub with the toothed ring machined into an ultra-high driveside hub flange. Soul-Kozak custom-machined purple big cog that supports the loops bolted to a modular silver Garbaruk cassette. Then, straight pull stainless spokes and hidden alloy nipples from Sapim, laced to a third-party open mold carbon rim. Lastly topped off with a Continental gravel tire and butyl inner tube.They then hope to license their LoopsDrive patent to other hub and cassette manufacturers. That way they could get more people to try the concept. Soul-Kozak explains LoopsDrive manufacturing could be both simple/low-cost or with more precision for higher-end performance. Maybe anything from a low-cost city bike wheel to a premium mountain bike racing setup. Now we just have to wait and see if anyone joins in on the fun.Soul-Kozak.comThe post Soul-Kozak LoopsDrive Crafts Ultra-High POE Tension-Only Alternative Freehub Concept appeared first on Bikerumor.

Videos showing complete core workout. There's a lot more to building core strength than doing crunches - in fact, you should STOP doing crunches! Here's a simple but effective core workout that will help you build strong core muscles - making you a better cyclist, and reducing back pain and injuries.The post Stop Doing Crunches! 10 Minute Complete Core Workout for Cyclists appeared first on Average Joe Cyclist.

Rebound 2024 is the worlds largest gravel event and can be joined by anyone, from anywhere in a one-day celebration of self-reliance through gravel cycling.

Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates had no intention of riding for the win on stage 16, but with Movistar Team riding hard all day on the front of the peloton to keep the breakaway in check, the Maglia Rosa eventually took advantage on the final climb to take his 5th stage win.Given what transpired...