In order to reduce air resistance , most of the equipment used in Grand Tour cars has changed, from aerodynamic frames and carbon fiber wheelsets to aerodynamic helmets and tight-fitting jerseys.
In recent years, we've seen riders use narrower drop bars for the same reasons, and now we're seeing two new trends designed to help riders cruise more efficiently during races: short-nose saddles and Short crank.
There is no doubt that aero equipment makes today's riders faster than those using non-aero equipment.
At typical flat road cruising speeds, or even on gentle climbs, most of the rider's power is used to overcome air resistance, so it is completely reasonable to want to overcome air resistance as much as possible.
But while the fancy gear does help, it's still the rider who dominates as the gear, so it makes more sense where the most attention should be given.
While designers have a lot of freedom when it comes to shaping frames, rims and helmets, changing the human body is not as simple.
After all, riders cannot change their body shape, and positional changes for aerodynamic efficiency still need to be balanced with physiological efficiency.
In TT race trials, extreme seat cushion forward positions are not uncommon, and almost all seat cushion positions are adjusted close to the UCI positioning limits.
However, with the exception of Adam Hansen (Adam Hansen) of Belgian Lotto team , such a forward position of the seat cushion is much less common on large group of road bikes. But that trend may be changing soon, here’s a look at the saddle setup of Niki Terpstra, who moved to a more forward saddle position a few seasons ago.
The biggest limitation in this sense is a rider's hip angle, or thigh to torso angle when the pedals are in the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock positions, and maintaining a fairly narrow one in these two extreme positions The angle of is crucial for correct pedaling.
For example, lowering the rider's handlebar height may reduce front air resistance, but if doing so puts the thighs too close to the torso, the rider cannot pedal properly or control his breathing, thus offsetting the air loss from the power loss. Kinetic gains.
Due to various reasons, the old settings on the seat cushions keep them in their accustomed postures, including posture balance, activation of muscle groups, and simple tradition.
However, as a legacy setting, this still pales in comparison to the prospect of faster development.
The two teams that have adopted this new concept are Quick-Step Floors and Trek-Trek-Segafredo. Compared with a few years ago, the performance of these two teams has improved. The damage to the seat cushion setting should be less severe.
This change is more visually dramatic because of its rapid evolution. In this year's World Tour, at least half of the road bikes adopt zero-degree seat posts and seat cushion settings. Their positions are relative to the original seat cushion settings. Set farther, which is completely contrary to what was once considered a "professional" vehicle setting.
At the start of this year's Tour de France, almost all of the Quick-Step bikes had their saddles set further forward. This is Julian Alaphilippe’s Lightning S-Works Venge.
Yves Lampaert finished third on stage 9 of this year's Tour de France using a Lightning S-Works Tarmac instead of the Venge pictured here The aerodynamic bike , but he still keeps the seat cushion very forward.
Quick-Step's main sprinter Fernando Gaviria is another Quick-Step rider who has adopted a more forward saddle position.
83mm of saddle offset may seem like a lot to some, but think about it, this is Tim Declercq’s big group bike and he’s 1.9m tall. In this context, it was actually quite ahead of its time.
Burning goose, some riders, such as Trek-Segafredo Racing's Jasper Stuyven, have also switched to short cranks.
According to Trek Fitting Program Manager Matt Geer, the short crank and saddle forward means the rider’s thighs don’t rise as high at the top of the pedal stroke, allowing the rider to pedal down from the front end for better results. Good aerodynamics and not losing too much power.
He said: "A big reason why teams wanted to try the new setup was that they originally focused on time trials to get their handlebars lower, and time trials are the worst for your hip angle. One thing, that’s why triathlon bikes have shorter saddles and shorter cranks. “
” Trek-Segafredo Team riders are influenced by UC. I rule restrictions, so we can’t push the seat forward, but if we want our riders to be more aggressive, short cranks are a good choice”
Trek-Segafredo’s Beko. The saddle position on the Molema may seem unusual at first glance (especially considering the large setback seat tube), but the saddle is still very far forward.
Of course, not every pro player is already doing this, but it's unclear whether this trend will spread. This is the car of Scott Micheton Racing driver Daryl Impey.
This shows that old habits still persist, even when there are real performance improvements, especially when you are talking about professional riders who have trained for thousands of kilometers on familiar settings. The Quick-Step and Trek-Segafredo riders seemed to be adapting to the more forward saddle position without much objection, but there was clearly a bigger handicap with the shorter crank length.
Green said: “It’s really what it takes to adapt to something new, you need to pedal faster to maintain the same power because you have less time in the push phase with a shorter crank. Some riders can adapt, but some can’t. .”
Trek-Sagalando Team technical director Shriver found some interesting feedback from some riders. In a certain power range (about 350W), the pedaling feels good, but in the high power range (400W+), it does not feel very good. Most likely it's because it's difficult to maintain a high cadence in the higher power bands.
Shriver added: "They're really suffering, and when they want extra leverage at lower cadences, they go to longer cranks. So we've been going back and forth. Some riders have shorter arms, but Most riders have longer arms Jasper Stuyven, 1.86m/ 6'1") switched from a 172.5mm crank to a 170mm crank on his big group road bike and he's having his best season yet. I believe it's because he committed early and adapted. This change. ”
Riders have long been gradually adjusting to lower and longer handlebar positions in search of maximum aerodynamic gains. But to make these settings biomechanically feasible, other adjustments are needed.
No doubt this sort of thing is nothing new to triathletes, who have been adopting more aggressive settings a long time ago.
This position (along with the unusually narrow handlebars) was already used by Belgian Team Lotto rider Adam Hansen back in 2013.
Is this the start of a larger trend? It’s too early to tell, but given what’s going on with pro rider Peloton, my guess is: we’ll see more riders heading in this direction soon.
If history is any indication, the widespread changes needed in the professional world will be acted upon by a few key influencers, and the rest will follow.
Editor's Note: The Fitting settings of professional riders are for reference only, please do not blindly imitate them.
