Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Tour De France Showcases Multitude Of Tech

Posted by simoniker on from the legs-go-round-fast dept.

whoda writes "When you think of a bicycle, you most likely think of 2 tires, a chain, some gearing of some sort, and other assorted mechanical bits. However, when Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, and over 180 other riders get together to compete at the Tour de France every year, there is a lot of technology that comes along for the ride too. From Lance's Sunglass'/MP3 Player to the advanced use of composites seen on Tyler Hamilton's time trial bike, there are many examples of high technology making the racers faster through better training, materials and aerodynamics."

4 of 427 comments (clear)

  1. The ultimate in technology and bikes... by g00bd0g · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The HPV world speed championships!

    http://www.recumbents.com/whpsc2004.htm

    Too bad there's not enough interest to really get some money into the development of these things.

    Check out my website...

  2. Recently scoped out new bikes by m.dillon · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Ok, I'm an old-timer now I guess. My current roadbike is the one I bought in highschool in the 80's. I recently decided I needed a new derailer so I brought it in to a shop.

    Of course, with a bike that old, they would have had to replace, well, just about everything in order to put in a new derailer. In fact it would be only slightly more to simply buy a new bycycle!

    So I started looking at bikes. I could get a nice road bike for $800 (US) that was far superior to my existing bike. Then I started looking at the carbon composite bikes, like the Roubaix series. I really didn't think I'd feel the difference until I test-rode one.

    Holy S*it! If the $800 bike was an order of magnitude better then my existing one, the Roubaix Comp (at $2600) was an order of magnitude better then the $800 bike. All carbon-composite construction, vibration dampening... the works. Unbelievably light, I could lift the whole bike with my pinky pretty much! Smooth ride, ultra smooth shifting, huge gearing range. The technology is really amazing.

    -Matt

  3. Re:Wind tunnels & race numbers by GeckoX · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Interestingly enough as well is the fact that there is a limit in the rules as to the minimum allowable weight of a bicycle. There are lighter bikes that have been proven to be faster that cannot be ridden in this race.

    Haven't been able to decide how I feel about this yet...actually I wish it was one way or the other:

    a) riders can use _any_ man powered 2 wheeled vehicle of whatever design they want...

    OR

    b) ALL riders ride the exact same bike.

    Either technology is a factor, or it isn't. I think it's the middle ground stance that annoys me.

    --
    No Comment.
  4. Don't forget the coverage tech by Guernica+Bill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm actually most impressed by the technology involved in the television coverage. First, you've got about about 20 cameras on bicycles, showing images at race level (almost what the cyclists see themselves). They send the pictures to helicopters overhead, which in turn send the images to satellites. Let's also not forget the cameras on the helicopters themselves, and the beautiful display of flying and camera ability that brings gorgeous and rock-steady shots of 170 bicyclists zipping through fields of sunflowers.

    Add to that GPS transmitters on every bike, which brings instant results at the end of the race to the 100th of a second, and (this year on OLN) up-to-the-second time gaps among the groups on the road (this'll really shine when they hit the mountains).

    All this, plus entertaining commentary, live worldwide.