I reckon Ken will love
this;
We pride ourselves on
being one of the most technically proficient shops in the country. We design
and and manufacture components under our BBK brand.
We repair and manfacture carbon components
. We have been servicing racings elite organisations for more than 22
years. We aim to provide the same attention to all our customers to help them
achieve their personal goals.
Wheels.
In our efforts to ensure
our riders are on the most competitve product we are
constantly searching for concrete information on the latest products in the market.
Here are some (not all) of the references we use.
[[[www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html]]] This site has some
interesting data and has conducted tests with good protocols. They have
published substantial wheel tests in 2006 and 2008.
We also take into account
Data from Zipp and HED amongst others as they are
Data driven companies and publish a lot of information as to why they do what
they do.
Should you be conversant
in German
[[[<a
href="http://www.tour-magazin.de/technik/test_center/komponenten/aero-laufraeder/a10744.html">http://www.tour-magazin.de/technik/test_center/komponenten/aero-laufraeder/a10744.html</a>]]]
has some good info on a range of equipment and are big
enough to do subtantial tests.
[[[www.slowtwitch.com]]]
As with all forums a lot of content is dross, but it would surprise a lot of
roadies to find some of the most informed experts in the industry take part in
this triathlon based forum site particullarly in
relation to Aerodynamic products.
[[[www.analiticcycling.com]]]
provides great perfomance models and well access to
data from well designed tests for a fee.
Crank
Length.
One of the least commonly
understood aspects of setting up a bike is crank length. The most common
misconception is that crank length is soley dependant
on leg length. The primary concern in
choosing crank length is what job they are doing. If the job at hand requires
high rpm like track sprinting or any restricted gear work such as found in the junior age
divisions, shorter cranks will work better. Counter to what most people think
the stronger the rider the more able they are to run short. Disciplines
requiring high torque but lower rpm like MTB's
require longer cranks. The area of ideal crank length tends to be guided more
by anecdotel evidence than scientific edict. Leg length plays an
important role, and needs to be weighed against the power production profile
required. If the rider has poor pedaling technique,
two paths are available. One work tecnique and buy some rollers,
or just run longer cranks. Unfortunatley with so many
variables and lack of data driven guides, to get crank length'' just right''
requires expertise.
Power Meters
Power meters are a great
tool. The main difference in training with power is you are measuring actual
output. Not the effect of the output or effort. This makes measuring the effect
of training regimes much easier. Best used in conjunction
with a heart rate monitor and computer. They certainly have the
potential to ruin a nice ride for riders that are not focused on peak
performance. Dont be put off by the amount of
technical discussion on the web. The information you can make use of can be as simple as using
a speedo. Software like poweragent
supplied with Powertap hubs make
it easy to understand lots of the available information.