Track
Although we have been a
metric society for over 40 years we still seem most comfortable refering to track gearing in inches. Popular Australian age
group gears are highlighted.
|
Gear Chart |
||||||
|
|
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
|
44 |
99 |
91.4 |
84.9 |
79.2 |
74.3 |
69.9 |
|
45 |
101.3 |
93.5 |
86.8 |
81 |
75.9 |
71.5 |
|
46 |
103.5 |
95.5 |
88.7 |
82.8 |
77.6 |
73 |
|
47 |
105.8 |
97.6 |
90.6 |
84.6 |
79.3 |
74.6 |
|
48 |
108 |
99.7 |
92.6 |
86.4 |
81 |
76.2 |
|
49 |
110.3 |
101.8 |
94.5 |
88.2 |
82.7 |
77.8 |
|
50 |
112.5 |
103.8 |
96.4 |
90 |
84.4 |
79.4 |
|
51 |
114.8 |
105.9 |
98.4 |
91.8 |
86.1 |
81 |
|
52 |
117 |
108 |
100.3 |
93.6 |
87.7 |
82.5 |
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.
The best wheels to use on
the road are not necessarily the best to use on the track. The sales available for track focused product
are miniscule relative to the road market. This means that most products are
optimised for road conditions. Zipp, as an example, aim to produce rims to perform at average wind angle of 9
degrees. Great for road but 0-3 degrees is a more appropriate for track. With
Disc wheels there is only one shape to consider, Lenticular (lens) shaped. The
advantages with lens shaped discs are they are easier to control and they have
vastly superior rotational drag characteristics relative to flat discs. The
loads placed upon track wheels can be substantially higher than road. The
centrifugal force of a 90kg rider doing 76kph on a 42 degree track, with a
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. Don’t be put off by the amount of technical discussion on the web.
The information can be as easy to use a speedo. Software like poweragent supplied with Powertap
hubs make it easy to understand lots of the available
information.