"jack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Mark Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:jack said:> Right, makes all the difference. LOL
>
> Shawn
Actually what Xx says is true about the mtb being a
faster accelerator.
The Redland Classic is a multi-stage road race. The
prologue of the
classic
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:use to be a 200 meter Street Sprint (drag race) between
bikes. Brian
Lopes
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:set the fastest time on a Cannondale MTB with road
tires. He got beat
in
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:the finals when he was forced to use a road bike. See
attached
article.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:
cyclingnews.comredlandsOpen ↗
00p.shtml
I dunno if I buy that - I don't think there's a lot of
difference either way (assuming the same overall gear
ratio and tire width), but I suspect that a roadie
sprinter would be faster on a road bike than a MTB, if
only because he/she could achieve a little better
aerodynamics toward the "fast end" of the race. And
let's face it - all the sprint records have been set on
road bikes of one sort or another (at least as far as I
know - anyone out there with other data?).
Quoted message said:
Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗
Home of the $695 ti frame
This is only a 200 meter race from a dead stop in a
straight line.
Winning
Quoted message said:times were 15-16 seconds. The mtb was equipped with road
tires. I think this is like regular car drag racing. Who
ever can put the power to the ground will the get the
jump. (wide mountain bike handbar can provide a
lot
Quoted message said:of leverage at the start) Aerodynamics will come into play
if the race is long enough.
Quoted message said:I suspect it all comes down to what you're used to
working best.
That is a good point since type of racing Brian Lopes is
use to are
sprints
Quoted message said:from a dead stop on a mountain bike.
Visit a Velodrome--see matched sprints taking place, and
how they are won. Even though a matched sprint covers 3
laps, the first 2 and a half are cat and mouse low speed
maneuvering...With less than 100 meters left to go there is
an explosion, and that is where the sprint really takes
place. I raced at the Velodrome at Brian Piccolo Park for
years, and trust me, NO ONE would ever attempt a matched
sprint on a mountain bike. The track bike gives you better
"leverage" for the type of muscle contractions and power
development you need to hit 40 or more miles per hour, it
weighs less than a road bike, and that is significant with
the gear leverage you apply from a dead stop---this
translates into this discussion as well, since in the "drag
race" scenario discussed here, from a dead stop, the road
bikes should weigh quite a bit less than even the lightest
mountain bikes. How many 15 pound mountain bikes are their
running around--even if you put roadie type wheels and
tires on them?
The mountain bike gives better balance and handling for
negotiating obstacles on the trail---the road bike or track
bike will provide better geometry for the type of muscle
leverage required for hitting the fastest sprint possible.
Then again, you could put Marty Northstein (former Olympic
track champion) on a mountain bike, and any of us on a track
bike, and he'd smoke us in a 200 yard sprint ....Maybe he'd
only hit 41 mph instead of 45, but he'd get to it faster
than we would, and most of us would not be hitting much over
37 mph, especially from a standing start!
Dan V
