All about bicycles, electric-assisted bikes, technology and safety in the press

In our daily work as we deal with bicycle safety, technology and user manuals we come across lots of safety risks. The most frequent ones are published in articles of the leading German special-interest magazines TOUR – Europas Rennrad-Magazin Nr. 1, BIKE – Das Mountainbike Magazin Europas Nr. 1 and E-Bike – Das Pedelec-Magazin to make this information important for the sector accessible to a wider public.

For many years now the Eurobike Show Daily accompanying the annual international Eurobike Show has given us the opportunity to publish our perspective on major developments in the cycle industry in full-page articles.

We also speak regularly in independent lectures about all topics relating to bicycle technology and bicycle market. In addition, we are regularly cited by further special-interest magazines or trade journals as well as more and more by radio and television and in their media reports, which shows us that we are completely right with our information. The section NEWS informs you about the latest news from our specialist fields. The reports and publications of this section are listed chronologically or according to topics of interest.

triathlon training 6-7/2012
Reading time 1:50 minutes

"No one among the triathletes is in need of multi-coloured alu screws"

Graduate engineer Frank Leyrer is bicycle technology expert. At Zedler Institut für Fahrradtechnik he’s entrusted with the testing of new and accidented frames and parts (www.zedler.de).

Mr Leyrer, how resistant must a triathlon bike be at least?
Due to the varying rider profiles and different types of competitions, there is no general answer. The material for a tiny, 50-kg-athlete is much more less demanding than that for a strong 6.20-feet tall man. A level track with wide corners needs another material than a track with alpine passes. The heavier a rider and the more athletic his riding style, the stiffer and more solid his material must be. Ultralight weight and side soft wheels are in such a case as inappropriate as weight reduced stems originating from sources which cannot submit reliable tests.

From which tuning parts should one keep the hands off - and which ones make sense?
Multi-coloured aluminium and titanium screws are certainly the last thing you should pay money for. Triathlon bikes are typically in a speed range where aerodynamics is the dominating riding resistance. Fast wheels, i.e. wheels with deep rims or rear disc wheels, are therefore a good option. On principle, an optimum seating position is also a good investment. The rider offers by far the biggest surface. Playing with different stems, seat posts and aerobars brings more than an extremely expensive time trial frame which is a little slimmer. And: The most wicked bike is worth nothing, if it breaks down en route. Therefore, the most important tip is to keep the racer in good repair.

From your practical experience: What are the main problems with current lightweight construction?
According to our experience most lightweight components have a state-of-the-art construction and a remarkably long service life. In general, it’s easy to point out the reasons for failures: inappropriate mounting and non-matching components. Lightweight material requires a lot of knowledge for the composition and particular attention for the installation. For a reliable performance it is sometimes necessary to apply special carbon assembly paste to one component and grease to another one. If you don’t keep that in mind, the component cannot function. But we have often seen that the user manual with the instructions on proper mounting is the first thing to be thrown away when unpacking a high-quality component.

Author: Carola Felchner

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