Anyone going to the London Freewheel?

Find yo'self: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rollapaluza/sets/72157602124626900/

This is where the bike with the spinner wheels was from: http://www.paulscustomcycles.co.uk/
"Satan's Toy"

DSCN2161 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

On the drops.. real man. :)

i didn't get the people practically holding on to the stem...having your hands/arms so close constricts your lungs.

Usually the best technique is to sit upright with hands on the tops, some club roller racers even turn their bars round to be even more upright. why?

if it wasn't for wind resistance top track sprinters would sit more upright as you can produce more power from your back(watch Chris Hoy outta the starting blocks and see how he uses his back)... there is no headwind on the rollers.

yes, holding the bars near the stem does restrict your lungs, but bending over double on the drops probably restricts your lungs more due to reduced body cavity capacity, being upright with your arms apart is probably best.

racing on the drops encourages you to "wrestle" the bike, wasting power and fatiguing earlier, keeping upper body relaxed let's you put more energy into pedals as well as encouraging spinning technique.

Also having your saddle lower than a regular bike helps you maintain higher cadences...

Of course there are some guys (Simon) who break all the above "rules" but can still win....this technique is called "animalism".

BTW our very own Caspar and Therese set the new fastest times with the new gearing.....22 1/2 secs for the males and 26 something for the females.

hmm. i thought that being really forward on the drop and up out of the saddle was best because then you were sort of pushing back with all your weight.

I can't read my own time sheets now, were you Alexis or Gary?

winston Usually the best technique is to sit upright with hands on the tops, some club roller racers even turn their bars round to be even more upright. why?

I didn't know that.. just find it more comfortable..

winston
racing on the drops encourages you to "wrestle" the bike, wasting power and fatiguing earlier, keeping upper body relaxed let's you put more energy into pedals as well as encouraging spinning technique.
BTW our very own Caspar and Therese set the new fastest times with the new gearing.....22 1/2 secs for the males and 26 something for the females.

Most races I've done have been primarily on the brake hoods (so all you brakeless suckers are gonna lose) and only when bridging a gap or the final sprint do I move down to the drops. There are always exceptions to this.. like when I'm being sneaky and sucking wheel trying not to let the rider in front know..

Caspar is going down! I'll race in socks next time so as to reduce rotational weight..

road races me too.....

I'm sure Caspar will be more than happy to accept your challenge, he goes even faster head to head....

kilgore_trout hmm. i thought that being really forward on the drop and up out of the saddle was best because then you were sort of pushing back with all your weight.

But the powerful part of the pedal stroke is the bit from 3 o'clock down to say 5 o'clock.

Anyway, power doesn't come into spinning so much.. it's how fast and smooth you can snap you legs around.. need more fast twitch muscles..
If it was a fscking huge gear you had to wind up though..

Just remember to scrape the dog shit off your shoe at the bottom and push over the top,.. or something.. I dunno.. spin fscking fast without bouncing your arse.
Pedal technique discussions are for roadies :)

winston road races me too.....
I'm sure Caspar will be more than happy to accept your challenge, he goes even faster head to head....

In that case it's hardly gonna be a challenge.. he's already 2secs faster in a 20 second race.. that's like me running a 200m against Carl Lewis running the 100m.. :)
Does he race (proper roadiescum or track stuff, I mean)?

no, he does do this though:

http://www.dmbholidays.co.uk/

Probably a little more energetic than sitting on your backside all day staring at screens yeah? :)

Pedal technique discussions are for roadies :)

yes....you just don't have the time to even think about it on the rollers! however you do have an advantage if you already have good "ankling" technique...

That's why I like cycling with no hands, just feels more comfortable.

And I missed the freewheel. Sucks. Sounds like it was cool.

Oxford Dictionary, "ankling":
"To threaten the health of the roller racing proprietor's ankles should a slow time be recorded against a competitor's name."
Sorry, evil this morning :-)

http://www.rollapaluza.com/freewheel.html

Anyone got any pics of the event? I was out of London most of the day, swung by about half past four and there was hardly anybody left. Still, I got to ride on some roads without cars (but with barriers, marshalls, megaphones, stop/go signs and randomly distributed roadcones).

...

There's my phone ones here. I've got a couple more on gf's camera..

peejay78

The cheering in the tunnel was cool.. got video of the west bound one.. (Sony phone codec, not actually watched it yet):
http://www.thehippy.net/gallery/albums/Europe07/2007_09_23_LondonFreewheel/MOV00223.3GP

it was cool, but also a little bit 28 Days Later...

nice clip.

peejay78 it was cool, but also a little bit 28 Days Later...

nice clip.

My friend said the very same thing to me !

:)