Are you just happy to see me, or is that a motor in your seat tube?

54ny77 · #1 10-17-2017, 02:28 PM

This vid from a pro cyclocross race is hilarious.

Scroll to about 44 seconds thru 1:00 or so and watch the mini-Tesla work its wonders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6w3TJs0lks

Black Dog · #2 10-17-2017, 02:31 PM

Wow. That is some damming evidence.

William · #3 10-17-2017, 02:47 PM

earlfoss · #4 10-17-2017, 03:23 PM

I bet in 10-20 years it comes out that Fabian used a motor. I bet pros from his heyday accept it.

Most of the footage of Wout has me on the fence but for the one where he's off the bike and the rear wheel spins up. That looks pretty damning to me.

No one seems to want to actually do anything about it though, so enjoy watching the races!

Bwana · #5 10-17-2017, 03:28 PM

Better quality videos of that part clearly show his pedal digging in to the ground and spinning around.

jumphigher · #6 10-17-2017, 06:07 PM

Really disgraceful if true! Makes you wonder how prevalent this problem really is..

msl819 · #7 10-17-2017, 07:30 PM

Some of those rear wheels seems to spin up without the cranks being rotated. As I understand it a downtube motors aid in the ability to turn the crank but if the chain isn’t moving how does the rear wheel spin up? Help me understand. Are there motors in the rear hub?

Black Dog · #8 10-17-2017, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msl819

Some of those rear wheels seems to spin up without the cranks being rotated. As I understand it a downtube motors aid in the ability to turn the crank but if the chain isn’t moving how does the rear wheel spin up? Help me understand. Are there motors in the rear hub?

Good question. I was amazed by the shots of the wheels spinning up when the rider was dismounted. A lot of the other shots seemed like normal effects.

Tony · #9 10-17-2017, 09:17 PM

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=199683

etu · #10 10-17-2017, 09:31 PM

wasn't convinced when it first was discussed, but that Ryder Hesjedal clip is pretty convincing for a motor. how can you drag the rear tire on pavement for a good second and then have it reaccelerate enough to spin the bike around?

Black Dog · #11 10-17-2017, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etu

wasn't convinced when it first was discussed, but that Ryder Hesjedal clip is pretty convincing for a motor. how can you drag the rear tire on pavement for a good second and then have it reaccelerate enough to spin the bike around?

Because the cranks were not spinning.

cmg · #12 10-17-2017, 11:38 PM

motor in the hub or magnets in the rims with coils in the chain stays? not clear how either would work but i didn't believe the motor in the seatube could provide enough torque to make a difference. may be it it's a hidden jet under the saddle.

choke · #13 10-18-2017, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by earlfoss

I bet in 10-20 years it comes out that Fabian used a motor.

There is a well respected member across the hall (he's a member here as well but seldom posts), who works in the industry, who has claimed that he did indeed use one before the UCI paid any attention to them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmg

motor in the hub or magnets in the rims with coils in the chain stays? not clear how either would work but i didn't believe the motor in the seatube could provide enough torque to make a difference. may be it it's a hidden jet under the saddle.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/pr...-100kph-211660

http://road.cc/content/news/128979-l...ncept-eurobike

smontanaro · #14 10-18-2017, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msl819

Some of those rear wheels seems to spin up without the cranks being rotated. As I understand it a downtube motors aid in the ability to turn the crank but if the chain isn’t moving how does the rear wheel spin up? Help me understand. Are there motors in the rear hub?

If I remember correctly from the 60 Minutes piece, seat-tube-mounted motors are so last decade. The latest technology appears to be inductive motors in the rims.

Edit: Wasn't there a kerfuffle about the weight of Sky's TT bikes at the TdF? Something about not being able to remove and weigh the wheels independent of the frame?

chiasticon · #15 10-18-2017, 08:12 AM

not saying nobody is using one, but the three clips of Wout (cyclocross dude with the Zipps and the WC stripes) aren't convincing to me. they've been debunked elsewhere but I'll share my thoughts...

for the ones where he's in mud and his wheel starts spinning really fast... you put down huge torque to get through mud, get buried a bit, slowly kinda getting stuck, keep putting down torque, then the mud gives way and wow, guess what happens...? the wheel spins real fast!

the one where he's running and it starts to spin (from the Italian world cup last winter), that's the worst quality video of it I've seen so you can't really tell what's going on. in better ones, you can see his pedal smacks a rock while he's running, sending the wheel going. he's also going downhill through slippery mud at the time... why the hell would he engage a motor then?

the other thing is that in all the clips of him where it claims to show a motor, he's in mud. sometimes in turns or off-camber mud. you wouldn't use a motor while in these situations, as it would really decrease your level of control; speed goes way up, traction goes way down, likelihood for crashing and getting caught goes way up. you'd use it on straightaways, specifically those that are either paved or where traction is at a premium.

speaking of which, the Koppenbergcross one where Van Den Driessche rides away easily... THAT's where you'd use a motor in cross. and indeed, that one is suspect. and she was caught with a motor right after it...