Where's LANCE'S computer?

"Raptor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was (one of) the only rider without a
> computer on his handlebars.

Well.. Since you asked ;-)

Reason 1: Lances team-mates all look after him and do tempo, he doesn't need no stinking computer

Reason 2: On the climbing stages, he does special things to lighten up his bike, like replace the
left side STI lever with a downtube shifter. All that cable and super heavy 2004 Dura-Ace weigh a
lot (I bet Shimano loved it that he still did this with the 2004 group)

Reason 3: Since Nike pays him so much money to wear that expensive (and probably pretty heavy)
watch, he needed to make up the weight somewhere else!

John Rees

In article <[email protected]>, John Rees <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Raptor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was (one of) the only rider without
> > a computer on his handlebars.
>
> Well.. Since you asked ;-)
>
> Reason 1: Lances team-mates all look after him and do tempo, he doesn't need no stinking computer
>
> Reason 2: On the climbing stages, he does special things to lighten up his bike, like replace the
> left side STI lever with a downtube shifter. All that cable and super heavy 2004 Dura-Ace weigh a
> lot (I bet Shimano loved it that he still did this with the 2004 group)
>
> Reason 3: Since Nike pays him so much money to wear that expensive (and probably pretty heavy)
> watch, he needed to make up the weight somewhere else!
>
> John Rees

Vinokourov was wearing his Polar 710 on his wrist. Was Lance wearing his on his wrist?

-WG

Raptor <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was (one of) the only rider without a
> computer on his handlebars.
>
> --
I've seen plenty of pics of him in the past without a computer on the bike (just look at the cover
of july's cycle sport). maybe it's a weight thing?

> Vinokourov was wearing his Polar 710 on his wrist. Was Lance wearing his on his wrist?
>
> -WG

What is Lance wearing this year? There's a good photo of it on his site but the model's not
identified.

"billpayton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Originally posted by Raptor I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was (one
> of) the only rider without a computer on his handlebars.
>
> --
>
> I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an extra pound and he would have
> made up for all that stuff
>
>
>
> --
> >--------------------------<
> Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com

Do you have any idea how significant 1 pound is for an athlete with about 4% body fat? It can make
the difference between raging peak form and overwhelming exhaustion.

"billpayton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Originally posted by Raptor I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was (one
> of) the only rider without a computer on his handlebars.
>
> --
>
> I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an extra pound and he would have
> made up for all that stuff

Lance uses the CycloSport HAC 4 bike computer which can be worn on his wrist or bike.

Lance doesn't have an extra pound to lose and if he did it would screw up his power to weight ratio.

Dashii

"Nick Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "billpayton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Originally posted by Raptor I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was
> > (one of) the only rider without a computer on his handlebars.
> >
> > --
> >
> > I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an extra pound and he would have
> > made up for all that stuff
> >
> Do you have any idea how significant 1 pound is for an athlete with about
4%
> body fat? It can make the difference between raging peak form and overwhelming exhaustion.
>
How much do computers weight these days, anyhow?

Glenn D.

Glenn Dowdy wrote:
>
> How much do computers weight these days, anyhow?
>
> Glenn D.
>
>

More than they weighed 10 years ago.

Dan

"Glenn Dowdy" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:I%[email protected]...
>
> "Nick Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "billpayton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Originally posted by Raptor I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was
> > > (one of) the only rider without a computer on his handlebars.
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an extra pound and he would have
> > > made up for all that stuff
> > >
> > Do you have any idea how significant 1 pound is for an athlete with
about
> 4%
> > body fat? It can make the difference between raging peak form and overwhelming exhaustion.
> >
> How much do computers weight these days, anyhow?
>
> Glenn D.

About an ounce or so.

I am not stating that it makes sense to leave anything off. I was really only responding to the dude
that claimed Armstrong should just "lose another pound".

The weight minimum should mean that we won't see the pros leaving stuff off. If we start seeing
bikes on the market that are well under the weight minimum, then we should see the pros leaving
their STI levers on for mountain stages. Wouldn't you rather have an STI lever and a computer
instead of lead ballast?

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 21:11:14 GMT, Nick Burns <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> "Glenn Dowdy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:I%[email protected]...
>>
>> "Nick Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> > "billpayton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> > news:[email protected]...
>> > > Originally posted by Raptor I didn't look for one today, but on Alpe d'Huez I noticed he was
>> > > (one of) the only rider without a computer
>> on
>> > > his handlebars.
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > >
>> > > I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an
>> extra
>> > > pound and he would have made up for all that stuff
>> > >
>> > Do you have any idea how significant 1 pound is for an athlete with
> about
>> 4%
>> > body fat? It can make the difference between raging peak form and overwhelming exhaustion.
>> >
>> How much do computers weight these days, anyhow?
>>
>> Glenn D.
>
> About an ounce or so.
>
> I am not stating that it makes sense to leave anything off. I was really only responding to the
> dude that claimed Armstrong should just "lose another pound".
>
> The weight minimum should mean that we won't see the pros leaving stuff off. If we start seeing
> bikes on the market that are well under the weight minimum, then we should see the pros leaving
> their STI levers on for mountain stages. Wouldn't you rather have an STI lever and a computer
> instead of lead ballast?
>
>
>

Can Armstrong lose another pound? He looks darn thin to me.

--
Bob M in CT Remove 'x.' to reply

Glenn Dowdy wrote:

> How much do computers weight these days, anyhow?

It depends on whether you put in 1 AAA or 2 AA size batteries, apparently.

The resistance caused by the magnet as it passed the sensor was slowing him down too much.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

"billpayton" <[email protected]>
>
> I don't buy the weight idea. All he would need to do is loose an extra pound and he would have
> made up for all that stuff
>

Why wouldn't he just leave off the neck chain?

"warren" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Vinokourov was wearing his Polar 710 on his wrist. Was Lance wearing his on his wrist?
>

LANCE has domestiques (occasionally wearing yellow jerseys) to ride alongside him with their heart
monitor so that they can get the readouts for him.

"Nick Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> The weight minimum should mean that we won't see the pros leaving stuff
off.
> If we start seeing bikes on the market that are well under the weight minimum, then we should see
> the pros leaving their STI levers on for mountain stages. Wouldn't you rather have an STI lever
> and a computer instead of lead ballast?

Not necessarily. In F1, cars are routinely designed and built to deliberately be as far below the
FIA weight limit as possible, whilst still passing all safety regulations. This way, the teams can
put back on the necessary weight, to meet the minimum, where they see fit to do so.

In the case of a bike, I'd want my ballast as low as possible, probably all under the
bottom bracket.

All of this makes me think that the UCI is going to have to re-think their weight limit. It's is
quite apparent that bikes can now be made well under the limit. If the intent is to keep safe bikes
under our heroes, they will need some other regulations, such as the frame be capable of holding a
predetermined static weight whilst mounted in a work stand or something like that.

My last two bikes have been in the 17 - 17.5 pound range. I remember when bikes that weighed this
much were spindly, for show only, examples of an engineering challenge - not to be ridden routinely.