In the UK, Richard Bussell has just become the first person to win both the national 10 mile TT and the national hill climb championships in the same year.
A couple of weeks ago, I got hold of the hill climb bike he has been using this season:
https://rideupgrades.wordpress.com/2015/10/17/richard-bussell-hill-climb-bike/
Richard Bussell's Hill Climb Bike (Giant Track, <6kg)
Moderator: robbosmans
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Weight should be somewhere between 5.3 and 5.5kg!
Hmm strange choices, but if it works for him...
My 2x11 road bike weighs 5.9 kg, but it has 2 working brakes, tires with actual puncture protection, a padded saddle and proper bars, and the Chinese carbon frame is plenty stiff too.
Still, a cool bike, and it shows that weight isn't everything.
My 2x11 road bike weighs 5.9 kg, but it has 2 working brakes, tires with actual puncture protection, a padded saddle and proper bars, and the Chinese carbon frame is plenty stiff too.
Still, a cool bike, and it shows that weight isn't everything.
I was there on the hill today watching. I think weight savings would have made more of a difference than a flexy frame. This looks to have been done on a budget though. I know his TT bike cost hardly anything and he won the 10 mile championship on it.
I weighed a few bikes at the HQ and there were some fully geared bikes WW would be proud of. Lots of holes drilled though, rather than expensive components.
I weighed a few bikes at the HQ and there were some fully geared bikes WW would be proud of. Lots of holes drilled though, rather than expensive components.
rms13 wrote:euan wrote:Or more likely he is wanting a bike that can be easily used for fixed gears compared to a road bike.
Its not a novelty when its preferable.
What?
Context. Bussell's isn't a sponsored rider. He competes on the cheapest suitable equipment he can get, often second hand. This is the same philosophy he used to win the National 10 Mile title. What is a cheaper light bike bike to build, fixed gear or road bike? Where are you getting a cheap 130mm fixed gear hub?
The bike isn't a novelty when its the preferable choice. Which on some hillclimb courses a fixed gear bike will be over a geared one. A couple of years ago the fastest bike on the National Hillclimb course was a full on timetrial bike
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de zwarten
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I think most, if not al of the choices made, make sense.
It's light, cheap, reliable.
On a 1 mile climb, the saddle and brakes are hardly used. The pedals and toe clips are definitely giving more support when out of the saddle, combined with the fixed gear.
A fixed gear hub delivers a stiffer wheel, and the cup+cone bearings offer better stability when out of the saddle, and the overal friction will be very low and potentially always lower than a geared setup (with chain friction / hub bearing friction).
About the tires: they are perfectly suitable for 1-2K efforts on smooth asphalt hill climbs.
The only thing I would change is a bit higher rims: more aero and it doesn't necessarily add a lot of weight.
I like this kind of cheap stuff that obviously works and put expensive bikes a bit in perspective.
It's light, cheap, reliable.
On a 1 mile climb, the saddle and brakes are hardly used. The pedals and toe clips are definitely giving more support when out of the saddle, combined with the fixed gear.
A fixed gear hub delivers a stiffer wheel, and the cup+cone bearings offer better stability when out of the saddle, and the overal friction will be very low and potentially always lower than a geared setup (with chain friction / hub bearing friction).
About the tires: they are perfectly suitable for 1-2K efforts on smooth asphalt hill climbs.
The only thing I would change is a bit higher rims: more aero and it doesn't necessarily add a lot of weight.
I like this kind of cheap stuff that obviously works and put expensive bikes a bit in perspective.
Really great pics and descriptions.
The build makes complete sense to me too. It looks like Richard is the kind of guy who worries about the riding and letting his legs do the talking rather than having a pretty bike
I like this kind of cheap stuff that obviously works and put expensive bikes a bit in perspective.
The build makes complete sense to me too. It looks like Richard is the kind of guy who worries about the riding and letting his legs do the talking rather than having a pretty bike
There's a lot of torque starting a hillclimb on a fixed gear, more than on the track because of the smaller gear. I found that things can quite easily go wrong using fully weightweenie parts.
I was on gears yesterday but Richard's performance makes we wonder if fixed might have been a bit quicker...
I was on gears yesterday but Richard's performance makes we wonder if fixed might have been a bit quicker...
The frame stiffness will be negated by those garbage wheels, I briefly had a set and alongside the crazy flex I had a few spokes in each pull through the rim.
Saying that, I was there at the weekend and it certainly wasn't slowing him down! Do the job for a hill climb I guess.
Saying that, I was there at the weekend and it certainly wasn't slowing him down! Do the job for a hill climb I guess.
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If this is a national race isn't it governed by the UCI? No minimum weight requirement?
