I can already imagine Ollie over 50 years, sitting in his rocking chair with his skin suit and blanket in his rocking chair, telling his grand kids.. "and that's how I dropped a tandem using a TT bike.."
I'd love to see this re-ran but with Mark+Hank vs Simon. Also the tandem must have put some time into the TT bike after the turn as they were in sight then.
Tandem owner and we've medalled in TT's at the US Nats -- give Alex and Manon some time to get in sync and do this one again. That sluggish feeling will go away with practice together. If riders take care of their own watts, you can be crazy fast on flats and even climb really well.
Is Alex trying out a new GCN motto with “We doing good for a pair of numpties”? Fantastic effort none the less for tandem newbies. Looking forward to the next tandem pairing and challenge or adventure.
Delighted to see the return of the "Beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeep for the starting. Also, I could just about taste the blood in Manon's mouth at the end of the ride..... Hard effort.
Are you suggesting the answer to that hasn't been known for more than a hundred years? Yes... racing tandems do go back that far. But GCN wouldn't know the answer would they?
Note for budding tandemists: Getting started is easier if the stoker clips in both feet while the captain holds the bike up. The stoker brings the pedal up, the captain then clips in one foot and and kicks off and you are away
Hey Rory, I am a tandem rider (of which I am the captain) and I find it easier to both push off and clip in. I guess riders should try both ways and see what works out best for them.
For race situations I totally agree with Rory. With me being clipped in and pushing away until the pilot clips in, allows us to surprise many at crits/traffic lights. With the latter, we’re through the intersection and almost up to full gas before others have clipped in.
My stoker takes too long to clip in, so we have no choice but to do it the same way you do, especially if we're heading uphill. But I only unclip one foot when we stop.
Mary, may be saying the obvious but using SPD/MTB double sided pedals ensures quicker clip ins, would also help with hill starts too. I use these for my coffee rides, but Favero Assioma Shi’s mated to an Altegra body on the race bike.
Super jealous of Ollie's outfit. Sitting in the sun all toasty in a hat and blanket sipping hot chocolate. Living the dream. Also wondering if putting Manon in front would've made the aero profile a bit better? Having a smaller person break up the wind before the larger Alex gets into it? Just wondering.
I used to race a tandem in a weekly criterium, 40kms, 10 laps, 2 open corners and 2 tighter corners per lap. I used to drift it a bit, especially on one of the corners. It made the stoker nervous so he started really powering up into the braking zone to share the fear. A very fast bike.
Fascinating experiment. It seems that the weight of the second person on a tandem does not proportionally increase the power and speed of the vehicle. As a kayaker as well as a cyclist, this is a very interesting subject. I just checked a video of a tandem rowing scull against a 'surf ski' kayak which is like a TT bike as in 'built for speed' and the single boat beat the tandem by a fairly wide margin in a 500 meter run. The hull designs of both boats are similar. 'Would love to see a further experiment with a more 'aero' tandem. Aero bars, Manon on the front with Alex on the back. It's obvious though that cornering is the tandem's weakest link.
Entertaining viewing it has to be said. However, after the round about Ollie was right behind them, yet, at the finish line, Ollie was quite some distance behind. Two things I noted here: 1) By Alex's own admission, the first half of the race, they were not pushing hard and relied on the tail wind too much I believe. Ollie on the other hand, I have no doubt was pushing way harder than he should have been, expending energy needed for the return leg, which was mainly uphill. This of course, allowed him to get close at the round about though. 2) If the TT bike on this occassion was indeed faster, as the return leg had a head wind, its advantage would have come to play here, yet, he got dropped by some margin. The higher power output of Manon and Alex combined, even though on a much heavier and un-optimized aero dynamically machine was key. Power to weight ratio is hard to beat on a gradient. My conclusion is that if Manon and Alex had applied themselves equally, taking full advantage of the tailwind before the round about, I have no doubt the end result would have been much closer. Good entertainment though, and although I like Ollie, this had me shouting for Manon and Alex....😀😀. Keep the entertainment coming GCN..👍
Felt like Manon going on the back and just chucking out as many watts as possible was a genius move, also more aero with Alex out front. It would be much more interesting to see how they fare at a track. I was riding a century in the New Forest once and comfortably overtook an older couple on a hill, gave them a cheery 'good afternoon', and then gaped to see them tear past me on the descent before Beaulieu. The chap shouted something, but he was going too quickly and I didn't hear him. Thankfully we weren't going the same way after that 🚴♂
Similar story, I was "smokin" along and caught up with a tandem couple going uphill. We crested and bam! Along the rode we went, they were in their 60's I was in my 40's at the time. I pulled them for about 15 miles, dying! Luckily they pulled off and I got to struggle back home!
The way I look at it is this. (this is just my opinion) let's say one rider uses 100% biking energy to go at an average speed of 25mph. Now 2 riders who are twins (same size and shape) would each only need 50% to reach that 25mph average. So they have the potential to go faster if the 2 riders ride at 100% biking energy. I don't think it would be double the speed but it can mean more speed or more endurance. But it can vary depending on the riders and the bike itself and stuff. This is just my theory.
@@stevek8829 it is double the weight, but i expect only slight increase in wind resistance. Tandems should have less total air resistance than two seperate bikes behind each other. But you also wont get double the power as you are forced to ride at each other cadence and unless the riders are lucky or trained that preferred cadence won't match up.
I'd have been interested to see individual and combined power data for the tandem (say by using 2 sets of power meter pedals plus a PowerTap hub or similar) as I have a theory that unless a tandem team are very well matched they can almost work against each other at the beginning and end of the pedal stroke (ie when one rider's power starts to come in but the other is still in their 'dead spot'). So if that were true we might see (for example) Alex averaging 300, Manon averaging 250 but their combined total might only be 520 or 530... It would at least explain the 'sluggish' feel they complained of, as the response to pedal effort would be subdued...
Even if you have different phased cranks the riders only compliment each other's efforts. And since they a positioned directly behind each other they are super aero.
@@maxsievers8251 I'm not disputing the aero bit, but think of it this way: if one rider gets on the power at say 20deg past top dead centre and tails off at say 140, while the second rider comes on at 40deg and pushes through till 160, the power profiles will be offset (I realise pedalling dynamics are more complicated than this on/off scenario but go with it for now!). Now remember the riders are coupled together via the transfer chain, so rider 1 will feel resistance to their pedalling effort from 20 to 40 deg but will get a free ride from 140 to 160 as their effort tails off and they are 'carried' by Rider 2. Rider 2 will feel the same in reverse, hitting resistance at 140deg. So although each rider is putting out power through 120 degrees, they are only really getting decent power for 100, ie from 40 to 140deg. For the 20 degrees either side of this range they are just putting effort into accelerating and decelerating each other's legs. NB this effect might well be lessened on a track tandem because the fixed wheel will help smooth out these dead spots...
Don't you mean 90 degrees? 180 degree would be the same, just one set of cranks is vertically opposite to the other. But yes, would be interesting. It'd be like using an oval chain ring I guess. Actually it probably would throw their balance off negating efficiency.
It will be more difficult to steer the tandem if body shifting is not synced and that will rather take power out. And probably not be more efficient like the oval chain rings also haven't been scientifically proven to be more efficient.
I’m a stoker, and while staggering the cranks could work in theory. Think like offset pistons in a car engine. As soon as you have to make a turn everything will go pear shaped. Balancing the bike correctly around turns relys on both riders having their legs in the same position. Consider how it feels if you went into a turn with the wrong foot in the down position.
180 degrees might make it easier to start if one rider is right leg dominant, but the other is left leg dominant. Balance would be an issue, since the riders would be shifting their weight to opposite sides of the bike. A 90-degree offset would put more continuous power through the wheel, but it would be of little (if any) gain because the inertia of the riders is so significant that the drop in power between strokes isn't even noticeable.
Not really cause the guy behind would still be eating wind, with manon behind she is better hidden and they create a pseudo raindrop shape. When Hank and Beaumont rode the tandem, the bigger one was in front and I doubt that was not a deliberated decision.
@@invisiblescout6335 Agree, bigger person in front creates more raindrop shape and you have only one "banana" shape catching the wind like a sail. The other way around you create two sails in the wind.
I suspect that they were trying to give Ollie a fighting chance. If they hadn't put the big sail in the front, Ollie probably would've been dropped a lot sooner.
I don’t think a well set up modern road bike with clip ons would be that much slower. From my experience, my Cervelo P3 with disk wheels is about 20-30 seconds faster on a 10 than my Willier GTR with tri bars. Main reason for getting the TT bike was to avoid the hassle of swapping the GTR from from road set up to TT set all the time = seat height, different stem set lower and adding TT bars. I’m just an average club rider, a better rider may get more of an advantage.
took my tandem trike on it's 1st TT yesterday with a complete trike novive on the back who hadn't seen the thing till a minute before the off. not a bad result but much more work to be done, Working in 'Tandem' is not that easy.
I used to ride tandem regularly, but not for racing. It's faster than a comparable solo bike downhill and on the flat, but generally slower uphill. Compared to a bike of similar general quality and profile, a tandem is very aero because you have less drag than 2 separate bikes. The rear rider ("stoker") is in effect slipstreaming the front rider ("pilot"). You have two wheels rather than 4, which is also a significant saving on drag. However, the wheels tend to have more, and thicker, spokes, and the frame is generally heavier construction than a solo bike. To keep the wheelbase short and reduce flexing, the stoker tends to have riding position that is less ergonomically efficient than on a solo bike. This was a comparison of a general road-riding tandem against a specialised aero TT solo bike, so not a direct comparison. Good fun, though.
This race was sure close! but the cars were playing a slight factor here too. I'm personally still getting used to driving on roads with little to no side lanes.
Next Tandem challenge? Well, the next video that popped up in my TH-cam feed was the cycling news show about CX... So maybe some excursion off road with the Tandem?
Ollie looked good. I rode a tandem a couple of hundred miles on a camping trip once. for sure we went very fast about 30 mph for a long way (an hour or so) with a decent tail wind. carrying all our gear. back in early 1970s. absolutely nothing aero lol
I currently have the Specialized Diverge Evo Comp flatbar gravel bike. As far as general performance goes is there a gravel bike in the $2500-2800 range that would be an actual significant upgrade?
I once did a tandem criterium race. With a mid race prime sprint (which we did not plan to go for), we wound it up and took the sprint. I was braking for turn one and my stoker asked what I was slowing down for. My response was "I am scared". The thing was just plain fast in a straight line sprint but the turn was another issue.
I assume the carrot cake didn't work on Hank this time. I also assume the GCN + film with the tandem . Is the one were Mark goes off jelly babies? If Hank thinks this tandem will give him PTSD Hank should ride with Martyn Ashton on his Random Tandem.
My dearest dream is that you guys get yourself a custom tandem for FOUR riders! That should bring you into the 4k Watt area and with custom gearing you might hit 50+mph on the flat! (Maybe😉)
I can already imagine Ollie over 50 years, sitting in his rocking chair with his skin suit and blanket in his rocking chair, telling his grand kids.. "and that's how I dropped a tandem using a TT bike.."
Ollie will still be doing Time Trials in his 50's and 60's.
@@billkallas4046 that's why he's still in his skin suit
As a 54 year old cyclist, with no rocking chair, I resent this comment.
Was he in his rocking chair?
@@billkallas4046 or as I've seen, 70s and 80s. Yes, we have several TT events here where there's categories for them.
I loved Manon's comment, "Are you going to bring that foot up, or what?", just after they clipped in - totally bossed it.
As usual.
Mixed Tandem should absolutely be an olympic discipline
Tendem MTB would be sick.
Check out the random tandem on GMBN!
It used to be a serious velodrome event, and there was lots of pain and injury.
good idea
As current tandem LEJOG world record holders, why not get Charlie and I to give you some tips on riding a tandem fast?
I'd love to see this re-ran but with Mark+Hank vs Simon.
Also the tandem must have put some time into the TT bike after the turn as they were in sight then.
In the spring or summer. I imagine the cold will slow them down.
Hank is probably tired of riding with his face up against someone’s butt
@@grobbosixtyone Time to bring in Freddie for the butt-facing position. He is, after all, the new guy. :-)
Only Ollie could get dropped in a TT... that he won
@@workingguy-OU812 Put him on the front. He'd get that tandem up those steep hills
Great start to 2022. Brave Ollie taking on this challenge in an Aero-Suit in winter. That's dedication!! Well done all in another awesome challenge.
Tandem owner and we've medalled in TT's at the US Nats -- give Alex and Manon some time to get in sync and do this one again. That sluggish feeling will go away with practice together. If riders take care of their own watts, you can be crazy fast on flats and even climb really well.
Totally agree, it's all about developing the teamwork on a tandem. Takes maybe 1,000 km?
Queen Manon crushing Alex before they started. ' You gonna bring that foot up, OR WHAT' brilliant
A good start for the new year for Ollie! Watch out GCN presenters, this might be the start of Ollie no longer getting dropped!
Don’t hold your breath
Is Alex trying out a new GCN motto with “We doing good for a pair of numpties”? Fantastic effort none the less for tandem newbies. Looking forward to the next tandem pairing and challenge or adventure.
Great fun!
It was nice of papa Ollie to sit and talk cycling with the kids at the end!
Don’t mock, that coat and blanket combo is Ollie’s outfit for when he’s on t’ beach at Brid 😂 Excellent video, as always.
Delighted to see the return of the "Beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeep for the starting.
Also, I could just about taste the blood in Manon's mouth at the end of the ride..... Hard effort.
"People pay good money for that" 😂
Lmfao
@07:28 love replaying "Grandpa Ollie's" cackle of contentment. 🤣
Ollie is probably the most fit GCN Rider currently.
He does massive mileage. I “briefly” rode with him in watopia, couldn’t even hold his wheel 😂
Assuming the course was exactly 15 km, I calculate Alex and Manon's average speed as 24.60 mph and Ollie's average speed as 25.38 mph. I'm impressed!
Next ‘GCN does science’ - does a tandem go faster with the big body on the front or on the back?
My thought exactly.
Are you suggesting the answer to that hasn't been known for more than a hundred years? Yes... racing tandems do go back that far. But GCN wouldn't know the answer would they?
Fastest shape is a teardrop.
@@bikeskimawk670 I was more like who doesn't want to be behind manon :D I know, Im digsuting..
You should do a miniseries called Dr. Bridgewood’s revenge with Ollie as the narrator going through all his epic perfomances of 2021. 👍😃
Always wondered if a tandem was faster than a TT bike. Good show.
Note for budding tandemists: Getting started is easier if the stoker clips in both feet while the captain holds the bike up. The stoker brings the pedal up, the captain then clips in one foot and and kicks off and you are away
Hey Rory, I am a tandem rider (of which I am the captain) and I find it easier to both push off and clip in. I guess riders should try both ways and see what works out best for them.
I've been the stoker on a tandem for many a ride, and we find the 1-2-3-go to be the best way to clip in in sync.
For race situations I totally agree with Rory. With me being clipped in and pushing away until the pilot clips in, allows us to surprise many at crits/traffic lights. With the latter, we’re through the intersection and almost up to full gas before others have clipped in.
My stoker takes too long to clip in, so we have no choice but to do it the same way you do, especially if we're heading uphill. But I only unclip one foot when we stop.
Mary, may be saying the obvious but using SPD/MTB double sided pedals ensures quicker clip ins, would also help with hill starts too. I use these for my coffee rides, but Favero Assioma Shi’s mated to an Altegra body on the race bike.
“You won’t be laughing in a minute” 😂😂😂😂
“22mins2secs ha ha ha”
😂😂😂
Brilliant!
for sure, if you bring Ollie and his .18 cda, no one on a road bike will beat him😆😆😆 Ollie's became even better since project 49, big respect
Great effort by the tandem. When set up correctly I’d put my money on the tandem. Enjoyed watching the comparison.
Genuinely love seeing the #GCN #GCNTech tandem out on the road! Can we put #GMBN crew on it and get a race done? That would be smiles for miles.......
1:23 was the moment Alex realized he should have just taken the back
Super jealous of Ollie's outfit. Sitting in the sun all toasty in a hat and blanket sipping hot chocolate. Living the dream. Also wondering if putting Manon in front would've made the aero profile a bit better? Having a smaller person break up the wind before the larger Alex gets into it? Just wondering.
Ollie's laugh at his 22.02 time reminds me of Cyril smear from the racoons.
Anyone else spot the cheeky bit of car drafting from Mr Bridgewood?...!
Or was it holding him up?
Pulled this one out the recycling bin. there's only so many creative ideas out there on road cycling
LMAO Ollie's smile after Si stated their time
Classic
That was a lot of fun. I wonder how much of a difference it would make if you put aero bars on the front of the tandem?
Please now try to make the tandem aero. Rear disc wheel deeps section front rim aero bars on the front and then rerun it.
Yes, finally! Thank you for this one.
What was to average power? I'm sure some smart folks could work out the efficiency of the tandem versus the TT. Fun video!
I used to race a tandem in a weekly criterium, 40kms, 10 laps, 2 open corners and 2 tighter corners per lap.
I used to drift it a bit, especially on one of the corners. It made the stoker nervous so he started really powering up into the braking zone to share the fear.
A very fast bike.
Galileo was watching the video and joking with Ollie that their power is nothing like my dear aerodynamics lol
Fascinating experiment. It seems that the weight of the second person on a tandem does not proportionally increase the power and speed of the vehicle. As a kayaker as well as a cyclist, this is a very interesting subject. I just checked a video of a tandem rowing scull against a 'surf ski' kayak which is like a TT bike as in 'built for speed' and the single boat beat the tandem by a fairly wide margin in a 500 meter run. The hull designs of both boats are similar. 'Would love to see a further experiment with a more 'aero' tandem. Aero bars, Manon on the front with Alex on the back. It's obvious though that cornering is the tandem's weakest link.
Hank's new year resolution not to go on a tandem
loved the vid! Great fun for a Sunday morning. :D
I think it's time to create a time trail (or even recumbent!) tandem!
Velomobile tandem, just a straight up torpedo on wheels
Well done grandad Ollie 👏
Get Manon learning how to do bike gymnastics on a tandem for the olympics! I’d even sub to GCN+ for that haha
Judging by the scratches on the TT bike's seat and chain stays Ollie's not the only one that's been dropped in the past!😅🤣😂
Entertaining viewing it has to be said. However, after the round about Ollie was right behind them, yet, at the finish line, Ollie was quite some distance behind. Two things I noted here:
1) By Alex's own admission, the first half of the race, they were not pushing hard and relied on the tail wind too much I believe. Ollie on the other hand, I have no doubt was pushing way harder than he should have been, expending energy needed for the return leg, which was mainly uphill. This of course, allowed him to get close at the round about though.
2) If the TT bike on this occassion was indeed faster, as the return leg had a head wind, its advantage would have come to play here, yet, he got dropped by some margin. The higher power output of Manon and Alex combined, even though on a much heavier and un-optimized aero dynamically machine was key. Power to weight ratio is hard to beat on a gradient.
My conclusion is that if Manon and Alex had applied themselves equally, taking full advantage of the tailwind before the round about, I have no doubt the end result would have been much closer.
Good entertainment though, and although I like Ollie, this had me shouting for Manon and Alex....😀😀. Keep the entertainment coming GCN..👍
Who wouldn’t shout for Manon
@@williamb4652 😀😀
Manon is a trooper. A brave, brave trooper....
Mannon Lloyd absolutely teammate! Nothing can't stop her.
Lance Armstrong and Eddie Merckx on tandem vs Your Dad (before he met mom) on MTB :)
U Guys did GREAT on the tandem ;) Great ride...!
Felt like Manon going on the back and just chucking out as many watts as possible was a genius move, also more aero with Alex out front. It would be much more interesting to see how they fare at a track. I was riding a century in the New Forest once and comfortably overtook an older couple on a hill, gave them a cheery 'good afternoon', and then gaped to see them tear past me on the descent before Beaulieu. The chap shouted something, but he was going too quickly and I didn't hear him. Thankfully we weren't going the same way after that 🚴♂
Similar story, I was "smokin" along and caught up with a tandem couple going uphill. We crested and bam! Along the rode we went, they were in their 60's I was in my 40's at the time. I pulled them for about 15 miles, dying! Luckily they pulled off and I got to struggle back home!
A tandem isn’t really double the power right? Can someone please explain the maths behind the poweroutput on a tandem?
The way I look at it is this. (this is just my opinion) let's say one rider uses 100% biking energy to go at an average speed of 25mph. Now 2 riders who are twins (same size and shape) would each only need 50% to reach that 25mph average. So they have the potential to go faster if the 2 riders ride at 100% biking energy. I don't think it would be double the speed but it can mean more speed or more endurance. But it can vary depending on the riders and the bike itself and stuff. This is just my theory.
@chris murphy That is kind of obvious, it is not what i ment, but thanks.
@@MariTaco you forgot the double weight and increased wind resistance!!
@@MariTaco but if one person puts out more power isn’t the other persons power not utilised?
@@stevek8829 it is double the weight, but i expect only slight increase in wind resistance. Tandems should have less total air resistance than two seperate bikes behind each other. But you also wont get double the power as you are forced to ride at each other cadence and unless the riders are lucky or trained that preferred cadence won't match up.
Nice to see them all at the Courtyard Cafe in Sherston, very popular with cyclists. Good coffee and do try the date slice, yum 😎🚲
I can already see plenty of bloopers from this video at the end of the year
Manon is very expressive, like always... 🤣
2 Unicorn vs 1 Pegasus. Pegasus is flying :) Thx for this video, GCN
great video manon thank you.
Good job, Dr. Bridgewood!
I'd have been interested to see individual and combined power data for the tandem (say by using 2 sets of power meter pedals plus a PowerTap hub or similar) as I have a theory that unless a tandem team are very well matched they can almost work against each other at the beginning and end of the pedal stroke (ie when one rider's power starts to come in but the other is still in their 'dead spot'). So if that were true we might see (for example) Alex averaging 300, Manon averaging 250 but their combined total might only be 520 or 530...
It would at least explain the 'sluggish' feel they complained of, as the response to pedal effort would be subdued...
Even if you have different phased cranks the riders only compliment each other's efforts. And since they a positioned directly behind each other they are super aero.
@@maxsievers8251 I'm not disputing the aero bit, but think of it this way: if one rider gets on the power at say 20deg past top dead centre and tails off at say 140, while the second rider comes on at 40deg and pushes through till 160, the power profiles will be offset (I realise pedalling dynamics are more complicated than this on/off scenario but go with it for now!). Now remember the riders are coupled together via the transfer chain, so rider 1 will feel resistance to their pedalling effort from 20 to 40 deg but will get a free ride from 140 to 160 as their effort tails off and they are 'carried' by Rider 2. Rider 2 will feel the same in reverse, hitting resistance at 140deg.
So although each rider is putting out power through 120 degrees, they are only really getting decent power for 100, ie from 40 to 140deg. For the 20 degrees either side of this range they are just putting effort into accelerating and decelerating each other's legs. NB this effect might well be lessened on a track tandem because the fixed wheel will help smooth out these dead spots...
You should look at Iain Dawson (GB visually Impaired cyclist/Triathlete) for how to be aero on a tandem. Aero bars around the pilot.
Excellent!! The hot chocolate is a brilliant idea👍
Interested to know if staggering the tandem pedal strokes by 180 degrees would be more efficient
Don't you mean 90 degrees? 180 degree would be the same, just one set of cranks is vertically opposite to the other. But yes, would be interesting. It'd be like using an oval chain ring I guess. Actually it probably would throw their balance off negating efficiency.
I think that would not work? They will not be able to sync their bobbing and shifting of weight in general. For efficiency- no, for fun- why not? 😆
It will be more difficult to steer the tandem if body shifting is not synced and that will rather take power out. And probably not be more efficient like the oval chain rings also haven't been scientifically proven to be more efficient.
I’m a stoker, and while staggering the cranks could work in theory. Think like offset pistons in a car engine. As soon as you have to make a turn everything will go pear shaped. Balancing the bike correctly around turns relys on both riders having their legs in the same position. Consider how it feels if you went into a turn with the wrong foot in the down position.
180 degrees might make it easier to start if one rider is right leg dominant, but the other is left leg dominant. Balance would be an issue, since the riders would be shifting their weight to opposite sides of the bike. A 90-degree offset would put more continuous power through the wheel, but it would be of little (if any) gain because the inertia of the riders is so significant that the drop in power between strokes isn't even noticeable.
Well done chaps! I would love for you all to redo this and have Manon on the time trial bike and Ollie on the tandem! lol
"Who it sitting up front or at the back?" Connor sits at the back and steers from the front regardless
I wonder if there would be any difference if Manon was Infront. Like maybe more aero?
Not really cause the guy behind would still be eating wind, with manon behind she is better hidden and they create a pseudo raindrop shape. When Hank and Beaumont rode the tandem, the bigger one was in front and I doubt that was not a deliberated decision.
@@invisiblescout6335 Agree, bigger person in front creates more raindrop shape and you have only one "banana" shape catching the wind like a sail. The other way around you create two sails in the wind.
I suspect that they were trying to give Ollie a fighting chance. If they hadn't put the big sail in the front, Ollie probably would've been dropped a lot sooner.
It would be interesting to see result on a longer course
How much slower is a road bike with clip on aero bars than a TT bike?
I don't think the sponsors are going to approve of this one 😄
Much. It's a decent compromise though.
I think they did that already with Emma pooley
I don’t think a well set up modern road bike with clip ons would be that much slower. From my experience, my Cervelo P3 with disk wheels is about 20-30 seconds faster on a 10 than my Willier GTR with tri bars. Main reason for getting the TT bike was to avoid the hassle of swapping the GTR from from road set up to TT set all the time = seat height, different stem set lower and adding TT bars. I’m just an average club rider, a better rider may get more of an advantage.
Now TT vs TT tandem. Go!
took my tandem trike on it's 1st TT yesterday with a complete trike novive on the back who hadn't seen the thing till a minute before the off. not a bad result but much more work to be done, Working in 'Tandem' is not that easy.
That's interesting how the end result of tandom vs TT bike, next how about TT bike vs Recumbent? 🤔
And use a fast, unfaired recumbent, not a velomobile.
fun video .. cheers GCN !!!
I used to ride tandem regularly, but not for racing. It's faster than a comparable solo bike downhill and on the flat, but generally slower uphill. Compared to a bike of similar general quality and profile, a tandem is very aero because you have less drag than 2 separate bikes. The rear rider ("stoker") is in effect slipstreaming the front rider ("pilot"). You have two wheels rather than 4, which is also a significant saving on drag. However, the wheels tend to have more, and thicker, spokes, and the frame is generally heavier construction than a solo bike. To keep the wheelbase short and reduce flexing, the stoker tends to have riding position that is less ergonomically efficient than on a solo bike. This was a comparison of a general road-riding tandem against a specialised aero TT solo bike, so not a direct comparison. Good fun, though.
Mates having fun. Ride to the level of your smile.🚴♂️😃🚴♂️🚴♂️😃😃
I sure hope that was a non-permanent Sharpie! 😬
I'm envisioning a new cycling product line: "Dropped" by Oliver Bridgewood.
Glad to see Ollie has dropped some more cash on some aero upgrades!
It mean's he's lighter, too!
This race was sure close! but the cars were playing a slight factor here too. I'm personally still getting used to driving on roads with little to no side lanes.
You need to keep Si on the TT bike, he's younger and faster and can still kick bike and take names
Surely you could have found a tighter little roundabout for the big tandem , straightline would have been fairer , just my opinion
Next Tandem challenge? Well, the next video that popped up in my TH-cam feed was the cycling news show about CX... So maybe some excursion off road with the Tandem?
The person in back has to put down most of the power....Manon!
the power of two!
Ollie looked good. I rode a tandem a couple of hundred miles on a camping trip once. for sure we went very fast about 30 mph for a long way (an hour or so) with a decent tail wind. carrying all our gear. back in early 1970s. absolutely nothing aero lol
I currently have the Specialized Diverge Evo Comp flatbar gravel bike. As far as general performance goes is there a gravel bike in the $2500-2800 range that would be an actual significant upgrade?
I once did a tandem criterium race. With a mid race prime sprint (which we did not plan to go for), we wound it up and took the sprint. I was braking for turn one and my stoker asked what I was slowing down for. My response was "I am scared".
The thing was just plain fast in a straight line sprint but the turn was another issue.
Now do tandem vs Velomobile and see how they compare. If the velo still wins, do a triple tandem, and so on
Rumour has it Alex and Manon are still wearing their bike helmets to this day.
Ollie’s rocking a bloody dinner plate for a big ring
Exceeds expectations!
Entertaining! Happy New Year
Can’t say I’m shocked at that result!
Nice one, well done!
As usual good quality video. Do you ever weight the combo of bike and rider before you do your experiments?
I assume the carrot cake didn't work on Hank this time. I also assume the GCN + film with the tandem . Is the one were Mark goes off jelly babies? If Hank thinks this tandem will give him PTSD Hank should ride with Martyn Ashton on his Random Tandem.
look like you guys laid that 10k tt bike down a couple times. Good on you for actually riding that beast
What is the part and frame of the TT aero bike in video?
Manon gest tired in gcn video for the first and last time xd
Also: next on gcn:
Tt tandem vs Ollie vs 3 vs 4 vs Hank’s dad 🤪
great video ,,well done team
Manon! Wish she was still on the team.
1:46 3D titanium printing? Like the Australian team sprint at the 2021 Olympics - Alex Porter's handlebars broke while he was riding! 😱
My dearest dream is that you guys get yourself a custom tandem for FOUR riders! That should bring you into the 4k Watt area and with custom gearing you might hit 50+mph on the flat! (Maybe😉)