# Why It's Almost Impossible to Ride a Bike 60 Kilometers in One Hour | WIRED



## Anthony.R.Brown (13 Apr 2021)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiUE3qDnFtU


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Apr 2021)

It’s not, it’s been exceeded (by quite a bit) on faired recumbents a number of times over the years.


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## byegad (13 Apr 2021)

Perfectly possible.
From Wikipedia..
In August 2011, Francesco Russo travelled 91.56 km (56.89 mi) at the Dekra Test Oval near Klettwitz, Germany. He rode the Eiviestretto bicycle, which he designed and built with earlier record-holder Damjan Zabovnik. The Eiviestretto is a backwards-ridden vehicle with the rider's head pointed in the direction of travel. The rider lies on his back, using a mirror to navigate. The design is based on Eivie III from Damjan Zabovnik, with several improvements.[3] In 2016 Russo improved his record to 92.43 km (57.44 mi) on a bike he designed himself.


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## dan_bo (13 Apr 2021)

byegad said:


> Perfectly possible.
> From Wikipedia..
> In August 2011, Francesco Russo travelled 91.56 km (56.89 mi) at the Dekra Test Oval near Klettwitz, Germany. He rode the Eiviestretto bicycle, which he designed and built with earlier record-holder Damjan Zabovnik. The Eiviestretto is a backwards-ridden vehicle with the rider's head pointed in the direction of travel. The rider lies on his back, using a mirror to navigate. The design is based on Eivie III from Damjan Zabovnik, with several improvements.[3] In 2016 Russo improved his record to 92.43 km (57.44 mi) on a bike he designed himself.


Safe as houses.


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## Bonefish Blues (13 Apr 2021)

Quite a thing:

https://newatlas.com/new-world-record-in-one-hour-cycling/19497/


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## ColinJ (13 Apr 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> Quite a thing:
> 
> https://newatlas.com/new-world-record-in-one-hour-cycling/19497/


That was very odd - It looked like he was going at less than half that speed!


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## Bonefish Blues (13 Apr 2021)

ColinJ said:


> That was very odd - It looked like he was going at less than half that speed!


The fact that it had to use the banking was impressive!


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## HMS_Dave (13 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Next they will allow E-Bikes to do the so called Modern Hour Record!


Nothing wrong with E-bikes competing at all. Just removed the battery...


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Comparing your example with the real Hour Record is just going backwards!



ha ha ha ha. Why don’t you look up the real hour record for human powered bike. It’s not the one you think it is.


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## Bonefish Blues (14 Apr 2021)

OP you posted a video without comment - and you're surprised that the thread is spearing off in different directions?

CycleChat will be CycleChat


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## T4tomo (14 Apr 2021)

interesting view / position for the face up chap (who I believe may be Alf Engers), and surprisingly small rear wheels


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Why should anyone look up " real hour record for human powered bike." ?
> 
> Try what we are talking about and look up "real Hour Record" and you will find the hour record we are talking about!



We are talking bikes and hour record. Yours is a poor second best


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## winjim (14 Apr 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> OP you posted a video without comment - and you're surprised that the thread is spearing off in different directions?
> 
> CycleChat will be CycleChat


Does somebody want to summarise it? Is the answer 'aerodynamics'?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> We are really talking about "The Hour Cycling Record" Not bike ?



Cycling involves a bike or didn’t you realise ?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Or a trike



That’s triking. I wonder what the hour trike record is?


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## ColinJ (14 Apr 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> That’s triking. I wonder what the hour trike record is?


It is _triking _as opposed to _biking_, but _both _are _cycling_!


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## T4tomo (14 Apr 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> That’s triking. I wonder what the hour trike record is?


various records, tail faired recumbents trikes etc


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

You mean yourself when you say uneducated. Open your eyes!


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## Eric Olthwaite (14 Apr 2021)

Not sure what you lot are on about. It is almost impossible to ride a bike 60km in one hour. I mean, have you bloody tried it?


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## ColinJ (14 Apr 2021)

Eric Olthwaite said:


> Not sure what you lot are on about. It is almost impossible to ride a bike 60km in one hour. I mean, have you bloody tried it?


Yes, and it is _EASY_...






_Downhill _- I do it all the time!


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## T4tomo (14 Apr 2021)

ColinJ said:


> Yes, and it is _EASY_...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that's quite a long hill?

actually mount Teide is over 60km - you could have a crack there


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## matticus (14 Apr 2021)

T4tomo said:


> that's quite a long hill?
> 
> actually mount Teide is over 60km - you could have a crack there


Yeah, I was thinking that not many UK hills would help you. A few time-trialists can average 30mph for long enough - but it's only the top guys, and of course you need a clear road for 60km.

Can Strava data be mined to find segments of 60km+ done at 60kph+ ?


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## ColinJ (14 Apr 2021)

T4tomo said:


> that's quite a long hill?


There are lots of quick descents round here. I usually hit 70+ km/hr down this one, and once hit 90... (Not in those conditions though - the road had been gritted but there were a few iffy patches!)









T4tomo said:


> actually mount Teide is over 60km - you could have a crack there


A mate of mine lived on Tenerife for a few years but I never made it out there to visit him. I was waiting until I was fit enough to tackle that climb but it never happened. Very little chance of it now at my age and with a damaged left lung...


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## Beebo (14 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> This sent me off down many interesting rabbit holes. One thing that caught my eye was this tandem, shown without faring in the picture below. Has two independent drive trains. They managed 83km.
> 
> Crazy.
> 
> ...


What a way to spend your weekends.


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## ColinJ (14 Apr 2021)

Oops, I see what you mean - _for an hour! _


Yes - impossible!


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Also descent off Tibetan Plain to Nepal is suitable at 160km downhill


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> Cycling involves a bike or didn’t you realise ?


Or a trike.
Let's not be limited by the number of wheels.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

classic33 said:


> Or a trike.
> Let's not be limited by the number of wheels.



That is triking


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Ming the Merciless said:


> That is triking


T'is still cycling, as ColinJ pointed out earlier.

Penny farthings have two wheels, bicycles, but their own hour record.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-44503724


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## matticus (14 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> A quick bit of googling suggests Conococha to Paramonga in Peru with a 4,000m drop over 120km could give you time to get up a bit of speed before you start the clock https://www.strava.com/segments/5713388
> 
> Also Haleakala on Maui in Hawaii This is only 55km but claims to be the World's longest paved climb (and hence descent) https://www.strava.com/segments/638944


Do you have the descent segment for either?


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Below is a link for the uneducated...
> 
> *Hour record...*
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hour_record


What's the educated....

*hour record*?


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> And because your education is obviously recumbent...and it shows as you missed the bit just for you...
> "For the hour record in athletics, see One hour run. For the hour record in non-upright bicycles, see Hour record (recumbents)."


As said above, Penny Farthings, bicycle(two wheels), have their own hour record.


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> At last the penny has finally dropped!


Bicycle, but not allowed into the bicycle records.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> And because your education is obviously recumbent...and it shows as you missed the bit just for you...
> "For the hour record in athletics, see One hour run. For the hour record in non-upright bicycles, see Hour record (recumbents)."



My education is all types of bikes. For the overall hour cycling record see the one I and others referred to earlier.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Try watching the actual Video and learn what this Thread is about!
> 
> Why It's Almost Impossible to Ride a Bike 60 Kilometers in One Hour | WIRED
> 
> ...




But the title is making a statement that isn’t true. If you stymy your aero dynamics to that of a brick 🧱 of course you are going to be slower. But that is an artificial UCI constraint, not a constraint of the bike.

Its a bit like opening a parachute then complaining you can’t reach 120mph terminal velocity


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## classic33 (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> Try watching the actual Video and learn what this Thread is about!
> 
> Why It's Almost Impossible to Ride a Bike 60 Kilometers in One Hour | WIRED
> 
> ...



Pre 2014 rules or current rules?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> When you eventually watch the Video ? you will notice it's about a specific type of Hour Cycling distance! and type of bike! nothing to do with recumbents, penny farthings , trikes, and any other type of bike, bicycle you can dream up!
> There now who would have thought I would have to explain it like I would to a child!



Trikes are not bikes, clue is in the name

As explained to you earlier. Come up with a poor type of bike when it comes to aero dynamics and of course it’ll be slower for the hour record.


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## Anthony.R.Brown (15 Apr 2021)

Below is a good example of cheating at speed breaking a Cycling record ?

*How This Cyclist Hit 184MPH and Set the World Record


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUmgMhn2iY
*


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## Bonefish Blues (15 Apr 2021)

Which rules did she break?


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## Solocle (15 Apr 2021)

Anthony.R.Brown said:


> When you eventually watch the Video ? you will notice it's about a specific type of Hour Cycling distance! and type of bike! nothing to do with recumbents, penny farthings , trikes, and any other type of bike, bicycle you can dream up!
> There now who would have thought I would have to explain it like I would to a child!


It's a specific type of hour record, the UCI compliant one. If the UCI changed their rules tomorrow, and allowed recumbent bikes with any aero fittings, like fairings, then the hour record would fall the day after tomorrow. And it would be over 60 km.

It's a specific category which is artificially constrained by a governing body. That's not to say that it's invalid, but it's inconceivable to think that the outcome of UCI rule changes and advances in technology between now and the extinction of humanity, or indeed the evolution of our species, couldn't result in a 60 km UCI hour record.


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## cisamcgu (15 Apr 2021)

(The hour record for cycling is very simple. It's just one rider going as far as possible for one hour. WIRED's Robbie Gonzalez explores the physical power needed to push for 60 minutes and the equipment and track choices that can make or break the record.)
[/QUOTE]

But that isn't the same. They go around a measured track, but their actual distance isn't measured. If they went up and down the banking they would travel further but that wouldn't be recoreded - so, not really legitimate. UCI certified perhaps, but not accurate.


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## matticus (15 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Bordeaux-Paris? Motorpaced and thus cheating. (won by Tom Simpson in 1963. *What a cheat*.)


Tommy may not be the best example to support your point ;-)

My *personal view* is that motor-pacing is purely of technological interest; I see no relevance to cycle "sport".
(Kierin is obviously in a different category, as the real racing happens after it pulls off.)

I just can't see the point of those long moto-paced races like Bordeaux-Paris - except as a promotional exercise for [_I don't know, but I'm sure some group with cash thought there was some benefit_!]

Anyway, that's my view.


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## T4tomo (15 Apr 2021)

matticus said:


> that motor-pacing is purely of technological interest; I see no relevance to cycle "sport".



when I've watched a day at the track cycling, the endurance derny races are very exciting to watch (where the derny goes all the way to the end, one derny for each rider). Don't forget, although air resitance is less for the rider thus the speeds are higher, the rider still has to keep pace, its no good the derny rider leaving the cyclist behind. there is a huge amount of skill within the "team"


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## matticus (15 Apr 2021)

Almost every round of It's a Knockout (Jeux Sans Frontieres for our Benelux readers) required immense skill to win.

Doesn't make it sport.

<drops mike>


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## matticus (15 Apr 2021)

non-sport sports are an important topic, in which I have unmatched expertise. I could go on at GREAT length here, but it would be disrespectful to the topic-starter (and to downhill mountain-bikers).


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## Anthony.R.Brown (15 Apr 2021)

cisamcgu said:


> (The hour record for cycling is very simple. It's just one rider going as far as possible for one hour. WIRED's Robbie Gonzalez explores the physical power needed to push for 60 minutes and the equipment and track choices that can make or break the record.)



But that isn't the same. They go around a measured track, but their actual distance isn't measured. If they went up and down the banking they would travel further but that wouldn't be recoreded - so, not really legitimate. UCI certified perhaps, but not accurate.
[/QUOTE]

Very clear answer!


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