# Unusual things mechanics do for bikes on the tour?



## myhui (Aug 11, 2012)

I don't know. I'm just asking. But I'm very curious.

My guess:

1. New chain, new cassette every day.

2. New tires/wheels every day. (Thus new wheel bearings)

3. New handlebar tape

4. New shoes and new pedals every day.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

myhui said:


> I don't know. I'm just asking. But I'm very curious.
> 
> My guess:
> 
> ...


1) Nope. They might replace the chain a few times over the course of a 3 week tour. Cassette should be fine.
2) Nope. This isn't nascar. They aren't rebuilding the wheels and probably aren't changing the tires every day unless the stage profile demands differences in tire characteristics from day to day. They can easily get a couple of stages out of a high end tubular.
3) Nope. They might rewrap the bars if they rider gets a jersey. But they don't need to rewrap everyone's bars every day. Maybe once or twice over the course of the race or if they crash.
4) Nope. They probably end the tour with the same shoes and pedals they started with.


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## myhui (Aug 11, 2012)

OK.

I forgot the most important piece:

5. Bottom bracket bearing.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

A lot of bearings may need to be broken in a little bit, so I'd think it would be best not to continually replace and repack bearings and wheels, especially sealed bearings.

Shoes also need a little breaking in, so I wouldn't want to change shoes every day unless there was a reason to discard the old ones (wet, dirty, etc).

Rain days, however, may require some special attention.

Undoubtedly the bikes that are ridden get a full tune-up between stages which might include checking for tight, loose, or rough cones, and checking the wheels are true and spokes are tight.

I've wondered about tires. Say the tires are rated for 3,000 miles. Technically they should last the whole race. However, if I can make it past the first 10 miles after installing a new tire, then I rarely get a flat in the first 500 miles or so, it would seem reasonable to refresh tires frequently. While I'll periodically spend a few minutes to pick glass out of an otherwise mostly good tire, it should be safer to just replace the tire and not have any nicks or gouges in the casing.

How long should a chain last? It should experience some wear over a 2000+ mile race. Still it probably won't be worn down enough to skip or break. I don't think I'd replace it every 200 miles, but plan on a few chains for the entire race. 

As far as cassette cogs, they can be made of steel, titanium, or aluminum. 

Thin Titanium should be a pretty good compromise material. Aluminum might need frequent replacements. No doubt different cogs wear differently. If the rider spends significant amounts of time in the 11/12 cogs, then perhaps one should update them more frequently, or go with aluminum for the infrequent cogs and titanium for the harder used cogs.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

CliffordK said:


> Shoes also need a little breaking in, so I wouldn't want to change shoes every day unless there was a reason to discard the old ones (wet, dirty, etc).


Shoes are changed as little as possible, definitely not in the middle of a three week race.



> As far as cassette cogs, they can be made of steel, titanium, or aluminum


Shimano teams use either DuraAce or Ultegra. Some use Ultegra to bring the bike weight up to the UCI minimum and the extra durability is a bonus.


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## jajichan (Jul 9, 2014)

myhui said:


> I don't know. I'm just asking. But I'm very curious.
> 
> My guess:
> 
> ...


No way, dude. On any of that. That'd be crazy. It's a bike race, not a race to...I can't even think of an apt comparison.


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

I'd say the only sport that does that kind of maintenance is drag racing. Those guys basically rebuild the top end of the engine every race. Even F1 uses the same engines over multiple races.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

Can't remember who, but saw a pic of a rider's shoes a year or so ago. He had had them a few seasons already, and they were WAY past needing replacing. But he kept wearing them


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Replacing cleats makes sense, why on earth would they replace a set of shoes?


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

dcorn said:


> I'd say the only sport that does that kind of maintenance is drag racing. Those guys basically rebuild the top end of the engine every race. Even F1 uses the same engines over multiple races.


Indy drivers, of course, can't even get through a single race on a set of tires.

As far as bicyclists, it all would come down to percentages. What are the chances of a critical failure in the subsequent stage. 1/100? 1/1000? Or the impact on rolling resistance. 

What ever happened to the old campy hubs with the oil ports?

Now, it may take less than 30 seconds to change a flat with pre-warning and a minute to change it without warning. 

However, that could be the difference between being in the pack or the break-away, or in the pack vs straggling a half mile behind.

I have never considered loose handlebar tape as a critical failure. Applied right, it should last quite some time. Applied wrong, and it can quickly bunch up and roll up. 

Are the riders like movie stars that need everything just perfect? Obviously the sponsors will also want the bikes to look good to represent their businesses.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

hide the epo...


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

PJay said:


> hide the epo...


They'd probably give blood to the riders too, but that is much harder to hide.


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## Ridin'Sorra (Sep 7, 2004)

dcorn said:


> Even F1 uses the same engines over multiple races.


Only because rules say so. F1 got so ridiculous as having qualifying engines that were used one day for a few laps and then replaced by another engine for the race.

In the same way, I can see some bicycle teams overdoing stuff just because they see it fit, if the rules do not limit them.

Racers are kind of a different animal too... if they perceive an advantage (even if it is not real) they will go for it.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

myhui said:


> I don't know. I'm just asking. But I'm very curious.
> 
> My guess:
> 
> ...


No. 
No.
No. Well, maybe every few days.
No. Not even close. 

Big guys might get a chain every week or so on a grand tour. Little guys might go the whole race on 1...maybe 2. These days most ride more than one bike, so that helps. Most teams will survive the year on the same cassettes they start with because the chains get replaced frequently. Tires and wheels every day? You're nuts. Tape? It gets washed til it's dead for most guys. Some GC guys w/ freakish mechanics might get new tape every day if they use white. Shoes? Gimme a break...they take breaking in. Why on earth would you replace pedals if they're working? Bottom brackets? Maybe every couple of months. 

The one think that Pro Tour level teams go through at an astonishing rate is water bottles. Teams will go through between 20-30,000 bottles a season. For real. On a hot day a team can use up between 200-250 bottles between soigneurs and team cars.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

The SKY site says they never re-use bottles just in case someone gets sick.

Tape is now black for everyone. Probably so dirt doesn't show eh?

A mech from OricaGreenedge said they use 12-28 cassettes almost all the time, it's wide enough that they almost never have to change them.

The shoe thing, it takes forever for a shoe to mould itself to your foot. Some pros are so particular they always carry their shoes in their carry on luggage so they don't get lost.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> The SKY site says they never re-use bottles just in case someone gets sick.
> 
> Tape is now black for everyone. Probably so dirt doesn't show eh?
> 
> ...


Every male pro racer I've ever worked for wouldn't get on the bike if it didn't have an 11. I'm guessing Orica is the same. It's getting harder to find 12-xx cassettes at this point.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

The team was certainly quick about finding a replacement shoe for Alberto Contador. But, I could imagine riders being a bit picky about their shoes (and socks), perhaps as much as anything else. 

30,000 water bottles a year? I see them just throw them out during races, but for training, it would seem easy enough to allow the riders to care for their own water bottles, or perhaps mark the riders names on their bottles.

Perhaps the next fad will be for those disposable supermarket "spring water" bottles designed for bike cages, and pull caps.


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## 4Crawler (Jul 13, 2011)

Some insight from the Garmin head mechanic from last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wwVcXlF-MLY

Sounds like new wheels to suit the stage, chains and bar tape ~weekly (on rest days).


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## ghettocop (Apr 19, 2014)

I read something recently that the thought of having to replace cleats or re-attach cleats to a new pair of shoes causes huge anxiety for the pro-peloton........... once they get that placement dialed they freak out about changing them even when needed. Thusly shoes and cleats sometimes get used well beyond their service life for these guys. Saddles with seatposts attached often travel with the individual rider....again....perfectly dialed and the thought of them being moved a half of a millimeter by someone causes great panic.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

ghettocop said:


> I read something recently that the thought of having to replace cleats or re-attach cleats to a new pair of shoes causes huge anxiety for the pro-peloton........... once they get that placement dialed they freak out about changing them even when needed. Thusly shoes and cleats sometimes get used well beyond their service life for these guys. Saddles with seatposts attached often travel with the individual rider....again....perfectly dialed and the thought of them being moved a half of a millimeter by someone causes great panic.


I have never once heard of a rider traveling w/ their post/saddle. They're on the race bike in the trailer/truck. They get set at an early season team camp and then they live in the trailer. Most pro racers will never travel w/ a bike once they reach Pro Continental level. Generally they'll bring their shoes in a carry on. They have spare/rain shoes in the trailer. Every racer has a 'rain bag' that goes in the team car every day w/ shoes, vest, rain cape, gloves, warmers, glasses. 
Mounting cleats is really not that big of a deal once they've been mounted on a pair of shoes. Mounting cleats on new shoes can take forever. We never let them get too worn out. It was up to the riders to keep track of how worn they got and bring it to our attention when they needed replacement.


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## myhui (Aug 11, 2012)

4Crawler said:


> Some insight from the Garmin head mechanic from last year:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wwVcXlF-MLY


They used a $143 Campagnolo chain tool.


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## mikerp (Jul 24, 2011)

cxwrench said:


> I have never once heard of a rider traveling w/ their post/saddle.


It was either Roll or Vande Velde mentioned they used to take the saddle/post as a carry on when they flew with the bike the other day, the discussion started when on of the riders was doing some saddle adjustments while underway, adjustments were attributed to changes made during inspection.


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## crank1979 (Sep 9, 2007)

Imagine if Adam Hansen used different shoes every day!?!


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

tape is not black for everyone. It's still about 50/50.
Astana, TREK, Tinkoff, AG2R, FDJ and others use white bar tape exclusively.
BMC, Moviestar, Europcar, Sky, Cofidis, use black bar tape. NetApp, Cannondale use black/white textured tape. Belkin uses turquoise (Bianchi green). Orica Green edge uses black/green letters.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Tejay travels with his seatpost and seat.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

mmsrepbike said:


> tejay travels with his seatpost and couch.


ftfy...


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

cxwrench said:


> I have never once heard of a rider traveling w/ their post/saddle.


I believe that Christian V mentioned he'd done exactly this in the past during their commentary on one of the recent tour stages. And I also now know that Bob Roll has his seat set at "exactly 78.75cm" ;-)


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## snailmale (Apr 17, 2014)

I have a friend who was on a pro team (regional, not international) for a few years. He was still using the same shoes he bought several years back.

He told me the main change they make for races is that the mechanics clean out the grease from their bearings and use oil instead. Makes things run much smoother, but also more susceptible to wear and tear. (I was an inline skater for many years and most of us prefer oil to grease although it requires more maintenance).

He also told me they were typically issued 2 jerseys, but washed and wore the same one each day - the 2nd one was a backup in case of a crash.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Talansky keeps his close too. Lots of finicky guys.


Andrew Talansky's Cervelo R5 Pro Bike | Tour De France 2014 - YouTube
^click to skip right to the relevant part.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

cxwrench said:


> Every male pro racer I've ever worked for wouldn't get on the bike if it didn't have an 11.


Correct, I meant 11-28.


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## Troutstalker (Dec 28, 2013)

I've heard that many teams break chains in prior to the tour. During training they put on a new chain and put miles on it. I'm not sure how many miles are required to break the chain in properly. But the theory is that a broken in chain will offer less resistance than a new out of box chain. These chains are placed in sealed bags for rest day maintenance. 

But no one is putting a new chain on daily.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Correct, I meant 11-28.


28T sounds awfully relaxed to me. Especially if used with a 39T or smaller chainring. 

Looking at TDF bicycles. 
Tour de France winning bikes - BikeRadar
101 Years of Tour de France Bikes Map the Evolution of Cycling

Some of them sport big cassettes, especially some of the newer bikes presumably outfitted with 11 speed gearing. However, a lot of them have smaller, tighter cassettes or freewheels.


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## Horze (Mar 12, 2013)

Tyres no. They are attched to the wheels but the wheels might be changed around depending on course. Tyres need some wearing in, in order to optimize their performance.




CliffordK said:


> They'd probably give blood to the riders too, but that is much harder to hide.


What is needed is a masseouse to breast feed the cavalry.


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## myhui (Aug 11, 2012)

Horze said:


> What is needed is a masseouse to breast feed the cavalry.


Some armies tried that during war. But, that's a digression I think we ought not go into.


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