Genuine question, how is it that in the men’s and women’s MTB events you have stories about coming back from a puncture? It seems like if you have the top skills in the world and ostensibly no budget, you would get through a cross country course with your tires in good shape.
I’m certain this is a stupid question… any input is appreciated.
by t_scribblemonger
6 Comments
Not sure on the particulars of the Olympic course but:
These XC racers are going to be running extremely lightweight (thin casing) tires. Rolling resistance and weight are king when they are making their tire decision
Two reasons
1) In a race of that importance you’re going to take more chances and push your equipment to it’s limit.
2) You’re going to put a very high performance tire on which is supple and efficient sacrificing durability.
You’re going to take more risks and liberties with equipment. Medal or DNF – nothing else matters it’s the Olympics. Same as World Champs. Mechanics will pull out all the tricks to maximize efficiency at the expense of the equipment.
Xc isn’t what it used to be. The courses got way more technical over the years, with lots of pointy rocks to catch a puncture on. On the other hand riders still want their bikes to be light and agile, and a difference in rotating mass is gonna be most noticeable, so they choose light, fast rolling tires that get punctures more often. It’s a risk they are willing to take because the advantage is so big.
This isn’t a complete and thorough answer, but sometimes race athletes choose tyres that are lightweight over tough for the performance gain. Choosing a tyre is a tradeoff between weight, rolling resistance, grip, “toughness” and flexibility. There is rarely a perfect tyre choice out there. The athletes/coaches are making a decision that sometimes doesn’t pay off.
Appreciate the answers already. Very interesting.