In the past, professional road cycling was very traditional and conservative – bikes looked a certain way, had a common geometry, and the riders tended to be fit to the bike with a similar style. But today, all of those factors – the appearance, geometry and fit – are open to question and experimentation. This possibly started with Greg LeMond in the 1980s, was nudged by the progressive positions in triathlon, and now it's sports science and data driving the desire for improved performance.
The current trend is for a more forward position on the bike. By moving the saddle forward, the body can rotate, allowing for a lower torso with the same hip angle, which offers aerodynamic benefits, plus possible biomechanical efficiency benefits. Adding shorter cranks opens up that hip angle a bit more, potentially allowing for getting lower still. The jury is still out on all of this – there are proponents for longer cranks, and for sitting back to utilise different muscle groups. But with the current best rider in the world, Tadej Pogačar, adopting both the forward position and shorter cranks, there are a lot more riders curious about the benefits. I am not a physiologist, so can’t speak to whether there is a measurable performance gain. But what impact do these changes have on bike geometry, and should modern race bikes have a redesign?
It’s a big question, and one that I recently spoke about with Ronan Mc Laughlin in a bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. This edition of The Whys of Bike Tech aims to summarise some of my thoughts related to rethinking what modern road race bike geometry should be.
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