12 watts, really?

[GrahamS2]

I am sceptical ..... perhaps compared to a completely unlubed dry drivetrain and even then I'm not convinced ... how many people ride without lube?

After reading this, I think 12 watts after 6 hours is entirely feasible. 

[Sitting slip]

i really think with our conditions and the struggle of chain lube at water'points this could be a great product for stage races and marathon races. 

[Eddy Gordo]

Auto chain lube is very old tech used on motorbikes. Great to see it adapted to cycling, but I reckon for marathon races it will be awesome

[Capricorn]

for context, before we scoff at 12W, what's the power equivalent of taking PEDs?

 

I could only find this article with some numbers in it. Makes that 12W look very worthwhile for elite level riders.

 

 

The results: A 54% improvement in performance

We don’t wish to go into all the blood analysis and DEXA work done – they measured all kinds of things, but this is a post about performance. And the main finding was that EPO use improved time to exhaustion by an enormous 54% within 4 weeks! Peak Power Output improved by 13% in the first four weeks of the trial. The graph below shows the results:
http://www.sportsscientists.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/EPO-on-performance-550x247.png

What are the implications?

The graph above clearly shows the benefits that can be gained through the use of EPO. At the intensity of cycling tested in this study, the improvement in time before exhaustion was roughly 11 minutes on a 22 minute trial. Of course, there are some (including us) who would debate the merits of a “ride to exhaustion” as a measure of performance. Normally, we prefer to see a Time-trial as a measure of performance, because the concept of riding to fatigue is not really an accurate or repeatable measure of performance.

However, when you consider the sport of cycling, the final climb of a big mountain day in the Tour is effectively just this – a ride to exhaustion. A group of riders will arrive at the bottom of a 10km climb together, and by the time they reach the summit, the winners are the ones who have managed to sustain a high power output without reaching exhaustion! Now, if you can improve your time to fatigue (that is, the point at which you crack and get dropped) by 11 minutes, that’s clearly a massive improvement – it is the difference between making the summit and being dropped with 5km to go!

 

Another potential problem with the study is the extrapolation of the data to the elite. These subjects were fit, but clearly not elite. It’s likely that in the elite, the improvement would be smaller. For example, you could hardly take an Alberto Contador, who might have a Peak Power Output of 500W and bump it up to 565 (13% increase, see graph above) in 4 weeks! Having said that, if you could take this figure and get it to 515W, that would be a very significant increase at the elite level. Similarly, if you could help an elite cyclist improve his average power output by only 5%, that would represent a major step forward. Whether or not EPO would do this is debatable, but given this study, it would seem that 5% is a pretty conservative guess for how much EPO would improve performance…

Sauce

 

I was looking for performance gains under EPO usage levels that would just screen in according PED testing criteria.

[NotSoBigBen]

I'm not sceptical that 12w's make a difference (in fact the opposite), I am however sceptical that it can be obtained via additional lubrication (note additional). Come on it's not like people don't lube their chains and suddenly have 'efficient' drive trains so perhaps a bit of additional efficiency but not to that extent but anyway that's IMHO. It would appear that most others think it's possible so I assume you'll all be rushing out to buy that gizmo the minute it is available on the snake oil stand next to powerbands and those nasal dilators at your LBS

 

And that for the many hubbers that ride more than 6 hours at a time ....... often of course!

[Skinnyone]

No doubt that 12W makes a difference at THAT level over that amount of time, for us average joes will it make a "beeeeg" diference?

 

Don't forget that the pros get a new chain every week as well because of the losses of a slightly used chain so again for us average joes that ride a chain to its limits (.75% wear) I don't believe this gizmo will make a difference....

[Capricorn]

No doubt that 12W makes a difference at THAT level over that amount of time, for us average joes will it make a "beeeeg" diference?

 

 

very true, but how else are the inventors/product owners going to make gajillions and live happy lives we the average joes dont spend our way to 12W savings???? think of your social responsibility to your fellow human

['Dale]

Now why didn't I think of that..... ????

[PeterF]

Looked like a Di2 battery to me. 

I think someone is taking the piss.

I think you are correct.

[pe3nguin]

 for us average joes will it make a "beeeeg" diference?

 

Depends what the average joe in question likes to do on the bike. Coffee rides with mates? Nah.

 

Racing vets and you have a game plan. Now you have a game plan with 12 bonus watts. Seems like a significant difference to me.

[Pure Savage]

I'm not sceptical that 12w's make a difference (in fact the opposite), I am however sceptical that it can be obtained via additional lubrication (note additional). Come on it's not like people don't lube their chains and suddenly have 'efficient' drive trains so perhaps a bit of additional efficiency but not to that extent but anyway that's IMHO. It would appear that most others think it's possible so I assume you'll all be rushing out to buy that gizmo the minute it is available on the snake oil stand next to powerbands and those nasal dilators at your LBS

 

And that for the many hubbers that ride more than 6 hours at a time ....... often of course!

 

There is very different tech between pro's and the joe blogs public. How many people pop on a new dura ace chain every week? 

 

This is designed so that at the end of a 6 hour classic, when you have been riding through mud, rain and dirt that when you kick to open a gap, you are not losing watts to three ettix riders on your wheel. 

 

Does Joe Blogs need to open a gap of such a small margin in his weekly rides, no. 

 

Just because in the real world there are no real need for it, does not mean its not a good product. 

[NotSoBigBen]

There is very different tech between pro's and the joe blogs public. How many people pop on a new dura ace chain every week? 

 

This is designed so that at the end of a 6 hour classic, when you have been riding through mud, rain and dirt that when you kick to open a gap, you are not losing watts to three ettix riders on your wheel. 

 

Does Joe Blogs need to open a gap of such a small margin in his weekly rides, no. 

 

Just because in the real world there are no real need for it, does not mean its not a good product. 

 

Well put and I would agree with that wholehearted, I guess as an 'average Joe' myself I am merely looking at it from my point of view ... I still think that many "average Joe's" will go out and buy it regardless?

[Gen]

This is designed so that at the end of a 6 hour classic, when you have been riding through mud, rain and dirt that when you kick to open a gap, you are not losing watts to three ettix riders on your wheel..

Lol

 

I am thinking that the quickstep riders would benefit from the extra Lube[emoji12]

 

 

Maybe this is the year they get it right.[emoji85]

[Gen]

Well put and I would agree with that wholehearted, I guess as an 'average Joe' myself I am merely looking at it from my point of view ... I still think that many "average Joe's" will go out and buy it regardless?

Plenty will go buy it.. why.. because they can.

 

I am happy to carry my little bottle of lube with me to top up at the waterpoint.

[Patchelicious]

I need one of those for the bedroom!

[Gen]

I need one of those for the bedroom!

For that little torch thingie?