[ds968]

It was fascinating to read about the discovery of a motor hidden inside a bicycle frame ( a Belgian cyclist made good use of that device in a race this past weekend ) and now I understand this is not an entirely new phenomenon; there have been several occasions and investigations into similar cheating scandals for a while , although mostly in off road biking competitions . No one thought to look inside a narrow road bike frame until recently. What a riot, lol ! Can you see the headline : " Tour de France winner crosses the finish line six days ahead of everyone else, tests negative for steroids or any other performance enhancing supplements ! "

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[Ryan]

Huh....how is a motor that small going to give you a big boost? What powers the motor and how much weight does that add?

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[flash]

i saw that too.  i suppose on flat ground it would give you a bit of a "rest", or at least decrease the effort, thereby making you a bit fresher when you hit the hill

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[Bulti]

And again Belgium makes world headlines! Hurraaaay! ...Do'h!


The little motor is tubular shaped and hides into the frame, right on top of the crank. It produces about 160W and gives riders a real edge in a race. When everybody in struggeling, for example when going uphill, it can give the rider an advantage that even Lance and his pharmaceuticals can not keep up with, lol. At 30 km/h, it gives about 5 km/h extra. Which is a lot on a bike at that speed.


You can buy those things at more than one bike shop. It's not that it is a secret or anything. It is supposed to aid those who suffer from physical issues and still want to join a group of people riding race bikes. Or so one of the people who sells these told on the news.


I bet that it was invented by somebody who needed to win instead of wanted to help people though.


Femke Van den Driessche, who was caught, probably used it before in a race on the first of November. Climbing the steep 'Koppenberg' (= famous hill over here), she made the top 10 seconds faster than her opponents...

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[az968]

I need one of those for my exercise bike. Mine makes me work too hard too.

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[ds968]

Just waiting to see who'll be the first to post that they could use the motor in their cane ..or walker , lol.

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[az968]

Now that you mention it . . . .

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[wildcat]

I take it that it charges itself and then when you need the extra boost there's a way to turn it on.... ?

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[Bulti]

There are one or more batteries hidden in the frame and/or drinking bottle. I can't find anything they are rechargeable while racing. But there are different varieties. The most expensive ones are about €3000 a piece. Maybe those can do solething extra? In any case, it's more to be used in a tactical way, in shorter bursts.

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[Rap]

Ok Dan here you go. While I've transitioned off the walker and now just carry a cane, looks sort of stupid and certainly gets it's fair share of looks, I suspect with a little extra juice I might have been able to put in faster laps at the rehab center in my walker. This wouldn't have gotten me out any faster but as we all know, more is better!

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