What irks me a bit is that they are supposed to be about bikes, but in reality they are only about bikes that look exactly like the ones they have in mind.
Eg (if I remember right) they also specify a minimum wheel radius, because at some point people started doing well with those, and the people in charge didn't like that.
And they might as well be right: they have an entertainment business to run. They don't care about finding the best or anything like that.
I disagree that the sport is about bikes. I think the sport is about cyclists. The olympics is particular is built around human athletic competition not technical competition.
How do you find the best cyclist if the quality of the bikes is wildly different?
In any experiment, you have to control for the factors other than the ones you're looking to test. I don't think its fair to say that they don't care about finding the best, they're just trying to find the best of a different category than you're interested in.
As GP said. There is also space for different competitions about technology (in motorsport, formula 1 has both a driver championship and a constructor championship which is about the technology).
Ever go to a go kart track and notice that some karts are faster than others? They're all identical as far as the eye can see, but in reality tons of subtle differences pop up.
You can have spec bikes, but there no way they'll all be tuned identically, all have the exact same lubrication in all the bearings, all have the exact chain tension, all have the axles torqued identically. All the derailers built exactly the same... One bike will get inevitably have an advantage over the others.
Why? The whole point is to standardise, I thought? They are already _not_ accommodating preferences for eg recumbent bikes. So what measure are a few more preferences not accommodated?
In any case, you can make a bunch of different official sizes.
No, the main point (as already explained by someone above) is that this competition is about the cyclists, not equipment. The idea is quite simple, but leads to complex, sometimes somewhat arbitrary rules, but they in the end work quite well to regulate the competition.
No offense, but you're clearly someone who doesn't know much about cycling, but are insisting that the cyclists (competition organizers) are "doing it wrong". Arguing with that is tiring, so I won't continue here.
I genuinely see the point you're trying to make, but fitting a bicycle is like fitting an article of clothing. It's is laughable to suggest clothing be one-size-fits-all the same way it is for bicycle geometries. It doesn't compare.
> There is also space for different competitions about technology (in motorsport, formula 1 has both a driver championship and a constructor championship which is about the technology).
And even then the technology is severely curtailed, it has to compete within a fairly restrictive design envelope.
Of course you are. If you’re against any rule you personally dislike or misunderstand you’re not for rules.
> What irks me a bit is that they are supposed to be about bikes
See that’s your problem: you completely missed what the competition was about.
The competition is no more about bicycles than an archery competitions is about bows and arrows.
The competition is about the athletes, the gear is only the means through which it happens. That’s why the name on the podium is that of the cyclist, not of the bike manufacturer.
Viewers are turned off if one of the competitors is seen to be winning simply due to having a better bike. The main characters in the show are the riders, not the bike builders.
Which viewers are those? Pro cycling fans are interested in bike manufacturers and technology, as well as in the riders. Gaining advantages through having better bikes (within reason) is a key part of the sport and part of what makes it fun to watch.
What irks me a bit is that they are supposed to be about bikes, but in reality they are only about bikes that look exactly like the ones they have in mind.
Eg (if I remember right) they also specify a minimum wheel radius, because at some point people started doing well with those, and the people in charge didn't like that.
And they might as well be right: they have an entertainment business to run. They don't care about finding the best or anything like that.