McLaren and Specialized Build $20k Bicycle

"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck) 04/14/2015 at 14:28 • Filed to: None

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McLaren and Specialized came up with a new "development process" that leads to a better understanding of the "bike-rider system" which is insanely expensive to implement for "production" bicycles, all 250 of them.

Their new system is designed "... to codify what you experience in the saddle when going all out on race day or at a relaxed pace around town. That “code” is the stiffness and damping of all the components in various directions that add up to the desired ride. It considers everything, from the rubber to what’s in between the wheels."

One !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has already waxed eloquent about it, saying:

"Through the taut frame, I swear I feel every rock and the viscosity of the tar that binds them together. As cars pass me, it's funny to think how many of them cost less than my ride.

I've ridden plenty of bikes from Specialized. I know the feel of the standard Tarmac, its refined carbon road racer, which costs between two and ten grand. But this bike is something quite different, as befits anything with this kind of price tag and limited production run (just 250 were made)."

This level of road response used to be called "harsh", a term applied to every aluminum-framed road bike made. Then along came carbon which could be "tuned" to allow flex in specific directions and prices for bikes went through the roof. While it is true that lateral flex does affect handling, vertical flex (in-plane with the bike frame) is practically non-existent for a typical diamond frame. Frame materials have always been controversial and the latest material always gets the glory. But the truth is that the frame material doesn't matter as long as the frame is designed correctly and the bike is set up correctly for the rider. The hype does nothing more than convince people with more money than brains that the latest thing will make them just a bit faster.

The problem is that it is difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison between bikes. Even when the control point locations (handlebars, seat, and pedals) are set up to match, differences in other components change the way the bike feels and responds. Manufacturers don't provide bikes with different frames and matching components custom set up for journalists to review. So it's almost impossible to isolate one frame material and say it is better than the next, especially when they are "tuned" to provide a different riding experience.

Putting this much emphasis on the "stiffening and damping of all the components" is just silly, especially when the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! just by letting a little air out of the tires.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 14:31

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Why is this better than a car costing as much or less?

CB > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 14:35

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That's a silly comparison. If a guy's looking to spend this much on a bike, it's not because he's looking for a way to get around town.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > CB 04/14/2015 at 14:39

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Then why bother?

CB > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 14:40

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Because maybe they race bikes, exercise a lot on bikes, enjoy bikes, and have the money to buy it?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 14:42

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Because fuck you, peasant. That's what.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 14:49

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Bikes this expensive are the equivalent of an F-1 car (thus the McLaren tie-in).

The thing that makes this silly is that variation in the most expensive part - the frame - is overshadowed by variation in all of the other, much less expensive components. Letting the tire pressure drop just a few pounds would drastically change how the system performs. You might not feel that in your car, but on a bike with 23mm tires, that is a huge difference.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 14:53

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Yeah, but an F1 car goes at a reasonable pace. Well, McLarens don't. Maybe they should switch to just making these?

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 14:56

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Some of the guys that own bikes like these go at the bicycle-equivalent of a "reasonable" pace.

Many of them don't.

thebigbossyboss > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 15:04

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I Think a used Challenger V8 is a better purchase.

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 15:06

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Worst HP/$ ratio . . . . . . . . in the world

tromoly > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 15:08

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So basically they did a whole MBD system on a bicycle.

There's a joke about how when Specialized was designing a Fat Bike they built a "snow tunnel" to build a bike optimized for snow.

I'll stick to my steel Surly frames, thanks but no thanks McLaren.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 15:09

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i've ridden an $8k mountain bike. I can confirm you get what you pay for. it was amazing. I could drop 8' and not feel it.

OPPOsaurus WRX > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/14/2015 at 15:12

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its most likely a team / race bike. the average guy will never see one. Its definitely more that the equivalent road going McLaren car. Its more like this

GTI Sprinks > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 15:15

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Just what the world needs, another dentist bike.

TheRealBicycleBuck > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/14/2015 at 15:25

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It wasn't the frame that made the difference - it was the suspension.

What you are getting with this bike is a really fancy frame with a few custom components. The rest is off-the-shelf high-end bits by Shimano, available on any other high-end bike that costs 75% less.

TheRealBicycleBuck > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/14/2015 at 16:22

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I don't think many of them will see duty as a team or race bike. Those bikes catch too much abuse. Team bikes have more miles put on them in a year than most of these will see in a lifetime.

TheRealBicycleBuck > tromoly 04/14/2015 at 16:31

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Ever since Lance made it big, all of the teams have been using integrated designs for their top cyclists. "... the F-One group immediately recognized that it was not the bike or the wheels or the rider's clothing that would make any one big step forward but instead it would be the sum of the all components in use. Everything needed scrutinizing. We knew that any change in the bike affecting Lance's position would have us addressing many details like skinsuit panel seams, helmet shape and even how his number is pinned on."(from http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/l… )

And this makes the Specialized/McLaren bike even sillier - each bike gets some customization, but without a full in-depth analysis, it won't have that much effect on the rider's performance.

My main ride is aluminum, but I'll never give up my old (circa 1976) steel Schwinn.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 17:19

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your absolutely right on the suspension. It was amazing. If I'm paying $20k I'd expect the best of the best in every detail

tromoly > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/14/2015 at 18:18

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Indeed. The people getting really excited over this are the same people who spend several hundred dollars to drop a few grams from their pedals, yet have about 10 pounds of body fat that could be lost.

I will never be good enough to need a bicycle so precisely tuned, that's for sure.

TheRealBicycleBuck > tromoly 04/15/2015 at 08:27

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Absolutely! Rather than buying the latest uber-pedal, they could lose more weight from the rider-bike system with a bottle of Miralax.

I am right there with you. I qualified for Clydesdale class even before I got married, had kids....