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Comment by horv | Hacker News Reader

Although this is the first time something like this has been found in competition, I can remember a few prior allegations or instances that many people have found suspicious. So I don't personally find this to be a complete shock.

One thing I find interesting, for road cycling at least, is that the UCI mandated weight minimums could make it easier for a rider to attempt something like this. Many of the bikes need weights in the seat tubes to bring them up to the minimum weight, so the extra weight of a motor and battery wouldn't stick out as much. If they were to lower the 6.8kg minimum, a bike with motor and battery might end up weighing noticeably more than the average bike in the peloton.

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There have been lots of rumours of the last couple of seasons.

From Cancellara's Paris-Roubaix acceleration [1] to Ryder Hesjedal's [2] bike "moving on it's own", to even Chris Froome [3] Tour accusation it's been getting heated at the top levels.

The UCI introduced mobile scanning machines in 2010 [4] and this would be the first actual confirmed case.

[1] http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/06/news/cancellara-calls...

[2] http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/fresh-motori...

[3] http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/froome-driven-to...

[4] http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-to-start-bike-scanning/

For the video in the second link, I get the arguments about the camera angle possibly being misleading, but it looks pretty damning.

Yes it is rather. But the puzzle is, why be using power on a downhill freewheel ? Unless he switched the "on" button as he fell.

tbh it hasn't done him much good results wise, unless he was using it in the Giro 2012

The pedals don't move, which they would if it was the kind of motor used in the 'Zolder' bike.

Weight minimums are good for keeping a level playing field by keeping the cost to entry "low" by keeping it to the thousands. They're also good for safety reasons, both for the rider and others they might crash into; there's no incentive to try to cut too much weight in a way that could impact safety if there's a weight floor anyway.

The scanning is simply going to have to become pervasive.

Your arguments for the weight limit don't really hold up.

Manufacturers have used the "spare" weight for aero purposes - deep wheel rims, profiled tubing etc. The incentive to shave off grams is just as strong. Every gram saved by skimping on strength is a gram that can be used to reduce drag.

Safety has been dealt with by the certification scheme for frames and wheels. Every frame and wheelset used in a UCI sanctioned race has to be tested to UCI standards, so the weight is academic.

The technical playing field is far from level and costs have never been higher. The leading WorldTour teams can afford a lot of technology that's out of reach for Continental teams. Two aero bikes, two climbing bikes, a classics bike, a TT bike, eight different wheelsets, plus wind tunnel time to get it all working - that easily adds up to $100k per rider.

Minimum weights are used in all sorts of racing, from sailing to F1, both as a bulwark against technology costs and cutting corners on strength. Drag isn't much of an issue in cyclocross. It's the sort of thing you can throw money at for marginal advantage, but it doesn't make those who can afford it unassailable.

In cycling frame weight is not a big or factor. Wheel weight on the other hand is very noticeable.

Also note that frame efficiency is more important than its weight. For instance there were silly light, silly expensive bikes around which had crap performance, because they twisted like noodles in the wrong places.

Super light weight is a great magnet for dentists.

> safety reasons, both for the rider and others they might crash into

What is the benefit supposed to be of getting hit by a heavier bike?

That's not the concern. They were worried about manufacturers producing bikes that weren't structurally sound in a race to produce the absolute lightest bike. Imagine frames failing during descents.

There's an argument to be made that the technology has improved, and that the limit could be lowered.

It's not the weight of the bike. It's the risk of a "stupid light"[1] component failing when you're at the front of the peloton and taking out you and most of the riders behind you.

[1] A component which has had its strength and durability compromised in the interest of saving weight.

These arguments made sense when the limit was introduced. But the limit should be lowered now.

Weight minimums are good for keeping a level playing field by keeping the cost to entry "low" by keeping it to the thousands.

There are no bikes in the in the World Tour peleton that retail for under $10,000. You can easily build a sub 6.8kg bike for that.

They're also good for safety reasons, both for the rider and others they might crash into; there's no incentive to try to cut too much weight in a way that could impact safety if there's a weight floor anyway.

There's some truth in that, but the limit is way, way lower than where it is at the moment. The fact that weights are being added to push bikes over the limit has no safety impact.

At a guess, maybe it's a sign that drug testing actually is starting to make doping in cycling difficult and dangerous, pushing cheaters to look for an easier avenue.

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