Schleck Wasn't Shifting

[ustabe]

Who cares?
. . .
He launched the attack, it failed, he pays the price.

That's racing.

Good for Alberto.

My feelings 'zactly.

Any further debate is strictly for gearheads. Maybe we should take it up in a new thread--"SRAM Doubletap--sucks or not?"

 

[Road Hazard]

My feelings 'zactly.

Any further debate is strictly for gearheads. Maybe we should take it up in a new thread--"SRAM Doubletap--sucks or not?"

Ok.

If there are interns on the forums (like BPC who is, I have to admit, either obsessive compulsive or paid), their supervisors need to do an evaluation in which case they would learn that the marketing campaign to win hearts and minds has backfired. But it's not my money what do I care.

Onto SRAM.

SRAM Doubletap is awesome.

SRAM Front derailleurs are not awesome.

Whether that's because SRAM chains and the ramping is not awesome or some other reason, I don't know.

 

[badboyberty]

Hold on, everyone's got this wrong. It's nothing to to with the Sram shifters, it's to do with the hidden Gruber drive in the seat tube that misfired as Schleck went to ramp it up a notch.

We've all seen the Italian video; mystery hand movements, an attack that leaves everyone else for dead, a Saxobank Specialized... it all adds up.

 

[Night Rider]

Maybe we should take it up in a new thread--"SRAM Doubletap--sucks or not?"

I will keep my Dura-Ace and pay the >200gm penalty any day.

 

[santacruz]

Wow that clip makes AC look like such a big turd... full attacking after passing a completely stopped AS. WHAT A JERK HE SHOULD BE STONED IF HE FINISHES IN PARIS!
Do you think his chain jumped off when he hit that little bump in the road?? or perhaps it was frame flex from his effort knocked the chain off?

 

[smoking roach]

Hold on, everyone's got this wrong. It's nothing to to with the Sram shifters, it's to do with the hidden Gruber drive in the seat tube that misfired as Schleck went to ramp it up a notch.

We've all seen the Italian video; mystery hand movements, an attack that leaves everyone else for dead, a Saxobank Specialized... it all adds up.

Of course! We might as well entertain this possibility as well, seems like everybody knows exactly what happened.

Anyway, SRAM's got nothing on Shimano and Campy, I don't know how they made it in the TDF, must be a whole other conspiracy story there...

 

[cyclingnutz]

Looks like a case of chain suck. This used to happen all the time on mountain bikes in the 1990's. The rear end kicks up because the chain stops and he kept trying to pedal.

The other possible issue is the chain on Sram can fall off the top pulley on the rear derailleur. That would explain why he had trouble figuring out what was wrong.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Vino was marking Shrek. He was looking back at times to see where Contador was. As soon as he drew even with Andy, he was not going to continue on, setting pace for Schleck; so it is hard to know what he was doing as he slowed down.

Exactly, when your team leader attacks over you, you slow down, you don't keep riding and risk serving as a launch pad for somebody to bridge up to your teammate. He would have slowed at that point no matter what.

 

[gogo419]

My take is that he was in the big chain ring for the start of the attack. the jumping of the rear wheel was from a bump on the road which popped the rear wheel into the air (this is possible as weight is on the front of the bike. it has happended to me whilst racing before but i havent had my chain come off.) and he then tried to change gears right at the wrong moment or it was just purely bad luck that the chain came off. I reckon it fell off the big chain ring to the outside. his first click on the levers is a one click which would bring the front derailluer into the small chain ring position but the chain wouldnt get back on so he had to stop and do it by hand coz it got tangled whilst hanging off the outside.
Thats just my 2 cents worth. but i see it differently to a lot of you guys. if only the footage showed an extra few centimetres lower to see the chainrings.

the youtube clip from the helicopter shows the rear wheel jolting from a good angle if you havent seen it already.

 

[Boeing]

The young lad was pressed at his psychological and physical limit and had a brain fart shift. that is why they ride every stage.

 

[MacRoadie]

The young lad was pressed at his psychological and physical limit and had a brain fart shift. that is why they ride every stage.

Except he was riding strong, didn't look fatigued, was in the process of attacking (leaving the efficacy of the attack out of it), was accelerating, was on a steady part of the grade, and was smack-dab between switchbacks/corners.

Just makes no sense to make a shift there, much less one greater than a cog up or down at most.

All-around mystery.

Oh yeah, and he was wearing the MJ. Just don't know about psychological or physical limit. No doubt we'll see that tomorrow though.

 

[BroDeal]

Except he was riding strong, didn't look fatigued, was in the process of attacking (leaving the efficacy of the attack out of it), was accelerating, was on a steady part of the grade, and was smack-dab between switchbacks/corners.

Just makes no sense to make a shift there, much less one greater than a cog up or down at most.

All-around mystery.

Oh yeah, and he was wearing the MJ. Just don't know about psychological or physical limit. No doubt we'll see that tomorrow though.

I think he messed up in two ways.

First, if he intended to hammer Contador in the big ring then he should have been in the big ring to begin his attack. Instead it looks like he started in the little ring plus a very small cog and attempted to shift to the big ring after his initial surge.

Second, he shifted under full power while cross chained. He may have even attempted to shift front and back at the same time. That is asking for problems.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

I think he messed up in two ways.

First, if he intended to hammer Contador in the big ring then he should have been in the big ring to begin his attack. Instead it looks like he started in the little ring plus a very small cog and attempted to shift to the big ring after his initial surge.

Second, he shifted under full power while cross chained. He may have even attempted to shift front and back at the same time. That is asking for problems.

Third, he drove all his teammates until they popped, despite the fact that Contador still had supporting climbers.

 

[BroDeal]

Third, he drove all his teammates until they popped, despite the fact that Contador still had supporting climbers.

True. Astana was looking very strong at the end. It is hardly the p!ss weak team that some would have had us believe before the Tour.

 

[cyclejim]

sooo.....

I dont know that the photo proves anything. Every front on photo of his levers looks exactly like that. I dont know enough about that group to say if its normal or not but have a look at this shot:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-15/photos/131984

And this one

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/97th-tour-de-france-gt/stage-15/photos/131977

 

[hendrake]

* I can't imagine a chain falling off for no reason, especially not with a meticuously maintained top group;
* If AS did bad shifting that would cause a chain to drop, would it drop immediately? Isn't it possible that the chain would drop a few seconds later, when there's a change in power?
* I saw on the site herethat a lot of riders have a guard installed to prevent the chain in front from getting off to the left... AC has none. It's a risk to take.
* Some articles say that Riis himself got the chain back on, but to me it seems like AS put it on by himself.

 

[llime76]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP9OR-Pz2Yk

Perfect view, head on with both hands clearly visible. Go to 00:45. Both hands on the hoods, no fingers on either lever. They only move (very clearly) at 00:47, AFTER the chain slips.

He wasn't shifting.

ETA: Saxo uses SRAM Red, so you'd see his fingers move to the lever to drop down a cog.

I watched when Andy stop & put his chain back..If he is not shifting maybe bad shifting... what could the cause Andy stop and put his chain back?
is it coming from the inner or outer chain ring when he put the chain back?
can any body check that part as well..?

 

[llime76]

* I can't imagine a chain falling off for no reason, especially not with a meticuously maintained top group;
* If AS did bad shifting that would cause a chain to drop, would it drop immediately? Isn't it possible that the chain would drop a few seconds later, when there's a change in power?
* I saw on the site herethat a lot of riders have a guard installed to prevent the chain in front from getting off to the left... AC has none. It's a risk to take.
* Some articles say that Riis himself got the chain back on, but to me it seems like AS put it on by himself.

i have seen that.. AS put his chain back and two fans push him back to the race...

 

[Rob_Roy]

I watched when Andy stop & put his chain back..If he is not shifting maybe bad shifting... what could the cause Andy stop and put his chain back?
is it coming from the inner or outer chain ring when he put the chain back?
can any body check that part as well..?

After watching the link over and over again I wonder about the 'jump' Andy's bike does before Vino comes up to him.After that 'jump' Andy looks down and stops pedalling! Did he hit a rock or?

 

[Winterfold]

I dont know that the photo proves anything. Every front on photo of his levers looks exactly like that. I dont know enough about that group to say if its normal or not

So you don't know AND you don't know that you don't know.

That is what shifting on SRAM doubletap looks like. You can even see his cute little custom yellow end on the right shift lever.

If I am just going hard on a training ride with my bro and he drops his chain on a climb its game over. Let alone if you are racing. If you shift when you are going balls out you are asking for trouble, it is not a 'mechanical' it is pilot error.

Campy for Team Luxembourg...

 

[brianf7]

Regardless this is the SRAM masterpeice their showcase to the world and it didnt work . How embaracing.

Bet they have the SRAM experts examining it now but too late.

 

[Parrot23]

Folks must have seen by now what Frank says Andy told him:

Both brothers spoke at the end of the stage on phone, Fränk revealing that one of the first thing Andy does is call his brother once he’s on the team bus. “He’s furious with the mistake, from the mechanical but he wont give up and he’s going to carry on fighting. There’s no way he’ll give up. In many ways he’s more dangerous now.”

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-more-dangerous-than-ever

Also saw this:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...d-zinn-why-did-schlecks-chain-come-off_130090

 

[STODRR]

AS said in this morning interview he was not sure what happened. He hinted he was not shifting, he thinks maybe a rock hit it but he is not sure. I also could not see him shift on tv. I also have SRAM red so I do know how it works. He might have been shifting to a smaller cog but I could not tell but that would not be easy to see.

 

[cyclejim]

So you don't know AND you don't know that you don't know.

That is what shifting on SRAM doubletap looks like. You can even see his cute little custom yellow end on the right shift lever.

If I am just going hard on a training ride with my bro and he drops his chain on a climb its game over. Let alone if you are racing. If you shift when you are going balls out you are asking for trouble, it is not a 'mechanical' it is pilot error.

Campy for Team Luxembourg...

Ok can you explain then why the two other pictures show his levers in the same orientation, was he shifting in those pictures also? Sorry I am just trying to understand how everyone is convinced he was shifting when this happened?

 

[Big GMaC]

Ok can you explain then why the two other pictures show his levers in the same orientation, was he shifting in those pictures also? Sorry I am just trying to understand how everyone is convinced he was shifting when this happened?

His Right Hand

His Index Finger

Pushing Gear Lever

This is behind brake lever

This is him changing gear.