GCN Tech Clinic: Do I need a power meter for bikepacking?

Aug 08, 2023

From time trial tyres to a UCI loophole, Ollie answers your tech questions

Online Production Editor

It’s Wednesday and our inbox is brimming with your questions which means it’s time for the latest GCN Tech Clinic. This week Alex is away so Ollie is having to fly solo, but he’s still got all of the answers you need - well, most of them anyway.

A week is a long time in the world of bike tech and since our last Tech Clinic we’ve definitively proved that tech really can win the Tour de France. Plenty of cool new tech has also been unveiled, including new Syncros wheels, plus images of a new Specialized Tarmac SL8 were leaked.

Without further ado, let’s dive straight into this week’s questions.

White shoes look cool but they can be an absolute nightmare to clean, which is probably why this topic pops up a lot.

One solution we’ve never suggested is using a magic eraser. These contain a compound called melamine which acts as a molecular sandpaper, which can help to restore any dirty white shoes to their former glory.

This one depends on the situation.

There is a greater risk of puncturing on longer time trials, events on rougher roads or in rain, so a tyre with better puncture protection may be the better choice, even if it comes at the slight sacrifice of performance. On the flip side, if you’re riding on smooth roads, puncture protection isn’t as important.

There are various factors which influence the optimal width, including what width specific wheels are optimised for. Generally, 25mm tyres are best when averaging over 30 kph, but 28mm are better when below 30 kph.

Specific tyres can hugely boost performance too, as Ollie explains.

Modern tolerances on bikes are fine and bolts need to be tightened within the advised limits, otherwise you could damage your frame.

That means relying on an accurate torque wrench, but how do you know if one is correctly calibrated? We’d recommend getting your hands on another torque wrench and testing both on a bolt to see how they compare.

There are more complicated, scientific methods but we’ll leave it to Ollie to nerd out and explain these.

TOP TIP: never leave a torque wrench torqued. Once you’re finished, screw it back to the lowest setting.

Anyone familiar with the GCN Tech channel will know that Ollie is a big fan of chain waxing. He’s also a big advocate of only applying a melt wax treatment to new, unused chains and not pre-used ones.

But even then you still have to remove the packing grease before applying the treatment which begs the question, when will the industry start selling chains without pre-applied packing grease?

It’s something we’d like to see, but a new way of packaging chains would be required to prevent chains from rusting, something grease offers protection against.

No, although they can be useful in certain scenarios.

If you’re in a bikepacking race you may want one to monitor your effort and they can aid training too. For most people bikepacking is an opportunity to enjoy riding and to explore new routes and if you fall into this category, a power meter isn’t necessary.

Ollie himself hasn’t historically been a fan of bikepacking but Conor recently tried to change his mind.

The UCI has strict equipment and clothing rules for racing and one of those is around aero sock length, except there is a glaring loophole.

According to Article 1.3.033 of the UCI regulations, “socks and overshoes used in competition may not rise above the height defined by half the distance between the middle of the lateral malleolus and the middle of the fibula head”.

That’s essentially halfway between the ankle and the knee.

The rule doesn’t mention tights or leg warmers though, providing a big work around. It’s not something that any pro teams have started taking advantage of just yet, mainly due to a couple of performance factors. For a start, they make it harder to cool down while riding, plus they slightly limit knee flexion.

Have a tech question you need answering? Head over to this week’s Tech Clinic video over on the GCN Tech YouTube channel and add your question to the comments along with #ASKGCNTECH.

PhD Chemist turned cycling enthusiast, bringing the lab coat to GCN Does Science