Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi-Chapter 271 - 231: Speed Driven by Extreme Power (Part 2)
One hundred thousand US Dollars, converted to RMB is around seven hundred thousand yuan.
It is said that the most expensive track bikes cost over one million RMB. Because professional track bike frames require extreme lightness and aerodynamics, and they travel at very high speeds, the wear and tear on the frame and tires are significant. Therefore, the demands on material, form, and quality are extremely high, and the costs are naturally exorbitant.
Keep in mind, these items are still just consumables. If an athlete's training intensity is high, a new bike might be needed every few months.
A professional track cyclist probably spends at least USD 100,000 each year just on the bike itself.
Cycling is called one of the three major drugs in the sports world for a reason.
It's too addictive, fully capable of bankrupting a middle-class family.
Although Wang Ye is quite wealthy now, he's not rich enough to casually buy a bike worth nearly a million.
It's worth noting that it's only been three months since he acquired his wealth, and he still maintains his past values and spending habits. Even buying a mountain bike worth tens of thousands of yuan from a retail store causes him some pain, let alone buying a track bike worth nearly a million outright.
After a moment of contemplation, Wang Ye asked, "I'll just give it a try. Can I rent one?"
"No need, if you really want to ride, you can use my old frame," Bright said cheerfully, "It's just gathering dust in the storage room anyway."
"Then thank you very much."
Wang Ye followed Bright to the storage room at the side of the venue.
They fetched out a frame that had gathered some dust.
They wiped off the dust with a cloth and installed the front and rear wheels.
Although the frame looked somewhat old, one could still see that its material texture and design form were extraordinary. The estimated cost was no less than USD 50,000.
Bright installed all the spare parts from the storage room onto the bike.
In no time, they had assembled a complete bike,
The gear ratio they chose was 1:6.
The principle of gear ratio is the proportional number of teeth between the rear cog and the front chainring. If the rear cog has 11 teeth and the front chainring has 53 teeth, then their ratio is 53÷ 11 = 4.81, which means a gear ratio of 1:4.81; the front chainring rotates once, allowing the rear cog to rotate 4.81 times.
To increase the gear ratio, you'd need to increase the size and number of teeth on the front chainring. Most track bikes have a front chainring, which is more than twice the size of those on other types of bikes.
Bright casually selected a 70-tooth front chainring and installed it, choosing an 11-tooth rear cog, 70 ÷ 11 = 6.36. Thus, this track bike has a gear ratio of about 1:6.36; pedaling one round will turn the wheels 6.36 times.
Compared to other types of bikes, this gear ratio is not low, but for professional track cyclists, it is relatively low. It's mainly used for everyday cadence training, as speed is hard to reach its peak.
Such a gear ratio is apparently too light for Wang Ye, and Bright explained that since it's Wang Ye's first time riding a track bike, he should get accustomed gradually from light to heavy, otherwise he might strain his muscles.
Wang Ye, reluctantly, pushed the bike onto the track to give it a try.
He put on cycling shoes and locked them onto the pedals with the cleats.
Then used the straps on the pedals for extra fastening around the forefoot.
These cycling shoes are mainly used to enhance speed and energy efficiency in cycling, ensuring more effective exertion and preventing the foot from slipping off the pedal, used in professional road, mountain, and track bike races.
But due to the high speeds on track bikes and their fixed gear design without variable speeds.
Track bike races require an additional strap on cycling shoes for double-layer security.
Wang Ye took a deep breath, then suddenly pedaled hard.
Squeak!!!
Under the force equivalent to tens of thousands of watts, the tires exerted terrifying twisting power, instantly causing intense friction against the wooden track, emitting a strong screech.
Within approximately a second, Wang Ye's cadence rose to 100 rpm.
The bicycle shot out like a rocket launch.
The speedometer on the handlebar displayed his current speed.
89 km/h.
This speed has already exceeded the competition limit of many track cyclists.
Moreover, this speed was still increasing.
Bright, watching from the side, immediately narrowed his eyes.
"My God, is this for real...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Ye had already cycled a lap, passing in front of him.
Whoosh!!!
The terrifying sound of wind-breaking forced Bright to step back a few paces.
Yet, the turbulent airflow from the high-speed movement still blew his bangs upward.
At this moment, Wang Ye was like a tornado, wildly gnashing through the circular track.
With his lv5 riding skills, he was fully capable of controlling a bike of such speeds.
His pedaling technique and turning techniques were nearly flawless.
Yet Bright was solely astonished by Wang Ye's explosive power and didn't notice this at all.
After about three laps, Wang Ye's speed gradually slowed down.
Eventually, he stopped in front of Bright.
By now, Bright was utterly shocked by Wang Ye's show of explosive power.
This explosive power was absolutely enough to win a world-class track bike championship!
Moreover, the bike frame Wang Ye was riding was an old piece discarded by Bright, with the gear ratio not being ideal,
Wang Ye actually managed to pedal out nearly 100 km/h under such circumstances!?
Wang Ye unlocked his cycling shoes and straps and stepped down from the bike.
His breathing remained steady, showing no signs of urgency.
This indicated that Wang Ye had almost not expended any stamina during his ride.
This discovery made the already shocked Bright even more amazed, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Wang Ye patted his shoulder and asked, "Can you help me adjust the gear ratio now, Bright?"
This finally made Bright snap out of his trance, and upon hearing Wang Ye's inquiry, he cheerfully patted his chest and promised, "No problem! No problem! Leave it to me! I'll get you a perfect set of parts, so you can unleash your full potential!"
After speaking, Wang Ye followed Bright back into the storage room pushing the bike.
And dismantled all the parts that were previously installed.
"It's truly unexpected that you could ride such a speed on your first try, no wonder you could push the world record up by twenty minutes, I now completely believe in your ability." Bright muttered while choosing parts from the mountain of supplies in the storage room.
After about three minutes of selection, he finally took out a large chainring.
Bright pointed to the large chainring, introducing it:
"Look, this piece has 150 teeth and is just as big as the wheel itself; it's the largest chainring we have here, and nobody's ever used it since it was bought. I'll choose a 10-tooth for the rear cog for you." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Bright tinkered at the bike for a good while before he finally added on an entirely transformed bike.
Pointing to the bike that hardly resembled one anymore, he boasted, "This piece's gear ratio is around 1:15. Meaning, you pedal one round, the wheel can turn 15 rounds. If you can manage to pedal this, then I truly salute you!"
Wang Ye climbed on the bike and lightly pedaled on the pedals.
He found that the modified bike indeed felt noticeably harder to pedal.
If before he could effortlessly pedal using only 30% of his strength.
Now he needed at least 60% of his strength to pedal.
Such an unprecedentedly high gear ratio.
If the cadence is quick enough, it might genuinely push Wang Ye to his limits.
································································







