I'll avoid spoilers for now...
It's a really fascinating video, I had no idea people were scathing about his athletic abilities, the world champs they mention there is a certain C Boardman who he beat and he had good tech as well as the legs and lungs . Anyway great video, I hope Graeme stole that modern suit ! 🙂
Very good - thanks.
very good...... in the nicest possible way he is as nutty as a fruitcake. And (avoiding spoilers) glad he kept both halves of his legend intact.
Best possible outcome
I remember the weekly updates on who was Workd Champion in the Comic at the time. It was great to have the battle between the intuitive marmalade fuelled Obree and the analytical Boardman.
It was a different era, and sadly missed.
I have a huge amount of respect for whatever Graeme did. And even more for him now.
Excellent video and others have said, the outcome is perfect and he comes across as inspirational.
Has the engine to go with the position. Most people seem to forget that he was British champion with the engine to match. Some of us have to rely on position and kit, but still can't get his improvements. Motor time!
I've edited so the video should work embedded now (gah - why is it so hard now, I've edited it back to what it was when I first posted, but that didn't work at the time!)
As you all suggest, the outcome was fantastic in showing he was both genius and athlete.
More spoiler:
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the other interesting outcome is that it seems CB's '86 hour record should still be valid, given there was no apparent aero advantage over kit they're currently allowed to use. Though I feel a bit dubious about the results for that given the apparently huge difference in speeds achieved using it at the time.
Really enjoyed that - cheers.
I’ve ridden old faithful, Tbh, it didn’t feel special at all, it was the position it allowed Graeme to get his body into.
That and the immense amount of power he was putting out.
great video btw.
What a great video!! That is someone who I would give my right arm to meet. Absolute legend!!
Would have liked to have seen him on old faithful with the modern kit. I have that skinsuit. And it is faster than my other kit.
I know he and I are in no way similar but the chance of me jumping on my TT bike from 25 years ago and getting the position to work instantly would be slim to non. Also the modern guys spend hours tinkering with their position to make pretty substantial differences. Without the flexibility of youth, time to adapt and time to fine tune the results are pretty meaningless. I would also love to know how much of a physical disadvantage the crouch position has in term of ability to generate power - my hunch is you would give back a good chunck of the 60 Watt gain.
However, lovely bit of film about a national institution. I do miss those days. Everything about it was better as a fan/observer.
Just watched. Great little video.👍
Worth watching the film about his life too. Just happened to see it on late one night. A good watch.
" would also love to know how much of a physical disadvantage the crouch position has in term of ability to generate power – my hunch is you would give back a good chunk of the 60 Watt gain."
This must be true. So he'd, by intuition, perfectly finessed the compromise between aero and power. Brilliant.
Probably gave up about 30 Watts, based on his hour results 😉
i also think he would get about half of that back from modern kit, wheels, and possibly a more aero tube set.
I'm kicking myself for not riding with Graeme the day Lance appeared in paisley ! I remember seeing Graeme but the chance to ride with my then(hero) was too great.
Always had respect and admired Graeme but it's 10 fold now 🙂
I Rode next to Graeme OBree on a group ride in Mallora when he was there with his son Euan at Easter a few years back, but was so star struck I didn't say anything to him.
bookmarked for later thanks for that
Nice video, thanks.
Obree is still one of the greatest in my view. Thanks for posting.
Also the modern guys spend hours tinkering with their position to make pretty substantial differences. Without the flexibility of youth, time to adapt and time to fine tune the results are pretty meaningless.
I wouldn't say totally - directionally you can see the crouch is way more effective aerodynamically without finessing a few more watts out with improving the body position while in the crouch.
I would also love to know how much of a physical disadvantage the crouch position has in term of ability to generate power – my hunch is you would give back a good chunck of the 60 Watt gain.
Absolutely, but you can say the same about all aero / TT positions. It's always a balance between the power you can put out for a prolonged period in that position against being able to put more power out for longer but handing more back because of aero factors.
Without the benefits of all the analysis (apart from a stopwatch and a bit of road presumably), I just like the fact that instinct mainly led him to what is even today still a pretty decent Cd.
Excellent! Well done that man
Great film. One thing I was surprised at though was that the replica Old Faithful seemed to have a standard bottom bracket. I always thought the narrow bottom bracket was one of the big innovations on Old Faithful. I'm pretty sure the narrow Q factor was claimed by Graeme to give improved power and aerodynamics.
The small hint of a tilt at the masters record in there too...
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What a great video!! That is someone who I would give my right arm to meet. Absolute legend!!
I have. I was marshalling the end of your of the borders. Struggled to get rid of him*.
The man can talk.
*I'd have happily chatted but he was getting in the way 😀
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Marked for viewing on the way home.
[i]EveryDayIsLikeSunday wrote:[/i]
Great film. One thing I was surprised at though was that the replica Old Faithful seemed to have a standard bottom bracket. I always thought the narrow bottom bracket was one of the big innovations on Old Faithful. I’m pretty sure the narrow Q factor was claimed by Graeme to give improved power and aerodynamics.
Well spotted - I'd simply noted that they made no mention of it (despite having bits of a washing machine in the background making an obvious allusion to that aspect - the popular story though seems not to recognise the significance of the washing machine). A strange thing not to replicate given the supposed performance advantage. Presumably they couldn't get an original - I know the first one got broken, but thought there was still a later version in existence (I'm fairly sure their replica was modelled on the later version which had a thicker seat tube section).
Though on that thought, I'd also be curious to see the performance of the '96 Olympics Obree Hotta, which I don't think ever got raced.
Great video, thanks for posting
Thanks for posting. Might get one of those Endura suits for my 4 mile commute.
"Presumably they couldn’t get an original – I know the first one got broken, but thought there was still a later version in existence (I’m fairly sure their replica was modelled on the later version which had a thicker seat tube section)."
Does it say in the video it's a replica?
There are two of Obrees bikes in Glasgow museum of transport.
I'd assumed it was one of those.
He's a legend. I've had the pleasure of meeting him. I was also bit star struck when i did. He was always cooler than boardman.
The bikes in the Glasgow Riverside Museum are replicas as well. I think they may be the bikes used in the Flying Scotsman film.
I wonder what the modern bike with old faithful bars would have given?
Nice video, thanks
You can see the inspiration for the position some pro road racers are now using (especially down hill) as they are pretty much crouching on the top tube. Who knows, they may have even been in a wind tunnel and confirmed it works.
https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/science-and-technology/made-in-scotland-changing-the-world/scottish-science-innovations/graeme-obrees-old-faithful-bicycle/ I thought OF was in Edinburgh
To be fair some road racers have used that position on long relatively straight descents for decades.
A great video.I own the standard uci bike used on the video in the first of the wind tunnel tests.Graeme finished building Bold Faithful 2 days before the test.Edinburgh museum wouldn't lend him the original Old Faithful to use.
Arguably the finest Scottish rider of all time. Achievements that will be most likely never be equalled by another Scot yet the velodrome in Glasgow doesn't even so much as mention him.
"Arguably the finest Scottish rider of all time. "
Kirkpatrick Macmillan
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/thornhill/cyclemuseum/index.html
Ian Steel
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/26/ian-steel
Mark Beaumont
http://www.artemisworldcycle.com/
Danny MacAskill
Robert Millar
Katie Archibald
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/scotland/43472931
Chris Hoy
^That's a list of great riders.
But the long gap between Kirkpatrick MacMillan and Obree illustrates how rare is a combination of innovative genius and world dominating rider.
The video that comes up following this one is really good too, about the battle of the bikes between him and Boardman in 1994, an hour long but great
Really interesting video, thanks. What a character! But from a scientific viewpoint, it's a pity they couldn't measure the power he was producing in the different positions. It would be less in absolute terms than he produced in those races, but the differences would be valid.