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The article explicitly says that UCI banned NDD bikes. Given that the Tour de France is a UCI event the answer seems obvious.

• alkonaut 3y ago
  The question I guess is: are UCI-governed events not using "NDD" bikes only because of regulations on what shape can be used, or is triathlon special in that it favors aerodynamics more than other events? That is: if regulation was dropped, would pro cycling be filled with weird looking CF monocoque designs, or is the traditional design still optimal for some use cases (e.g. for weight and events with team ridning and lots of climbing)?
  • hermitdev 3y ago
    UCI has strict regulations on the geometry, weight and even ancillary equipment (think brakes, gear shifts) of bikes. I vaguely recall the minimum weight being something like 14.9 lbs, but this is likely incorrect. Point is, it's quite possible to make a bike that is lighter than this while still remaining safe for racing. I've heard of some using lead ballast to make weight. One advantage of this, though, is you can choose where to place the weight, such as in the bottom of the frame, near the crank, lowering center of gravity and helping stability a bit. The regs do make for some funny situations though. Take a look at a pro peloton and look for the shortest rider, preferably someone close to 5 feet tall. Their bike will be comically oversized for them. The UCI tends to be a fairly conservative organization that favors tradition over accepting the latest technology and design trends, especially with road racing. You're more likely to see new technology in non road disciplines such as cyclocross or mountain biking. Just see disc brakes only just getting into road racing in the past several years (I've not been following racing closely anymore, so not sure when).
  • pmontra 3y ago
    If regulations were dropped they would race with egg shaped bicycles, because of aerodynamics. They are very fast. Google that term, lots of funny pictures. On climbs, I don't know how they perform. On descents, I have no idea about their safety. Even without going to those extremes, they need a tradeoff bike between going fast on level roads, climbing, descending, replacing flat tires, overall weight, etc. So something like those NDD bikes with maybe a switch to more extreme shapes on long flat courses.
  • prmoustache 3y ago
    > That is: if regulation was dropped, would pro cycling be filled with weird looking CF monocoque designs, or is the traditional design still optimal for some use cases (e.g. for weight and events with team ridning and lots of climbing)? The original Lotus bike mentionned above was introduced and used in olympic events. Chris Boardman held for a long time the speed record in a grand tour time trial that he set with the original road Lotus Bike (the track version he used at Barcelona olympics predates it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjJ60Kx2j8I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjJ60Kx2j8I Also Miguel Indurain in the 90's used the "Espada" time trial pinarello bike and some of his rivals used also non diamond shaped carbon bikes.
  • mrgoldenbrown 3y ago
    Really depends on what regulations remain. If you drop too many regulations,you could end up with recumbent bikes with aero fairings.