The Purpose of the Lumbar Support.
The cyclist makes use of 3 support points on his bicycle:- Handlebars, saddle and pedals. Two of these points are fixed:- the handlebars which are steadied by the hands, and the pedals to which the shoes are secured by a variety of devices (pedal systems).
The saddle permits some lengthwise movement while pedalling.
The Lumbar Support therefore serves to support the rider while he/his is pedalling intensely on flat or hilly terrain, improving performance and improving the air penetration coefficient referred to man-machine complex.
In this way the saddle becomes the third fixed support point.
Former French cyclist, Thierry Marie won the 1986 Tour De France prologue time trial with a similar product. Following this, the UCI then banned their future use. This was after all 1986 - the TDF field took to using various aids for faster propulsion, from disc wheels, sloping top tubes, cow-horn handlebars & smurf type helmets. |
