Polchlopek-1987

POLCHLOPEK - 1987

Weight: 10,450 kg

Edmond Polchlopek is a French professional cyclist and designer of bikes. He died at the age of 70 years.

Polchlopek was a professional cyclist [1] from 1961 to 1964 in the teams Rochet-Margnat and Margnat Paloma. In 1985, he was still world champion veteran on a bike designed by himself

Even before aerodynamics played a major role in the design of the bikes, Polchlopek used flat steel tubes for his bikes. Manufactured by Gautier Troussel] in Longueville, their tensile strength was then twice as great as those produced by the competitor Reynolds [ref. born

In the tradition of many inventors since the 1890s, he developed an elliptical tray, commonly known as the Polchlopek plateau. Marketed in 1978, the ovoid shape of the tray aims to decrease the lever arm at the high and low points, allowing faster passage of these dead spots and increasing the lever arm in the power phase of the lower limb. A study [6] based on a mathematical model showed that the Polchlopek plateau was developed intuitively close enough to the optimal shape.

Despite several models of oval trays launched since the 1990s, its real benefits are still bitterly discussed. Its use is still current and is used by several champions, but it has not become widespread among professional cyclists.

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Polchlopek oval tray