What's the reasoning teecee do they believe they are better than the newer steel gig's?
Absolutely.. veryone's got one. Bryant or similar
Big business in renovatin them old ones to get back on track.
What's the reasoning teecee do they believe they are better than the newer steel gig's?
Have whoever you want on but don't ever have yourself on
They apparently give one a better ride especially on grass tracks. they are not as rigid.
I have a 30 year old Rydelite and its the best thing to ride in. It gets a paint job every 2 seasons and new wheels when required. Until last season it still had the orginal mud sheet on it!!
So to answer my question, While at Bathurst I asked a couple of trainers their opinions. 1 trainer had just ordered an "Advantage Sulky" as after discussions with a well respected Bathurst trainer (who has the advantage and evolution), he said that the Advantage was worth as much as 2 seconds over the mile. Another trainer has ordered the Evolution (after trying most bikes on the market) as it has the highest "lift factor" - it reduces the weight the horse is carrying the most (And he prefered the ride). And after all his training drives the evolution was the bike where his stopwatch showed a difference and he could Feel the difference.
Although I wont name them, these three trainers would all be considered top trainers.
The other things i found interesting watching the stabling and parade ring at Bathurst was how many trainers had an Advantage and an Evolution sulky And that most didnt use the carbon fibre or Aluminium billet wheels with these bikes but the spoked rims (except LMc with his spyder bike and rims). On the Bathurst track they prefered the thicker/wider tyre.
An interesting side note that one of the other guys touched on earlier (now i have Austar on again) is how few horses that go around in NZ have a "speed Sulky" attached especially at Addington and Alexandria Park.
I is interesting tat someone should feel that the "Lift Factor" would be a determining factor in which sulky one thinks is the best. Virtually all of the American style speed sulkies on the market are extremely heavy in comparison to their Australasian cousins. The exception is the ZEN sulky. It is exceedingly light. This is because it is made of what we make our racing bikes out of and designed by a local bike designer and manufacturer for our olympic team and America's Cup boats.
The American style sulkies are heavy to provide extra weight and thus stability for the horse to pull. Greater stability leads to greater speed. Sitting much more solidly on the track will provide that greater speed and stability. Thus greater lift factor is a weakness factor for these sulkies. Using thicker, wider tyres is a means to reduce drag on smaller tighter tracks with these sulkies but that is again working against the value of these types of sulky which rely on their weight for stability. As I said it is the stability they provide in their weight that allows the horse improved performance. (if he has improvement in him.) The other issue with the American syle sulky used in Australasia is that they are an adaptation of the shorter, wider American version adapted to Australasian regulations...Made longer in the shafts but narrower across the beam The true aerodynamic features of these carts is virtually lost in this process. I've seen a lot of American style carts getting around Oz tracks on TV where their success is limited. The reasons I believe are twofold..
1.. The inherent ability between the shafts along with that on the seat behind.
2.. The mix and match nature of the wheel / tyre combinations affixed to these sulkies. All merican style carts are sold with fitted rim and tyre combinations for a reason but so many Oz trainers seem to operate a mix and match mentality....Likely to their detriment.