Jeffrey Hoogland bike check: The world record breaking Koga track bike

Jeffrey Hoogland set a new world record in the Kilometre time trial this week with a time of 55.433 seconds, beating the 10-year-old record by almost a second - a huge margin in the discipline - which was previously held by France’s François Pervis.

The four-time World Kilo champion was up on the record at every split which took place at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Hoogland also made a couple of unplanned attempts on the 200m world record after the kilo but missed it by 0.031 of a second in the end.

The record-beating Koga track bike Hoogland used has some interesting touches in the quest for all-out speed. We have taken a closer look at the machine and have got some inside knowledge and tech insights from Tim de Boer - head mechanic for the Dutch Olympic track cycling team for the last 13 years. 

Track bikes have generally been getting more extreme in appearance in recent years and we've covered several wild designs in the past and expect more in the run-up to the Paris Olympics as nations push for the maximum possible advantage on the boards. We covered an even more radical Hope / Lotus Team GB track bike in July, a new Kickstarter project from Stromm, a Look and BMC, as well as the TRED X23 that Argentina were riding at the Glasgow Worlds. 

Video bike check: Jeffrey Hoogland's Koga track bike

Dutch athletes have used Koga bikes for years now on the track, and Hoogland's machine is built up around a Koga Kinsei size large frame. The Kinsei is available as a frameset and can only be ordered with the Kinsei cockpit. The total price for the frameset and dropped Kinsei handlebar is €9,499. De Boer told us that although the Kinsei frame sizes are listed as S-XL, the geometry is all based on analysis and feedback from the Dutch national team, so although they carry loose size labels the geo is very custom. For instance, a size small frame happens to be longer than a medium. 

Hoogland used Dutch Dugast tubular tyres, not like Fillipo Ganna who used Continental tubeless tyres for his hour record attempt. The Dugast tubs in question are the Piste Latex models which feature silk casings and carry an £84.99 retail price per tyre. Pressures for the record were a huge 14 bar or 200 PSI for the 20mm front / 23mm rear tyres. It seems narrow still trumps wider and softer on the tyre front in the controlled environment of the velodrome where pure speed is key. 

I asked De Boer about sticking to tubs over tubeless and he explained that for a powerful and heavier sprinter entering a banking at around 84pkh (which was Hoogland's max speed during his ride) having enough air in a tubeless tyre to prevent it from deforming or even burping would be tricky and not something they wanted to gamble on. He did explain, however, that they are looking into tubeless tech for the future.

A mix of wheels was also used for the record-breaking ride with a Mavic Comete front disc wheel being used (the Rio edition) and a rear Campagnolo Ghibli disc which had been de-stickered and the wheel nuts replaced with black Runwell ones. The rough total of both disc wheels is around $5,375. I assumed the mix of disc wheels is in order to achieve maximum aero benefit from the frame and wheels as a package, but apparently, the riders prefer the handling characteristics provided by the front Mavic wheel which has a slightly different shape.

The bike setup was actually very similar to what Hoogland would usually run and what he has used at the Tokyo Olympics etc. De Boer explained one key change came from the handlebars. 

Hoogland uses a years-old Pro Missile base bar which is favoured due to its stiffness but the team recently paired it with new Speedbar time trial extensions. De Boer explained the Speedbar's custom nature does away with a lot of wedges and shims you often have to use to achieve the correct position for a rider, which aids stiffness and reliability. Notably, Speedbar founder Edwin van Vugt is another of the Dutch National Federation's longtime mechanics.  

A C-Bear bottom bracket was used as well as the stock Campagnolo bearings which de Boer explained are already very good and possibly CeramicSpeed front bearings in the Mavic disc, though de Boer wasn't totally sure. I expected a lot of removing bearing seals and flushing out grease to be going on, but I suppose this highlights how good some of the best bearings are already.

Drivetrain-wise, Hoogland used a monster 70x15 gear combo with a custom carbon chainring from Digrit. The chain was a YBN SLA410 model with Molten Speed Wax chain wax and race powder which you can read about in our best chain wax guide. The sprocket was from Euro Asia Imports.

Aside from prep like chasing bottom bracket threads and facing the bb shell, De Boer said it doesn't receive any special treatment to cope with Hoogland's awesome power output but he explained he does tend to inspect components to make sure there are no failures or damage inflicted by a standing start.