that the recent post by Trichatt that had PC’s in the subject got off the front page with a total of 23 views and one reply (by me).
Must indicate a little bit of maturation of this topic that there wasn’t a single “what are those” or “gimmicks don’t work, just train harder” posts.
Maybe this is a good omen for future “discussions” that are sure to arise.
Frank
Maybe I’ll stir up a little dust after my first race on the 22nd. Last year, I finished it in 1:11:09 (I think…the seconds may be off). We’ll see what happens this year after 2.5 months of PC’s. I haven’t done anything else unusual from the last two years. I switched to regular cranks Saturday to get used to them again…they really felt weird the first time I coasted…otherwise, it feels fine! I’ll go out on a limb and say I’ll be under 1:05 on this same course this year. But, only race day will tell for certain.
If it is anything like your last PC post, it will be a lot of dust, or mud.
Coasting is sure strange on regular cranks, the first few time you go to do it you bounce out of the saddle, expecting both legs to go down.
Good luck in the upcoming race. Watch out, don’t let the heat of the moment get your cadence up too high (it will be very easy) or you won’t be as fast as you could be.
I’ve a cadence monitor on my computer for that very reason. The funny thing is, I hate not being on PC’s this week…I feel like I’m going to be slowing down my progress. I can guarantee you I’ll be back on them the day after the race.
this weekend i was off the powercranks on my road bike for the first time in a while. it felt a bit weird to have one leg up while coasting. my legs felt very strong though. and i had no problem turning 95-105 rpm’s. except this time i was in a 53x14 instead of a 53x19-17. but i was right back on the pc’s today and yesterday. still not totally comfortable on the road with pc’s but am getting there(have been on the trainer a while). andi had no trouble turning 95+ rpm’s on pc’s.
i think the only time i wouldn’t use the pc’s on non-race rides would be ones with long sustained climbs(still haven’t figured out pedaling out of the saddle) and long, steep descents(feel in more control with regular cranks.
PC’ers seem to come out of the saddle so much less frequently than before that I suspect that long climbs won’t be a problem for you much longer, even if you never learn to ride out of the saddle. Todd Herriott, who recently won Tour of Cuba, told me on the big hill of the race, he was the only one who stayed in the saddle the whole way and his coach said he never saw anyone look so powerful.
Long fast descents, especially if they are technical could always be a problem since they occur so infrequently for most of us. I got nervous when the speed got up to 35-40 mph before and PC’s haven’t changed that. those speeds take a lot of experience (or very little experience - ignorance is bliss) for most to feel “comfortable”
if pc training gets me up some of the steeper climbs around boulder while seated(and at a decent pace), i would be more than a little shocked. i’m not douting that pc’s work because i feel stronger, but there are some steep climbs around here that not many people can get up while seated. and as far as descents go, i just don’t feel quite as comfortable with both feet down at 45+ mph.
I haven’t had any trouble riding out of the saddle with PCs. I probably get out of the saddle as much as pre-PCs. For descents, I keep my right leg up and left one down most of the time as force of habit, I guess. I’m just more comfortable that way. I’ll be racing on them starting this weekend with a low-key tri club duathlon. Then time-trials, road races, and more duathlons to follow. If I’m riding faster with them, I can’t see any reason not to- other than maybe for crits, which I don’t do.
Regards,
Daniel.
Daniel,
How long have you had them? Did this facility (out of the saddle,descending) with them come “naturally” to you or is it you just have enough time?
Frank
I got them three months ago. But I don’t own a car (by choice) and so commute 18mi to work each day (each way)… and I’ve ridden them exclusively, other than the two weeks, ending 10 days ago, when that bike was getting overhauled for the new year. Then I was riding my track bike/ fixed gear. So my adjustment period was quite short in duration. By week four, I was riding comfortably out of the saddle. Descending never bothered me, but I just like having one leg up so that I can control the bike or start pedaling without bringing a leg around to get back in sync. I feel more balanced that way. I’ve only been riding altogether in any training fashion for the past two years. The PCs are on my Cervelo P3, and now I’m comfortable staying in the aerobars for up to 100mi/ 5 hours now. But I’ve been getting 200-350mi/wk on the PCs every week now. That’s probably made the progress advance more rapidly.
Frank, I’ll let you know how racing on them goes. They’ve already dropped my run splits dramatically.
Regards,
Daniel.
I am impressed.
Talon, and I am sure many others, are probably aghast at your description of how easy it was for you to get aero for 5 hours. 
I don’t feel uncomfortable on PC’s coasting downhill…but it can’t be more aerodynamic to have both legs down.
As far as standing vs. sitting, I’ve always been mostly a sitter (I’m over 180lbs.). I do go faster uphill on PCs while sitting compared to regular cranks. BUT, I go MUCH faster uphill on PCs compared to regular cranks when I stand. I feel it much more in my hamstrings on PC’s than on regular cranks. People can argue about hip flexor development or lack of it all they want, but my hamstrings produce significant power to apply to a crankarm, when encouraged to do so.
just put both feet up. sort of like a downhiller skiing tuck.
Try that on regular cranks.
HA! Good idea! I never thought of that because I’m using all the precious downhill time resting those poor hip flexors!
I have tried this to see if it is possible. It is, but putting those hip flexors in sustained spasm starts to hurt after awhile. So, the only way it is practicable is if you rest the heals of both shoes on the water bottle holder.
Frank
A good reason to have the float set at a higher range on the pedals!
seriously guys, the coasting thing is why i didn’t use them at MOO for the most part. now that i’m, on them more and reading about guys racing on them i am tempted but then i remember all those dipsy and fast g-out like downhills and i think “maybe not so smart”. mind you - i beleive aero-ness in general is wildly overrated ( blasphemer!) but as ktalon sez the frontal area of two legs hanging down is quite a bit more than two legs resting at three and nine - and they are resting!
so there - i said something bad about powercranks. you can’t rest as aero on them on steep downhills in the roller coaster terrain of the driftless area of wisconsin, imho. now, somebody call me a “shill” for mr day - i dare ya.
Choosing to not ride on PC’s in a race (after one is adapted to them) BECAUSE of the time lost while coasting because both feet are down is like saying one won’t race with water bottles because of the increased drag.
could be mr day. that is why i’m goin back to evaluate some more on the MOO course this year. but, my unofficial " wind in my ears ‘’ windtunnel tests suggest to me that two legs a hangin down results in more drag than my water bottles. on the upside tho, i am not in truth all that sure of how much i even coasted on that course - thats why i’m goin back to see with a sizable big ring and a mind to pedal steady. i’ll let you know what i think, if you like. could be this all just caught me off guard and i wasn’t ready to think of racing with them last year ( it WAS just ten weeks on the PC’s and my 1st IM ). nobody is waiting to here some of the race reports with them more than me - and hey, i am even cool with anecdotal data !!
so, anyway - i stand corrected by my friend mr day ! likely the main reason i didn’t use them at MOO was because i wasn’t adapted well enuf, in my own mind. they are worth the asking price just for the conversation alone, btw.