Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time.

May 25, 15 13:31

Post #1 of 31 (4878 views)

I am trying to shave off a minute from times on the local 25 m TT course. Currently I am at 57.23, but would love to get down to a 56 without resorting to hitting one of the faster UK courses.

Changeables:

Me - Training wise all is good , getting some coaching from a local coach which is working well. My weight is another matter, I am currently about 10kg heavier than my old racing weight. Most of this is around my stomach which probably hinders getting into a better aero position as well as extra effort on the climbs.

Probably could get more out of myself power wise as average has been well of normalised power from hour crits.

Clothing - Castelli bodypaint skinsuit , Velotoze overshoes, Giro Selector (going to try an S Works TT) - other than aero testing helmets think I am good here.

Position - quite narrow but not the lowest - losing the gut may help! http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/...al-24051/i-WLjZgPM/A

Bike - Plasma 3, with missile evo's so all good here, Wheels - Swiss side 62.5 deep wheels latex inner tubes and conti gp 4000s

So seems weight, position and possibly deeper wheels / disc are the key places I could gain improvements? Any help gratefully received.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 13:36

Post #2 of 31 (4863 views)

Position, position, position. Go book yourself a session with Aero-coach, loads of room for improvement to pick up that minute. Oh and disc. Always disc.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 13:49

Post #3 of 31 (4830 views)

X2 try to look like this guy

http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/...al-24051/i-r2X8WjV/A

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [bullshark] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:09

Post #4 of 31 (4801 views)

bullshark wrote:

X2 try to look like this guy

http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/...al-24051/i-r2X8WjV/A

Chris is Fast but a totally different build to me so not sure I can replicate him to well.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:10

Post #5 of 31 (4798 views)

What was your NP for that time?

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Triagain2] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:16

Post #6 of 31 (4783 views)

About 270 watts

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Grill] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:20

Post #7 of 31 (4780 views)

I did have a bike fit last year and they actually raised my position to straighten out my back and allow a smoother less choppy pedalling style.

Previously: http://www.dealtri.co.uk/...ges/2014/01/943l.jpg

But you are right currently looks like I am scooping a fair amount of air.

Last edited by: boing: May 25, 15 14:21

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:24

Post #8 of 31 (4770 views)

Bike fits do not make you more aero. Tunnel/velodrome testing makes you more aero. I saved around 20w over the course of a 2hr session last week with improved CdA without even touching stack. Every 'fit' I've had has raised my CdA. Fotters are not aerodynamicists.

Why weren't you using the disc?

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:34

Post #9 of 31 (4745 views)

hmm, Not sure I can touch that speed with those watts.

I will be watching this thread closely.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Triagain2] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:43

Post #10 of 31 (4720 views)

I am a bit vertically challenged - also think my tt powermeter reads lower than road bike.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Grill] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:48

Post #11 of 31 (4711 views)

Replacement disc is on my shoping list - though want to make sure I get one that is quicker than the swiss sides - not a huge amount of aero data in clincher discs out there. Believe Swiss side have one in the pipeline for next year.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 14:51

Post #12 of 31 (4703 views)

I did a 55:18 on 231w last year at a higher CdA than I'm at now (and TBH it was a terrible ride). Perfectly achievable given the right course and conditions.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 15:34

Post #13 of 31 (4656 views)

drop your stack - you are creating a huge pocket of air under your chest.
you also need 10 more watts

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Triagain2] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 16:19

Post #14 of 31 (4592 views)

hmm, Not sure I can touch that speed with those watts.

Drag must be quite low, but it's good to remember that UK courses are usually next to a busy road lane (lots of trucks), which gives the riders a perpetual draft.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 16:25

Post #15 of 31 (4583 views)

So seems weight, position and possibly deeper wheels / disc are the key places I could gain improvements? Any help gratefully received.

The usual suspects.

Drop the pad height (a lot).
Turtle.
Shrug.
Practice a lot. Pay attention to your body and release any unnecessary tension. Be smooth. Practice at low intensity on the trainer first, and work up to making it second nature during 100% efforts.

I was going to suggest a lower saddle height, but since you just raised it, I won't. However, that would be something to work on in the future.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 19:53

Post #16 of 31 (4383 views)

The head has to drop/turtle and you should try removing the tensioner on the back of the helmet to get it to sit on your back better.

As high as you sit, I would guess that raising the tips of the bars for more of a Mantis/Levi position might be an improvement. There is a lot of air hitting your torso and thighs.

Disc on the back and Viewspeed skewers are about the only equipment changes I would suggest.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [rruff] [ In reply to ]

May 25, 15 23:32

Post #17 of 31 (4275 views)

No this not a dual carriage way course, judging by others times I would expect to drop 4 or 5 minutes racing on E2 Which is one of those. As I said this powermeter reads low compared to my other one and the srm at the local uni.

The course does have a "free" hill at the start that you only climb part way at the finish but the road surface and rest of the course nullifies the hill.

Last edited by: boing: May 25, 15 23:44

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 6:12

Post #18 of 31 (4094 views)

Switch to faster tired. I was on gp4000s2's 23c and just switched to zip tangents speeds 25c.. The turbo cottons 24c are suppose to be really fast too. Cheap free watts!

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 6:41

Post #19 of 31 (4049 views)

Are your legs shaved?

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 6:57

Post #20 of 31 (4021 views)

The selector is from my understanding one of the only helmets that is slightly faster with a visor. Although I only tested one run it was about 25 grams better for me.

Also in effect it is two helmets with very different drag data, depending on if you have the high or low tail insert.

Just one data point, when I went lower I removed the high tail fin (the one you have) and used the low. Tested better by about 75 grams. Of course your experience may differ. But you have two (or three) different aero options to look at with one helmet.

****Edit: For what it's worth this is my favourite "Old school Bad Ass" photo from that set:

http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/...al-24051/i-xGHrpjx/A

Maurice

Last edited by: mauricemaher: May 26, 15 7:04

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [stevej] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 9:42

Post #21 of 31 (3917 views)

stevej wrote:

Are your legs shaved?

^ This. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZnrE17Jg3I The wintunnel guys reported 50-82 seconds just for the legs. Arms were another bit. -J

----------------------------------------------------------------
Life is tough. But it's tougher when you're stupid. -John Wayne

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [stevej] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 9:55

Post #22 of 31 (3890 views)

Shave everything...that should do it...

stevej wrote:

Are your legs shaved?

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [bullshark] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 9:56

Post #23 of 31 (3886 views)

This guy looks very aero.
http://www.davehaywardphotos.com/...al-24051/i-2kWwRSK/A

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [boing] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 12:31

Post #24 of 31 (3768 views)

Your position should be looked at again. However, just getting narrower or lower will not ALWAYS make you faster, IF it is compromising your power output. The difficulty here is finding that sweet spot between an aero position as possible while still producing the maximum amount of power possible.

Of course, dropping some weight will certainly help on the hills. Again--but not at the expense of too much lost power.

Check you cadence.

Re: Shaving off a minute from my 25 mile TT time. [Me_XMan] [ In reply to ]

May 26, 15 13:18

Post #25 of 31 (3711 views)

Tim Bailey is Pretty quick

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