boing wrote:
DJRed wrote:
dtoce wrote:
DJRed wrote:
EnderWiggan wrote:
It’s 10 miles, do you really care about 10-20 secs in savings over current wheel set? Also at 135, I’m similar weight you run the risk of handling issues as you’ve never ridden that depth a front wheel. I say stick with what you know and ride on, the familiarity is worth at least 10 secs.
Thank you.
My bigger story is I started Tri on a road bike coming from a running background. Everyone said:
- Wait until you get a Tri Bike. You'll be flying. I bought a P2. No faster.
- Wait until you get a TT fit. You'll be awesome. I've had 3 in four years. No faster.
- Wait until you get an aero lid. You'll be amazing. Bought the LG P09. Nothing.
Now everyone is saying, "Dude, you need race wheels", so I thought I'd rent them and give it a try.
On the time savings, I usually finish top-10 and I can tell you everyone who beats me has a disc wheel.
Lastly, as I read the ST thread "Post your power, etc. from your last race", I am pushing the same power and riding 1-3 mph slower than those reporting races of similar distance and bodyweight.
How's your fit? Could be the loss from relatively poor body position is costing you speed at similar power.
I've had two retul-based fits from two different fitters in the last 18 months. Both say I look great, angles, etc. are awesome. I have no trouble in aero and staying there the entire ride.
Maybe the positions from the fit sessions are good biomechnically but poor aero / Speed wise? Obviously for optimal time trialling speed it is balancing out aerodynamics and power production/comfort correctly to give the fastest overall position. I wonder if some of the fit tools are just about comfort and maybe power production so are not truly optimal TT wise.
Getting a paired alphamantis (or what ever Garmin call it now) might find the speed gain you should get from moving to a tt/tri bike.
So I've been to two fits this year. The first lowered me significantly in the front, raised my seat slightly, and tilted my aero bars upward. Seemed awesome enough. I saw all kinds of hip angles and cool stuff on video. I was very excited. Trained and raced like that for a few months and started developing right knee pain. I'm a lifelong runner who has never had any non-soft-tissue issues at all so I contacted another fitter.
Second fitter said knee pain could definitely be caused by too high of a saddle height. This fitter lowered my saddle and moved it back so now I sit less on the nose and more on the seat. Knee pain is indeed gone.
I asked both fitters if we should be measuring power in these different positions (as both were moving me around on adjustable bikes) and both said something to the effect of your performance improves most when you can hold the aero position longer. Longer aero means less drag, means faster bike speed, means better running legs. I asked both if there is merit to measuring power in the different positions and both said no. It's all about the optimal position that will engage the right muscles, and produce optimal power and you can tell that from the data. There's a suggested range of measurements and once you are in that range, it comes down to comfort as far as putting you on the high or low end of the acceptable range. Power is the outcome.
I've lamented before, but in Philadelphia the choice of fitters is slim (which is surprising given the large tri community). We basically have a choice between the eyeball guys (who aren't going to test power and rely on their experience to know that I'm in a powerful position) and the technology guys (who focus on angles and don't measure power, at least not for me).