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2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike
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1. Anyone have custom ear molds - do you like them, what is the average price for them? If you have used them, any specific pros/cons?

2.Anyone purposely train heavy (weigh down their bikes) and if you did, with what? (before the smartass answers come in - I've tried adding weight with my camelback, and all it did was aggrevate my back, thinking more along the lines of adding weight under the seat/cement bottle, something - I just don't want to go out on my mountain bike).

thanks :-)
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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Are you talking about ear molds to block wind noise? Custom fit in-ear-monitors for listening to music? You're a little young to need a hearing aid... :)

Back in the 90's there was a product called the PIGG - basically a lead-filled water bottle. The idea was to weigh down the bike for training purposes. I don't think it ever really took off though...


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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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I don't know why anyone would make the effort on #2, Eileen. The difference would be purely psychological. You will train your body at a certain level of effort for any given workout. It doesn't make much difference in your end-result fitness whether a particular workout was done at 10mph or 15mph if you worked at the same effort for the same time period.

Additionally, as anyone visiting Analytic Cycling has discovered, weight makes very little difference in cycling performance for all but the steepest inclines. If you want to make your hill climbing harder...just ride harder...since presumably that is what you're trying to accomplish anyway.
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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During my long training rides I have 3to 4 bottles on my bike as opposed to the 2 I race with, also I have all my repair gear/pump. This is enough extra weight for me!

NCCP certified Comp coach
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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I've known a couple of people who used weights. To common ways are shot/BB in a water bottle and adding weight to a rim more difficult, he drilled in between spoke holes and bolted washers.

For anyone who says weight doesn't make a difference, add 2-3 lbs to your wheels and do a sprint.

Styrrell

Styrrell
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [styrrell] [ In reply to ]
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Styrrell -- will try the bb method. No desire to play with that which goes round :-) Thanks for the idea, I was thinking of doing a cement water bottle and the bbs will be way easier! Not questioning the methods of the guy helping me, he got his wife from a 4 hr mary to a 3.15 in a short period of time, so I'm doing whatever he suggests.

Khai - you NEED to come back to ATL and mr.spinhellmeister - let me know when you are in town, I'll come fetch ya. negative on the severe hearing loss (it's only mild/moderate), just looking for ear molds for my mp3 and lack of wind flow otherwise.

To the others, thanks for the input.
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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is this what you mean on No 1???



_________________________________________________

It hurts so bad, it feels good.
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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>>1. Anyone have custom ear molds

I have AquaNot custom ear plugs:

http://www.westone.com/index.php?load=content&page=index&page_id=210

or http://tinyurl.com/29q9jq

They work great for both swimming & noise attenuation. My wife is a speech pathologist, and I suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), so I'm pretty motivated to protect my hearing.

Biggest benefit I find for tri is using them in cold water swimming, which is pretty much all the races here. Blocking the cold water out of my ears really helps my balance and reduces the disorientation while taking off the wetsuit.

You can get these at pretty much any audiologist -- Westone has a dealer search function on the web page. I've had mine so long I forgot how much they cost.

Thanks
• Jeff


-----------------------------
Anchorage, Alaska
http://www.alaskatriathlon.org
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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On my road bike, I add weight in the winter by switching to heavier wheels and tires. Summer wheels are Ksyrium ES's with Conti 4000 tires, Specialized tubes, D/A 11-21 cassette. Winter wheels are Velocity Deep V's on 36 hole Ultegra Front and D/A rear, 14 ga, 3 cross. Conti wire bead gatorskins, slime lite tubes and an Ultegra 11-23 cassette. Winter wheels weigh 2.3 pounds more than the summer wheels. My average speed picks up by about 1 mph for a 2 hour ride when I switch them in May.
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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Just wear ultra baggy clothing you’ll lose 30-40 Watts.
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Re: 2?s Custom Ear Molds/ weighing down bike [Eileen Steil] [ In reply to ]
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Eileen Steil wrote:
Styrrell -- will try the bb method. No desire to play with that which goes round :-) Thanks for the idea, I was thinking of doing a cement water bottle and the bbs will be way easier! Not questioning the methods of the guy helping me, he got his wife from a 4 hr mary to a 3.15 in a short period of time, so I'm doing whatever he suggests.

Marathon training and cycling training are significantly different.
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