Switched my 50-34 out to a DA 53-39 on my tri bike. I have not ridden this bike in nearly a year. I have to say my RPE feels much higher/harder than it did last year, particularly even on little risers/hills and into headwind. Z2 watts on tri versus roadie seems harder at times and I also feel slower. My road bike is 52-36 and can cruise comfortably at Z2 for ages.
Yet, at times at lower power in right conditions (flat - not much wind), I seem much faster than I would have been last year at same watts. I will say its nice to be able to pedal and not spin out on some downhills now.
Am I imagining this? Am I just needing to adjust to bigger ring? Or am I just adjusting to the aero position after not riding that way for a year? I know watts are a little lower in that position vs road.
I’d guess you’re not used to the gear ratios you have, so you’re pushing a little harder to try and maintain a cadence you like, or are feeling increased RPE from a lower cadence. I you’ll either want to get a different casette that gets you into gear ratios you like, or with time you’ll adapt to a slightly lower cadence
Cadence might be different and that’s untrained.
Then there’s the positional change you’ve not used in a year using different muscles slightly all together it’ll feel different until you’re back in the swing.
The only way there is a difference you could sense is if the “little risers” are enough that you’re in the largest cog. Efficiency gains and losses from cross-chaining are ~5w max for dirty chains. You can’t feel a 5w slower bike, I promise.
Only thing I can imagine is if you have a gear display on your head unit (please don’t) and you’re subconsciously trying to stay in the same gear you did before. Even on the exact same road the externalities (wind, temperature, humidity, air pressure) can account for 10x more gain/loss than riding the dirtiest chain in the least efficient gears. Hell, even just the air being 20degF cooler will add something like 5% more aero drag.
Tl:dr - It’s not your chainring, that’s just the most visible difference.
I do think it varies a lot by person. I naturally settle into 50-65 rpm for most riding and even 40s on climbs. I get slower by a fair amount if I try and hold 90 and get fatigued much faster. I suspect the faster cadence = better endurance is mainly relative to yourself. So if I do 40 cadence it would fatigue my legs faster whereas for you it might be 70.
It’s a very beginner thing that carries over to some styles of head units that integrate it into the display. Personally I think it’s a useless stat. I’ll know if I’m in the last gear because it won’t shift any further, or by looking down for a quarter second. In any other gear it makes no difference.
But to the question, what else did you change on your bike with the chainring?
I’ll have to start looking more closely at cadence. Its not something that I’ve paid close attention to over these few years. I would say I most likely ride at 85. I just picked a random sampling of rides of a dozen last year and each one was between 78-86 and so I’d say given that I coast a bit that I am likely pushing 85-88 while pedaling most times (not up hills).
On the two rides with the new chainring, I was at 77 & 78. But like mathematics said, there are obviously other factors. More rides will be telling.
This poster said he claimed 8 seconds per one hundred (after also vigorously contributing to many swim threads with firm opinions over the years) when he changed to briefs so maybe he will have a similar realisation here.
Nope. I’m just a grinder that’s it.
In my earlier days i worked hard to go 90 plus rpm for a year and a half. Could do it but my results are way better at my natural low cadence.
It differs with people. I think some reports previously noted that Lionel and many pros spent a lot of time at 70-75 rpm contrary to what the 90s say.
And for the record the briefs were absolutely faster. No question. I’m still using them even though I still think I look ridiculous in them. New jammers are similar but day in day out they def loosen and become like a drag suit.
