I’ll be doing Lake Placid this July, and am wondering what the consensus(not that they’ll really be one) is for the bike setup. These will be much longer climbs and descents than anything I’ve ever done. I currently ride my Trek 5200 with a thompson forward seat post, and pursuit/aero bars. I’m considering going to an aluminum steep tube bike for tri racing, and returning the Trek to a road bike setup.
A main issue I’m trying to decide now, is what to ride at IM USA. The current Trek setup, the Trek returned to road bike, or a steep aero frame, (Cervelo, Javilen, Guru). What do you guys who have a choice of bikes ride there?
Thanks,
That is tough to say. I use my tri bike (Cervelo) on the course. I have never actually tried a road bike on the course, but I am sure it would be slower for me. I climb like garbage anyway, so I don’t think a road bike would really help me on the climbs. It probably would help me on the Keene Hill though.
I may haul my road bike up there this summer and give it a try.
Lake Placid does not really have much CLIMBING. There are a quite a few hills, but none of them are steep and only one uphill is long. You’re best off in a good aero position almost the entire time.
While the course is slow with its long uphill grinds, I don’t think you’d choose a different bike than you’re used to racing on. What do you race on now? Are you comfortable on it for 5 1/2 or 6 or whatever hours? Then that’s a great bike to ride.
I rode one bike last year on everything from flat halfs and sprints to very hilly olys to Lake Placid. I have a great road bike that I love riding, but I’d never ride it in a triathlon.
I’m most comfortable in a moderately forward position so my hip/thigh angle is nice and open. If I do that on the road bike, I’m sitting straight up into the wind. No good on any course. I can climb like the dickens on my tri bike, too. All of my PRs on local climbs are on my tri bike (sitting up, holding the cowhorns), not the road bike.
The main thing is to be comfortable and confident.
Not much climbing? I was there in February and it sure looked like a lot of climbing to a Florida boy. I’ll stick with my Trek 5200, with forward post and cowhorns. I’m the same with it on climbing, I can scoot back on the seat and use the top of the bars just like on a road bike if need be.
But I’m comfortable in the aero position on it, I’ve done two Ironman’s on it, so that’ll be it. Keep thinking about a ‘real’ tri bike, but what I’ve got seems to fit me so perfect, I can’t justify it.
HED3’s front and back, (better that than Shimano 7700 race wheels, right?)
Lake Placid does not really have much CLIMBING. There are a quite a few hills, but none of them are steep and only one uphill is long. You’re best off in a good aero position almost the entire time.
So I guess Whiteface Mountain does not count? How about the climb into Keene? However, ride the Tri bike.
Around Lake Placid there is plenty of climbing to train on, however for the IM the course does not hit anything steep.
For the IM, Whiteface is a beautiful view, but you never climb it. It would make for an interesting ride if the out & back was up the toll road to the top of Whiteface instead of out to Black Brook.
There certainly are some uphills when you first leave Placid, but only a very short section that you will want to come out of the aero position. Then it is a beautiful 6 mile descent into Keene.
I never said it was an easy course, just that there are not any big climbs where you need to be in an upright climbing position.
Whatever you are going to do, you need to get on that setup ASAP. You need a couple of solid months if you are going to use a new bike. You need the time to finalize adjustments and position, as well as ensure no mechanical issues are there. You’re a little over two months out from the race. I wouldn’t wait more than a week or so to get on a new bike. Certainly no later than the end of May. Any later than that, and you’d do best to stay with your current setup. You need time just to ensure your body is fully adapted to 112 miles in that position.
As for the bike, if you can get on a steep bike, I’d say go for that, with a slightly less agressive (low) front end setup than if you were doing Oly distance or even a pancake flat IM on it. My current bike has 1cm spacers above and below the stem. I lower it to the bottom for shorter distances, and raise it to the top for really hilly races. Otherwise, its in the middle, giving me about 10cm of drop from saddle to pads. Also, put a larger cassette (25 or 27) on the bike to allow you to spin up the hills but remain in the aero pos. You’ll do as well or better staying in the aero and spinning than grinding up the hills.
I think I’ll just stay on my current setup, if I can’t get a Trek carbon fiber bike around that course, it’s probably not because of the bike, some guy out of Texas seems to ride one pretty decently. It works for me, and I agree, it’s pretty late to be changing things just for the sake of changing them.
I’ll probably have a 27 on back, if not bigger. I’m thinking I’ll do just under 6 hours for 112 miles, target to be getting off the bike 7 hours after race start.