I do not have any sort of smart trainer. Just a dumb roller trainer I rarely use.
But as an update, I took the bike out with the new forward seat post and my normal saddle mounted. I stopped a couple times to dial in my height and position but I’m pretty close now. Definitely more comfortable. I found myself not feeling the need to reposition nearly as often. I would hold my position for much longer and I was pretty comfortable for almost the entire duration of the ride, 36 miles in 1:46 at an average of 20.2mph. That’s marginally faster than my best ever pace for a 20 mile ride and about 5% faster than my best pace for any ride 30+ miles.
The one thing I did notice is a lot more quad engagement, which I think is where the added speed/power came from. The only concern is I can see how it would be very easy to blow up on the bike and have nothing left for the run. But I just need to practice pacing myself. I’m going to shoot for an 18mph pace for IMAZ. If I can do that, I should be out of T2 by 4pm and that will give me a full 8 hours for the run (my absolute worst event).
I would hope so, but this is my first (and likely only) full length. I want to give myself every opportunity to finish with time to spare. If that time to spare is an hour, then great. If it’s 30 seconds, I’ll take that too.
Pretty much. I did that one bike fit last year and honestly I was so disappointed, it felt like I just threw away $400. I’m no baller so that’s a pretty decent hit, and I’d rather not gamble another ~$400 on a fit that’s supposed to be better. Kind of gunshy, if you will.
About the only time I’m up on the bullhorns is when I’m climbing. I do know I’m not all that flat when I’m down though. My old cervical and lumbar spine just can’t deal with being cranked over too low for very long.
I do know I’m not all that flat when I’m down though. My old cervical and lumbar spine just can’t deal with being cranked over too low for very long.//
Neither are most of the pros these days, the old flat back and get low as you can is old school and pretty much wrong now. Like so many other things that were thought to be fastest back in the day, only to be proven wrong by new technologies that can actually measure this stuff accurately.
There’s this persistent idea floating around the tri world these days that we’ve stumbled upon some paradigm shifting data that lessens or even removes the implications of frontal area from the drag equation.*
This idea seems to hinge on another persistent myth of aerobar fitting which is that backs should be flat and as low as possible. The thing is that was never actually the case.
You are as FIST educated as any person on the planet, and never has FIST dictated back shape, and we’ve always set riders only as low as they can tolerate/pedal/not lose power. Never have the very best fitters in the world simply been trying for “flat and low”. That’s never been the paradigm. I think we need to remind people of that.
*Frontal area is not omnipotent, but is likely still the biggest predictor of aerodynamic changes. I think Jordan Rapp was as big of an asshole as most other people who met him, but he still has a space in my quotable quotes journal…
“…you can say lower isnt necessarily faster, but thats just a trite way of saying it almost always is.” thats a Rappstar quote from years and years ago.