Last Sunday we had what was until the Honolulu Triathlon, pretty much our biggest Hawaii short course tri, basically our quote unquote state championships according to many people. 5 weeks out of the water and 2 weeks no running thanks to injuries and I’m on the line. Crap swim, got beat up big time:P Fast T1 (gotta make up time!) 200m or so into the bike my spare which was rolled and velcroed under my seat breaks loose and wraps itself around the hub of my disk. I get off, 2+ minutes go by of swearing and intense pulling (stuck in the wheel and I couldn’t get off or break the velcro strap which still attached it to the seat rails). One reason NOT to carry a spare;) Ended up biking back up into 3rd but al that effort fried my legs and the run, ouch slow going.
Wait a minute…you want us to feel bad for you and your luck cause you only got third? Huh…
I never carry a spare…bad mojo…
How far ahead was the guy who got second…please tell me that it was about 5 minutes…any less, that spare cost you the race.
i gave up on the velcro straps a while ago.
I now use micro bungee cords(Home Depot 12 pack for $ 4.00).
I use a Fizik Tri saddle + Minoura saddle mount system and just tie down the tub spare in between.Its not going anywhere,plus its a clean set up.
I cram mine into the Softride beam bag with my CO2, and a couple of tools and Tufo goo.
I know, I know. My Tufos are slow.
The other reason NOT to carry a spare is…
“I FORGOT!”
VELCRO? Sorry bro - that was just begging to happen. Use a leather toe strap next time. (or sling it over your shoulders, figure 8 style )
well I biked into 3rd but my run was crap and ended up in 5th. But with a normal swim and no spare problem, yeah it would have been 2nd. was just happy to do it though. I’m a believer in the whole Active Release Therapy stuff now, saved me big time. Could barely even walk without a severe limp a couple of days before the race and this ART/chiro guy reset a subluxated rib I had which had kept me out of the water for 5 weeks and got rid of almost all the pain in a sprained/mildly torn tf, all this two days before the race! If anyone in Hawaii needs a good guy to see Jesse Crackwell on Waialae, awesome.
funny thing was, I usually tape the hell out of my spare to secure it but tried the velcro and it seemed so much more secure…
Somehow I don’t know if I would go to a Chiro guy who’s last name is Crackwell !
Good race Tai. Man that guy that won was in another area code. I agree with the other poster, toestraps never come undone when under the seat. If you use an old sock around the spare you can put in tire levers, patch kit for clinchers or just keep the spare sewup clean.
Not too sure they can ever control drafting in that race. Other than the elites, the exception to the rule that day was not being in the TTT event. I sure would have been shamed on my full aerobike and disc wheel if I was in the big pack with the guy on the beach cruzer with ape hanger aerobars. There must have been 10-15 nice bikes in that pack.
Someone was on my favorite TT bike of all time, an old Pinerello funny bike in the frost white ,red and green spray job. Sweet. Any how nice effort Mr. Tai. Aloha G
the only good reason not to carry spare tubulars is if you run clinchers
.
If you use an old sock around the spare you can put in tire levers, patch kit for clinchers or just keep the spare sewup clean.<<
Have to try that. If I can only get this dang pre-glued tufo to fold up nicely…