In case you missed it buried in the threads, here it is. Ben Larsen, Richard Burkholder, (Me), Francois, Mike Plumb and now YaquiC … I think we are onto some thing here … but hey, I have been saying this for a year now - Rotors really do work. So if you need that extra edge to get on the podium this year, or want to set that new PR, they are an investment to consider.
First real ride. Temperature is 87 and it’s breezy. I have a nagging cough and a fever of 99.3, but, I’ll just take it easy and see how it goes. Three Endurolytes and lots of water and I’m out the door. Rotors just feel, well, normal on the warm-up. I stop to make sure they haven’t “slipped” from the middle setting…all looks fine.
Resume the ride after this position check and being warmed up a little, and my internal conversation went something like this. Oops, I spun up to 105 fairly quickly…gotta keep those rpms down or I’ll be toast, so I click a couple of gears and settle in just under 90. Hmmm, I usually have to gear down going up this slight hill…must have less of a headwind than usual. Hmmm. I’m usually climbing this hill in a 23 cog, and I’m in one less gear. Hmmm. I’m just not having to shift gears as much. Well, it feels fine cruising along comfortably on the flat, and, why not wait just a second before shifting to go up this rise like usual…I don’t have to shift down? Is the wind changing direction? The whole ride went similar to that conversation, interspersed with boughts of coughing up small bits of lung tissue. I wore my HR monitor to make sure I wasn’t working too hard, and kept my HR below 150, just like a usual ride on this route.
The tendency to shift less was obvious. I would spin along comfortably in the low 90’s trying my best to think “pick your foot up over that log” (like I do when I don’t have PowerCranks for feedback as to whether I am pulling up enough), and I would just put the power down as my rpms dropped to the lower 80’s to go over hills instead of shifting down one gear and STILL dropping to the 80’s. I simply went up hills a little faster. It seemed that Rotors were worth about the equivalent of one rear cog in speed.
When I finished (it was only a 26 mile loop, I was coughing too much to be sane about continuing), I had averaged 0.4 mph higher than I usually do for a normal ride around this loop. My legs don’t feel different than usual, but, I didn’t try and run off the bike. I probably shouldn’t have even ridden…but, I wanted to try the Rotors. I think I’ve adapted. I think PowerCranks really made a giant difference in allowing me to adapt so quickly…because since I’m already pulling up, I don’t feel the “kick” so many non-PC’ers report to feel.
My plan is to ride Rotors any time I am working on high-end power and speed, and to race on them. PC’s will be used for all other riding (including recovery rides), especially for form rides, and in place of a lot of the running that some people do. I don’t think you can beat what PowerCranks do for some aspects of the pedal stroke, and especially for running. But, I already seem to be faster on Rotorcranks, even on a hot day, even when I’m sick, even on my first ride, even at my same heartrate as usual, and Rotorcranks are what I’ll have on my racing hound.
aka Ktalon