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#1
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upgrading to go faster
Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and
back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Thanks For any thoughts Steve |
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#2
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upgrading to go faster
On 25 Jan, 00:40, steve wrote:
Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. A stopwatch and a mileometer. Other than that you can ride easier. Keep your gears low until your muscles are performing smoothly and co- ordinated. Gear up, slowly. You cannot make smooth, forceful contractions, but you can make forceful, smooth contractions. Not being smooth in cycling wastes energy and causes early fatigue. A stopwatch. mileometr and a notebook to record your feelings and performance response to rides (or training, if you wish to call it) and recovery from. |
#3
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upgrading to go faster
On Jan 24, 4:40 pm, steve wrote:
Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Get a bigger chainring. Push hard. :-) |
#4
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upgrading to go faster
steve wrote:
Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Thanks For any thoughts Steve http://www.cvccbike.com/misc/wheel_cover.html |
#5
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upgrading to go faster
On Jan 24, 7:35*pm, Dan O wrote:
On Jan 24, 4:40 pm, steve wrote: Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Get a bigger chainring. *Push hard. :-) I have read answers to that question in several different publications. Most have all said that an aero helmet is the best advantage for the buck along with aero bars. Work on position. Next to that, train, train and train some more. Apply the response of thirty-six to your training. Cheers, Rick in Tennessee |
#6
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upgrading to go faster
z who? wrote:
steve wrote: Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Thanks For any thoughts Steve http://www.cvccbike.com/misc/wheel_cover.html Even cheaper: http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/0/52/52537.jpg. Yes, this has been done in real life. -- Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007 |
#7
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upgrading to go faster
On Jan 24, 6:20 pm, cycledogg wrote:
On Jan 24, 7:35 pm, Dan O wrote: On Jan 24, 4:40 pm, steve wrote: Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Get a bigger chainring. Push hard. :-) I have read answers to that question in several different publications. Most have all said that an aero helmet is the best advantage for the buck along with aero bars. Work on position. Next to that, train, train and train some more. Apply the response of thirty-six to your training. Cheers, Rick in Tennessee Yeah - absolutely - esp. that part about "You cannot make smooth, forceful contractions, but you can make forceful, smooth contractions" - brilliant! |
#8
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upgrading to go faster
On Jan 24, 5:40*pm, steve wrote:
Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. Thanks For any thoughts Steve A front wheel with a forty or fifty mm rim and few spokes should give you a few seconds. Work on your position as much as you can. For a lot less than the cost of a wheel, a good coach can measure your watt output in different positions. |
#9
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upgrading to go faster
On 25 Jan, 03:11, Dan O wrote:
On Jan 24, 6:20 pm, cycledogg wrote: On Jan 24, 7:35 pm, Dan O wrote: On Jan 24, 4:40 pm, steve wrote: Last year I rode my first time trial ever – a 40km very flat out and back course, which I did in 1:05:56. I did it on my Specialized Allez Elite. This year I hope to improve with an ultimate goal of placing in my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. I know I know there is no substitute for training smarter and harder. |
#10
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upgrading to go faster
Hi,
steve wrote: .... my age group when I turn 60 next year. To this end I’m planning to make a few improvements to my bike. The only thing I’m sure I will do is get aero bars. Given that I’m basically a cheapskate what other upgrades would give me the most bang for the $. I am thinking about a new wheelset but this may be more expensive and I’m not sure how much difference it would make. It has been said, get a notebook, a speedometer and a stopwatch. Even better: most speedometers (except the very cheap ones) come with a built-in stopwatch. Before you upgrade anything go and train some. Establish a routine and when you have that, try some stuff. For example try riding a lower gear for a few rides - check the response and find out whether it might be good to change your bike's gearing. Try changing the tire pressu max. as indicated versus a bit lower. Personally I'd avoid the "fast" gears, though I sometimes use a very fast gear when the wind is good. Find out what's best for you. As for a wheel set - I've found that I like medium tires (like 32-622) better than wide tires and I personally like them pumped to the max. pressure or just beyond. Also I found that the hub bearing can make a difference: a badly adjusted, worn one with a wobble rides far worse than a good one ;-) Same thing with the chain... So personally I invest mostly in maintenance and small improvements, rather than major work (like wheelsets). A good saddle and comfy handlebar grips are (sometimes) much smarter an investment than spending $ on minor weight-savings. Just note down everything that disturbs you in your training records and then check what's on top of the list ;-) Actually a few years back I did a century - it started to rain during the first hour. Soon I found myself at the leading position of a group - I was the only one to have long mud guards - everyone was fighting for the place just behind me: no water thrown up ;-) Even though my bike was probably the heaviest in the field and probably the only one with "real" luggage racks, fenders and toe-clips/straps (all the others had clipless pedals), I was roughly in the front third of the field. So generally I do think that saving weight on your training bike is an overrated trend. It may help you to save a second or two in a competition, but it's still the rider who does the riding ;-) Have fun ;-) |
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