Getting Into TT's
Discussion
So after getting back into cycling and then joining the local club I have found myself enjoying 10 mile TT's. Its coming to the last one of the season shortly and I have only competed in three of them but its proving more addictive than general cycling around. Invested in some bolt on tri bars and fitted them last night. First few miles were 'interesting' although this morning was better (only one serious wobble).
I have some general setup questions;
1. Should you be transfering all your weight onto your forearms and have a relaxed grip?
2. Should the bar ends be upright or tapered in towards the middle?
3. Is this just a compromise really and am I kidding myself and need a dedicated TT setup
I took a 90 seconds out of my best 10 mile commute today with far less effort, only downside is I have to come off the bars to change gears but overall the gains are worth it.
General TT questions;
1. Is it better to push to a heartrate or try to pull 'x' speed.
2. I have been told backing off on declines and preserving power for inclines works but in my own limited tests fouind I lost time overall despite feeling like I was quicker?
3. When do lighter wheels really make an impact on times?
As usual something that started as a bit of fun is becoming an obsession
I have some general setup questions;
1. Should you be transfering all your weight onto your forearms and have a relaxed grip?
2. Should the bar ends be upright or tapered in towards the middle?
3. Is this just a compromise really and am I kidding myself and need a dedicated TT setup
I took a 90 seconds out of my best 10 mile commute today with far less effort, only downside is I have to come off the bars to change gears but overall the gains are worth it.
General TT questions;
1. Is it better to push to a heartrate or try to pull 'x' speed.
2. I have been told backing off on declines and preserving power for inclines works but in my own limited tests fouind I lost time overall despite feeling like I was quicker?
3. When do lighter wheels really make an impact on times?
As usual something that started as a bit of fun is becoming an obsession
yonex said:
So after getting back into cycling and then joining the local club I have found myself enjoying 10 mile TT's. Its coming to the last one of the season shortly and I have only competed in three of them but its proving more addictive than general cycling around. Invested in some bolt on tri bars and fitted them last night. First few miles were 'interesting' although this morning was better (only one serious wobble).
I have some general setup questions;
1. Should you be transfering all your weight onto your forearms and have a relaxed grip?
2. Should the bar ends be upright or tapered in towards the middle?
3. Is this just a compromise really and am I kidding myself and need a dedicated TT setup
I took a 90 seconds out of my best 10 mile commute today with far less effort, only downside is I have to come off the bars to change gears but overall the gains are worth it.
General TT questions;
1. Is it better to push to a heartrate or try to pull 'x' speed.
2. I have been told backing off on declines and preserving power for inclines works but in my own limited tests fouind I lost time overall despite feeling like I was quicker?
3. When do lighter wheels really make an impact on times?
As usual something that started as a bit of fun is becoming an obsession
i think the best thing to do is ask your club mates these questions, first and foremost you will get an impromptu fitting session which will really help your riding position and should make most effective use of your energy expenditure. I have some general setup questions;
1. Should you be transfering all your weight onto your forearms and have a relaxed grip?
2. Should the bar ends be upright or tapered in towards the middle?
3. Is this just a compromise really and am I kidding myself and need a dedicated TT setup
I took a 90 seconds out of my best 10 mile commute today with far less effort, only downside is I have to come off the bars to change gears but overall the gains are worth it.
General TT questions;
1. Is it better to push to a heartrate or try to pull 'x' speed.
2. I have been told backing off on declines and preserving power for inclines works but in my own limited tests fouind I lost time overall despite feeling like I was quicker?
3. When do lighter wheels really make an impact on times?
As usual something that started as a bit of fun is becoming an obsession
riding position and things vary between people but to answer your questions in very general circumstances....
1/ yes, but on a regular road bike geomoetry wont allow you to acheive this wiithout stretching your body forwards and you may well end up perched right on the tip of teh saddle. a tip i was taught is to turn the seat post round as it pitcehs the seat forwards.
2/ most tri bars tail up at the front if they are one piece bars. i find those quite comfy as it takes some pressure off my wrists.
3/ probably but its all about money and if you can justifythe costs. ribble do a good alu tt frame for around £150 with some forks. you could build up a tt bike for around £800 using that with tri bars and some "wing" bars.
and the other q's
1/ i always try to achieve a desired average speed, 10 milers are too short to be monitoring HR in the race, you should be doing that in training though if you can.
2/ i was taught to maintain cadence, you should use the downhill sections to increase speed not conserve energy, on a 10 miler you should be pretty much balls out everywhere on the course so ask youerself what are you saving teh energy for. why would you want to risk reaching the finish and think "i could have pushed harder"
3/ they dont. carbon discs and deep carbon rims are actually quite heavy. they increaase rolling mass but that in turn helps maintain momentum. lighter wheels wobble all over the place and are harder to keep in a straight line thuis requiring more adjustment and thus slowing you down.
GavDav said:
Out of interest, what would be considered a good time for a 10 mile TT? I'm obviously aware of different courses and layouts etc, but I was wondering what would be good times to aim for?
Depends on the course but the fastest on the course I ride is around 22mins each week for men and about 24:30 for women. Course record is 19:30 so I would consider anything around 25-26 mins as 'good'Definately, I would say that the speeds on the TT rides would be quite difficult to motivate (well for me anyway) yourself for as you really have to push, without competition around I dont ever go quite as fast. Hitting a 20mph average is still pretty good IMO on a ride that has any kind of incline, although its surprising how your targets change as you improve. I dont hack into work anymore and prefer to do intervals, or just ride and take a look around! Partly the reason for TT is to measure the actual gains I make, or not as the case can be under similar conditions over the same route.
Well, where I live in south Wales there are lots of hills and inclines so a 20mph average is a little way off at the moment. The best I've got so far is 16mph average which to the better guys on here is completley rubbish, but I've only been road biking a month so it's all new to me. The thing is, is that I'm massivley enjoying it, so that makes me happy but there's still lots more to learn!
GavDav said:
Well, where I live in south Wales there are lots of hills and inclines so a 20mph average is a little way off at the moment. The best I've got so far is 16mph average which to the better guys on here is completley rubbish, but I've only been road biking a month so it's all new to me. The thing is, is that I'm massivley enjoying it, so that makes me happy but there's still lots more to learn!
Yes but everyone is faster on the internet The main thing as you quite rightly point out is enjoying the exercise, if you start measuring every ride in detail then more often than not you're going to be dissapointed with something.
+1 for Pablo's comments.
You can compromise and have both worlds which is what I did by getting the S3, aero frame and switchable post, get a full Retul setup as it makes a real difference - don't forget to ensure any bars you get are UCI-compliant as many tri-bars aren't.
Aero wheels are heavier but will help if you're keeping up to a speed where the aero effects come in... here's an article or two you may find useful...
http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/04/biggest-ban...
http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39...
You can compromise and have both worlds which is what I did by getting the S3, aero frame and switchable post, get a full Retul setup as it makes a real difference - don't forget to ensure any bars you get are UCI-compliant as many tri-bars aren't.
Aero wheels are heavier but will help if you're keeping up to a speed where the aero effects come in... here's an article or two you may find useful...
http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/04/biggest-ban...
http://www.tritalk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39...
Good time I reckon is anything under 28 mins or so. Depends on the course though.
Our club has some amazing tters over ten miles, but over 45 (one I did recently) their times were not the same margin ahead as they would be on a ten.
I prefer the longer ones I think, must try and do some more though as 45 miles is hardly a normal distance.
Our club has some amazing tters over ten miles, but over 45 (one I did recently) their times were not the same margin ahead as they would be on a ten.
I prefer the longer ones I think, must try and do some more though as 45 miles is hardly a normal distance.
Some good info up there and I also found this...
http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_factsheets/con...
Not about to invest money in a power meter just yet but I definately have a plan for tomorrow!
Update!
So armed with the all the new info and aero bars for the first time I stuck to the plan. Not sprinting off the line paid off and watching the distance rather than just going flat out everywhere felt great, especially on the first small incline that normally sucks the speed out of me. I used my HRM for the first time in ages and held it around maximum by moderating on the flat then extending harder on the inclines. The first half was into a headwind and TBH without the bars I would have been suffering! Two guys came past on aero bikes so I let them go but on the return leg found the gap to the one in front was holding. I managed to get back past and cut the deficit by 30secs which was surprising. The last 2 miles I was absolutely flat out and had nothing left at the finish. Despite the conditions I set a new PB and was 8 secs off of a third place in the group. Still a minute off of the fastest guy but hey, we all need something to aim at. Very happy dropping 3 minutes in 4 weeks....must resist the lure of a TT bike now
Cheers for all the info, an average rider is pretty chuffed with himself today.
So armed with the all the new info and aero bars for the first time I stuck to the plan. Not sprinting off the line paid off and watching the distance rather than just going flat out everywhere felt great, especially on the first small incline that normally sucks the speed out of me. I used my HRM for the first time in ages and held it around maximum by moderating on the flat then extending harder on the inclines. The first half was into a headwind and TBH without the bars I would have been suffering! Two guys came past on aero bikes so I let them go but on the return leg found the gap to the one in front was holding. I managed to get back past and cut the deficit by 30secs which was surprising. The last 2 miles I was absolutely flat out and had nothing left at the finish. Despite the conditions I set a new PB and was 8 secs off of a third place in the group. Still a minute off of the fastest guy but hey, we all need something to aim at. Very happy dropping 3 minutes in 4 weeks....must resist the lure of a TT bike now
Cheers for all the info, an average rider is pretty chuffed with himself today.
okgo said:
Well done!!
What was your time?
26:20 last night it would be mega to get into the 25's, nothing more I could have given last night though. I know this isn't 'quick' for anyone that is seriously into TT's but it would make me happy and put me amonst the serious Vets What was your time?
Didn't pay that much attention to speeds but obviously know the average and I was holding about 40 something kph over the last two miles. Seriously considering a pointy hat to see the maximum gains from a road bike with aero bars.Off to a Velodrome for the first time soon over at Calshot, looking forward to learning some techniques that may help.
Hi all ok so next year is a big year for me in terms of half ironman etc. Up until now used a Trek madonne with aero bars and all has been good. However it has been recomended that I look at getting a specialist TT/Tri bike. Was going down the Trek possibly Look route when I came across the boardman TT bike. http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/airTT98.html
Anybody have any experience of these?
Anybody have any experience of these?
yonex said:
Update!
So armed with the all the new info and aero bars for the first time I stuck to the plan. Not sprinting off the line paid off and watching the distance rather than just going flat out everywhere felt great, especially on the first small incline that normally sucks the speed out of me. I used my HRM for the first time in ages and held it around maximum by moderating on the flat then extending harder on the inclines. The first half was into a headwind and TBH without the bars I would have been suffering! Two guys came past on aero bikes so I let them go but on the return leg found the gap to the one in front was holding. I managed to get back past and cut the deficit by 30secs which was surprising. The last 2 miles I was absolutely flat out and had nothing left at the finish. Despite the conditions I set a new PB and was 8 secs off of a third place in the group. Still a minute off of the fastest guy but hey, we all need something to aim at. Very happy dropping 3 minutes in 4 weeks....must resist the lure of a TT bike now
Cheers for all the info, an average rider is pretty chuffed with himself today.
I wouldnt change anything until you had done 6 TT's.It takes that long to get your body used to the effort.If you buy a piece of kit now you will assume its the Kit that has helped you improve when in fact its probably improved fitness.So armed with the all the new info and aero bars for the first time I stuck to the plan. Not sprinting off the line paid off and watching the distance rather than just going flat out everywhere felt great, especially on the first small incline that normally sucks the speed out of me. I used my HRM for the first time in ages and held it around maximum by moderating on the flat then extending harder on the inclines. The first half was into a headwind and TBH without the bars I would have been suffering! Two guys came past on aero bikes so I let them go but on the return leg found the gap to the one in front was holding. I managed to get back past and cut the deficit by 30secs which was surprising. The last 2 miles I was absolutely flat out and had nothing left at the finish. Despite the conditions I set a new PB and was 8 secs off of a third place in the group. Still a minute off of the fastest guy but hey, we all need something to aim at. Very happy dropping 3 minutes in 4 weeks....must resist the lure of a TT bike now
Cheers for all the info, an average rider is pretty chuffed with himself today.
I used to warm up for anything from 45 mins to 1 hour for a 10mile TT just so I could go flat out from the start.A lot of things "aero" aren't.
You see a lot of guys with great "Aero" bikes who are quite overweight and some significant improvements could be made by losing weight rather than emptying their Wallets.
To add to what has been said, there is some speed to be gained by training and racing based on your HR.
For example, if you know where you start to switch from Aerobic to Anaerobic you can make sure that you work at your optimum level throughout the race, and it means you can start to practise how far from the finish you can go into your anaerobic zone and up your pace. I (we) used to use this in rowing to give us an idea of where we could pick the pace up at the end of a race - the aim was/is to time it so you last peak power stroke is the one that takes you over the line.
Training based on HR takes out a lot of the guess work, and you may surprise yourself just how much work you still have left in the tank despite feeling like you can't go any faster.
For example, if you know where you start to switch from Aerobic to Anaerobic you can make sure that you work at your optimum level throughout the race, and it means you can start to practise how far from the finish you can go into your anaerobic zone and up your pace. I (we) used to use this in rowing to give us an idea of where we could pick the pace up at the end of a race - the aim was/is to time it so you last peak power stroke is the one that takes you over the line.
Training based on HR takes out a lot of the guess work, and you may surprise yourself just how much work you still have left in the tank despite feeling like you can't go any faster.
lenandsons said:
Hi all ok so next year is a big year for me in terms of half ironman etc. Up until now used a Trek madonne with aero bars and all has been good. However it has been recomended that I look at getting a specialist TT/Tri bike. Was going down the Trek possibly Look route when I came across the boardman TT bike. http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/airTT98.html
Anybody have any experience of these?
They are way way way too expensive. You could have a custome built bike for far less than that. Nothing wrong with using a road frame especially on a hilly course.If you want to invest money research wheels and tyres.Anybody have any experience of these?
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