Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 101)

Local LBS said I was nuts to put on a 12-27 for CdA.  Said I should go 11-28.  Any course vetrans care to comment?  I ride a standard 52/38 crank.   

I prefer the 12-27.  Reason?  You shouldn't hammer downhills anyhow, so the 11 versus 12 isn't important.  And for the hills, the 27 versus 28 is a very small difference in gear ratio.

But the 12-27 Shimano has a 16 that I spend a lot of time in on the flats.  The 11-28 skips over that gear, making it harder to dial in a comfort zone sometimes.

I agree with this advice, generally.  Ultimately, it depends on how strong of a cyclist you are and whether that 28 vs 27 is worth it, at the expense of a wider (less tightly grouped) cassette.  If you were on a compact and from what I know of your abilities, I'd say not to give it a second thought.  Since you are riding a standard, in general I'd say 28 is smart if you are a weak cyclist and not necessary if you are a strong one.  Nonetheless, I'll reference the previous post of mine where I linked to a slowtwitch thread where a whole bunch of low 5 hour riders were recommending compact + 12/27 or 11/28... meaning there probably are some climbs where even a strong cyclist should be spinning up in a granny gear. 

Having the 11 vs the 12, especially with a standard crank, is a moot point.  Recalcuate those 80rpm speeds for 100rpm and you'll see that you never need that hardest gear.  If you get going that fast, you're on a steep descent and you're probably better off tucking without pedaling at that point anyway.

Also to keep in mind - certain 10 speed derailleurs were not designed for more than a 27 tooth cassette.  I think you are fine with any dura ace, any new (6700) ultegra, but not older ultegra.  I don't know off the top of my head about specific SRAM or lower end Shimano groups... but believe that certain SRAM groups can go higher than 28. 

Thanks for the feedback.  I left the LBS with my wheels in hand becuase the 11-28 argument did not feel right.  I actually use the 16 ring a bunch when you look at my wear pattern on my 12-25.  I ordered a Dura-Ace 7900 12-27 to match my other Dura-Ace components.  Also picked up a new matching chain and two new Coras Evo CX tires (which have been sold out all over town for a month now).  I think I'm set.

Hey folks!  I'm not running CdA, but I'm volunteering and my brother is running it.  Our planned accomodations kind of got derailed (long story) so now we are looking at hotels and they are PRICEY!!!  Anyone have any inside scoop on some relatively low cost hotels in the area?  We both are pretty low maintenance and don't require five star accomodations, 1/2 star works for us!  Thanks for any help.

I'm also volunteering.  If Cd'A hotels are booked and too expensive, you might try looking in Post Falls - it's only about 8 miles west on I-90 and has some reasonably priced hotels. 

Here is a link to a list of hotels on TripAdvisor (there is also a Holiday Inn Express that I don't see on this list).   http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g35576-Post_Falls_Idaho-Hotels.html

Spokane is your next fallback, if you don't mind driving 30-40 mins to Coeur d'Alene.  You could easily find something for $75 a night there.

Last year we got reservations at the super swanky Motel 6 just off Government Way.  Pretty minimal accommodations, and they jacked the price up to $100+/night.  But it was clean and close to the race.  And a lot cheaper than some of the other options.

I was checking Spokane as recent as 2 weeks ago and there were tons of rooms left

You know, that makes TOTAL sense to grab the gears you want a customize a cassette... but it had never occurred to me to do.  Thanks for the tip.

Get well. My whole family is sick with a nasty viral and I'm praying I don't catch it. 

Man, who would have thought even a year ago that one day I would actually enjoy doing three workouts a day.  It really is a great feeling after running to the pool, swimming 3k yards and running home again after doing a 2 hour bike ride earlier in the day....to just collapse on the couch and bask in the exhaustion.  Whats even more amazing is that this kind of stuff is happening 5 or 6 days a week. 

At this point I am beyond confident that I (and the rest of you) will be lakeside on June 26th knowing I busted my a$$ to get there.

Also:   just ordered a new 11-28 9speed cassette and chain (I have been running an 8 speed setup) and last night I rerouted my cables/shifted to put them on the right side.  When I originally built the bike I reversed them. 

Great numbers everyone.  Been hitting it hard and feeling stronger these last two weeks, though with all the windy days here lately I am rethinking the race wheels idea.  I almost went down twice last night on S. Mt with the cross winds picking up and that's with my Mavics!  I can't imagine what I'd feel with a 404 and 808 on there.  Any thoughts?

To those of you battling injuries - my last 18 mile run and prior 10 days was on an elliptical and now I am back to 100%.  Just an idea to get the time and distance/cardio in and also add some mental game prep in as well.  Looked a little funny having gels on the elliptical but it sure beat taking the time completely off after the HIM.

One last question - those of you using INFINIT on the bike - do you make up two 3 hour bottles or have some at special needs?

Thanks all!  We GOT THIS!

My numbers feel so weak compared to guys like Gus and Waterdog66 but thanks for the shout out. True about the process holding alot of weight more than the actual race but you can't have one without the other. IOW, the more you put in, the more you should get out in most cases.

Of note, I had an awesome final run split at Rev3 (6:36 for 3.6mi) and I think its a direct representation of my 50 mi avg weeks. I never have run this much and I was a single sport runner before tri-life. Therefore, my training must be paying off. I only wish I could be doing more, but keeping Mrs. Slayer happy has been the priority of late so my numbers have begun to suffer a bit. Others have had to deal with other priorities. Still, most of us have done tons of work and should feel some modicum of confidence going in. 

My biggest worry of late was the 50 degree water cited yesterday or the day before.

You just go numb faster than 60 degrees.  It's all good

I know what you mean with the crosswinds -- pretty serious gusts in Colorado (30-40mph).  I've been training on my race wheels (808s) to make sure I have a good feel for whatever raceday brings.  I'll say there have been a couple of un-nerving situations, but you'd be surprised how much leverage your weight in the aerobars provides to keep you both straight (mostly) and upright.  The most important thing is your confidence though.  If you can get a couple training rides in with a deep cut wheel I thing it would help.  Train safe, C