Ironman USA Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 129)

I'm riding my road bike with aero bars, but I have it setup as a road bike and just use the aero bars to get off my shoulders a while.  I dont have the $ for a tri bike and it WAS setup a bit more aggressively, but I had serious ITB probs so I went back to road and no pain.  I'm also a terrible climber so I wound up sitting up a lot anyway and with little flexibility I might as well be mostly comfortable anyway.  This is my first IM so I just want to take it in and do well, if I get to "race" it one day, I'll want a tri bike, but I have a long way and I don't really climb in aero anyway. 

I would say be comfortable as it is 6-7+ hrs on the bike and a long run. - at least that's how I'm going at it this year.  

Ok, does our bike fit? how would it be without the aero-bars. I'm assuming you got somewhat fit when you bought it.. what hurts?  What's your time goal? bust , finish the ride and get to the run, or just finish no matter what? 

Kevlujohn, I will also be riding a road bike. An old road bike! I think of it as a "retro" Ironman, like back in the early days when tribikes did not yet exist. So you will not be the only road-bike rider out there. 

I have also heard from a guy who has done about 7 IMs, most of them on a road bike, finishing at about 11 hours, and at his most recent LP he didn't even bring his aerobars...

 

sorry about the double post...


anyway, not enough information here to really to say.

why did it hurt?  where did it hurt?  could it have been more fitness related? 

i think being fit to a bike is a great service, and i would think you could find it for much much less than $400, even a good fitter.

your logs dont look cmoplete, so it's hard to say if it was a fitness issue.

what I woudl think could help us help you is for you to define your hurt.  speicifically where it hurt and how it felt.

absolutely no reason to sell a road bike and buy a tri bike. 

Edited by cusetri 2010-05-24 2:47 PM

I did a half this weekend on my road bike with aero bars. After about 35-40 miles (and thishappens usually on my rides) my neck and right shoulder begin to burn a bit, like someone is putting a hot poker in the crux of my neck on the right side? Any thoughts of what that could be?

By the way I too am doing IMLP on my road bike since that is all I have and can afford. Plus I too suck at climbing however I have improved. My HIM this weekend I had a 18.9MPH avg for the first half which was relatively flat to rolling and final avg was 17.4 since the second half was more hilly, with head winds and worse pavement.

I thought that bike course was pretty technical (there are 35 left or right turns on the cue sheet) and hilly, but not monster hilly. I thought the run course was very hilly and pretty much equal to a loop of the run course in LP.

Usually neck issues are related more to either being too aggressive, and having to look-up. OR, if your aerobars are too far out front, you are using your shoulders to carry weight as opposed to being at a 90 from your elbow. 

This user's post has been ignored.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I guess my pain could have been a combination of things.  My traps and shoulders were burning as I reached the 55 mile mark.  Maybe I will get used to it as I ramp up my training in the coming weeks.  The BT beginner plan has 6 hour rides in the near future.  I had a basic fit when I had the aerobars installed but I guess I should have a "hard core fit.  My local bike shop has all the bells and whistles and I have an appointment this Friday.  Is there anything I should ask about or look out for?  Being a newbie I feel like a kid in a used car lot...what is a respectable fee for a fit?   

As for my goal, I am totally just trying to finish the race in a respectable time.  Maybe 13-14 hrs?  I am so excited but just recently felt like I should have a tri-bike for IM distances.  I am very happy to hear others will be rockin' road bikes!

Thanks,
Kevin 

Are we all talking about Jerseyman, cause I didnt think the bike was that tough and I am a crappy biker. I thought the run was kinda boring and plain, except for the neat finish through the woods to the beach.

Bummer that you lost so much time on the bike to the wrong turn. You had a smoking fast bike split even with that extra distance built in. You would have definately had a top 5 bike split. You went flying by me like I was standing still!

I didn't think the Bike was hard, just not very rewarding. Lots of turns, needed to brake a lot on the downhills as there were turns at the bottom, combined with some pretty rough patches on the wet roads combine to slow your avg speed down on this course. This is just my opinion though.

I agree about the technical part combined with wet roads. You weren't referring to me with regards to a fast bike split were you? I got the sense I was pretty slow, like bottom third of the race

Sorry for the confusion there. Was referring to Fred (Pennstate).

I agree, it's more about the fit than the type of bike. I'm actually more comfortable on my road bike than my tri bike because I prefer that style of riding. I had a great fitting and I think that makes all the difference. I didn't pay $400 in NYC with one of the best fitters in the country so shop around, a good deal can be had and it will be the best money you've invested.

Kevlujohn

I did IMLP in 2007 on my road bike with clip on aerobars.  I think it suited the course very well, especially as a first timer.  I also had a triple chain ring which gave me lots of comfort on the hills

I was very comfortable on my road bike and I agree with the others that I think it is more about fit than the bike.  Fit is very important in my opinion, especially for that sort of time in the saddle.

Wait a sec -Fred is PENNSTATE - thats the guy I racked my bike next too. How freakin weird is that.

Do we need an introduction of real names here? 

That will be me this year!!!!!!!!!

BTW my bike fit in Geneva, NY was $120.  There's a guy in Ithaca that does it for like $50 or $80 (can't remember).  The Geneva fit included undivided attention for about 3 hours... went through about 8 different saddles...changed the stem and adjusted the hell out of the handle bars.  Ended up spending about $400 total for the new seat post, saddle, and stem on top of the cost of the bike fit. 

Hey Wittycity, that's what my local bike shop said they may need to do just by looking at my present bike situation.  I guess if they change the post and seat I should expect the cost to be $400.  Thanks for the feedback!!

Anyone who did Jerseyman this past weekend, can you help me out? Aside from being twice the distance, can you give some details on how the course measures up compared to LP? Thanks.

Kevin,

One of the best in the Boston area is 275 and you can apply some of that to a new bike lter, so 400 sounds extreme.  One thing I will tel you is that you can NOT get a good aero position on a road bike. I tried, I had a flat back (I did it all myself) and measured with help of some other online friends and wound up with HUGE ITB issues and my knee hurt.. Going back to a road fit actually made me a little faster and WAY more comfortable, but I won't admit that to my wife
My Setup is basically my road position and the aero bars are only for comfort and keep me about as high as my regular riding position, but a little more tucked in.  for the fast downhills I get in the drops and have my hands on the brakes *I'm still a wus at 48ish*..  I wouldn't spend a lot to get that road bike fit for aero, save your money and put it towards a tri bike when you have the money, that's what I'm doing.   But, 100 or so wouldn't be too bad.  If you haven't done many long rides, then your body is adjusting to the length and that is part of your trap problem.  Also, try to sit on you with your weight and don't lean on your hands.. You feel a little more upright, but your neck and back will thank you.  ( a former pro had to explain that to me, as you want to be low, but too low will put too much pressure on you)  

Everyone tells me Aero is NOT comfortable and is NOT SUPPOSED to be. It will and does hurt and you must just accept that to go fast.  If you aren't a great climber then it's not really worth it any.  I think someone said if you spend more than 30% out of aero then it's not really worth it unless it is super windy and you aggressive, but I might just be pulling that out of my butt.  


Note: I am not an expert, I listen to a lot of other people.  

Tasr did it last year, PennState this year.  Fred may be out of touch for a few days, not sure if he's checking this thread, so he might miss this.

Hey all... I got a gift certificate to trisports.com this weekend and wanted to poll you guys on what one item (or maybe multiples of something small/cheap) under $100 that you love that's related to triathlon...whether it be equipment/apparell/something else.

TIA!