SBR Utopia - OPEN (Page 131)

tri808 - 2013-04-02 7:41 PM

Just to follow up on this, I'd probably go with the 12-25 for a flat course.  It's basically the exact same thing as an 11-23 except you are swapping the 11 for a 25.  All the in between gears are the same, so the cassette isn't any "tighter"...it just has a different top and low end.  If you were deciding between an 11-25 and a 11-23...then maybe I'd go with the 11-23 because it has the extra 17t cog in the middle

However, the 12-25 should be fine for a flat course becuase that means there are no (few, or none that are steep) downhills that will require a 50/11 combination for a significant amount of time.  Especially for a HIM where you are going to be well below FTP.  If we were talking about a 10 mile TT, my answer would likely be different.

While you may not need a 25 on a flat course...even at the HIM distance, the advantage becomes that you can stay in the big ring with the 21 and 23 without cross chaining.

mndymond - 2013-04-02 1:02 PM

Booooo snow. I'm afraid to go home....

brigby1 - 2013-04-02 8:44 PM

I'm still trying to figure out why he couldn't use the other 75%? 

ChrisM - 2013-04-02 4:28 PM Ooooooh. Toys.... not sure why my iphone tilts everything.  just hold your head sideways.... 

reecealan - 2013-04-02 11:56 PM

It could be interesting though, I have a Felt road bike with PD T1 aerobars and a FF seatpost.  But I'm in a pretty good aero position.  So that road bike with disk cover in the back will be one of only a few at most race around here.  Problem is with my dimensional requirement on the 2013 Specialized Shiv and 2013 Felt B16 fit me.  Nothing else has the right stack and reach so I can't fit any decent used TT bikes.  I'm stuck until I get some dough...

reecealan - 2013-04-02 9:56 PM

Is that the Wheelbuilder aerojacket?  I was looking at those today.  I was thinking I could get a front aero wheel and use the cover on the rear.  I have two sets of wheels.  One set is the stock wheels from my Felt F75 which are MAVIC CXP-22S.  The other set, on the bike now, are Neuvation M28X.  Both are not on the "Incompatible" list so I'm hoping that one or the other will work.

I think that aerojacket is only $100 so I could buy some decent speed with the more expensive part being the front wheel.

It could be interesting though, I have a Felt road bike with PD T1 aerobars and a FF seatpost.  But I'm in a pretty good aero position.  So that road bike with disk cover in the back will be one of only a few at most race around here.  Problem is with my dimensional requirement on the 2013 Specialized Shiv and 2013 Felt B16 fit me.  Nothing else has the right stack and reach so I can't fit any decent used TT bikes.  I'm stuck until I get some dough...

 

brigby1 - 2013-04-02 7:36 PM

I was thinking along the same lines with cassette use. I've basically cut all use down to an 11-23 and 11-28 for both training and racing for simplicity. I haven't really *needed* the 11 hardly at all on the short course races. Could have been just fine with the 12 spinning up a touch higher for a few seconds before hitting the bottom of the "hill". The 25 would be nicer for most to have as even though any hills are small, some of them can be surprisingly steep. I don't know the Miami course, just that this could happen on some Florida courses even though they're generally considered flat by total elevation.

Also, by cutting down to 2 cassettes, it's very easy to adjust to the feel between them. Going between a 12-25 and 11-23 feels different to me (mechanical shifting). Similar gears are in slightly different spots for the lever. By reducing the number of cassettes I've reduced the number of things to adjust to. It's just one or the other now. And with these two, the top half (ie bigger/faster) is also the same between them. So I'm really only adapting to the bottom half. With that taken care of, I'll just go ride the darn bike.

brigby1 - 2013-04-02 11:44 PM 

I'm still trying to figure out why he couldn't use the other 75%? 

brigby1 - 2013-04-02 9:13 PM

If you take your time with the tape, you can do the entire way around with 1 piece. That's where the Super 33 was nice. It's flexible enough to do this. It looks just fine on mine. Most don't even realize it's a cover, not an actual disc. Just go really fast any anything looks good. 

tri808 - 2013-04-03 4:00 AM

Test run wasn't quite what I expected, but I got what I needed to know out of it.

Took me 22:34 @ 309 watts.  I started out a little too hard @ 318w for the first 12 minutes, then I had a mini blow up, and the next 10 minutes was a struggle to hold 294, and the avg slipped to 306.  Unloaded the last 30 seconds at over 400w to bring it back up to 309. 

Caved in a bit mentally at around the 15 minute mark...but tried my best to hold it together.  Knowing it was just a test run is really hard to push through when things get really sucky.

axteraa - 2013-04-03 3:55 AM

+1 but make sure everything (the edge of the cover and the surface you are taping to) is nice and clean to ensure it sticks well.

I also duct tape one side of the cover to the spokes on the inside.  Some people have to do this to give them enough clearance to use the cover.  I do it because I find it cuts down on any rattling on rough roads.

GoFaster - 2013-04-03 10:24 AM

I do this, but use Tuck Tape (builders tape for the insulation vapor barrier, and verrrry sticky).  If I didn't use it then the chain will rub in my smallest gear.  It seems every race I do has at least 1 hill where I need that gear!

Admittedly, I've never tried to tape my cover to the rim, I just didn't think there was enough clearance on a box rim to do it - but I know others have.  I've never had an issue using the screws, and things don't shift around on me, likely because I tape the spokes.

axteraa - 2013-04-03 4:51 AM

Definitely harder to do in a test run.  You'll have a carrot to chase in the actual TT.

heykev - 2013-04-02 1:43 PMAs far as pain there isn't any, but on the upper arm where it was hit there is a lump about the size of my fist. Doc says that all the muscle that hasn't been used and was injured on impact. He said pt should take care of it so that starts Thursday. All of the other swelling is gone and the forearm, wrist and hand look normal finally. I have to use one of those hand grip things to get my grip back in my hand as well as put my upper arm on a table or desk and push it flat and pull it toward my head since it won't move on it's own. I'm told this plus pt will get it going again but need to be patient. Other than that I've been going to the gym to just work on legs and I can now start to run. Still need to keep the bike on the trainer for two weeks but the streak still goes on. Guess it's a good time to bring the bikes into the shop and get them worked on.

ligersandtions - 2013-04-03 10:08 AM

I keep tossing around the idea of finding a 40k TT for exactly that reason....when I attempt to do power tests on my own, I don't quite have it in me to hurt that badly.  But in a race, with a carrot to chase (or at least in attempts to not have an embarrassingly slow time!), I'm sure I'd be willing to hurt a bit more!

TT's seem few and far between....or maybe they're well-kept secrets that only cyclists seem to know about.  So for now, I'll stick with arbitrarily bumping my FTP up a bit when the workouts start getting easy

reecealan - 2013-04-03 12:56 AM

Is that the Wheelbuilder aerojacket?  I was looking at those today.  I was thinking I could get a front aero wheel and use the cover on the rear.  I have two sets of wheels.  One set is the stock wheels from my Felt F75 which are MAVIC CXP-22S.  The other set, on the bike now, are Neuvation M28X.  Both are not on the "Incompatible" list so I'm hoping that one or the other will work.

I think that aerojacket is only $100 so I could buy some decent speed with the more expensive part being the front wheel.

It could be interesting though, I have a Felt road bike with PD T1 aerobars and a FF seatpost.  But I'm in a pretty good aero position.  So that road bike with disk cover in the back will be one of only a few at most race around here.  Problem is with my dimensional requirement on the 2013 Specialized Shiv and 2013 Felt B16 fit me.  Nothing else has the right stack and reach so I can't fit any decent used TT bikes.  I'm stuck until I get some dough...

 

TankBoy - 2013-04-03 4:22 AM

Nicole: check out http://www.usacycling.org/events/. If it is USAC sanctioned and licensed event it should be listed there - you should at the very least have a state championship race. We have a few others around here that are not sanctioned; to find those you may want to try contacting your LBSs that cater to road racers. In the town where I work they have a weekly summer TT series with points, funny prizes at the end, etc. I don't get to participate in it much, but it is a lot of fun and draws a good crowd.

ligersandtions - 2013-04-03 7:08 AM

I keep tossing around the idea of finding a 40k TT for exactly that reason....when I attempt to do power tests on my own, I don't quite have it in me to hurt that badly.  But in a race, with a carrot to chase (or at least in attempts to not have an embarrassingly slow time!), I'm sure I'd be willing to hurt a bit more!

TT's seem few and far between....or maybe they're well-kept secrets that only cyclists seem to know about.  So for now, I'll stick with arbitrarily bumping my FTP up a bit when the workouts start getting easy

mndymond - 2013-04-03 7:32 AM

I think my legs feel more tired today than they did on Sunday post race. Lol. Apparently I really did not take yesterday's ride easy enough....

Last day in Cali! 7-8k easy run...Going to make it a sightseeing run and goodbye (for now) lovely Oceanside. Swim in weird 33.3 yd pool at lunch. 

Also got a suggestion for a sunscreen to try to prevent me from experiencing 'Ironburn" again...its called Planet Sun. Apparently lots of triathletes and pro surfers use it. Mix of Zinc and Titanium Oxide. Will it make my pasty (not so pasty now) skin invincible?? lol.

brigby1 - 2013-04-03 12:07 AM

Maybe I'm just really tired, but not really understanding this part. The Shiv is a substantially taller bike than the B16, so not sure why those two are the limits of comparison?

reecealan - 2013-04-03 10:57 AM

D'oh, meant the new B12!

mndymond - 2013-04-03 7:49 AM

Signing up for IM Canada is very tempting. Still have IMF spots left. I think I'll volunteer this year if I can get my schedule to work out. I wonder if I would be allowed to volunteer as medical for the race? Would be pretty cool I think. Maybe IMC in 2014?? Would be cool to do a "home" IM.