TEAM RFP (Relentless Forward Progress) CLOSED (Page 19)

I have sort of an interesting (tho I don't think original) dilemma. I'm curious which you all would do under these circumstances. I have a 2006 Argon 18 Mercury with 105 groupset. This is a dedicated tt bike. Frame is aluminum but the forks and rear triangle are carbon. I like the bike. I recently bought a 2008 Giant TCR Advanced road bike. It's full carbon with SRAM Rival groupset. I don't need two bikes (and can't explain why I bought the second one other than I liked it and got a nice deal on it). Should I keep the Argon and dump the Giant or dump the Argon and just set the Giant up as a part-time tri bike.

I know a road bike will never be the ideal tri bike but it seems to me that if (at least for the time being) I'm only going to keep one bike, road bike seems to make good practical sense.

I live in a pretty hilly area so riding in aero position for long flat periods of time doesn't occur that often for me (unless on on the trainer).

What would you do?

I had a road bike for many years until I finally purchased my tri bike last summer. Even though I had aero bars on my road bike, it wasn't the same. it's great having both bikes. I must add that my wife thinks I'm crazy but I also have 4 bikes in my garage. Anyway, I like hagving both because like you mentioned being in the aero position all the time is not ideal for me. The road bike gives me more control and it allows me to enjoy my rides. I like having the tri bike because I can use it for training rides and when I'm not out on a group ride.

Basically I would keep both bikes as long as you can. Use the road bike for normal to hard rides and bring out your tri bike on days when you really want to hammer down a ride. I also take in consideration what time of the day I'm going out because I live in a highly populated area and the traffic can influence what bike I'll be on. Tri bikes are harded to control. My bike club does not allow tri bikes because they are harder to control.

Hope this helps,

Excellent.

I think everyone should have a road bike. But I was wondering. Since you won't get a lot of cash for a used bike, is there any reason you have to dump one or the other? Both have their uses. When I say everyone should have a road bike, I mean that from a versatility standpoint. Group rides commuting, trainer. TT has its place too but far more limited. If you have to dump one, you can get aero bars that clip on. But only you know your situation.

Edited by IceManScott 2014-02-20 4:47 PM

Hope you are feeling better Gil



Edited by kcgolf 2014-02-21 3:49 PM

Nice job Nate - way to go

I am with Scott on this one - the tri bike is not worth much - so why get rid of it? I have both actually. My first bike purchased about 4 years ago was a cheaper NORCO road bike with clip on aero bars. I used it for my first year of Triathlon and it worked. I still have it and occasionally still use it if my Tri bike is in the shop for tune ups etc. I am thinking about getting another road bike believe it or not - a better one, for all the reasons Scott has mentioned. So - keep it.

KC

Ok Team - had a great Friday - 3000 meters in the pool this morning - can't explain it but I just felt like swimming so I did . I followed that up with a nice one hour zone 2 run on the mill and then enjoyed the Canadian victory in hockey. I am going to finish the week off tomorrow morning with a 3 hour trainer ride - wish me luck team.

Stay safe everyone.

KC

Anybody else use a Neti Pot? I started about 6 years ago and haven't had a cold since.

Great article on what is of value when it comes to bike speed. Spending a fortune for a lighter bike is not among them.

http://freetrispeed.com/2013/11/04/bike-weight-and-the-myth-of-fast...

Great article. I couldn't agree more. If I stay away from the cheesburger once a week and bike 10 more minutes a week, I will get faster than upgrading to a lighter bike

Todd

I had a good training week. My calf had a minor flare up during the week, but I have been stretching and foam rolling it after every workout.


Bike: 204 minutes for about 60 miles
Run: 140 minutes for about 17.5 miles
Swim: 90 minutes for about 4000 yards - mostly stroke work and drills
Strength: 140 minutes - core, arms, back, and legs

Looking forward,

Todd

I used to use one. I have had three surgeries to remove enlarged polyps from my nose, and I used one for about 2 years...I should really get back to using it! I does wonders for colds and infections!

Hi Scott. I have been using one since you introduced me to it about 2 years ago - thanks.

KC

Nice work Todd. I have to get back into the strength training but struggling to find the time.

KC

Hello Team RFP,

I need some advice. I have the opportunity to run in a half marathon in 2 weeks but I'm not sure if I should risk it. With my sore ankle in late Jan and travel in early Feb I missed my volume targets for a month.

Mid November to mid January -- 15 miles per week
Mid January to mid February -- 5 miles per week
Last week -- 18 miles

My runs are around 4 miles and my ankle feels normal now. I think I could safely do 20 miles this week before tapering, but my long run would only be 8 miles. Is that enough, or is the gulf between 8 and 13.2 too large? Goal is to run the entire half mary and enjoy it.

Then run/walk if you have to... The suggestion is we work to a long run one mile at least longer than the race. Run coaches use that even for marathons for lordy sake. Why? I do not know. But if you are not too committed to PR, what the hell. Go get the shirt. Just run walk. The proviso is if you are hurt in any way, forget it. Not worth hurting yourself on a B race this early on. I'm assuming you've done halfs before and know the drill and distance.

I'm making time for strength exercises 4 to 5 times a week but here's the deal. Just do 5 to 30 mins each time. You can do that. Pushups, planks, etc. I do K bells. It is making a difference in the hip, I think.

Yeah, my strength workouts are 15 to 30 minutes at a time. Mostly core work and light weights/high reps for legs and back.

Last week was pretty solid all told my numbers are, swim: 10,400 yds, bike: 6hr30 min, run: 3hr 45mins with 2 strength training sessions. This week is off to a rough start, so here's hoping I can turn it around. Also I finally got my bike fit done so I get to start riding my first TT bike ever! I hope everyone has a great week!

P.S. random question (ulterior motive, long ride coming up this weekend) everyone's favorite tv series or movies to watch while on the trainer?


Helen

That is a beast of a week! Good job, Helen!

Wow. Nice. Do you have an IronMan coming soon?

Yep...well sort of, I'm in week 7 of 24 in my training plan for IM CDA, June 29th.

Those are great numbers. I've never done that much in the pool in one week.

I like NCIS. Got into them and caught up to the present. I also watch training videos. Double tasking to save some time. Star Wars has 6 movies in the bunch. Harry Potter has what, 6 or 7? Bourne series. Action stuff.

Greta job on the core workouts.

I 've been doing 25 minutes of core exercises for a week now and I'm stating to feel better on my runs and swims. Maybe it's a mental thing but I'll know better if it's paying off for me in a few more weeks.