Caius's Group - CLOSED (Page 22)

That does sound wild!  Should be a cool race report to read!

Got some aerobars deliverd today.  However (isn't there always a "however"?) they interfere with my horizontal brake levers.  Got the bars installed today, but need to move the brake levers a bit.  I'll drop the bike off at the shop tomorrow for a day or two and see what they can do with it.

I have my goal race on August 10!  It's a womens-only tri 500m swim, 20K bike, 5K run.  I'm feeling pretty good about it; a little nervous about the bike but there will be NO FLAT TIRES this time!

After that, I am going to take it a little easier for a week or two because I'm a little burned out of training.  I wouldn't mind doing a 10K in September though. 

I'm thinking of doing a half marathon next spring in either Calgary or Vancouver.

If anyone's interested, they just announced a new Ironman 70.3 here in Calgary next summer.  I'm definitely not ready for that though.  Although now that I see it written down, I start wondering . . .

ETA - we're having a little family triathlon for my kids this weekend.  We're going to swim at a local pool (my 8 year old says he'll do 4 lengths), then return home for a very short bike (like 250 m), then a run (the run will likely be longer than the bike).  I'm hoping to get dollar store medals for my kids.  They're very excited!

The family triathlon idea sounds like a lot of fun. I'm pretty sure the kids will love it! Especialy for the medals. Great idea.

As for the Calgary 70.3, wow I wasn't aware. That is awesome! I like the idea of more events in Canada. If airfares would be more reasonable I'd totally be up for that. I love Calgary and surrounding area.

http://www.ironmancalgary.com/

Registration is August 2 - will probably sell out.  From what I can see, the bike and run courses will be beautiful.  Hilly too...

Dropped the bike off today, it'll be ready Friday.

Good luck on your tri Tracy!  I know you are excited!

Thanks, yeah, I love them. They are pretty amazing. Super damn expensive though. My wife bought them for me as a surprise present for IMLP. I know! That's insane! It is not something I would have bought myself and I actually pleaded with her to return them and exchange them for something less high-end.

I definitely noticed a difference riding them at LP. Too bad I was shivering cold otherwise I'm sure my bike splits would have been substaintially better.

They are tubulars. I've been doing a LOT of reading on the difference between the two. You have camps on both sides of the fence, each with very strong arguments of why one is better than the other. Anything from aerodynamics, to weight difference to rolling resistance, etc.

The truth is that there is no clear cut winner. Both technologies have their pluses and minuses and from my perspective they're equal. Here's my take which is based on everything that I've read.

1. Tubular wheels are lighter. True, however this is offset by the fact that you now have to carry a heavier tire, in comparison with a lightweight tube. Of course, the wheels/tires are slightly lighter themselves which means less rotational mass = a good thing.

2. Tubular wheels are more aerodynamic. This depends on the manufacturer. When some manufacturers make clincher deep wheels, they mate the aluminum section to the carbon which completely upsets the aero benefits of the wheel. Others, like ZIPP, build their tubular wheels and clincher wheels separately and take into account this factor during the design process. ZIPP wheels are equally aerodynamic in both tubular and clincher form.

3. Tubulars are less prone to flats. True. Pinch flats are pretty much gone due to the design of the tires.

4. Tubulars are more comfortable. True. The ride feels less jarry then on clinchers.

5. Tubulars are more adjustable. True. You can adjust pressures to suit your needs for the day. The reality is that most people do not do this.

6. Tubulars are more difficult to change if you do get a flat. I thought this to be true based on what I read but once someone showed me how do remove the old tire and put on the new one, it was an absolute piece of cake. It is so much simpler to change tubulars.

7. Clinchers tires offer better rolling resistance. True. However, if tubulars are glued on properly (which then makes them more difficult to remove/mount) then the difference is negligible.

8. Tubulars leak. True, tubulars do loose pressure over time. They loose probably 10-15 PSI overnight. Not sure if this is a big deal. Also, if we're going to compare tubulars to clinchers then you need to use latex tubes in the clincher. Latex leaks so the clinchers will loose the same pressure as well.

9. All carbon wheels require different brake pads. Sort of true. While you could use your regular brake pads on your all carbon rims, the pads could have some aluminum embedded in them from your regular wheels which could harm the carbon/ceramic surface. Ideally, for longevity and also for improved stopping power, you should change to an appropriate brake pad for call carbon rims. This is not a big deal in my opinion.

10. Tubulars are more expensive. True. A good tubular tire costs about twice what a good clincher tire costs. However, you use your race wheels much less often then your regular clinchers so life span is greater.

So there's my take on things. There used to be a significant difference between the two, but technologies have improved over the past couple of years and I don't think we can pick a clear cut winner.

For what it's worth, some top level pros are now using clinchers though the majority are still on tubulars.

No powermeter but I do use a HRM religiously. I use it during my training sessions to stay within my target zones. During the race itself I use it to pace myself to make sure that I don't spend myself too early. However, I'm beginning to question the later. I have a pretty good sense now of how I'm doing and I wonder if I'm holding back too much. It is a race after all and maybe I should just be giving it all I've got.

Up until now I've been simply upping my race distances so I did not want to blow up. Finishing was task #1. Especially at the IM distance where you've worked so long to get to that point. For any shorter races though, I think I'm going to ditch the HRM going forward and just go by feel. Let's see how that works out.

As you can see, I don't much feel like working today and would much rather chat

Keep the questions coming.

Right. Train on the OEM wheels and clinchers and race on the Zipp carbon tubulars. It's all due minimize wear and tear on the race wheels. As a side benefit, since the regular wheels/tires are a tad heavier, when you switch to the race wheels it feels a tad easier on the legs due to their lower weight.

Question - yesterday I helped a friend move two apartments into one house. We started at 8AM and didn't finish until about 10PM. Does that count as training in my workout blog?

I've had him swear that he won't be moving in the next 10+ years. I've also asked my wife to do the same. I think I'm covered for a bit Sheesh!

Caius - that counts as training!

I think my tires are 'tubular' - that means they have tubes, right?  Stupid question but... I sure hope know my new tubes are better than my last ones, since I got two pinch flats in my last tri!

No more flat tires!

Hey - read my blog from yesterday to learn what it is like to have your car stolen and returned!  That's right Caius, come to Calgary to do Ironman 70.3 and ...

Oh man, that must have been a horrible feeling to realize that your car was stolen. I'm glad that you were able to get it back and outside of less gass there was no damage done to it. Still, it's an uneasy feeling. One of loss of privacy. It sucks. I've had two of my cars broken into (damaged in both cases) and completley leaves you feeling vulnerable. Hope you feel better today.

As for your question re: tubes, not really.

Clincher tires "clinch" to the metal part of a rim. Here's what a cross section of clincher tires looks like.

Tubulars on the other hand look like this.

Both types of tires have tubes in them. If the tube pops on a clincher, you replace the inner tube. If a tube pops on a tubular, you replace the entire tire as the tube inside sealed inside. I mean, okay, there is a way to replace it but it's WAY beyond my knowledge or scope of this post. I think most people just replace the whole thing.

On the clincher tires, it's friction and pressure that hold the tire in place. On the tubulars, it's glue (or special double sided sticky tape) that hold the tire to the rim. Tubular rims don't have the metal edge that clincher wheels do.

On the topic of tubes, did you know that there are two types of inner tubes? Latex and butyl. Butyl tubes are thicker, hold pressure for a long time and are more resiliant. They are also significantly heavier than latex inner tubes.

As I aluded, latex tubes are very light. The lightness translates to less weight (yes, we're talking grams/ounces here) but it does make a difference in the feel of the bike. However, due to their thinness, they don't hold pressure overnight (will loose about 10-15 psi) and are slightly more puncture sensitive. I've had great luck with latex though and much much prefer them over butyl tubes.

If you're going to try latex, then don't cheap out. Like with everthing there are good and bad ones. Spend the etra couple of $ and try a GOOD lightweight latex tube like Michelin or Bontrager Super Lights just to see what it's like

Timmeh! as for carrying a spare, yeah, I cary a folded up spare tubular tire. I strap it to the bottom of my seat and put even wrap some electrical tape around it for extra measure.

Aagh - at first I couldn't remember where my car was supposed to be!  Anyway, all better now.  Thanks Caius for the info on the tires.  Mine are apparently clinchers but good ones.  I just have to believe "no more flats" in my tri next Sunday (Aug 10) anyway!

Maybe it's all in my head, but yeah, I can tell the difference. To mee, the ride is different and the wheels spin up easier. The ones I liked the best were the Bontrager XXX Lite which way in at only 50g (1.76 ounces). Give 'em a whirl.