Experior's Group - CLOSED (Page 44)

Here's how I would prioritize it:

1.  If the helmet has expired, replace it.  They do go bad.  You can get a new one for pretty cheap -- a fraction of that $200.
2.  Clipless pedals. The pedals plus shoes will eat up most of that $200, but they will give you the most bang for your buck.  You will be amazed.  Get tri-specific shoes (big velcro strap instead of buckles -- much easier to take off in transition).
3.  Trainer, if you want to do early spring races.  Otherwise, not so important IMO.
4.  Aero bars.  This is tricky because getting the fit right can be tricky, but the aero position is definitely noticeably faster.
5.  Random goodies for the bike (nice computer, nice bottle holder(s), gel flask, bento box).
6.  Clothing.

I vote for the helmet.  Like my dad said when I got my motorcycle license, "Son, do you have a $50 head or a $200 head?"

In addition to the safety aspect of your decision, I believe that Triathlete mag had an article a couple of months back regarding the relative benefits of various aero technology for the bike.  I don't remember the specifics, but upgrading to a newer helmet provided a much higher benefit / cost ratio than any other option.

- Mark

That's right.  If we're talking strictly about reducing aerodynamic drag, then the biggest benefits will generally be seen by

1.  improved rider position
2.  aero wheels
3.  aero helmet
4.  tight fitting clothing
5.  frame design
6.  other stuff

and probably in that order of importance, though this depends somewhat on the rider.  As for costs, I supposed they go something like this (lowest to highest)

1.  position -- some improvement is always free, but the biggest improvement you can make is getting into the aero position, which costs at least the price of clip-ons.
2.  helmet (but if it is your only helmet -- do you really want to be training in an aero helmet all the time???)
3.  clothing
4.  frame
5.  wheels (a wheel cover for the rear can be had for ~$100 and is as good as a disc wheel, although I believe that generally a good front wheel is more important, and that can run from a few hundred to a $1000 or more)

So aero helmet is likely your biggest bang for the aero buck, once you've got a pretty good position on the bike.

Having said that, my vote is still for the pedals (well, first of all, new helmet if you need one, as I said earlier, but you can do that AND the pedals).  They aren't areo, but they make a huge difference in pedaling efficiency (once you get used to them).  In other words, more of the power that you generate is transferred to the wheels.

In any case, if you get an aero helmet, please please please don't wear it like this: (!)




Edited by Experior 2010-03-30 1:12 PM

I agree with the above...I'd go for comfort on the helmet over any aero considerations. 

As for clipless pedals, I'm riding crank brothers pedals and I really like them...they are the best pedals I've had in terms of clipping in and out with ease (I haven't fallen over yet at a stoplight). I'd give them two enthusiastic thumbs up.  Riding clipless can be an unsettling feeling at first, but you get used to them pretty quickly and they do make a big difference.

A pair of gloves can be had for under $20 and can make your longer rides a bit more comfortable.  They're also good to have if you take a spill...they'll kee your hands from getting chewed up on the asphalt.

Hope everyone is having a nice day.  Spring has sprung here in Chicago...60s todays with 80s coming our way Thursday.  Our best weather in 6 very long months.

That helmet pic cracked me up!

In all seriousness: I work with guys that have TBI,  so I'm very aware of the long term damage and struggles people go through with brain injury. Therefore,  my vote would be a new good helmet!

Well good news is they found nothing abnormal with the ultrasound for my dog (Sam) yesterday so we went ahead with surgery today of his back right leg which apparently he tore his ligament pretty badly, this is after he finaly healed the left leg. They took xrays before the surgery they found that he tore his left leg too and they also found that his arthritis is really bad. As for the abnormality with the blood test we still don't know, so whatever it is lets hope it clears itself or doesn't show up for a couple of years. What's sad is this dog is the kind you want to last forever. We got him when he was five and he had to past two test, my other dog accepted him and good with kids. No problem with the other dog once she told him she was boss and he listened, and as for liking kids. Well one day my daughter who was three at the time rolled off the couch and fell on him while he was sleeping. All he did was lift his head and wagged his tail. PASS! You should see his smile!

I've decided to take this week off completely and not think about working out. I'm going to re-evaluate my plans this summer. I have no doubt I will be doing my first tri this summer it just may have to wait a little longer and instead of four races I may do two and add some run only races.

As for my bike search, I did find online about four potential used bikes under $500 that just might do the trick. But first I need to do some cash flow management after I take care of the vet bill.

Goodnight.

Great to hear that the dog is doing better, Sylvain.  Have a nice rest-week!

Hi Sylvain - glad to hear the good news about your dog.  I'm doing the same thing with this week.  I'm taking a week off before ramping up for my 1/2 marathon in May.  Aside from a lot of family commitments this week, it being DS and DW's spring break, and me being sick and not really being able to eat since Saturday, I have no energy.  I'm starting to feel better, but a week off was probably due....

Scout

Sylvian, your pup sounds like one cool dog...glad he's OK.

A quick question for you all.  What do you folks carry for flat tire repair? 

When I rode in my youth I somehow managed to avoid flatting and got into the habit of riding around without a repair kit.  Well my luck ran out this morning...although only partially so, b-c there was a bike shop about 4 blocks from where I flatted.

Anyway, do you folks use a frame pump or a mini pump or the CO2 cartridges?  If the latter, do they fill your tire all the way up to a psi of 100+ or just enough to get home?

Thanks.



Edited by Stone Cutter 2010-03-31 1:29 PM

In my bag I have a small multi tool, spare tube, CO2 with 2 or 3 spare cartridges, tire levers and a small patch kit.  I've had to use the CO2 on occasion, and don't recall if it gets the tire up to 100 psi, but if it doesn't, it gets it darn close.  Plus my road-id is on my wrist and my mobile phone is in my jersey pocket along with some cash.

Flatting 4 blocks from a bike shop!  You must live a charmed life...  Reminds me when I was in high school and ran my (parents') car out of gas in the middle of nowhere, but happened to be literally 100 yards from a rural gas station.  And let's just say that at that moment, I really did not want to be calling my parents.

I carry pretty much what Scout does.  For shorter rides (< 50 miles), 2 CO2 cartridges a spare tube and a small patch kit.  For longer rides, 3 CO2 cartridges, 2 tubes, and a patch kit.   (On all rides I also carry 2 tire levers, a bike-specific multi tool, a cell phone, ID, cash, and ATM card).  Apart from the patch kit (knock on wood...), I have had to use all of these things at one point or another.  Not having them would have been the start of a really awful rest of my day.

I don't know what PSI the CO2 cartridges can get to, but it's enough.  I've ridden 90+ miles on a tire filled with a CO2 cartridge with no problem.  However, do be aware that CO2 escapes from the tire more quickly than air, so when you get home you'll want to let the CO2 out and pump it with air.

A few other things -- maybe this is all common sense, but I'll say it anyway:

* Practice with the CO2 cartridge once before you have to do it 'in the field'.  It's a minor waste, but much cheaper than a cab ride!
* Make sure to buy the type of cartridge that works with the type of attachment you have (e.g., mine works only with threaded cartridges)
* Whenever you have to change a tire -- but especially during a ride (where the consequences of repeated flats can be more unpleasant) -- try to ascertain the cause of the flat and act accordingly.  For example, I flatted just the other day and found a tiny piece of glass that had cut through the tire.  Obviously I pulled it out, but the hole in the tire was still there, so for a little insurance, I folded up a Cliff bar wrapper and put it over the hole.

Thanks for the tips- I'm going to go pick up a saddle bag and co2 kit later today.  I don't want to have to start planning my rides around bike shop locations.

I also signed up for a race on 22 May.  800m swim, 40K bike, 8K run.  I figured putting more money on the line will force me to get back into the pool...

Have a good day all.

Carry pretty much the same items as everyone else.  Use cartridges instead of a bike pump.  Also carry a tiny schrader valve adapter to fit over the presta valve just in case.

Nice! There's no backing out now.

Sylvain- I'm glad it sounds like your dog will recover fully.  Sounds like she's a great fit with your family. I love older dogs. I've never adopted a dog younger than 2 years old. Usually, I go for the ones that are at least 5.

Tomorrow is the day! I'm heading to the pool before work to attempt some pool running.

I've been trying to go in the evening for over a week now. But, by the time 8PM rolls around, my foot is swollen and too sore. So, I'm hoping an early morning trip to the gym will help out.

$$$$Money is a great motivator and the swim is not one of the legs to be unprepared for.  

If only I would have thought of that and signed up for a couple tris before my son started his baseball.  I haven't and now I have to wait on the game schedule so I can see what times on Sat. he plays.  If he plays early than I have to scratch the triathlons for that day; later in the day I can swing it and get back.  I don't mind too much as his season gets over in mid June.  May miss a pretty popular one in early June, but we'll see.

Get after it Stone Cutter.

Results for the March.  Missing a few here and there I think... so let me know if something needs to be updated. 

So, on to April... it's race season which may be enough to motivate everyone... give me a shout out if you want to keep going.  This certainly helped motivate me through the winter (and what a winter it was!).

	Goal 1	Progress	Goal 2	Progress
Brian	60 miles running	73	80% of bike outdoors	66%
Heidi	Lose 5 lbs	Injury Time Out	Workout 5 days / week	Injury TO
Mark	Lose 4.5 lbs to 165	.5	Sprint training levels	75%
Michael	3x Core / week	Met*
Mike
Pete
Phil	Weight 225*	228
Scout	Weight 155		Under 24 (23) in 5K	24.59
Stu	28 hrs, 12+ Bike / mo.	31 / 13	Improved nutrition (esp fruit)	April
Sylvain	Lose 5 lbs	-4	Swim < 2:00 / 100 for 1000	April
Will

Edited by juneapple 2010-04-02 4:51 AM

Got that right... never did do the Spring break thing.  Did visit my girlfriend's family a couple of times... and since that girlfriend became my wife, that was probably a good call :-)

Hope the pool goes well... I know you're itching to get back at it!

It looks like folks did a nice job on their goals. 

Heidi I'll be interested to hear how the pool running goes. My first time trying it was sort of disastrous and frustrating, but after a few tries I managed to do something that was somewhat similar to running, and certainly was a good workout, but also, to my mind, monumentally boring.  Here's hoping your experience is better than mine was!

My goal for April is just to get to the starting line of my HIM (May 2) with at least an outside shot at <5hr.  I've still got this thing going on in my leg that I can't shake.  I'm taking a very light week this week to try to get ready for three weeks of hard building before a week of taper prior to HIM. 

Speaking of HIMs, there are 41 spots remaining in next month's HIM in Virginia, so D-Day is fast approaching for me on that.  I know it won't be pretty, but this may be the height of my training as I've really had a difficult time getting the hours in and can't see it being much better in September (or next year).  The goodish news on preparation is that my daughter only got into one of the schools in the Northeast that she applied to (fortunately one of her top 2 choices), so next week's trip won't be quite so epic and can bookend the trip with a couple of long bike rides and run while I'm on the road. 

Kind of odd that now at most of the schools seniors find out acceptance via website... so yesterday she found out 5 schools within 10 minutes of each other... an intense evening of roller coaster highs and lows.  Maybe the biggest day in her life... and it showed... you could see months of stress released in her face and tears when it was all over.  She put so much into this... I was really proud of the way she committed herself to the whole process.  Inspiring :-)

So 3 weeks of hard build (avoiding injury) and then taper is the idea if I decide to go for it, eh Michael?  Guess mine will begin when we get back from NE.  (my tentative HIM is a week after yours).

Stu



Edited by juneapple 2010-04-02 11:00 AM

Michael or anyone else for that matter....I suspect I'll have to alter my plans for my second race of the year.  My dilemma is that my son's baseball games are on Saturdays and I need to be present for them.  In June is Blue Lake Tri which is a pretty popular race.  The Sprint Distance is on a Sat. and Olympic Distance on Sunday.  The other issue is that the Northwest Tri Club Championship is also on Sunday as part of the Olympic Distances races and it would be nice to race with other club members as part of the race.  My question is, in your opinion am I on target with my training to do this distance?  I think I am as I am following an Olympic Distance plan right now, but would like your thoughts as well.

My training plan is on BT and up to date.

Brian

Pool running: I'm not sure that I was doing it completely right. I checked out some youtube videos to get the general idea, but it felt pretty awkward.

Michael, you're right-it's incredibly boring. I'm looking around to see if any one makes a cheap waterproof mp-3 player.
I managed to do 15 minutes today, and followed it up with 15 minutes of lap swim. I was surprised that I felt like I was getting an arm workout during the running session.

My foot feels sore tonight, the nerve issue is a little more intense than usual. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm hoping I can hit the pool 3 or 4 times a week for the running. It seemed like a good workout, even if my technique wasn't awesome.

Hi Brian,

This is totally based on my own experience, so take it for what it is worth.  We seem to be more or less the same weight, training about the same amount, and similar times on run anyway, and maybe you are a little younger than I am and maybe I've done a few more tris than you, but I'm am definitely a novice, so I think my experience might translate reasonably well to your situation.

a) I'm in better shape right now than I was last year when I ran an Olympic distance, and our training is similar right now, so I think you have sufficient training to finish.  Mine wasn't pretty... did some walk/running on the 10K, but there was never any question about finishing.  I feel pretty confident right now that I'd do better than last year if I did an OLY now.

b) I think it is important that you have a Sprint behind you when you do the OLY.  A sprint is a big step up from a distance run (different at least) and the OLY is a big step from a Sprint.  Doing the Sprint will get you used to the whole experience... if you did some last year (can't recall if you did), then you're in really good shape.

c) Third (and I say this with a big smile)... if you are not sure about an OLY in June, what the heck am I doing thinking about an HIM in May!!!

d) Last, it's not a disaster to let one pass, you know... there is always another Tri coming around the corner.  You don't have to do them all :-)

Have fun, whatever you decide!

Stu

Stu, thank you for your insights, I totally appreciate what you had to say, you make very good and sensible points.  I did three sprints last year. (2 of those were shorter by a 1/4 mile for the swim) and the last one of the year was a full sprint and I had an amazing swim.  When I came out of the water I was so pumped with my time and effort.  I am so further along this year than I every imagined I would be.  Having to train for the 10 K pushed my run into another gear as well as the winter biking class.  The Blue Lake Sprint is really flat (great for a person new to the distance) and I would need to experiment with pacing myself on the bike as a tri club member said to me earlier today.  I guess I am somewhat excited about it and would probably go back to sprints for at least two or three races (very hilly bikes) and then do an olympic (as was planned) at the end of Sept.  I would also be contributing to the Tri Club Championship (Willamette Valley Tri Club) [which I am the Web Coordinator] which we got third last year, but had very few people racing and they use the Olympic Distance Race for the Club Championship.  

Most likely I'll do the race at the Olympic Distance and look at my plan to see if I need to step it up a notch.  Thanks again.