Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 61)

hahaha great idea!

Don't get all bummed out about it.  It's because you've been increasing your weekly volume.  You can't increase volume & intensity at the same time.  You will suprise yourself after a 3 week taper.

I love recovery weeks I get so rejuvenated.  I can’t wait to hit it hard again this week.

You mean this little guy?

Okay, okay, that was cheesy.  I couldn't help myself.    Just thought we could use some fun on this thread now that everyone seems to be in "build mode".

On another note, I rode the CdA computrainer course today.  I think the computer probably didn't do a good job imitating the hills in Hayden.  They didn't seem hard enough.  I'm going to try to start riding outside and finding the hilliest courses possible starting next weekend.  Weather permitting, of course.

I hate recovery weeks. However, they are really good for you if you are ok with tolerating the anxiety. I saw Jorge refer to it as adaptation week and I like that title better. Kind of like how I hate the word offseason. I prefer non-racing season.

Anyhow, I have now pounded my taint into submission. 2x4+ hour trainer rides in the last couple weeks not to mention the other riding when the weather was better.

I don't know how you Northern residing triathletes do it. I was born and raised in NJ, but I am so glad to be in Northeast Ga, so I can train outdoors more than if I lived up North.  I don't think I'd ever move back. Hope y'all (see I can speak Southern) had a great training/racing weekend!

If I didn't live in southern California, I would've given up this thing long time ago.    Sorry folks, I had to say it.  Training year-round outside is the only way to go.  Of course, there are other things we have to deal with over here.

Great question and I'm curious to hear responses!  I used the Pro3s for a few years and switched to the Conti 4000s last year.  I've had less flats on the Contis, but that may have just been a result of less riding last year.  I currently have Gatorskins on my bike so that I can ride outside in this crummy weather without flatting every time I go out.  I'm not sure what I'll switch back to before race day.

I'm running clinchers, Vitorria Diamonte Pro on my tri bike.  I've had all types of problems flatting with my tri bike, road bike & mtn bike out here with the dreaded "goat head thorns" prevalent in the southwest.  My problems went away when I started using Kevlar tire liners.  Yeah, it's an additional 50g per tire.  With that kind of protection, you may even opt for carrying no spare tubes or repair?  The risk is up to the user.

Assume you are riding clincher...

1) Latex tubes are a must - it's free speed and there is no downside.  I'd recommend you have a butyl as a spare though... latex can be harder to change without pinching, especially if you are in a rush and sweaty.

2) You need to think about both aerodynamics and rolling resistance.  What rims are you using on race day?  Most zipps do better with a wider (22-23mm) tire, whereas HED tri spoke would be best on a narrower (19-20mm) tire.

I'll just tell you that I ride SRAM s80 (essentially zipp808 rims).  I took as gospel what TomA and AFM (AFM did the crr testing @ biketechreview) on slowtwitch advise... they've literally done the research for us and know more about making bikes go faster via gear choices than I'll ever forget.  They generally suggest an aero but low rr tire up front, and a more robust but still low rr tire in back.  For me (because of my rims) that would either be:

1) bontrager r4 aero (front) and specialized mondo open tubular (rear) -- that last one is a clincher despite the name.

2) specialized mondo open tubular on both... loss of a little aero but increase in durability.

The Mich Pro Race 3 or Continental GP4000S are good all around tires for training and racing if you are only going to have one tire (though I would go with Vittoria Open Corso Evo CX for those myself)... but they are NOT racing tires.  I would NEVER use them on race day unless I was particularly concerned about flats due to crappy pavement on a large part of the course or something.

I run Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CXs.  I was a Conti GP/Triathlon user until I did some homework and discovered how slow they are versus some other tires.  I've used the Corsa's since last year and not a single flat.   

The second link has some nice examples of latex vs butyl.  It does make a big difference.   

http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/rolres.html

http://www.industrializedcyclist.com/tiretest.pdf

That tire is made by Vittoria and is the same as the Open Corsa EVO CX except it costs $10 more per tire.  All per a rep I talked to last year. 

Thanks for that advice 3Aims.  I am thinking 21mm up front and 23 in the back.  Or would you do 21 for both... Thoughts?

No doubt it's all about finding the right balance between fast and flat-proof.  IMHO don't let your bad luck scare you away from a faster tire.  Tangente 21mm tubular is one of the best choices for an 808, imho, though the Vittoria Corso Evo I mentioned previously will probably be better at the speeds I ride.  Here's a thread for you with comments from Jordan Rapp (note, zipp sponsored but I believe very fair about not just plugging his sponsors without backing it up with data/argument).

An insert completely throws off any crr values... it's a measure of how much energy it takes to deform the tire/tube.  IMHO there is no point to riding a low crr tire + an insert... better off just riding something more robust sans insert.

I haven't looked at the math in a while, but latex tubes + loww crr tires can add save several minutes from your bike split... even more minutes than a quickly-changed flat can cost you.  Considering the vast majority of people riding this setup do not flat on race day, I personally think it is worth the very slight risk.

As for whether these conversations are relevant to those who do not want to KQ... here's a quick story.  Last year I had just finished IMLP... 10 minutes before the bike cutoff.  That meant I had a front row seat to people who missed the bike cutoff by a few seconds or minutes.  One woman, who missed by less than 2 minutes, broke down in tears BEGGING the official to let her try the run... that this was her 6th time trying and she had never finished the bike.  She was riding armadillos, and my heart ached for her because I can pretty much guarantee that they cost her more than 2 minutes. 

Faster is faster, regardless of how actually fast you are.  While the chance of a flat may increase slightly with faster tires, let's not act like the tires metioned here are a roll of the dice.  With 2500 people riding 112 miles, you'll see a bunch of flats.  Many are user error - improperly installed and pinched... hit a pothole and flatted.  Some are just bad luck... picked up a sliver of glass/wire.  For all of those, it really doesn't matter much what tire you are using.  I would guess that there might be half a dozen or so flats on race day that MIGHT have been prevented by using slower tires... and those are odds I'll take any day.

I agree with the sentiment of what you said, but it would be a cold day in hell before I spent 10 minutes on a flat, even on the rear tire.  My advice: use fast tires / tubes on race day and practice changing tires in training.  I did a change in under 1 minute (clincher) during my final race last summer.

DO make sure you are familiar with the tire you're using.  Don't swap to a race tire right before the event without getting some miles on it first.  50-100 miles to break it in will generally reduce the rolling resistance.  And it'll make it easier to change the tire once it's broken in.  The Zipp Tangente tires, for example, are a royal pain to get on/off the rim when they are new.

LOL!!!  Awesome!

I laugh now, but I have seen relationships get hit after one spouse doing IM.  I know with my daughter in competitive dance it is getting tougher to get my workouts in especially as time goes on the plan calls for more hours.   I need to focus more on keeping the wife happy, because when that happens, everyone is happy.  :-)

That is SO COOL!!  Way to bond with your dad!

I don't have family racing, but a lot of friends are racing it.