Stoop Dog's Tri Group - CLOSED for 2010! (Page 7)

I'll go first since my answers are easy. I don't have a bike and I haven't been on one in 15 years...haha. I don't really know the difference between mountain, road, or tri....and I have NO IDEA what you're talking about when you say "clipless." Doing my first sprint in June, which is my first anything...so I don't have a worst or best yet I got on a stationary bike at the Y today during my work out for the first time and started the "Couch to cycling" training program that's on here. I'm going to do the cycling on my off days from running.  I might venture into a spin class next month.

Amy 

Richard, I had been just logging time and miles Aug-Nov to just get some base built up.  I came across a winter cycle challenge and started that a few weeks ago, it was pretty challenging to me.  I only did 2 sessions and had a weird feeling in my hamstring and took a few weeks off to mend.  I am now back into it and am taking it easy to start.  I will get back to the program when I think I am ready.

I am ussing my 15 year old MTB.  Luckily it had very good components for the era and just got a check up at the LBS in August.  I use it on the trainer in the garage with regular pedals.  Just put a new seat on it about a month ago, the old one was literally going to do some damage.

I used to be a weekend warrior MTBer.  Did a few 24 hr races and had alot of fun, but that was a long time ago.

I have been to just about every bike shop around checking out the goodies and will have a new ride before the spring.  I have not had any out on the road yet, so I have no idea what to expect or compare them to other than each other.

How about you?  You have obviously done quite a few tris, I would like to hear your stuff.

Thanks.

Paul 

Here are my answers!

What is everyone doing for bike fitness over the winter season? I am spinning. It is cold & icy here during the winter months. I am working on my running fitness over winter. Am also trying to fight y ultimate foe...the swim!!! I am trying to do cycling maintenance.

Do you own a bike? Mountain? Road? Tri I a specialized Hybrid (commuter bike & for riding with kids) & also a cannondale road bike (Synapse). Will probably buy a specific Tri bike in next few months. Debating on which, but probably Cannondale. My LBS has a cut rate & they are good bang for buck.

Now, are you Road riding? Trainer? Spinning? As mentioned, I am spinning every Sat morning. I use regular exercise bike, at gym, everytime I am there, for warm-up & once or twice a week for 4--50 minute ride. I considered buying a trainer, but decided not to. Could chat about pros & cons if anyone wants.

Clip or clipless? My hybrid has toe straps. Use cycling shoes with my roadie.

Been biking long? Started biking in May!!! Needed a break from running. Had not rode or owned a bike since I was 13. The ride home with my hybrid was fun, riding uphill...learned to use gears very quickly!! My cycling pedigree is short. I have logged about 2500km since May

Where does biking sit among the triad...best? Middle? worst? I like it the best, for pure fun. I think I can make some gains here. The cardio from running does give some transferable bike fitness.

There's my cycling story!

Richard

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 4:56 AM

Hey Amy, you are like putty, no bad habits or preconcieved notions. We can mold you into a cycling machine!!!Firstly, 15 years...try 30 (for me). Nevertheless, it was fun & very easy to learn again.

Continue with the cycling at the gym. Go to a short Spin class & try it!! It is fun! Remember you determine the resistance of the bike, so you can make it as hard or vas easy as you like. No one is going to criticise you. You may find the music & comraderie of a group class, something you look forward to.

As far as a bike, not sure where you live or if you can cycle year round or not, but when you can get outside comfortably, you need to. There is no substitute for outdoor riding! Depending on your finances, will help determine what kind of bike you can get. The fit, I think will be most important. Don't buy something too big or small, even if it is a great deal. Are you thinking used or new? Can get into clips then.

This is going to be such fun, watching you blossum into a powerhouse!!!

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 5:07 AM

Hey Paul,You overstate my experience about Tris...I gotta leave that to Phil, the boss!

Nevertheless, You will probably adapt to the cycling well. As you know, there is muscle memory & your cycling legs will come back. Faster than if you had never cycled. Building your base is wise!

Have you decided on a Bike yet? I assume it will be a Tri or Roadie? Have you used cycling shoes? They were a little scary, but are incredibly efficient & improved me markedly. My spin class had bikes which I can clip my shoes in & I continue to try & work on my cycling push/pull strokes. This is much easier, when you are clipped in. I have roadie shoes now, but are a little hard to get out of & will probably buy Tri shoes as well, when I get my new ride. Not sure what your budget is & whether you are going aluminum or carbon, but I am sure you will marvel at the weight compared to your old mountain bike!!!

Let us know what you are looking at. There a number articles about the pros & cons of Tri vs Road bikes. I went through this when I bought my Roadie in July.

Richard

Have you thought a little maintenace cycling in over winter. If you have the trainer anyway. Even half hour to an hour, a couple of times a week will help maintain. Remember, cycling is the longest part of all these events. In a sprint, making up 5 mins in a 15 minute swim is very hard!!! Making up 5 minutes on a 40 minute bike, is much more do-able. The bike is the biggest portion & will probably give the biggest gains!!

I share your concern about the swim. Not drowning is paramount!!! This is where I am.

Did you have any trouble adapting to cycling pedals & shoes?

Where are you with swimming? I assume you are doing a front crawl. Flip Turns?

R

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 5:38 AM

Richard,  I really feel that I am weak on the bike.  I thought that I would be better, but gaines right now are slow and hard.  Once I got to actually running, it seems that I can add distance and increase pace much easier.  I thought that it would the opposite.  Reguardless, I will continue to keep at it.  A guy I know raced the IM 70.3 in FLA and averaged like 26mph for the bike leg, I couldn't believe that, that is some work.  I know the pros better that but his is just an AGer.

I haven't rode any bikes yet but am considering a Felt.  The Pittsburgh Tri Club(I belong) is sponsored by a Felt dealer and we get a nice discount, and I spoke to the owner for about 2 hours one day about bikes and he impressed me.  I explained that I am new to this road bike stuff and don't have a clue about any of it.  He explained so much to me that I should have been taking notes.  He was a racer a few years ago and is a super guy.

I am going carbon and haven't made a decision reguarding group sets.  Is it worth the money to upgrade from 105 to Ultegra?  That is where I am at.  I could not believe what these frames weighed the first time a picked one up!  Unreal, considering I am riding a crome moly frame.  I am doing the road bike thing first, seems to make sense for group rides and to get to get the feel of all things roadie.  Maybe some day I will consider a TT/Tri bike.

I am going clipless on the new ride and will probably just get tri shoes.  My MTB has old strapped pedals, but I took the straps off years ago for family rides and haven't replaced them.  I am sure it will take me some time to get used to clipless pedals/shoes but I think it shoul be do-able.

You are a warrior to be out running in this weather!  I can't get motivated to run in these single digit temps.  Good job of getting out there and enduring the elements!  I will try to push myself to get out there shortly, hopefully we will see some relief to this bitter cold snap.

I am supposed to start swim lessons this Monday, but the pool is undergoing some maintenance that is running behind schedule.  Not sure if I will start this week or not.  I hope to get started soon, because I haven't been in the pool for 25-30 years swimming laps.

Thanks for the interest and help.

Paul

 

Using my Macbook this morning and noticing issues w/ formatting:Here's a list of all interested parties with their BT alias first followed by their name:1) BROONSY - Phil2) CAPN DUTCH - Jeff3) GOGOGO - Richard4) KARL1965 - Karl5) KRISTEN8040 - Kristen6) BRENTROLF - Brent7) BUYERRYAN - Ryan8) BWINGATE - Bruce9) JONKJ - Jonathan10) MOMTOLUCYLILL - Amy11) RIPPER10 - Paul12) SAWFISH50 - William13) PASTOOPS - Phil (me!)Looks like a good group...who ever said 13 was unlucky anyway? Have a great weekend everyone.Phil

Good article posted today here at BT regarding getting a bike:http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1861Phil

Hey hey, what about me.  Did I get kicked out.  :>   Not allowed....

LanierSpots, Ryan

 

whoa! Sorry Ryan!

Back on my PC so will send a complete list momentarily which will be formatted to fit correctly...

Phil

Ok, we blew by 13 thankfully...
1) BROONSY - Phil
2) CAPN DUTCH - Jeff
3) GOGOGO - Richard
4) KARL1965 - Karl
5) KRISTEN8040 - Kristen
6) BRENTROLF - Brent
7) BUYERRYAN - Ryan
8) BWINGATE - Bruce
9) JONKJ - Jonathan
10) MOMTOLUCYLILL - Amy
11) RIPPER10 - Paul
12) SAWFISH50 - William
13) PASTOOPS - Phil
14) LANIERSPOTS - Ryan

That should do it...hopefully I haven't missed anyone...could be a few more coming so stay tuned..

Phil

I've thought about setting up the trainer for a little work here and there.  I might do it, I might not.  (I know I should)

Keep at the bike. If you haven't done it hard in several years it will take a while. I found this when I started running 2 years ago. Couldn't run more than 5 mins. Once I got rolling started to make quicker improvements. Unfortunately I am stuck again!!

Felt is a great brand. A friend has one & loves it. There is no dealer in my area & I am fearful that if I need service, that I would be not looked after. You gotta go with what your LBS can look after. You won't go wrong with a Felt.



I have a105 on my Hybrid & Ultegra on my Roadie. The Ultegra is much smoother, changes better & a notable improvement. You can always change it if necessary. If the cost is not a big deal, I would go Ultegra, however, if you do see a Tri bike in the future, you may go thru the same questions & costs. You could always add aero bars to the roadie & use this. It will hnot have the same geometry as Tri bike but close. Obviously if you have 2 bikes, you have been bitten by the bug BAD!!! I would definitely go clipless. I noticed a big difference in efficiency. Got more mileage & faster with less effort. The carbon on my road bike helped as well. I, too, was amazed with this, when I first had it!! Not the same bike I had when I was a kid



I am a "little warrior"...I go to the gym during the winter months week days. My weekend Long Run is always outdoors. Running anything over 10k on a dreadmill, I find mind-numbing!!!

Hope this helps!!!,

Richard

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 11:46 AM

Well, I had a good training day. Day rest, did me good.

Had 75 min spin class this morning. I try & do a 5k run on dreadmill after Spin Sat morning to assimilate running on tired cycling legs. 5k is a typical sprint distance & why I picked this. These are termed Bricks & I like them. They are getting easier. I am hoping my legs will adjust well, when I do my first sprint of 2010. I did on Oly in Aug & imploded on the run. Did not have enough bricks under my belt.Most say a brick every couple of weeks in the off season is plenty. I go every week, cause I like them.

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday!

R

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 11:54 AM

So Ryan,What's your story.

What is your training consisting of now? Are you an ace swimmer? Alberto Contador's Right hand man?

R

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 12:00 PM

Richard thanks for the help.

Good job with work out today.  I find I need at least 1 day off during the week, or I pay the price both mentally and physically.

I have not ventured into the bricks as of yet.  I am looking forward to it though.  Seems kinda fun.  I am not sure what to expect getting off the bike and getting out of the water.  The body does some strange things when challenged like that.

Paul

Phil thanks for the list!

I need 1 day a week rest also.  I am too old not too!

I found how my body didn't like the transition, the hard way!!!  I vowed that would not happen again.  I was disappointed with myself that day.  I completed it, but was not happy with myself.   I was not prepared enough. I signed up only 4 days prior to start, on a whim, so I got what I deserved!

R 

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 3:47 PM

Phil,

What sort of bike do you have?

R

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 3:49 PM

Was just about to post as I just got off the trainer for the first time since, oh, September when I did my 70.3..(this was my break...LOL)

I started my tri's in 2008 riding a friends 2004 model Trek road bike...aluminum frame, Ultegra components, spd clips...was a nice bike but it was borrowed and was a size 54" and I need a 56". So, it wasn't exactly fit perfectly but it got me through my first race and some initial training.

Late in 2008 I upgraded to a 2007 Specialized Tarmac Expert, Dura Ace/Ultegra components, carbon frame and changed to Look clips middle of 2009.  I added some clip on Ironman brand carbon aero bars as well. (it's the bike I'm riding in my profile pic)

I really enjoy it and though it's a road bike modified for my tri's someday I'll upgrade to a tri-bike and go through the entire fit process.

I will tell you that the biggest gap I had in races last year was hamstring cramping coming off the bike into the run. Part of it was caused by not enough time on the bike, not enough bricks and overall fitness (re: pushing past my level on the bike)

I fixed it late in the year with some help from my coach and can tell you that NOTHING replaces being on the bike and working the bricks into your training program.

Phil

Oh, and I borrowed my buddies Zipp 404 carbon wheels for my last two tri's (including the 70.3) and they are still on the bike...I'm sure he'll ask for them back...that is one thing I'm going to try to invest in this year....they are sweet....

Can't tell from your pic. Do you have race wheels? Looks like it.

Edited by GoGoGo 2010-01-09 4:15 PM

silly question - where are we suppose to be adding everyone's names too??  I'm enjoying all the conversation...soaking up the wisdom