Fred D Mentor Group - Part II (Page 79)

Question for the bike gurus.  I've been looking at a new road bike and am comparing the Specialized Ruby Expert Di2 vs the Ruby Pro with new DuraAce. The Pro is more expensive, but almost 1.5 lbs lighter (according to guy at LBS, need to confirm that).  They don't have either bike in stock so I can't compare other than by spec.  He's going to let me take his bike with Di2 tomorrow for a test after the morning group ride, although it's a Venge so not sure how much that will help.

My motivation for a new bike is mostly about fit. I've been riding a 2006 Roubaix that is a too big (58) because I'm just too tall/long inseam for any 56 I've tried. The Ruby now comes in a 57 and with the upright geometry might be a better choice.  I may also make a trip into NYC this weekend to try a few other options. 

I know there's been some discussion on the Di2 but haven't been able to find it via search.  Is this the technology of now and is it worth a bit of extra weight?  I'm sort of ignoring price at the moment.

Fred, GREAT looking bike! 

Tx, Kim

Di2 is definitely the "it" thing at the moment and I would love to have it.  ON a roadie though you'll also have the Ui2 option which could save you some dollars.

I was going to ask Fred why he didn't seem to be considering the Di2 option.

I remember that frame.  I can't wait to see it built!

+1 - that's a sweet looking ride!  

When will you be able to take it out for a spin?

It's nice to know that he will be able to handle any stupid questions I may throw at him.  

Kim...by "new Dura Ace", are we talking the DA-9000 group that just got released this summer?  Just so you know, that's 11 speed, and you will be forced to use a DA chain, cassette and compatible 11 speed hub until the 3rd party market fully adobts it.  But...from what I have heard from my mechanic who got a chance to play around with it...the new DA is AWESOME.  Shift the FD from small ring to big ring with one swipe of your left pinky.

As far as the Pro model being 1.5 pounds lighter...I find that hard to believe unless there is significant upgrades in the wheels, stem, seatpost, saddle, and handlebars.  The difference in weight between DA 9000 and Di2 7970 should only be 150 grams...or .33 pounds.  I doubt there is much if at all difference in frame weight.

I'm pretty simple, but god that struck me as funny.

Kim,
 
Have you been properly measured and fitted? 
 
The reason I ask is usual a person can get fitted on a bike in-between frame sizes say 58-56cm by spacers on the steer tube, flipping the stem and longer or shorter stem.  Of course saddle fore and aft position, as well as height.
 
Anyways the Ruby is a very relaxed geometry.  If that is what you are after, then my best advice is definitely ride the bike.  As far as Di2, I recently pasted on Ui2 on my recent roadie purchase.  Di2 is sweet no doubt but cost for me was not in the sweet spot.  By all means my next TT bike will have Di2 or its successor.

TX to NYC for bike shopping? 

Yeah, pretty sure it's the DA 9000. I know the cassette is an 11-28. I went in looking for the 2012 but they're gone, at least around here.  As for comparing weight, I agree that seemed like a bit difference. I have some more homework there. Great feedback on the DA though. Either one is a lot of bike for me but will see what I can work out. I cant dial the fit in any better on my current bike and it's not going to cut it comfort-wise for the mileage I'm hoping to start riding again. 

Thanks for the info on the DA. 

I snagged these little snipets of me from Muskoka.  The direct side shot is pretty poor, but gives an idea of my position.

Just looking for thoughts/feedback from the group. 

(Pic1.JPG)

(pic2.JPG)

Neil...I'm not a fit expert, but the one thing that jumps out that could use some improvement is your head position.  Notice how much your head sticks out above your shoulders and back.  That's all additional surface area exposed to the wind.

Try turtling your head a little more.  You don't need to hold it for the entire ride, but during the faster downhill portions or portions into the wind, it can make a big difference.

Check out how Wiggo keeps his head low to the point where it's pretty much in line with his back.  It doesn't look very comfortable, but this is obviously an extreme where he is sacrificing comfort for shaving a few seconds.

ETA:  Looking at some of my own race pictures, I should probably take my own advice. 

(Bradley-Wiggins-001.jpg)

(Tony Martin.jpg)

Good luck Arend!
 
I too am racing Savageman this weekend.  It's NOT flat.    

Like you guys didn’t know. 

No problems for the braking. Hit the reset/lap button. This way GC will show you a little line where a split occurred and you can ignore that spot

Any terrains works. Doesn't matter if you come out of aero at 6%, CDA is not imporrtant at that point. best Terrain is where you get good speed and can apply constant power. So relatively steep rolling hills work well with a 11 tooth cassette for the downhills.

Try using GPX from rides you already did.

This is gold.

Going lower provided much less value than closing my arms/shoulders a bit

Turtling made a huge difference. A little trick : cut you aero straw so that you can just touch it with your tongue when turtling and use that to check your head position as you ride. Turtle on the downhills, fast spots and relax on the uphills. Fred is right, 56miles of turtling is rough

I have Di2 on my tri bike and it is FANTASTIC. Shifting from the bullhorns while climbing is amazing

I like it so much I thought of upgrdading my Ultegra on the road bike but think it's kind of silly since the shifters are right there anyways.

I got a good deal on 2012 DI2/DA. If you can get a good deal, do it, otherwise 2013 will have the 11 speed DA.

The mechanics told me Ultegra (which should be available for time trialing) in 2013 is very good, but not quite as smooth as DA. Not sure how true this is, but much cheaper. They said someone used to Di2/DA would feel the difference, but someone who never used electronic shifting would love it anyways.

Yes, it's called Kinovea. It is open source so you can download. But I also don't mind running it/editing for group members. My pleasure.

A side video is best.

Oooooh, good luck!  For some reason I thought that wasn't until next weekend!

Race done!  There were only about 25 people racing, I finished 3rd OA behind two kids (ages ~16 or 17) who are competing to be part of our Canada Games team and probably ran in the 17-18 min range.  I was first off the bike and they ran me down.

I pushed things on the bike a bit just to see how it would go.  AP was 255w, speed 37.8.  I was over 260 and I'm sure speed was 38 something until the last bit when I was taking my feet out of my shoes and had to make a 90 degree turn right before the dismount line.  

Was hurting on the run but still ran just over 23 mins which is a decent run for me.

Lots of fun!

didn't race today, but I feel like I did. Rode the 68 mile option of a century that has a couple of thousand riders. Since I knew I was going short I did a lot of work at the front of the second group and was pretty well done-in by the time the through riders turned at the 55 mile mark. Just before the turn I went backwards through the group like sh*t through a goose and it turns out we had a couple of hundred folks sitting on. That is quite the crowd when you only have about 8 guys working.

Oh, and I made the mistake of wearing my "Aubun Tiarhletes" team kit. There was this jack-wad triathlete mixing it up with us on the front for about 30 miles and he kept blowing the pace line up. So I got grief from the other guys for both being a triathlete AND an Auburn fan. A brother just can't win for losing, it seems.