kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2011 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 95)

for less than $100 you can get a set of SPD pedels and tri-bike shoes.  That alone will give you about 1-2 extra MPH.  forget the aerohelment.  clip on aerobar (also to be had cheap on ebay) will give you about 1-2 extra MPH.

Someone at my race told me I'd go a lot faster if I got my feet out of those cages.  LOL.  Nice.  Anyway, how long would it take me to get used to using them?  I only starting cycling this past Feb.  I'm worried I'll be crashing and falling all over the place. 

about 1 day - go to a parking lot and practice clipping in and out.  everybody falls over shortly after using cleats for the first time.  its a rite of passage.  you mostly laugh at yourself.  it feels so much better.  the problem with cages is that you really cant engage you hamstrings very well and they are hard on the knees.  Last year i was yapping while coming to a stop at an intersection and fell over, its embarassing but, hey, contodor basically fell over the other day  and KO'd a fan.

Youa re doing amazing considered you only started in February.  Your volume is spot on too.  No clue how you have the time to train but keep at it you are doing great.  I expect some serious hardware from you at some point.

Jen I bet you'd get used to them rather quickly. Heck, I usually have more trouble with cages! 

Hour on the bike and another 30 in the pool.  Now that I mostly have my balance issues under control I'm working on getting my intervals back out to a respecatable distance.

No and No.  Clip on pedals allow you to put more force through the crank but they won't give you 1 - 2 mph.  An improvement, yes, 1- 2 mph, no.  Clip on aero bars are also pretty worthless.  Your much more aero dynamic in your drops on the road bike than in aero bars on a road bike, aero bars are just more comfortable than staying in the drops (and yes, they are better than sitting up on the hoods).  I would guess that getting clip on pedals and clip on aero bars would give you about .5 mph all things being equal, which in a sprint isn't a big deal, but in a half is several minutes.

Its about the engine, not about the bike. 

Car was banned.  Team Sky is comtemplating legal action. 

Jen-- as a follow up the clip on pedals are worth it and they're easy to get used to.  Just don't expect to have a massive speed jump.  If you're comfortable on your road bike the way it is and not doing anything long, I wouldn't worry about clip on aero bars (in fact I'd get a good bike fit on the road bike before I would think about clip on aero bars).

Do you have HR info from the race?  Looking at your paces and training, it looks like you may have gone out a tiny bit too hard on the bike, which led to the "slower" run.  I'm curious what the delta between the bike and the run was.  Regardless, it was a really good race.

.5 mph is a huge return, speed wise -- once your past the true beginner stge think how much training you need to do to yield a .5 mph increase in speed. 

I think the bigger return is in hill climbs, take offs, and pedaling when tired -- all of these things get easier with clip ons.  Increases speed on a flat not so much -- most people do not engage their hamstrings and glutes when pedalling on a flat, its all quad and down stroke (if you have have the chance to have a spin scan done its pretty interesting to see where the power in pedal stroke comes from).   

If Garmin/Metrigear ever get their product to market we can all see our power output throughout the pedal stroke without going somewhere to have it done. 

You can do it on a computrainer as well.  But if you think about what hurts when you ride hard its usually your quads, not your glutes.

That's why I think the biggest advantage of clip on pedals is in hill climbing, it lets you pull the pedal back up. 

Agreed. I feel it almost gives your legs a bit of a "rest" if you can think about pulling up even for a few strokes at a time when climbing.

Hey guys.  Been on vacation in Cape.  Got my longest run in, 8.7 miles.  Swam 200 yards in very choppy ocean water, and long ride planned for tmrw.

Jen and Rudy, simply awesome.

Jen love the pic!!!!!

Oh yeah, there are Great White sightings close to shore.  WTF!!!!

Argh.  Wish my family still owned my grandparents' old house in West Falmouth. 

Be very careful initially when getting the clips and practice getting in and out before heading out onto the roads.  Also, be more cautious and clip out rather than staying clipped in in traffic.

I only mention this because in my local tri club, several have ventured into the clips this year and we constantly hear of the stories of falling clipped in because they couldn't get out quick enough, or forgot to clip out all together.  Don't get me wrong, falling in clips is a right of passage, it is gonna happen and it happens to everyone, but do so in the safety of your driveway or neighborhood vs out on the road.

Ok, you guys sold me on the pedals (the helping on the hills part really sold me ).  I wanted to log some more miles before I made the transition, but it's time.  Anyone got any brand recommendations?  How about shoes?  Think cheap but durable. 

Jeff (rizer) - A Great White?  WTH!  

Kelly - Thanks for all the feedback!!  

Any tips for climbing hills?  I practice on them all the time, and I still really lose speed when climbing.  Is it just a matter of practicing more?    

I'll take the .5 mph

I have family that was along that storm path. Glad you came through OK