Time Trialling tips

Home:Ballyhoura · 11-02-2009 4:43pm #1

Hi guys, I did a few time trials last year but this year I plan to do more and take them more seriously! I'm not buying a TT bike or helmet or anything, but I did buy a set of those clip-on Deda Parabolica Due bars. I fitted them to the bike today and headed out for a short test spin. Well, I seem happy enough. They were pretty cheap in my opinion @ €50 and are lighter than expected. I was a bit nervous about it at first but it turned out to be surprisingly easy! :P

Anyway, I don't know much about this area of the sport so I'd like a bit of help and advice! (If you don't mind). I must say, I actually did notice a speed difference! One thing I'm not sure about it my position (hopefully I'll get a picture up to show ye) on the bike. I'll probably have to adjust saddle height, fore/aft, stem length, along with positioning and angle of the bars. I did find it quite uncomfortable (my back is usually at me), I know it's not supposed to be comfortable, but this prevented me from constantly putting the power down. I had to strech my back many times. Next up is the cadence. I'm waiting on a Polar HRM with cadence so I can use that to help with this. Is cadence supposed to be the same as average racing (around 90-100 RPM) or slower? I also found I was inclined to push it too much, and wasn't able to keep up the same effort for long. Hopefully the HRM will let me monitor my effort continuously! Also, do people put handlebar tape on the bars for grip? Silly question I know! Here is another one, do skinsuits make a big difference?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm kinda lost. First time trial is on March the 8th so I've got to get ready soon enough. Any help would be great. Thanks in advance!!!

P.S. I'll get a picture of my position up soon! Cheers

Quigs Snr · 11-02-2009 9:08pm

Skinsuits make a tiny, tiny difference over the course of an hour long TT. That is assuming that every other parameter is maxed out e.g. bike, position, aero helmet etc... In reality the Aero Helmet makes much more difference than the skinsuit for around the same money or less. If you don't have the TT bike though or aero wheels I would not bother with the skinsuit.

Cadence means little for a TT. Turn the biggest gear you are comfortable with. As for position, well it would be impossible to advise you without seeing you, but in general, if you are starting out, I would go for comfort more than anything else. Work on optimising your position over time. Talk to the guys who do well at the TT's. Most will be glad to give you a few pointers.

cantalach · 12-02-2009 10:27am

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Cadence means little for a TT. Turn the biggest gear you are comfortable with.

With respect, I think that's a bit old school. Very accomplished time trialists like Armstrong and Leipheimer would say that it was all about the cadence and certainly wouldn't advocate turning the biggest gear you are comfortable with. Even mighty Cancellara favours a very high cadence. And this despite being graced with tree trunk thighs which, presumably, would enable him to be quite comfortable at a much lower rpm. In the Olympic TT, he actually used a lower gear than Leipheimer on that downhill motorway section.

tunney · 12-02-2009 10:48am

cantalach wrote: »

With respect, I think that's a bit old school. Very accomplished time trialists like Armstrong and Leipheimer would say that it was all about the cadence and certainly wouldn't advocate turning the biggest gear you are comfortable with. Even mighty Cancellara favours a very high cadence. And this despite being graced with tree trunk thighs which, presumably, would enable him to be quite comfortable at a much lower rpm. In the Olympic TT, he actually used a lower gear than Leipheimer on that downhill motorway section.

Ahhhh wondering how long before LA's cadence came up.........

The "research" on how he went from TTing nobody to the dominent TTer in the TdF is amazingly crap and just and excuse to explain away PEDs.

RobFowl · 12-02-2009 11:28am

tunney wrote: »

The "research" on how he went from TTing nobody to the dominent TTer in the TdF is amazingly crap and just and excuse to explain away PEDs.

Leave the Prince of Darkness alone, he's having it hard enough already with Don Catlin dumping him !

cantalach · 12-02-2009 12:05pm

tunney wrote: »

The "research" on how he went from TTing nobody to the dominent TTer in the TdF is amazingly crap and just and excuse to explain away PEDs.

Tell you what, lets put Armstrong to one side and I'll make a mental note never to mention such a divisive figure when trying to make a point. My bad!

That said, you completely ignored the other two riders I mentioned. Do you really think Cancellara is ill-advised to use such a high rpm and that he'd be even faster if he mashed it a bit?

tunney · 12-02-2009 12:16pm

RobFowl wrote: »

Leave the Prince of Darkness alone, he's having it hard enough already with Don Catlin dumping him !

Just read that now on cyclingnews. What a dirty f*cking f*ck.

tunney · 12-02-2009 12:18pm

cantalach wrote: »

Tell you what, lets put Armstrong to one side and I'll make a mental note never to mention such a divisive figure when trying to make a point. My bad!

That said, you completely ignored the other two riders I mentioned. Do you really think Cancellara is ill-advised to use such a high rpm and that he'd be even faster if he mashed it a bit?

Cancellara - clean or dirty - is a TTing god. Specialized recently did a fitting session and testing for Saxobank and determined that he was built for TTing.

I'm not saying a relatively high cadence is wrong. I just hate when people hold up Mr. Amgen as proof of it.

Planet X · 12-02-2009 1:08pm

2 X 20 minute intervals at 90% odd effort. Obviously a recovery break in between, let's say 5/10 minutes. Whatever your capable of.

Diarmuid · 12-02-2009 3:28pm

tunney wrote: »

Specialized recently did a fitting session and testing for Saxobank and determined that he was built for TTing.

They should have just looked at his results to save themselves some time

Home:Ballyhoura · 12-02-2009 3:50pm

Ok, thanks for that bit of help, but try to stay more on topic! Hehe

Quigs Snr · 12-02-2009 4:50pm

Cantalach. Going for a big gear is old school I grant you (and effective for some people), what I said was the biggest gear you are comfortable with. For me the best trade off in terms of comfort / performance in a TT is at around 80-90 rpms. (More like 90-100 on the road bike). It's all very well going for a high cadence, but if that high cadence makes you slower then that defeats the purpose. I have seen riders grinding at 75rpm winning TT's, I have seen riders spinning at 110 rpm winning too. I don't think there is single answer to the OP's question.

Its different for everone. OP, just go out there, do your training, put in lots of threshold intervals, move around your position and vary your cadence, see what works for you.

Hungrycol · 12-02-2009 5:01pm

Aerodynamics counts for little over short timetrials, under 10kms. At this distance it's more about power. Skinsuits, aerobars, helmets, etc have a bigger impact on time in longer TT's. If it's a 10k TT you're aiming at, go for brute all guns blazing power of greyskull stuff.

RobFowl · 12-02-2009 7:05pm

Hungrycol wrote: »

Aerodynamics counts for little over short timetrials, under 10kms. At this distance it's more about power. Skinsuits, aerobars, helmets, etc have a bigger impact on time in longer TT's. If it's a 10k TT you're aiming at, go for brute all guns blazing power of greyskull stuff.

Ever seen the 4k pursuit's !!! The brits thought aerodynamics were so important they've shredded the skinsuits from Beijing so no one else will find out how they are made

Diarmuid · 12-02-2009 9:06pm

RobFowl wrote: »

Ever seen the 4k pursuit's !!! The brits though aerodynamics were so important theve shredded the skinsuits from Beiging so no one else will find out how they are made

When you get to the very top of your field every fraction of a percent counts. Where we would be competing it's not going to make much difference.

RobFowl · 12-02-2009 9:30pm

Diarmuid wrote: »

When you get to the very top of your field every fraction of a percent counts. Where we would be competing it's not going to make much difference.

#
point taken

I read a study once that suggested aerobars only make a difference over 25Mph (my best 10mile time is 24:10

)

Quigs Snr · 12-02-2009 9:55pm

Hungrycol - "Power of Grayskull stuff" !!!! My new favourite quote. Love it !

Diarmuid · 12-02-2009 10:22pm

This article is very good at separating out the gains for TT equipment

Set-up	Estimated Ave CdA (m^2)	Speed (km/h)	Power (W)
Tarmac SL2 | Road Helmet | Drop bars 	       0.310	40.10	306.6
Tarmac SL2 | Road Helmet | Clip-on aerobars	0.267	40.27	268.6
Tarmac SL2 | TT2 Helmet | Clip-on aerobars 	0.256	40.38	261.0
Transition | Road Helmet | Aerobars	       0.265	40.17	262.9
Transition | TT2 Helmet | Aerobars	       0.230	40.05	229.0

Going from 306W to 229W is a huge saving!

dave2pvd · 13-02-2009 4:41pm

Hungrycol wrote: »

Aerodynamics counts for little over short timetrials, under 10kms. At this distance it's more about power. Skinsuits, aerobars, helmets, etc have a bigger impact on time in longer TT's. If it's a 10k TT you're aiming at, go for brute all guns blazing power of greyskull stuff.

Hungrycol, that's just not true.

Now, if you said that aerodynamics counts for little over a tight twisty prologue, I'd agree. Or for a hill TT, I'd also agree.

If you're not aero, you will not go fast. Us humans are but small engines in the face of a 25mph wind.

Time Trialling tips

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