Improving tri bike times

griffin100

I'm trying to get my triathlon bike times down. I currently do all of my training and races on a standard road bike (Trek 1.2) without using tri bars or cycling shoes (usually wear runners). I get out 2-3 times a week and normally cycle between 40 and 80kms on each session.

Would wearing proper cycling shoes make much of a difference to my bike split times? I currently average about 40 mins for a 20km but would love to get that down. I haven't gotten around to wearing cycling shoes yet as I'm a big sissy about falling off and damaging my lovely shiny bike if I can't get my feet of the pedals in time when I stop.

Also do tri bars make much of a difference to people at my level of 'performance'? If so can anyone reccomend a good clip on set?

I'm sure there are other things I can do but I don't want to break the bank with new wheels, etc so any cheap suggestions would be appreciated (I already know that losing more body weight would be a good place to start!)

Thanks for any help.

MadHatter

griffin100 wrote: »

Would wearing proper cycling shoes make much of a difference to my bike split times?

Yes, a big difference. Trainers are designed to absorb shock, so quite a bit of your power in the pedal stroke is wasted compressing the sole in the trainer. Cycling shoes have rigid soles, so more of the power goes directly into the pedals.

But go for triathlon specific shoes to keep your transition times down. They generally have one large velcro strap, so quicker to put on, and the strap opens outwards (away from chainrings) so you can start cycling with your foot on top of the shoe and put you foot into the shoe once you get going. Some also have liners so you can wear without socks.

Don't worry about falling off with the shoes. You will fall, but you'll get used to them. After that, you'll never look back. And in the race itself, it's more likely to undo the straps and take your foot out at the end of the cycle, rather than try to unclip.

griffin100 wrote: »

Also do tri bars make much of a difference to people at my level of 'performance'? If so can anyone reccomend a good clip on set?

Yes they do. Came up before and this article was linked to.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/fitness/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273?source=newsletter&attr=road/2008/11/27

Have a search through archives for suggestions on aerobars, it's come up a couple of times recently.

griffin100 wrote: »

I'm sure there are other things I can do but I don't want to break the bank with new wheels, etc so any cheap suggestions would be appreciated

Aero helmet? See above link. Probably best to get the shoes and aerobars first though!

griffin100 wrote: »

(I already know that losing more body weight would be a good place to start!)

Not quite that black and white. Losing fat will help, but losing muscle could reduce your power output leading to slower cycle splits. Losing weight (fat or muscle) would probably reduce your running time though.

lukester

Not being funny, having the correct gear and set-up will help, but training more and in a manner tailored to your goals is surely the only way to go significantly faster. And it's cheap.

Chips Lovell

There are a few people who race triathlons here who may give more specific advice, but like lukester, I'd say that training will make a bigger difference than equipment.

Having said that, there are a few set-up issues I'd look at. Shoes and clipless pedals will allow for better power transfer. Are you using flat pedals or cages? Flats and runners will definitely put you at a disadvantage. The cages less so. But proper shoes and pedal will allow all the power to go into the cranks and allow you to pull up on the pedals as well as push down. Don't get too hung up on falling off with clipless pedals. People get used to them very quickly and after a ride or two its like second nature.

Secondly, what position are you using in your races? If you're on a road bike, you should ensure you do as much of the course as possible in the drops. It will allow you to get down low and you'll encounter less wind resistance. In short, you'll go faster for the same energy expenditure. It may feel less comfortable, but you'll be surprised at the difference.

Clip-on aerobars are quite cheap and will allow you to get in an even more aerodynamic position. You might need to move your saddle forward a bit to compensate for them.

It sounds like you are doing a fair amount of training and hopefully have built up a bit of an aerobic base. It's probably time to start reading up on training and trying to improve your speed. I'm no training guru, but if it were me I'd start interval training and getting some quality, short, hard sessions in. Really you are looking to improve your leg strength so as to spin a bigger gear. Be sure to allow time for recovery after these sessions, i.e. 48 hours or so, otherwise you won't get the full benefit from them.

If you are racing flat course, weight is not as important as you may think. It's only on the hilly races that it will really work against you. Keep training and eat right and it will start to come down though. If you get too obsessed with dropping weight you could risk losing muscle mass and/or not recovering properly from training.

griffin100

Not being funny, having the correct gear and set-up will help, but training more and in a manner tailored to your goals is surely the only way to go significantly faster. And it's cheap.

Can't really train any more than I do given time restrictions but I take the point about more structured sessions. I'll try and start doing more than just cycling from A-B and back again and try and get some interval and short hard sessions in (I assume that these are the same as per run training).

Thanks for all the advice. Will definitely get some proper shoes and look at tri bars.

tunney

All the toys, gadgets, wheels, frames and gizmos are no good without a solid training schedule.

On the bike there is no substiute for hours in the saddle.

blorg

Clipless pedals will make a huge difference I reckon, you will be able to use a much more efficient pedal stroke. Generally I would agree training is most important but I'd honestly see clipless pedals as a sort of basic minimum, especially if you are currently using flats.

interested

so after a new set of pedals, shoes, cleats ...

Aero bars - if you invest in these also invest in a set forward seat post along the lines of http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Profile_Fast_Forward_Carbon_Seat_Post/5360036060/ - it doesnt have to be carbon and cost alot .. just the example I could find.
You may also consider getting a bike fit done for the aero bars, seatpost - it might save you cash on physio in the long run and time dialling in your position based on feel.

Tunney's advice is spot on though. Time on the bike is king. Theres heaps of training advice online ... if you're stuck for time - an hour a week where you do a warm up, some short, sharp, intervals, with recover between and then a spin down at the end may compliment the 40 / 80 rides at the weekend.

Andrewf20

Since I got the aero bars for my racer I find that with a mild headwind im roughly able to add on about 1.5 - 2mph to my crusing speed.

I recently bought new pedals and bike shoes. I found them very hard to click out of even on the loosest setting, but after using them for 2 weeks, they have loosened up a good bit. Id defo recommend them over runners also.

Ive done a bit of of strength training on hills (putting the bike 2-3 gears higher than normal) and this has helped alot as well over the last few months. More pain more gain seems to be the way.