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Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
Lumen's winter TT prep plan
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I thought you might like this.
http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/Biggest Bang For Your Buck In Time Trial Equipment
The speed you can achieve on your bike is determined by two factors:
1. How much power you can produce
2. Wind resistance. The faster you go, the more wind drag you need to overcome.
A few months ago there was an excellent article in Velonews (Vol 39, No 3) about which aerodynamic equipment benefits most during an individual time trial. What they didn’t do is rank the cost vs. benefit for each piece of equipment and the associated time savings. Years ago I saw something like this done by cyclingnews and found it extremely interesting. Unfortunately it’s buried deep in the internet and is lost forever so I thought I’d rehash it for those of you who missed it.
The following chart shows the aerodynamic savings according to what www.aerosportsresearch.com calculated for Velonews (I bascially copied the photo above and the chart chart below and added in the approximate costs for each equipment piece).
A couple notes:
- These numbers are calculated for a rider over 40kms at a time of 48minutes. Faster than most of us could go!
- I don’t understand the rational of some of their wheel comparisons and why they didn’t calculate the difference between a standard rear wheel and a rear disc wheel. I tried calculating the numbers myself but couldn’t get them consistent with the numbers in the chart. In any case, this illustrates the point of the cost-benefit analysis.
Biggest Bang For Your Buck?
1. Using aerobars that allow you to get into a tuck position will be the cheapest thing you can do for the aerodynamic benefit. You can get a set of aerobars for $200 and they’ll save you a couple minutes in a 40km TT.
2. Getting a skinsuit will provide massive benefits. The only disclaimer is that the testing shown here was done on a specially designed skinsuit for Nike, not a standard skinsuit. I’m sure this skinsuit costs in excess of $1000, but you’ll realize large gains with a standard skinsuit as well. The chart above shows an extreme comparison between this Nike skinsuit and regular jersey/knicks in windtunnel testing.
3. Shoe Covers will cost you no more than $50 and could save you half a minute in 40kms. Shoe covers smooth turbulent air over the straps and buckles of the shoes.
4. Upgrading from a regular helmet to an aero helmet could save you over a minute for a $200 spend.
5. Time Trial Wheels are getting into the expensive end of TT equipment spectrum, but they do provide some good time savings and look very PRO. Having an aero front wheel will make the most significant difference and will cost the least of the two. Most of you probably already have a set of deep dish aero wheels for racing anyway. A rear disc wheel is one of the last items you should spend lots of money on if you’re looking for big savings. However, if you want to look cool this should be the first item on your list ;-) A good analysis of different wheel types vs drag in different wind conditions can be found on the HED website.0 -
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I did a club league 40km TT last night.
Garmin stats:
Distance: 40.4km
Time: 1:04:51
Power: 230W
HR: 171bpm
Cadence: 88rpm
Speed: 37.4kph
Equipment: TT bike, rear disc, front 50mm, pointy hat, cotton overshoes, club kit (not skinsuit).
5k splits:
#1: 242W, 165bpm, 93rpm
#2: 248W, 177bpm, 91rpm
#3: 223W, 172bpm, 88rpm <-- bad stitch
#4: 239W, 173bpm, 93rpm
#5: 228W, 171bpm, 86rpm
#6: 228W, 171bpm, 86rpm
#7: 210W, 166bpm, 83rpm <-- fading here
#8: 226W, 172bpm, 88rpm
The bad stitch happened after a van pulled out on me to do a 3pt turn, completely blocking the road. I waved violently at it and that triggered a stitch that lasted a few minutes; I had to sit up completely for a while to shift it.
Overall it felt comfortably hard. The legs didn't hurt like they did in the stage TT I did last month. The position felt relaxed. I moved around a bit on the sadde due to major crotchal numbness in the second half. Afterwards I felt very drained.
The last 40km TT I did (Aug 2009) was 1:09:07 @ 242W, 168bpm, 35kph, on a road bike with clip ons.
My best 30min power on the road bike is 275W @ 171bpm (2 Jun 2010). My predicted FTP is around 270W.
With the new bike and position I'm 7% faster than last year for 5% less power at a couple of bpm higher, same weight. However, I've 16% less power for the same HR compared to my road bike.
According to the calculator, in order to break the hour in my current position I need 273W, which is about what I can produce on the road bike.
Its weird that my power is down 16% for the same HR. My current limitation must be some combination of breathing and muscle recruitment.
At this stage I'm not too keen on changing position as I'm comfortable and aero, so for the time being I'll just try to ride my TT bike more often and hope that the power comes up. I've only ridden the hateful thing a handful of times, so I'm not bothered by my weak performances so far.
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,,, when asking if he was ok, Lumen said: ' I'm ok, It's just nice here'.
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