Aero/Gains Thread

SoliD · 14 Jul 2017 at 13:11

I'm very much in that camp now, I won't generally travel for the short courses, unless they're sporting and have a technical challenge to them. Given up completely with Bentley because of the state of the roads.

What course is the 25 on this year?

Thomas. PLease. · 14 Jul 2017 at 18:05

Yeah, I don't mind the 10 on Bentley, the 25 is too grim though. Nat 25 is on the gift hill course in Wales. I forget the course code. R25 something.

Roady · 26 Jul 2017 at 12:19

Fitted aerobars to turbo (they're fantastic, thanks Liam!) and now playing around a bit I notice I feel like I could add quite a bit of height (like maybe 2-3cm) to my seatpost. Is this normal?

Really feel like I could easily drop down lower on them too. I'll take pics once I've done more than a few minutes on the turbo. I find the position much more comfortable than riding in the drops and I'm slightly lower so should be a pretty good starting point! :cool:

BennyC · 26 Jul 2017 at 12:57

Give it 10 minutes at a reasonable power and see how your hips start feeling/complaining

Shamrock · 26 Jul 2017 at 13:09

Glad they are working for you Roady.

Roady · 27 Jul 2017 at 08:21

BennyC said:
Give it 10 minutes at a reasonable power and see how your hips start feeling/complaining

Haha yeah that's what I'm thinking! Kinda waiting for cooler weather for a decent session on them, I'm also half tempted to put them on my Diverge for the weekend to ride outside with them. :cool:

Had a good turbo session/race last night, I find tempo quite hard on them as I generally find my cadence generally settles ~10-15rpm lower on them (80-85 when my tempo is usually 95ish) so I do tire quicker. But I find I can really push and hold good wattage (350-400W) if I shift my weight onto my elbows (pretty much lifting myself from the saddle). May need to change saddle too as the Specialized Phenom I have on there has a centre dip & channel, so the nose isn't very comfortable when riding in the rolled further forward hip position. Hips feel fine though and amazingly so does my back!

SoliD · 1 Aug 2017 at 09:32

Wanted bling. Got bored. Spent money. Now rolling on 17s...

booyaka · 1 Aug 2017 at 10:17

what's the supposed advantage of those?
Do you need to lengthen the chain?

Roady · 1 Aug 2017 at 10:28

http://www.ceramicspeed.com/sport/techlab/faq/faq-ceramicspeed-ospw-system/

Yeah longer chain required. 3W saving as chain links have to flex less, I'm guessing also less chain wear. Generally larger bearings so more efficient and I guess quieter? Changes are meant to be smoother but I'm unsure how as to my semi-mechanical mindset the larger cog makes the chain less flexible side to side?

Should've got the Ceramicspeed 3D Titanium one for ultimate bling. :cool:

SoliD · 1 Aug 2017 at 16:23

Yeah all that stuff.

I couldn't quite afford the Ceramispeed

In my head it's only cost me 30quid as I can use the old hangar to repair an old ultegra mech for my CX bike!

Roady · 3 Aug 2017 at 09:41

Good going to repair an old mech, well worth it then! :cool:

I missed out on two barely used Ultegra RD's for £28-35 on the bay. Annoyed!

Although I did grab a short cage for £31.90 which I'll stick on the turbo so I can transfer the 5800 on there to my Diverge to see if it solves the constant noise I currently have. Watching so many medium cages now, they seem to sell well with lots of short cages going cheap - lots of people changing to lower cassettes!

Another good session on the aerobars last night, although I'm finding the minor drop in power (~50W) really hampers me in Zwift races unless I semi-stand forwards slightly raised off the saddle. I find I then tend to push ~300-350W which I'm able to sustain for several minutes, I think with practice I can hold it longer but for some reason struggle just 5cm lower sat down... Still not changed my saddle though!

SoliD · 3 Aug 2017 at 12:50

Need to fit it still though. Going to maybe do it tonight if I can be bothered.

Spare RDs always seem to come in handy, I could probably do with grabbing one if I see one going, although I'll have a 105 spare if I repair the ultegra one, to me just looks like knackered cage.

BennyC · 25 Aug 2017 at 10:11

Any recommendations for a narrow stub nosed saddle? I picked up a Fizik Tritone 5.5 which is a large improvement over the stock saddle on my Speedmax but I’m finding it a little on the wide side after around an hour. The S.I. Iron Flow caught my eye, I’ve always gotten on well with their saddles and have the SLR flow on my roadie currently.

Also witnessing some hearty power improvements on both bikes from riding the Speedmax more regularly and involving a little more structure on my outdoor rides in preparation for my clubs annual open 10 in October

Shamrock · 25 Aug 2017 at 10:29

What do we think of this guy?

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/r...g-25-mile-time-trial-record-with-43-00-347453

touch · 25 Aug 2017 at 10:37

Shamrock said:
What do we think of this guy?

AFAIK, he's out of contract for next season so went out to try and set a new record in order to get noticed. He's probably quite happy with how things have gone - the DQ has resulted in a lot more attention than if the time had actually stood.

SoliD · 25 Aug 2017 at 12:06

Absolutely phenomenal ride no matter the circumstances of the DQ.

One More Solo · 25 Aug 2017 at 12:35

It's a crazily impressive time but IMO there are serious question marks over his previous records too. I remember rumblings about his road positioning after both comp records went last time although nothing was proven (I believe he was informally warned and separately DQ'd from an event down south for similar behaviour). You really can't underestimate the difference riding that wide would make to your effective CdA. I doubt most top tier pros (Wiggins etc) are stupid enough to ride like that in pursuit of a comp record - Wiggins for example probably shot himself in the foot by having a following motorbike which kept a lot of the traffic at bay.

BennyC said:
Any recommendations for a narrow stub nosed saddle? I picked up a Fizik Tritone 5.5 which is a large improvement over the stock saddle on my Speedmax but I’m finding it a little on the wide side after around an hour. The S.I. Iron Flow caught my eye, I’ve always gotten on well with their saddles and have the SLR flow on my roadie currently.

Also witnessing some hearty power improvements on both bikes from riding the Speedmax more regularly and involving a little more structure on my outdoor rides in preparation for my clubs annual open 10 in October

Specialized Sitero? Really like mine.

SoliD · 25 Aug 2017 at 12:46

One More Solo said:
It's a crazily impressive time but IMO there are serious question marks over his previous records too. I remember rumblings about his road positioning after both comp records went last time although nothing was proven (I believe he was informally warned and separately DQ'd from an event down south for similar behaviour). You really can't underestimate the difference riding that wide would make to your effective CdA. I doubt most top tier pros (Wiggins etc) are stupid enough to ride like that in pursuit of a comp record - Wiggins for example probably shot himself in the foot by having a following motorbike which kept a lot of the traffic at bay.

Specialized Sitero? Really like mine.

I thought he got DQ'ed for bringing a support car along?

touch · 25 Aug 2017 at 12:48

SoliD said:
I thought he got DQ'ed for bringing a support car along?

DQd for riding up the centrline of a 2 lane road.

SoliD · 25 Aug 2017 at 12:57

touch said:
DQd for riding up the centrline of a 2 lane road.

Sorry at an earlier event that OMS was referring to.