Aero/Gains Thread

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Aren't BC races run under UCI regs anyway so you just have a different set of position constraints? Can't imagine the jig gets brought out very often though!

I seriously thought that to be the case as well regards UCI regs but it is not apparently.

 

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Think it might be a bigger deal for next season. I'll be making the effort to be compliant at least.

3cm
Commie will be sacking folk off on the start line.
Or will they be DQ'ing people based on photo's after the events?
Or will other riders be grassing folk in?

Bigger deal next year no doubt but enforcement of anything probably no different. It'll just give cyclists more things to moan about in a valid manner, which is the last thing cyclists need!

 

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Solo & Solid, what saddles are you using?
What have you tried in the past also before arriving at a TT saddle you actually "like" ?

 

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Ah yeah I know ShammyShamrockooooo but I done some browsing about and seen pics of bikes and worked out what some people had like yourself and berger. Wasn't sure what those 2 girls were using hence specificity.

Fizik Arione as in an R1/3/5? Or a Tri K 1/3/5?
I have Arione R1 on race bike and R3 on winter bike. Too long nose for me on the TT bike though need shorter.
Fizik Tritone on TT bike currently but it has to go. Not keen on the ISM's what so ever

Tempted by Arione K3 or the Aerocoach Axis as may get a chance at one cheap and barely used.

 

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Finally got to round to ordering a new Disc for the TT bike. Just need a decent Tri-spoke or deep front now. Might change from S bends to J bends soon too. Looking forward to my first TT of the year on 12th Feb now. It's a SPOCO but not too severe of one with some good downhill sections.

Cool, as above, which disc?

I swapped to J's and so glad I did. I know it is really personal preference but the J's are so much more comfortable and they are more aero for me. Win/Win.

I just won a brand new Arione K5 saddle for £34 on eBay. Nice little saving of £60 made

 

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SoliD - road.cc been reviewing new DA on a roadbike but do detail the new shifter buttons and how it will be very useful on TT bikes. Sounds perfect but will be way out of range of my pockets.

Thomas - Who is coaching you?

OMS - I might recruit your help via email or WhatsApp or something like that. My girl is from Lancashire and I spent an hour on CTT yesterday looking at races/courses around Manchester and Lancaster etc. My coach is based in Bury so would be cool for me to do some races down there during this year. Hoping you would be OK to help me identify where the races worth going to are and if there is 2 fast races in a week in June/July or the like I could tag in together it would be perfect. I can sorta/kinda figure this out via CTT site but having some actual real world knowledge of courses and the races would be a blessing.

 

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@xdcdxc Alex Simmons at RST Sport, a team mate is coached by Xav at RST (aerocoach) to great effect, so hoping I'll see a fair improvement. Already feels a lot nicer to have targeted sessions to be doing!

Nice. Funny I was reading a post about coaching this morning and he weighed in on the discussion with some positive writing. RST is pricey though, I am guessing you are on Gold plan, it sounds superb but it's more than I could afford. I hope it works out well for you mate Xav is a bit of a legend and to say he knows his stuff is bit of an understatement!

I think I'm going to go alone again this year, but after my improvement/enjoyment in CX I'm unsure as to which area to focus on, but will decide towards end of year and then may look at coach from there.

You don't need sacrifice CX or TT if you want to target both. A coach might be a good way of you seeing and adapting to that so you can approach each season a bit more effectively. I have no doubt you can get the training done yourself but the power having someone to speak to things about and structuring things for you has is very worthwhile and usual a bit of an eye opener.

 

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Looks like Fallout power armour if we change the colour.
I am for this.

 

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It's made by Rapha, how does that make you feel?

I retract all previous perceived endorsement.

 

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Scottish Cycling have banned compression/TripSocks for TT's up here.
I don't have or haven't used them so doesn't effect me but will be an issue for some.

They list them in the regs as "non essential" items of clothing basically. So I am wondering if overshoes will be categorised as this also. Leg warmers also, wondering when a commie will decide at what point leg warmers are "non essential" and if the leg warmers will be checked for tightness on riders to establish if they are giving a compression benefit or not.....

 

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Interesting, what about UCI approved overshoes, or length of sock as you say. Seems strange the scottish body going down their very individual route.

Typical Scottish, trying to bugger off and make their own mark/do their own thing
There is so many questions and oversights on the rules they are trying to impose with no clarification. I can't stand nit-picking of rules and stuff but with the amount of little rules they try to go down the route of enforcing it is hard to ignore challenging them as they seem to set them and not even think about it.

CTT getting more foothold up here also, and if BC/SC keep up with their nonsense it will ensure their eradication on TT's sooner rather than later.

 

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I think this rule change just brings them inline with UCI rules?
UCI rules also state that overshoes or socks cannot be longer than midway between ankle and knee and overshoes are banned for indoor events, I guess this will be the same.

I've no idea how they will determine how tight clothing needs to be before it's classed as 'compression'.

It makes sense to me to run all TTs under the UCI rules as national championships use these rules.

Yeah it is inline with UCI but my point was getting at why we have a BRITISH cycling who have one rule and the Scots change it. Why don't we have a English and Scottish cycling since the British whole point should be as an overall governing body but SC do their own thing. Seems daft.

People on a silver membership now have to wear club colours also. Announcing that in February is stupid because like in our situation if you want a skinsuit you have missed out on a club bulk order already so people are going to be struggling to get one in time and also having to fork out £200+ on a decent club skinsuit if they were racing in plain skinsuit last year. It's just rules for rules sake.

 

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That a scottish only thing? Not seen that.

Yep, another lovely new Scottish rule

 

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People gotta feel important and powerful yo!

 

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You boys might need to cool off after seeing these
Fitted my Arione K5 TT saddle yesterday. Pics show the top and bottom of my pedal stroke and I am fairly happy with the saddle position, I might put it up a couple of MM yet but I need some help with the front end position wise. Moved from Fizik Tritone to this Arione, the Triton I liked being off the front of it but it's way too wide for me as I am very narrow. My road bikes both have the Arione R1 and R3 so the K5 seemed logical to try and it's already superior after 5 mins on turbo.... anyway onto my position here:





I do not know how to fix this. I have my extensions angled up slightly as to reduce my frontal area which is very small as is but you can see the arch in my back is not aero...
Do I fix this by lowering my base bars and extensions more? OR do I fix this by raising the stack height on my extensions slightly and perhaps lowering the angle of my extensions a bit more flat?

I think if I flip my stem it will lower my bars a bit more and my first reaction straight away was to do this, but after looking at the pics a bit more and thinking logically I reckon it will flatten me out and make me more aero if I raise up slightly at front with more height on the stack for extensions. Very happy for any help/advice

I have Aerocoach arm rests waiting for me on my birthday next week so they will be fitted also and could help dial it in a little more.

 

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I'm struggling to make recommendations tbh, I'd jump over to TTforums and ask for critique there. How narrow are you at the front, this is where I've made huge gains as my arms are together at the elbows and yet still able to breathe. The flat back thing isn't the be all and end all, it's all frontal area. Also your screens show your head down, what is your actual position when you've got it up properly looking at the road.

Yeah I don't actually look down, I do look where I am going but I screenshotted the vid when looking down I guess

Frontal:


That's with my less angled extensions. With the more upward angle extensions it is slightly smaller now at front again. With the new arm rests I will be able to get slightly more narrow also

 

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Don't put those on TTF, you will be set upon for the 3CM!
I think you could get your head down a little and raise your hands a tad to lower your frontal area. You are proper narrow though on the front other than those muscly shoulders you got!
You could could get away with raising your saddle slightly as well looking at leg extension to achieve the above but this is all easy and well looking at pictures to suggest, obtaining such things and doing them when you feel comfy is another thing, as you see with my daft position haha.

 

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Have you seen my shoulders? You are like He-Man compared
Yeah as Touch says you don't need adjust anything for the head height, just stare at the ground, you don't need look where you are going and get the hands raised = free watts. In truth though I thought a little saddle raise would result in you bending slightly more to your extensions and would naturally bring your head and shoulders down a little.

 

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HAHA, need to drop head and back, don't want my pointy tail up in the air. Will see what I can do re position. I worry with raising my saddle as I don't want to cut off my hip circulation by rotating too far forward/down.

My club mate had the new aerocoach armrest and saddle, which make him really narrow, he reckoned he was putting on 20w less than last year and still won yesterday with the changes as they were the first time he'd ridden with them.

It is my birthday tomorrow and rumour has it that Aerocoach arm rests shall be unwrapped I'll let you know what I make of them of course because opinion seems very mixed. Local bloke here bought some and sold them before even using them as he thought the workmanship versus cost was shocking and he didn't like them..... been a few for sale un-raced on TTF too.
AXIS saddle does look good, I was going to get one but come across that brand new Arione K5 for £35 on eBay and I am very happy with it!

I made some tweaks to position after the previous pics the other day. Raised saddle slightly & moved extensions out an inch.... Comfiest I have ever been on the TT bike..... I done 30mins tempo pace and ended up producing 2watts more for 30mins than I did for my 10mile PB last year. HR was 15 BPM lower than race pace.

 

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Benny, I'd run your Speedmax on Reynolds until you get used to the bike and putting out power in aero position etc then worry about upgrading and changing parts.
I am still TT'ing on 40mm FFWD's front and back and biding time for research and a good deal. 404/808 I wouldn't bother.... 808 for the front worth a buy if cheap but I'd bide time and wait on a decent disc coming up for the rear. If it's coming with fairly deep Reynolds a side step wheel wise is a not worth the hassle/money.

I missed out on a FFWD disc the other week from a local bloke which I am still gutted about.... then thought I had a good shout on a Zipp 900 but it's 3 years old and 10 speed