Today I am contemplating.
I carefully timed myself a few weeks ago on a 28 mile ride with my Parallax track bike. The route was absolutely flat and almost totally straight. I wanted to see how far I could go in one hour, under time trial conditions. Turns out, it’s only 20.94 miles. I was a little disappointed, because two years ago I did the same route on a clunky old hi-ten road bike converted to fixed gear, and I got about the same distance. My Parallax is stiffer and several pounds lighter, and I’m now in considerably better shape overall.
So, what gives? Three things, I think. Two factors are inherent in the bikes themselves: the old clunker was geared just a little higher (87 gear inches vs. 81). And it put me in just a little more aero position. I had a -17 degree quill stem and track drop bar on it, which placed my hands a few inches below the top of the head tube, or somewhere between the fork crown and top tube. My Parallax has a +6 degree stem and bullhorn bar, locating my hands an inch or so above the top tube. It’s more comfortable, but only slightly. The biggest difference was the fact that I had a steady, moderate breeze this time around, and if I recall correctly, it was calm on the trial two years ago.
All this drives home the fact that those Triathlon and TT riders really know what they’re doing with their stupid aero bars, slick helmets, etc. They put aerodynamics ahead of all else… comfort, handling, even weight. Since they can’t draft, riding position becomes of paramount importance. I know you’re all well aware of this already. I’m just reviewing the experiment that made it real to me.
I was also surprised to find that yesterday on the same bike, with 78 gear inches, I averaged 20.1 mph (a new PR) on my somewhat hilly 13.5 mile course… that’s less than one mile per hour slower than my average speed on the flat course with just a little wind.
Next experiment: go up a few more gear inches on the Parallax, put a really low bar on it, and do the hour trial again on a perfectly calm day. I might even forego the helmet in favor of a cycling cap. I want to see if I can get at least 23 miles. I know a decent rider can do a 25 mile TT in about one hour flat, and since I’m not highly trained/conditioned, I’ll be happy if I can get to 90% of that speed. I don’t have a power meter but I’m really curious, just for curiosity’s sake, about my Functional Threshold Power. That’s the average power output a rider can sustain for one hour, and it tells a lot about your fitness level. I’m guessing for me it’s between 250 and 300 watts, or around 3.8 w/kg for my 72 kg body.
I now return you to regularly scheduled FG/SS programming.