burnthesheep

Anyone have a more affordable bottle cage they like for a BTS mounting setup? I run BTS dual cages for training rides, obviously nothing for racing. I had a pair of Specialized Rib Cage 2 back there that worked nice. Never an "ejection". Other day I swung my leg over the bike and clipped the bottle and broke one of those.

Looking online I'm having a hard time swallowing $25 for a freaking bottle cage. Anyone have a $10 plastic deal they've found that doesn't eject bottles BTS?

Tyrell

Easy there, Karate Kid! Haha!

Lezyne Power Cage has been rock solid for me in this application.
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/...1-bc-pole-v117

burnthesheep

I'm going to give 40k another go. I found a couple spots to try.

Which would you choose, not having access to a fancier calculator or known CRR values?

-slower CRR road surface but only 15ft per mile elevation (essentially pan flat)
-faster CRR road surface but an avg of 40ft per mile elevation (definitely not pan flat)

I tend to feel I'd rather eat the CRR and go pan flat. I'm fast enough that aero losses are far trumping crr losses. Plus it probably has fewer chances for car intrusions.

Hermes

The hardest ride is flat so I would go flat with rougher road but let some air out of the tires assuming no potholes. For me, I do not like the feel of softer tires even if that is faster but I get the physics. Also, it is very important to ride in a straight line on rougher roads. Any movement of the front wheel scrubs speed due to friction losses and increases CdA.

burnthesheep

Feel I've asked this before. But, now that I broke an hour for a 40k.........what are typical TT distance time milestones? 23min 10mi? Etc.?

I realize the gaps should be closer the faster as it gets harder (aero drag). But want some realistic goals.

Like, common milestones might be:

10mi: sub 30, sub 25, sub 23, sub 22, sub 21, sub 20
40k: sub hour, sub 55, etc.....
50mi: sub 2hr.......

Tyrell

40k <60min is all I've ever heard of as any kind of "standard." Everything else for me is "do better than last time." #shrug

burnthesheep

Well, was to encourage club mates also.

I got a few amazing responses on UKTT forums. Basically exact specs sheets they use already.

Like: 10mi year end club recognitions sub 25, 23, 22, 21, you’re way too fast for us after 21min.

burnthesheep

Pedantic observation............that regional TT that I couldn't go to due to the kid's birthday.........they ran it 1/2 mile short of a British 25mi. Like, what the eff? Seriously. All they had to do was run the one out/back leg down the one road 20 seconds further out.

Ughhhh, that would have killed my OCD if I did do that event. Do it and not even get an official time for a 25mi event. Get one for a 24.5mi event.

burnthesheep

Three way helmet test. Some results as expected, one not. But, good data.

Now to borrow a helmet and maybe buy one to test, then sell what I don't like.

Lastly, power has been there still at my lowered stack height. So I think I'll lower it once more and keep doing my workouts. If power even stays static after the lowering again, with a gain in CdA.....it's something.

I'm pretty slippery and usually 155 to 160lbs, so a decent combo. But still think I could be even slicker.

burnthesheep

I was making good power, so lowered the stack some more. Still making power.

Advice I got so far is to raise my nose just a hair to slot the helmet and grip further back so I don’t reach with my shoulders as much.

Fair. I will do a new field test with old stack and new. Some folks aren’t convinced it is faster. I debate that if before the helmet was visibly above my back.

burnthesheep

What are the known "wide body" helmets? I probably won't find or afford the unobtanium Tempor. Met Drone? Anything else?

gerundium

MET Drone Wide Body as mentioned, similar style is the UVEX Race 8.

burnthesheep

Maybe I killed a Stormtrooper and took it from him........

Oh, and I replaced the stupid AF huge headed allen bolts for the stack spacers sticking in the wind. Pan/round head bolts FTMFW. Helped my OCD a lot. Also re-ran the front brake cable to be out of wind and use the hole for it in the stem then straight down to brake. It used to sit out in the wind a hair to the one side. But screw McMaster for bolts, shipping was more cost than the bolts.

TMonk

looks fast!

burnthesheep

Thanks! Turkey days TT 25 thru 27th. Make a Strava attempt at the segment those days. So will get a shot to be fast!

I have a teammate coming out to try it same day as me.

TMonk

Aerocoach goodies just shipped, 54t 1x (narrow/wide) 110 bcd chainring, 15 degree tilt block adapters for my generic Alibaba aerobars. Stoked!!! Shop is finishing up the Sram etap aero as well.

burnthesheep

Dude, eff you. But in a good way. I wish I could have electronic on this bike. It's an old frameset, but shifting from the bullhorns would be amazing.

Enjoy!

I'm running out of things to buy. Lol. Just ride and train now!

burnthesheep

Tempor was 10w faster than the Cerebel at my 10mi TT power. Tested today. Hooray. Actually quieter and can see well in it. Keeper.

burnthesheep

Black Friday got another sucker. I bought an Aerocoach/Nopinz Flowsuit that was normally an absolute fortune for a price closer to what you'd pay for my Bodypaint 3.3 when it was new. The Bodypaint 3.3 has been nice, but it isn't THAT nice. Also not right pattern for this helmet/position really. Fast, but I can do better.

I will still test them though. If it's within a watt of the BP, I'll keep it since it has the number pocket. It included the number pocket any way you want it. I went with the UCI-extra so I could put the number in centered or read from the side on either side.

If this is going to be my "thing" in 2020 along with driving to a hill-climb and time trial omnium.......it is what it is.

Hermes

My wife and I have Nopinz too. They were popular choices at record attempts at Aguascalientes

burnthesheep

I am nowhere near that fast. Lol.

My theory is though, around here my TT routes have hills. Uphill you go like 15 to 18mph at even 350w or something where aero isn’t king.

But downhill, everyone is well into the 30’s mph for a good while.

Those suits measure out fast over 45kph. On the flats that is right where I am now. If going downhill for over 1/4 or 1/3 of a route at 35mph. I would assume a “fast person” suit to help at that point.

In the Turkey TT I couldn’t manage an all-time segment top 10. Too many beasts. But, with no wind at all, snagged the top 10 on the downhill portion.

My watts to speed ratio looked great.

burnthesheep

Alright. For 2021 I might be organizing a monthly team/club TT. Same night as worlds, you just choose your pain. I was going to go with "themes". The 10 miler. The prologue. A personal hour record. Pursuits. Etc.

I have some good stuff I've ridden and found for all of them except the prologue.

What would make a fun prologue? Technical? Fast? Shorter, but how short?

I was thinking of keeping the prologue estimated "time" around 10min. So folks can really dig into their 8min power and really fly. But usually prologues pros do look to have a few roundabouts or turns or a little sharp hill to keep it fun and painful.

What would your ideal "prologue" be?

kensuf

For about three years I used to organize a monthly 15k TT for our local cycling club, which coincidentally enough fit well for that monthly 20 minute power test. Some thoughts from my experiences...

Don't put it on the same night as your weekly world championships if you want anything resembling a decent turnout. People HATE doing TT's, but people love worlds. Even though I was a TT guy, I would have gone to worlds instead of a local 10 minute TT any day of the week.

Don't get saucy with roundabouts and turns on an amateur TT. The last thing you want is a bunch of people with questionable handling skills dealing with that while they're on the rivet. Punchy hills are good though, make them bleed from their ears and eyes!

Have a "strictly Merckx" category and a full blown TT rig category.

Make it fun.

Have fun! Good luck, I hope to hear more about it at the end of next year.

burnthesheep

Thanks for that comment. Right on.

I'm already running into that when I brought it up for discussion.

I find it really interesting folks who ran out and bought TT bikes at the end of 2020 on the team stated they'd hate to miss only ONE worlds per month to do a TT instead. I like weeknight worlds also, but if weather is good there's literally dozens of them per year. Pair that with the Tuesday night in-season crit series, and there's more than enough time to bang around in a group.

I think it is just a difference from Britain versus the US. Time trial isn't as big a thing in the US. I feel more folks that do triathlon show up to the formal TT's than do bike racers in the US.

Problem with our team is that most folks have the whole wife/kids scenario. So.........if you make worlds and a monthly TT on separate days.........you likely only get one longer "Free pass" to go do stuff per week. So, even if you split the days up...........folks are still likely having to choose between "worlds" and the monthly TT.

We'll see what happens.

I'm asking lots of questions and gauging folk's interest and talking to the leader before deciding anything.

topflightpro

What about just creating a TT segment that people can do it over a week or weekend?