carpediemracing 

Myth, as stated (as fact) in the Eddy B book about bike racing, is that racers fall on the left side more often, due to "the weight of the heart". Therefore a CW race would be "safer" because you're counteracting the weight of the heart by keeping it to the outside. Or something like that.

Around here it's about course safety in a given direction, taking advantage of a course feature, or logistics (road closures etc). Two courses were reversed after massive crashes going the original way (New Britain, Limerock). NB is now CCW, eliminates a downhill curvy bit that used to be lined with big decorative rocks that seemed perfect for breaking bones. Limerock is CCW also (which is against its regular motor racing direction), eliminating the downhill into the sprint which encouraged curb to curb 50 mph lead outs leading to inevitable massive stack ups.

topflightpro

Since messing up my left knee, I have spent a lot more time looking at my left/right balance. On a good day, I'm 51/49 L/R. And on a bad day, it's 53/47. I am really working to build my right leg strength to try to even that out and take some of the stress off my left knee.

topflightpro

Oh, and another question, has anyone used a Seatpost shim? I am looking for a cheap way to swap seatposts on my bike. The bike takes a 31.6 post, but I have another 27.2 that has the setback I am looking for. The shim is like $5 whereas a new post would be more. (Additional info, the frame is aluminum, shim is aluminum, post would be carbon.)

Also, has anyone tried running at 10-speed chain in an 11-speed RD? I am specifically looking at Sram.

globecanvas

I am fairly confident that would not work... The chain would be too wide.

tetonrider

do you know what it was before your injury? i'm not sure 50-50 is a goal to strive for.

also, balance info is incomplete without some info on intensity. you may be 50-50 at zone 1 pedaling and 55/45 in defcon1, or vice versa.

i do think severe injuries are one of the few real uses of balance (gotta admit that when i injured my femur i wished i had some pre-injury data on balance as well as ammeter that measured or calculated it (i think most are doing some calculation) -- but just out of curiosity to see how things tracked during a recovery. not sure i'd take specific steps, and now that i'm a few months out i don't really wonder.

i was curious and had a few chains here. the difference in width is 0.4mm.

i'm going to say i'll bet it will work as there is more clearance than that in the cage (typically) and like chainrings, the pulleys probably work just fine with either size chain. i'd be curious to hear the actual answer--i'm just guessing.

tetonrider

@globecanvas ... no connection to the above question, but you have a crux, i think.

i'll either be running a road double with a 42T inner ring and outer chain guard, or a cannondale MTB 1x with a narrow-wide ring. on my other cross bike i had a k-edge inner chain keeper (clamp-on). the crux doesn't have a suitable seat tube. i liked it much better than the normal chain catchers because it wraps a bit over the top of the chain, too.

what do you like/use/recommend? guess i could use a normal style chain catcher and attach it to the braze-on mount with a regular nut.

i plan to run a clutch RD to work best with the 1x and maybe eliminate the need for the inner keeper, but the one i want isn't out just yet.

Ygduf

yes. I like it still, no problems, and have even sort of figured out no-handed riding again on it!

topflightpro

Teton, would this work: Chain Keeper Direct from Paul Component Engineering

carpediemracing 

Absolutely and with no problems. Shimmed a SystemSix so I could use my Thomson. Shim is still in the frame which is in my basement. I want to say it was a Problem Solvers but not sure, it came from QBP.

Said bike with shim:

abhirama

Heh, cool, thanks!

Wylde06

Ive wondered what my l/r balance has been with how my right leg moves out, which also happens to be the side that is weaker and tighter.

globecanvas

I use the k-edge keeper, attached to the braze-on FD mount with a bolt and a curved seat post nut (off a Thomson seat post I think, but a bunch of posts use a similar nut). Works 100% fine.

tetonrider

great call on that curved nut. had yet to think of a good solution for it.

i liked this solution more than the traditional catcher....but i don't think it will work on the braze-on curved mount.



you running a single ring on a double spider (with outer guard), or a dedicated 1x front?

topflightpro

I do not. I have known for a long time that my left leg is stronger than my right - I used to skateboard goofy footed. And I have noticed that when my L/R balance is off, i.e. more power from the left leg, my left knee tends to ache more.

globecanvas

Single 42 ring, double spider, outer chain guard, inner chain catcher, long cage RD, 11-32 cassette.

Ygduf

looks fun!

caloso

I've have a plastic shim I got from excelsports.com to use a 27.2 post in a 31.8 frame. Never had a problem.

tetonrider

nice bike! will post a pic of mine when done building. might build it up later today.

you actually ride yours a whole bunch, right? i'm planning on using mine for more CX racing. a few years ago i went with 42x12-27 with a double spider (cannondale SRM, same setup as you with a catcher and outer guard). i may still use that crankset, but a cannondale 1x PM is showing up soon....mostly for a MTB but i'm curious about running it with a narrow-wide ring. have to wait until the clutch RD i want is out (october).

meanwhile, these showed up. they're definitely chunkier/heavier than the regular di2 shifters....509 grams for the shifters alone (9070 di2 shifters are 230 grams...but i guess the fair comparison is 6770 @ 310). i think the calipers weigh less than the bb7's i had, though, and the hydraulic hoses are lighter. had to pull a few strings to get these...shimano revamped the calipers (hose routing) as a running change, and they're not up to full production/distribution.

tetonrider

i used to shoot left-handed when i played hockey....so i'm with you on having a dominant leg. i'm not sure (for me) it translates into an imbalance on a bike, but i'm pretty sure any imbalance does not make a difference in normal riding.

in injury recovery, i did find that my injured leg's muscles did not fire as quickly, so the start of my pedal stroke was late and the end was late, too (which meant i was fighting the other side). when i focused on correcting it, i could see power jump ~7%.

save10

i've been on this saddle the whole season on my clown car bike (see race bike thread). no comfort/discomfort issues - i race almost exclusively crits and my longest training rides are about 4 hours on a weekend. really the main thing initially is because its not padded the saddle is a little slick and you slide around at first which can take some getting used to. but that's not an issue anymore.

as you know, saddle comfort can sometimes be individualized, so TMMV in terms of comfort. but that would be true of any saddle.

globecanvas

@tetonrider, I put a couple thousand miles a year on it, and maybe a half dozen races. The photo is a year old, it now has Shimano cx77 brakes, which look just like the photo you posted. That was a worthy upgrade, I'm sure the hydro version will kick butt.

Cleave

I think I got my plastic shim from the same place. Used it for a year on a frame that I sold. Worked just fine. With the aluminum frame and carbon post, the plastic shim is a good safeguard against corrosion between the carbon (if the clearcoat wears off) and the aluminum.

Issaquatch

I've raced on the road for several years and am now gearing up for my first season of cyclocross. I'm trying to decide between Ultegra Di2 and 105 for my new cross bike. I prefer the performance of the Di2 but I'm not real keen on replacing expensive Di2 derailleurs and shifters if it is likely that they would be trashed during a season of cross races in muddy conditions. Any thoughts on the likely longevity of derailleurs and shifters when racing cross? Do they generally come through okay in the little crashes and spills that can occur during a cross race?

tetonrider

i'm a big di2 fan, so take this in context (been riding di2 on the road since 2010, rode a bit of cross on it, excited to put it on my MTBs). di2 is amazing, in general, but moreso in adverse conditions. mud, sand, wet conditions...y'know, the kind of stuff cross throws at you, the stuff where shifting goes to hell. those conditions are harsh on cables (ingress of water, cable stretch); non-issue for di2.

as for crashes....anything can break in a crash, of course. the levers aren't that fragile, but if you hit them right they'll break. if you don't break mechanical stuff, you won't break di2; the di2 stuff is no less fragile. however, if you do break mechanical stuff, then it will cost you more to replace the di2 parts.

lots of folks race force instead of red due to lower replacement cost. there's ultegra di2 vs DA di2, of course, but the di2 groups are still priced a bit above mechanical.

tetonrider

yeah....at the time i got that bike, the bb7's were the best option. never loved them (i'm used to hydraulic on the MTB). the cx77's were on the verge of being released, and i wanted them but needed something and couldn't wait.

these calipers are basically the XT MTB calipers. the revision was a more direct hose routing. should be good. i think i'll be able to run 140s front and rear due to the better performance of the hydraulics, but we'll see; maybe i'll still need/want 160/140.