Eric F 

That's awesome. Keep at it!! If you still have the goal of finishing an IM, there's no reason you can't get there if you really want to - one step at a time.

My issue with triathlons is that I loathe running, and really suck at swimming - LOL . I had my time racing, and spent a lot of years where being on a bike meant suffering (always training to be faster for longer). I'm currently trying to learn how to ride my bike just for the fun of it. Sometimes fun is going fast, and bumping against the limits of my fitness, but it's definitely a different mindset now. When I hung up my bike in '04, my body was pretty done, and my motivation to keep pushing was gone. I focused on being a good dad to my new daughter, and took up some hobbies that kept me at home more. That little girl grew to become a very good softball player, and the last 10 years of our life has been dictated by her schedule. We have one last week of her final softball tournament, and in 2 months, she will be gone to college. I expect to ride a bit more often than I am right now.

VegasJen

Just got my picture package. Actual "race" photo on the bike. Form?

Eric F 

One of the first areas where you might think about upgrading to improve performance is your shoes and pedals. Proper stiff-soled cycling shoes with clipless pedals will eliminate the power loss you're currently getting with flexible running shoes on flat pedals.

As for position, reducing the height of your front end should be a goal, but it's something to adapt your body to a few mm at a time by swapping stem spacers from below you stem to above it. Scooting your saddle forward may also help you get your front end lower. TT/tri bikes tend to have steeper seat tube angles than road bikes in order to get more forward over the bike.

terrymorse 

Looks good, nice solid position. Back mostly flat.

After some stretching, you probably can lower the bars some more. Try moving one stem spacer from under the stem to above the stem.

VegasJen

Thanks guys. I don't have a lot of spacers on this stem. Maybe what I'll do is swap what I have above, and when I run out of those I can flip the stem. It's got 6* (I think) of angle. So maybe go down with spacers first and then drop with the stem to get lower. My biggest concern with doing that is just pain in the neck, literally, at that angle. But it won't kill me to try it at least.

GhostRider62

1, Work getting lower, step by step or spacer by spacer. Possibly shorter stem bringing arms narrower and closer.....maybe.
2. Tighter and faster kit
3. Aero helmet
4. Aerojacket for the rear wheel
5. Deep dish aero wheel with bladed spokes up front
6. Latex tubes or tubeless fast tires
7. Racing shoes and pedals

The order is basically the biggest bag for the buck. I suspect if you did all of the above, you'd be at 20 mph

You are making a lot of power to go 18 mph......I'd work on the aero

VegasJen

Power, I have. One thing is pretty evident, I'm no stick. But the flip side of that is I'm about as aerodynamic as a brick. If the speed is about equipment, then $$$ is my limiting factor. I'm just a poor, unemployed nursing student. I would like to find a dedicated tri bike but that will have to wait until I'm out of school.

GhostRider62

Your position is the most important in terms of aero/speed and least costly. It is free.

I'm 6'3 and a 220 brick.....I feel your pain.

Bah Humbug

You'd be amazed how much more aero a truly tight spandex jersey is compared to that t-shirt.

VegasJen

Maybe, but that's a pretty tight shirt. About as tight as I care to shove my chubby a$$ into.

terrymorse 

Yes, neck pain is a common problem. I go through my sore neck phase every season.

Your body has to get used to a new change, so make small changes, letting your body adjust to the new position until it's comfortable.

cyclezen

Don't know much about Tri. I do know how to compete.
If you aren't already, join the Vegas Tri Club. Make friends, get pointers from others who have done what you are wishing to do.
Bike - the aero equipment will be important, eventually.
But 1st learn how to get the most out of you and the bike. Ride with others who will push you harder, not just alone. Learn your gearing and what works for you under conditions.
Only gear I would recommend is getting shoes and pedals which work for tri-bike - running shoes are not those. You need to get your position to what works for you, then modify as you improve aspects. Dont; know what shoes and pedals work best for Tri - the club members would.
You say you have power, so if that's not the main limitation then there are other aspects which hold you back - define those and work on them.
TT is an inner thing. 20 is not a boundary, it might/can be the next step.
Ride On
Yuri
The shirt you wore is fine, if not getting logged with sweat, lose the saddle bag for competition - what is the belt around the waist for? why? get Tri club help on a good position for you at this time, once you have shoes and pedals. Ride a bunch, know your gears and how you perform with them. Fuel the motor well. Be less 427 Chevy and more 12 cylinder Ferrari - power wasted is the same as not having it.

Carbonfiberboy 

Those racing photos . . .

You're doing great. You don't say how long ago you started training your 3 sports. How many years and how many hours/year are a big deal.

You are athletic, BTW. You're a Marine. Your build is not that different from my wife's. You can modify your fit to get closer to a TT fit. You need to open your hip angle to get as low as you can. Say you moved your saddle all the way forward on a zero-setback post. Then see what you'd have to do as far as stem length to get back your perfect upper arm/torso angle. You'll probably be able to go with a negative angle on that stem, too. If the mod was interesting, you should be able to find a setback seatpost which you can reverse.

From the knee angle on the far knee at TDC, I'd say you might do better with shorter cranks. For some of us, getting low becomes an issue of chest/quad interference.


The cockpit on my endurance bike. These Profile Design bars mount below the bars, which is quite a difference in height. With the bars set up like these, my forearms are approximately level. I agree that aero position is everything. Wring everything you can out of that before spending on fancy equipment

Running. Here's a good video, showing the 2 different techniques current in tri. I'm a glider, never was a gazelle. I keep my feet near the ground and my cadence as high as HR permits.

base2 

Legit solid post.
+1

cyclezen

since I don't/didn't know what would be considered most important in a Tri Bike shoe, I thought I'd start finding out a bit...
Found a good article with references for a variety of Tri Bike shoes.
Noting in particular the Louis Garneau Tri X-Speed 3 shoes. I always find Louis Garneau stuff to be a great mix of performance/fit/value/price in their range of products.
Certainly their cycling shorts/bibs are great stuff, at very reasonable cost, fit well and last... expect the same from their shoes ( I should get some and give a try... I tend to stick to Sidi, because for decades they have fit me, great performance/fit/value/durability, but you do pay for this.... for the amount of riding I do and the service life with never a fit issue, I don;t complain...
Ride On
Yuri

VegasJen

I'll have to check into Las Vegas Tri, but the problem is I don't actually live in Vegas anymore. I'm still close, about 50 miles away, so I do drive in from time to time. But it's not like it's right down the road either.

As for the bag, the only thing in it is my car key since I was by myself and all my valuables were locked in the car.

I would really like to ride with other people, especially, like you say, others that will push me. But there are relatively few serious riders out here where I live. I need to hook up with some people and get serious about it. Unfortunately, at least right now, the only time I have to do that is during the summer, which is really terrible time to be doing anything outside in the desert. My school schedule has me pretty much buried the rest of the year.
Interesting you say that about the cranks and the chest/quad interference. I've had some people tell me my seating position is too high, but if I lower it my knee does come up pretty close to my chest at the top of the crank stroke.

Thanks for the video. After watching it I think I am in the "glider" category also. Not so much because I want to be but I am so much more bulky than those women are. I don't have many good pictures of my stride but this one may be the best representation. As noted before, I'm carrying quite a bit of mass up top where it's not doing me any good.


At the risk of taking this thread too far off the subject, I went back to my previous tri and put together an image of my run. Not exactly the best image. I had to piece this together from several separate photos. Now, bear in mind that this was an Olympic and I was exhausted. But I'm never far off the ground. Again, I'm carrying a lot more mass than any of those true athletes. But it goes back to what I was saying earlier in that I don't have the spring in my feet I used to have. I think some of that is simply age-related muscle loss, and some of it is that I'm just carrying a lot more weight than most athletes.

VegasJen

Sweet baby Jesus! I checked out the link and the "best value" shoes start around $250. I have bikes I didn't pay that much for.

tempocyclist

Your position certainly isn't bad. I'd say you can definitely get more aero on that bike, it's just a matter of if your body can handle it (it will take time to adjust of course).

- Lowering the front end is a good start, either with fewer spacers or flipping that stem.
- Getting your head tucked down lower and out of the wind.

That's all free and will take some testing. When it comes to spending $$$ then...

- A better cycling / tri style top, doesn't need to be much tighter but it will be smoother with less flap/wrinkle.
- I can't tell what tyres you're using, but some faster ones paired with Latex tubes may net some additional speed.
- Expensive, but some deeper section wheels.
- An aero helmet will net some savings, but I'd put it low on the list.

There's a bunch of other stuff as well and the rabbit hole is endless, but that's a very good starting point! 😀

seypat

This is something that's rarely discussed on BF. There's only so much room in that "rectangular box" between the headtube and ST/TT junction.

seypat

If you're looking for some inspiration, the current men's Olympic tri champion has a somewhat atypical build for a triathlete. Stocky and heavier than the usual builds you see in tri. Kristian Blummenfelt.

https://www.instagram.com/kristianblu/?hl=en

cyclezen

That was a 'competition' photo, yes? A large saddle bag has aero disadvantages - think it thru - if all you're carrying is a key/or keys - is there a better way to carry?
How do you carry the key/keys in 'swim', run?
Your personal situation is something which can only be addressed by you. BUT, the fastest way to increase your learning curve/performance curve is to learn from others who have and are climbing the same mountain, hiking the same long trail, wanting the same faster... That knowledge may be the most valuable thing you can get. It may require some changes on your end. What that can be is only what you decide.
My comments are purely to encourage thought, in some obvious directions which can give sizable gain. Not every direction.
You're getting some valuable insights here, but other experienced Triathletes,living in your area, your desert, can put that into better perspective and with better priorities...

Sure, Companies would love you to buy their 'best' products (price wise). But there is some very fine stuff available for well below even the current mid-price point...
https://www.backcountry.com/pearl-iz...v6-shoe-womens
We're not gonna do the work for you, nor can we. You need to determine WHAT you need to do, and find a way to get there. If you decide to 'shop', there's plenty out there.
It may require some work, digging and not getting $250-$400 shoes, or whatever else you decide you need. But there's good stuff out there...
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.trisports.com/product/lo...xoCrtEQAvD_BwE

The "beginner's category' of shoes in the article shows some very fine shoes - way better than what you're using...
If you say you have 'power', getting it down to the wheels and the road is primary to any other improvements. Everything else you do to improve will depend on how good your connection is to the bike.
Don't know your Euro or Mondo size? Figure it out.
There is no 'hidden' something which will get you from 18 to 19 and to 20 without the work.
... here's one thing I would put vegas money on...
if you were to buy a 'real' Tri TT bike, without working on the other things, it won;t get you to 20, prolly won;t get you to 19... it will make the path smoother, maybe a little easier, but it's not 'magic'
Ride On
Yuri

VegasJen

OK, maybe I was confusing your question about the bag and my belt. I thought you were referring to the belt I was wearing. The saddle bag has a CO2 inflator and a couple cartridges, spare tube, couple of levers and a pair of Allen wrenches. That's all that's in there but it's not really that big a bag. There's very little room left.

What is a Mondo?

terrymorse 

So basically a roadside kit for puncture repairs.

I carry my roadside kit in this minimalist Lezyne Roll Caddy. Enough room for all the necessary bits. Stuff doesn't jostle around, and the roll tucks tightly against the saddle. Very aero.

datlas 

That's a fine seatbag, but honestly do you really think this is going to make a significant difference in OP speed?!? I am guessing it may get her from 18MPH to 18.01 MPH at best.

tomato coupe

18.02 -- it's got dimples.