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More bike speed wanted

I'm after a bit of advice from anyone/everyone. I've got a road bike which I use for my tri's. It's got the usual, carbon forks, handlebars, seatpost and tri bars. Aero spokes, Ali frame and basic Shimano 8 speed gearing and weighing in at 22 lb. I've put on Michelin slicks and fly. Away from training, what can I do with my bike to get more speed from it? I can't afford to blow a small mortgage on a flash tri bike or a great wheel set. I have been toying with picking up a tri specific frame, but what will this really give me over 40kms? Any help would be greatly received.

Comments

  • BoycieBoycie Posts: 189
    I hate to break it to you, but it is about the training. I'm sure some of the bike techies out there will give you a few tips, but the question you need to ask yourself is; would you be considerably quicker on a £5000 tri specific bike? The answer for most of us is no. There may be a few things you can change but I doubt they will save you more than a few seconds.



    David.
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    the only thing you might consider, that I know of, if you haven't done it yet, is get your bike set up correctly. Get it done by people who know about the positioning systems and measurements.

    Besides that I think the only true time-saver is training, like Boycie says( but hey; training is what we love[;)]).
  • TTX PROTTX PRO Posts: 225
    well i can say this.i have a tt bike,a wilier lavaredo chrono with D-A And nearly everything is carbon exept the frame,i built it up from scrach and it cost me £3000.Now i only use it for when im racing,not training,theres no point,i just train using a wilier evasion wich cost three times as less.now then heres the difference,the one use for racing slashes 42 seconds off on a 10 mile run compared to my training bike.what you are mainly paying for is better quility and slightly better performance.My TT bike has been up against the likes of giant Trinity alliance zeros,BMC TT02,trek ttx and cost £4000+.at the end of the day from my experiance the more you pay,the more it costs in maintinence and the more you spend doing unless you know what your doing like me and 75% of it is down to the rider.It doesnt matter what you ride if your not fit someones gonna beat you.
  • Another suggestion I might throw out there, if you haven't done it already and you are dying to spend some more money on goin faster, is to invest in a turbo trainer and maybe another set of tires or wheels (can be heavier, less expensive and more sturdy, since the extra weight doesn't really matter on the turbo) for use on the turbo trainer. I found it a great way to train through the past two winters and especially for working on my speed and anaerobic endurance (short, intense sprint efforts, etc) in all kinds of weather. The extra set of tires/wheels is useful so that you are not wearing out your racing tires while on the turbo (it does put a lot of wear and tear if you don't change them).
  • Yeah, just what I'd thought. I've actually just picked up a turbo for the wet days. My ride to work is 16.5miles each way which keeps the base endurance going. Maybe a bit of sprint training and a couple of time trailsin the early part of next spring is the way to go. We'll see. Cheers for the feedback!
  • Johnny,



    I agree with the post so far. A really good book is "The lance armstrong performance program" Its written by Chris Carmichael his old coach.



    With the cycling you already do you may want to try the intermediate program. Its 7 weeks and the results are excellent. You may just be riding alot of dead miles right now with no major benefit. This helps get specific results.



    I hope this helps and take it from me it pays off
  • The book is £10 by the way and a turbo will help. Get a second hand imagic on ebay for the same price as a non pc compatible one if you dont mind second hand gear.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    As above, the old adage it's the engine that's important ... however, having said that see my posting 'The Old Question - Which Bike etc' just make sure the right engine powers the right machine, I'll explain.



    Short version, my background, recreational runner, hadn't touched a bike in years. Took up Triathlon 2 years ago, got a Giant SCR2 but after intial improvements hit a brick wall, not improving times by much and way, way down in the results. Did a lot of research, concluded that a 78degree Tri specific bike would be better than my road bike beacause over the years my muscles had developed for running not cycling. Got a Focus Tria, lopped minutes off my training and competition bike times but more importantly now go straight into the run with a complete absence of 'jelly legs' that I had before and significantly improved run times.



    In my case the wrong engine was in the wrong machine, this has now been rectified and turning in bike times averaging 4 - 5 mins quicker over 20Km and run times 3 -4 minutes faster.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Some good advice, getting a specific programme for yourself, turbo work and set up will help, as will just train more and better. Now for the contraversial one; a . better bike does make you faster, and the more novice you are the greater the improvement you will gain - try making yourself more aero (pointy helmet, overshoes, skinsuit), lighten your bike ; this will have immediate benefits on hilly courses (start with the "heavies" ; saddle, seat post, handlebars, pedals. Finally upgrade your wheels.

    I have quite abit of experience on the bike over the years and always the better the bike the faster I go, and the Cervelo PC with Corima / Record is the fastest bike I've ever ridden. I have been fitter and lighter but I have never been faster on a bike - its' so aero, it's geometry is excellent and the kit is top end. I know there will be an element who will whinge about this. But the sad truth is that vO2 max, physiology, physical attributes, mental approach ie genetics not withstanding your performance can be improved somewhat through training further improvements for the less genetically gifted have to be bought - better kit, training camps, altitude training, time off work to train. And there's nothing wrong with this

  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    As the author of ''The Slackers Guide to Triathlon without Triing''(available when I get around to writing it,although it is a work in progress) I thought I would add my two pennies worth.

    Firstly less is more,train smart over a smaller time frame to prevent exhaustion.

    Secondly as Treefrog points out to coin a phrase ''it is more than the bike''

    Thirdly Chris Boardman says that the more sports you train for the more paranoid you will get that you are not making the required improvements so will tend to overtrain to compensate and performance will deteriorate.

    Fourthly Don't follow the crowd.Every month the fitness magazines publish ways to better your 5k,blast your abs,swim more efficiently,so it stands to reason that if others follow these plans then they will improve at the same rate so the status Quo remains in the final results,sometimes you need to walk away from the crowd and try something different to improve.

    Or you might think I am talking total BS.
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