How much time did I lose (bike question)?
835
Member
1379 days
glbrum posted 2 years ago.
Since this was your first road tri how do you now what is slow and what is not? If it was slow and you want to blame it on the bike then maybe you should have checked the position before the race. Aero wheels will do more for you than an aero frame. A disk is worth about .5 mph, which at 20mph is 1.5 minutes. More speed = more time. Aero position/good position will give you a bit more time as you will be able to generate proper power. Next time, ride your own bike as this seems like a cop-out to blame your slow time on the bike you were riding.
122
Member
1250 days
Beldrueger posted 2 years ago.
glbrum wrote:
Since this was your first road tri how do you now what is slow and what is not? If it was slow and you want to blame it on the bike then maybe you should have checked the position before the race. Aero wheels will do more for you than an aero frame. A disk is worth about .5 mph, which at 20mph is 1.5 minutes. More speed = more time. Aero position/good position will give you a bit more time as you will be able to generate proper power. Next time, ride your own bike as this seems like a cop-out to blame your slow time on the bike you were riding.
Hey no thanks for the positive reinforcement. Did you even read the whole post? I flew down from Chicago to do this race and never had it as a priority. It was the third race of the weekend. My only priority was the Xterra. In hindsight, I would have liked to have given it more focus, but no big whoop.
I think this is a case where I can blame it on the bike. I know it's my fault for not setting it up or putting enough emphasis on the bike. I just want to get an idea of how much of a difference it might make.
I "know" it's a slow time because I train on my road bike all the time and I've done numerous crit races and road rallies. There isn't a single solo training ride in recent history where I can remember riding less than 20 mph average on my road bike for 3-5 hour rides. I train with a watt meter. In every Xterra I've done, my biking is always my strength. I have a pretty good sense of my abilities. I don't know how the aerodynamics of the peleton compare to a Tri bike, but my best road race\rally finishes are in the 25mph range. Last was 70.3 miles in 2:47.
It may be my first road tri, but it isn't my first race. I'm not some wide eyed optimist who thinks I could have won on the day If I'd just had the right gear. In the same vein I know when gear matters. If you have no useful comments. Don't post.
Let me put it this way, everyone who saw the bike this weekend gave a good hearted chuckle followed with a "that'll cost you some time" or similar comment.
This weekend was a lesson in how much gear CAN matter, but I just want a better sense of what that difference is.
.. and please explain how it is a "copout"? If I got a flat, lost my goggles, or got stuck in gear I would also be quitly wondering "I wonder how much time that cost me". Don't tell me that you wouldn't do the same. In the end I'm not going to bitch about the result, but we always want to know where we stand. I never said that the gear defficiency wasn't my fault. All I said was that it cost me time relative to other competitors. There is no fallacy in that.
This last weekend I competed in a three race weekend. I did my Xterra on Saturday, a 5k on Sat night, and a sprint Tri on Sun.
I had to rent bikes because I was from out of town. When renting bikes for the weekend, I made sure to get a good mountain bike. I ended up with a Specialized Epic Comp in excellent shape. I wasn't as diligent with the road bike. I got stuck with a 10+ year old Specialized road bike with a quill stem. I didn't give it much thought because the sprint was never my focus, but my bike time sucked, not just from the lack of aero, but the position was all wrong as well. I didn't even touch the seat. I got on the bike when I picked it up spun it a few times, and figured it was good enough. I should have at least TOUCHED the seat clamp. I realized my mistake within the first half mile. I was way to low and far back. I could not put good power down. I'm sure I was 20-30 watts lower than what I could put down in the proper position. It killed my legs cranking so low.
My question is: Given that it was only a 13 mile flat bike course, how much time did I theoretically lose from 1) no aero and 2) bad position. Obviously this isn't an exact science, so there is no need to qualify your answer with any of the following "Well there are too many factors to consider.", "It depends", etc.
I'm just looking for directional info such as "A good aero position + aero bike will give you about X minutes per 40k" or "A low seat position could cost you X-Y% on wattage depending on W,X, or Y"
I know that it must be significant because if I compare my Sat and Sun bike splits, my Sun bike split was way off from all of the other competitors that did all three races. My comparitive run split was in the same range all through the weekend. My mph avg on the bike was right at 20mph. That seems very low for me even when on my non-aero road bike.
I am a decent biker and would expect to be able to crank out 260+ watts for 30 min. I weigh about 178. This was my first ever road tri, but I have raced MTB bikes for 2 years now and done 6 Xterras.