Incorrect.

i do not need the gratuitous adulation of strangers to buoy my ego

Did you Win ... ??

At a Crit... This is where I draw the line....

Crit Checklist...

Wheels .... light responsive....
Tires ..... grippy and narrow
Gearing .... 52-48 / 12-21
Helmet ..... Same I used for previous day's road course
Kit ..... Skinsuit
Plan .... ride near the front and conserve energy until last few laps
Last few laps ... create or get in a break..
Note to self ..... don't get boxed in ...

In our region there is a Crit ( Ninigret Park, Charlestown R.I. ) where strategy of staying out of the wind is super critical.. it's a 6 corner course on an old airfield close to the ocean... Always windy and it's a crosswind on 75% of the course.
Aero would be preferable, but even high profile wheels become unmanageable from the crosswinds...
It's an interesting course where riding in a phalanx or echelon, single file on the rivet, and every other strategic way of saving energy is utilized each and every lap... On this course, rarely does a solo rider stay away. It's a course where strategy rules, where teamwork amongst breakaway riders either make it or break it... Bike handling is absolutely critical...
Cris are about bike handling, pack strategy and careful monitoring of one's reserve...
Not riding all out at a constant 30mph+ and minimizing drag.:giver:

So admittedly you're doing it for the gratuitous adulation if those you know?

Can't see a reason the deviate from my standard gearing. 53/39x23/11. I regularly use 53x23 at anything with a hill, like bethel.

weak. Why not 28 mph?

Arent you a cunning linguist;)?

We've got guys up here that race crits with wheel covers. You might even recognize the names. Just sayin'.

Gary and I did it last weekend. Both races were won off the front. In mine it was a solo. a tactical error on my part. The wind is the biggest factor there, always is. In early spring is blows offshore which makes for a head/cross sprint. In the summer it flips around and blows onshore which makes for a tailwind sprint. In the sprint in my race the wind caught my front wheel badly and cost me 2nd place. That and I was just a little too patient.

Your gearing is really old school. Half step on what must be a downtube shifter bike. Ninigret is one place where I will run an 11-21. Pan flat. 53/39 standard up front.

Oompa Loompas.

incorrect.

do you think they'd give me more or less rope if I showed up with a giro selector?

My pack strategy is not to be in the pack, even when I catch them the first couple of times.

That is what I love about bike racing. We all get to pick our own route to success ... or failure. Often failure, but hope for success next time is good too.

Incorrect on what basis ??? Ninigret is not interesting ? A course that you can never underestimate since the conditions drastically change from the last time you raced there....

Yeah I know who they are and at Ninigret ... It's a fight with the wind...

No hills whatsoever at Ninigret... totally flat in the wind ...
And a 39 is totally needless at Ninigret...

did you use your 48?

:unsure:

I used maybe 3 gears before the sprint. Point was that changing gears for a crit, when you've already got a bunch in the same vicinity seems like needless noodling.

incorrect because its a course on a WW2 era airfield. if you think that's interesting, then i suggest you get out a bit more.

I don't get out much, but Thank You for the history lesson...
Evidently I see you take each word literally.... Ninigret is interesting, but not in the singular definition you assumed I meant...

You're welcome. This one is on me. Next time, I'll have to charge you.

i got tired of changing cassettes all the time so put 11x28s on all my wheels and done with a 53x39 on the front. If I cant find what I need in those 20 choices, then i'll compensate.

Yeah, I can't really be bothered to change cassettes around. 12-25 for everything. If I do Hilltowns this year, I'll swap to a 12-28 or 12-30, but only because I'll be picking up a couple of those for the 'cross bike I'm putting together this spring/summer.

I've never done Ninigret, but flat and windy doesn't really sound like my cup of tea. Anyone who's met me can guess why.

I rock a 11-25 on my race wheels, and a 12-28 on my training wheels. I use both for races depending on how much i care about the race. Cassettes never won or lost me a race (How i almost always use my zipps so i normally have my 11).

I'm an optimizer.

was this race this past weekend/ what was the outcome?