"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - How's my position?

My 6-year-old son is wondering how he's looking for a crit or two in 2009. He'll probably go for his 2nd triathlon win as well (he won the bike leg by 2:30).

This is a 16" HotRock MTB with "city" tires. I got the bars at a swap last week (32cm !!). The 8-spd STI are the only levers I had laying around. He's got a 6-spd twist-shifter on the right drop end.

Man, when he tucks going down a hill, he's freaking gone, pedaling at like 140 rpm. Funny stuff. He's as excited as hell. For $20 (including tape).

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9524/cimg9056uf1.jpg

I better go to bed. He's going to be waking me up in 5 hours :eek:

Flip it.

I'm so funny.

:) yeah, we had it flipped w/his MTB bars, but he was uncomfortable with the road bars in that position.

I'd check the bottom bracket/seat nose relationship. On the 2005-2007 Hotrock's they used a 78 degree seat tube angle which pushes the saddle nose past UCI legal measurements depending on the make. And while this is a position specific thread, you could drop the CDA quite a bit by removing the front reflector. That was the first thing we did in my tunnel session.

Powertap or SRM?

He dresses like a sprinter BTW :)

:roflmao2: on the reflector.

So far, he's just used a PowerTap vicariously through me. He had me at 450W for a while going up a hill next to him (probably about 140W for him). He's going to sell some Legos to spring for an SRM though.

I think we'll just try to sneak by on the UCI thing. With the baggy shorts, he hides it well:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6400/cimg9057jr2.jpg

What are those things on his feet?

Priceless:thumb:

Several kids on the team BTW, you should see if anyone has a JPB kit that would fit him.

:lol:

What are those things on his feet?

Shoe covers for more aeroness, n00b.

You need to get him in a full kit now, he should fit in whatever size Marco Pantani used.

I thought for sure you were going to post that awesome photo of you with your arms up again...

Badass senor rockets, badass.

I see he subscribes to the "heavy wheel" school of training. Excellent! Raise him up right.

Make sure the wheel reflectors are opposite the valve stem for better wheel balance.

Water, how can you leave your kid out in the cold like that? Where's your dignity?

Get the boy some cf on that ride. You could probably cut down a Cervelo if you were careful.

Note how he favors the front brake too. Crit ready, daddy approved.

Ideas for the little one... Thank you, WR.

awesome! my nephew needs a bike like that...

SuperDad FTW, too cool.. I am sure he wants to be just like you!

That's the kid that dropped me and gave me 'the look' yesterday! Little ***** didn't wave either!

I bet that kid is a terror in a game of tag.

I hope my children do likewise.

No sunglasses? For shame. You need to teach him safety, glasses always!

That's awesome. If I ever have kids, I hope they like bikes.

Awesome WR. That is a sweet ride.

I wish my kids liked riding bikes more. They are only 3 and 5, so they have time.

I've got two daughters who are big into ballet and drama. No sports to speak of ... and I'm a big sports guy so I'm more than a little jealous Water.... Congrats and enjoy!

I bet that kid is a terror in a game of tag.

Actually... yes, and soccer too. Fastest 6-7 year-old kid in his league, and faster than a lot of the older kids :D

I was surprised that someone had a faster run split than him in the tri, but the bike was just a whoopin'.

He's much more of an all-around athlete than me -- much like his mom's side of the family. I need to be strapped into a sport where I only need to make small circles :o

Give him few years and he will be dropping the local 40 yr old Freds.

No offence to those who are 40.

Hmmm... I'm about to turn 38...

I think I can stay faster than him for another 8 years. ?

What a great looking little WR!

So I downloaded a picture of your son on the bike where the specialized logo is visible and I was going to photoshop it and say "I am specialized (and Bettini's replacement)" but I failed :(

That's the kid that dropped me and gave me 'the look' yesterday! Little ***** didn't wave either!

naw. That was me. :D

Hmmm... I'm about to turn 38...

I think I can stay faster than him for another 8 years. ?

Probably.

Oddly enough I was in Windsor,on a month or so back and hooked up with some local racers. Out of the bunch there was a 15 yr old kid who managed to stay at the front, (riding at 40-45km/hr). Impressed me, but then again I don't ride with many teenagers so maybe they are all that fast?

Maybe I ride with too many old farts. :) That being said, I'm 35 so perhaps to a teenager I'm a old *******.

Well, I handed a bunch of teenage and college-aged Cat 3s their asses at the ATT crit this year (2nd place is Junior MTB national XC champ). Whippersnappers :D

After the race, a couple of them told me they have this strange urge to get off someone's lawn.

Well, I handed a bunch of teenage and college-aged Cat 3s their asses at the ATT crit this year (2nd place is Junior MTB national XC champ). Whippersnappers :D

After the race, a couple of them told me they have this strange urge to get off someone's lawn.

I don't get it...

That's cool. Gives me an idea for my daughter.

I don't get it...

Damned kids.

Us old folk like to sit on our porches and yell at the kids to get the hell off our lawns. It's a cliche I picked up from Fark, and it sticks.

UPGRADE UPDATE: the bike fell over today (My kid = :innocent:) and the shifter exploded. It's supposed to be supported by a bar throughout its length (which is where I'm like :innocent: for hacking it to a bar end).

Anyway, I threw a cable on the 8-spd STI to his 6-spd rear, and managed to tune it so it makes it pretty cleanly to both ends of the freewheel. He tried it out and is totally stoked. I had left an extra turn of bar tape down by the twist-shift, just in case, and I was able to pull that down and plug it as normal :thumb:

At first he didn't want to learn STI shifting. Then I told him that I got my first race win in 1992 on that shifter, and I could see the reflections of crushed souls in his eyes. Just like that 8-year-old overweight bruiser he left rolling on the ground in that one soccer game...

excellent....
http://www.danklyn.com/webstandards_talk/pix/MrBurns.gif