taras0000

Very true. I also wouldn't be surprised if Kenny, as he progressed, progressively sandbagged until the main event. Training would give him the feedback of his own skills on a daily basis. Treating each race as a fact finding mission, he could judge himself against others while keeping his cards close to his chest and staying in the shadows of the "big guns". He's always shown that he's fast in qualifying. As long as you're earning the points to qualify for Olympic spots, this would be a pretty valid tactic for someone who has a crafty personality and doesn't have a big ego to show off. If this were the case, that would make him the ultimate tactician in my book. The 4 Year Razor.

Or maybe it's just the vitamins.

Baby Puke

Exactly. I've been on 167.5's for years now, but now secretly craving 165's. I had a friend who was all over this years ago when he was sprinting at US elite level, and he experimented by using BMX cranks down to something crazy like 145mm. Not sure what the lower limit was that he found, but he said less than 165 was ideal for him. Sugino used to make their Grand Mighty in 162.5...

carleton

That would be awesome if it were proven to be true. I really wouldn't doubt it. Their run during the past 2 Olympics was probably one of the best of any sports program in history. They won methodically. They expected to win. I did notice how the British would "train through" World Cups and maybe even World Championships on a 4 year cycle.

I'm still most impressed by Laura Trott. Good lord, she's impressive.

That should be the title of his book.

dunderhi

With all the talk over the past year about smaller frames, smaller tires, narrower bars, and now shorter cranks I think I will just jump ahead and start designing the track bike of the future. Oh wait a minute, the roadies beat me to it.




Well, maybe I can do them one better. Just look how aero the position is below.

taras0000

That takes Obree's Egg Position to new levels! I wonder what the Stack/Reach numbers are on that frame.

gycho77

I'm currently going to apartment gym.
They have life fitness optima series, but they lost the bar for squat.....
I tried belt instead of bar, but i felt unsecure.
So I'm working on lunges(jump) with weight.
Do you think lunges will help me build up the power?
Or should I get a gym membership

carleton

A gym membership is nice, if...

- It is within your budget
- You can get there 2-3 days/week or more
- They have decent equipment

Alternatives you can do at home:

- Plyo step box $50-200?
- Weighted Vest $30-50?

These are really tough when you strap on a 40lb weight vest. They provide a similar workout to using squat or leg press machine with moderate weight attached.

Do the math and you basically doing work similar to a single leg squat of almost your body weight + 40lbs. The 2-leg equivalent would be maybe 1.5xBodyWeight + 80lbs. (Not exactly but close enough such that 5-7 reps will be enough to gas you). The key is not to cheat by having the foot that's on the ground launch you up. I catch myself doing that which is my calf helping out the quads on the other leg. I try to focus on not letting that happen.


When I do them, I don't do the "knee up", but I can see it helping train the hip flexors.

I have this kind of box at home. It has sides with 3 different lengths, so I can pick the appropriate height. Ideally, I want the height such that my thigh is parallel to the ground.

This isn't the exact box. Mine is generic and cost me $100. There are ALL KINDS of "plyo boxes" or "step boxes" out there. Just get one that's inexpensive and steady.

carleton

Also, the fact that you stopped when you felt unsafe is a good thing.

Remember that Strength is the foundation of Power. Strength is moving heavy things slowly. Power is moving heavy things quickly. You can't move X pounds quickly if you aren't strong enough to move X pounds slowly.

So, maybe spend the next few months working on Strength instead of Power.

gycho77

Thank you. This helped me a lot.
Also this exercise does not bother my neighbors haha
I should get the vest and step boxes
Gym is too far away from me. So I'm sure that I'm not going to go to the gym often

gycho77

Thank you for your advice.
I should work on strength for few month and try high gear ratio on my track bike.

gycho77

Instead of step box, can I use stairs?
ex) 3 stairs at once
It's really hard to find cheap step boxes with 24inch

carleton

Oh, and if you have an apartment gym, then there may be hand weights and a bench. You can do this:



This isn't as ideal as a gym with a proper squat rack or leg press machine. But, it is a great start.

Remember, you don't need amazing equipment to become an amazing athlete. Seriously.

carleton

Be careful with using a high gear ratio on your track bike on the road. It will make it very difficult to start moving and difficult to stop.

You need something that is vertical, not slanted. Stairs are slanted. A strong chair could work.

This is a BAD idea. That chair is designed to fold.


The legs on this chair could wobble:


Good strong chair (and nice model, too )

carleton

Regarding step boxes: SHOP AROUND

I have found that most of them are very over-priced. Keep looking. You can find them on craigslist very often. Search for "plyo box". For example:



I'm not sure what a $300 plyo box does that a $50 can't

Use a chair and books and put your foot on them to determine the right height. Don't actually stand on them as the books will slip and you will fall. Just put your foot up there to see what height you need to get your thigh parallel. Then search for a box (or strong chair) that is that height.

gycho77

Thank you so much for your help
Apartment gym has all those stuff



I'm planning to add another brake on my track bike.
I did not know that it has to be vertical.

dunderhi

Since you are already focusing on gym-like strength/power training, I would suggest complementing it by keeping a smaller gear on your track bike to work on your leg speed and aerobics.

Banchad

This feels like a stupid question but, Are there any charts around that list track bikes on stiffness in bottom bracket or headtube?

Also, In a recent flying lap I felt like I was pulling myself off the front of my saddle. Could this indicate a stem that is too long or am I just pulling on the bars incorrectly?

carleton

There are no stupid questions. If you are thinking it, it's likely that someone here has thought of it before. Trust me. Winters are long and we get really bored

I've never seen such and I don't think so. Why do you ask?

Also, you may not need the stiffest frame in the world. Try not to get caught up in finding the stiffest everything. This is something the bike industry does to sell bikes, "The 2016 ______ is the STIFFEST ever...this is why you should ditch the 2015 model and buy this one "

It's easier to look for stuff that's "stiff enough for me."

If a rider is 180lbs and squats 250lbs he may not need the same frame that a guy weighing 220lbs and squats 400lbs would use.

Maybe your body is trying to shorten your legs during the high RPM part of the effort. This is why some people like long saddles so they can scoot back and forth. Maybe experiment with either lowering the saddle a tiny bit or moving it forward a tiny bit.

Banchad

I encountered a set of stiffness tests by velocite here(About frame stiffness ? what is stiff? Velocite Bikes blog, news and updates | Velocite Bikes blog, news and updates), which while they feel to me as trying to market their product, I realised that I hadn't seen anything similar for track bikes but I have seen quite a few of these road bike frame comparisons.

Most of all I'm just curious and it seems like it would be something that might be useful to have in the future.

I'm not looking to get a new bike or 'upgrade' right now so I'm not looking for that reason.
As you said, I'm really bored and just trying to keep myself occupied!

carleton

Your gut is right. It's just marketing hype. "When you hear news, consider the source."

If you don't know about this, this is some old and new footage to keep you busy: https://www.youtube.com/user/JensFiedler/videos

700wheel

USA Cycling has a webinar on strength training on Dec 3 at 4 pm MST. USA Cycling Webinar Series - USA Cycling

brawlo

Do you have a decent timber and hardware supply place nearby that has a panel saw? One of my local shops did and I just worked out a cut list for them. I purchased a 2.4x1.2 sheet of 18mm plywood, they cut it for free to the mm and I just screwed it together. I ended up with a 500x600x750 box for the princely sum of $55. Looking at the prices of those other ones, I might have to make this a side business while crossfit is still cool!

carleton

The world headquarters of some orange hardware store is here in Atlanta like 10 miles from me:



I can't throw a rock without hitting one

That's awesome. $100 is a fair price around here. Lots of people buy them for home and whatnot.

Mine has grip slots cut into the smallest panels for easy handling. But, in the middle instead of at the top like in the pics above. I think the middle is best that way there is no "up" side so one panel doesn't get overused.

gycho77

Does anyone know about TA Specialties chainring?
They have really nice price
TA Specialites Track Chainring from Velodrome Shop

I'm also planning to purchase 3T Scatto!!!!
This is why I love black friday haha
but I'm not sure about bar width and stem length(currently using 95mm stem(ergostem) and Nitto B123 40cm)
velodromeshop said
"Yes that is correct, you would need the 35cm Bars however you do not need a larger frame, or a larger stem size. The difference in reach that the bars provide is one of the advantages of the Scatto concept and if you adapt your Top Tube or Stem Length you will negate the benefits of the handlebars."

I'm 172cm or 5.6ft tall.
I want to attend sprint race next year, but T.Town only offers endurance race.
So I might have to get ready for endurance race.
After September, I will be living in LA. So I might attend sprint race.
Therefore, I will be attending endurance race about 3~4times, and than switch to sprint race.
So I'm not sure if I should get 35 or 37

Sorry about asking weird questions

Banchad

Something I can contribute on!
I have a TA specialites chainring. Seems pretty good to me.

I'm 6 foot ish and have a set of 37 wide scatto's
I personally wish I'd gone for the 35's as I don't feel much of a difference against my 42cm wide bars I also have.