Your opinions please: Is it possible to do a Time Trial on....?
 

:cheers: My fate is in your hands
We have a TT on March 8th open to the public/free and I would like to enter. Most of the riders are Collegiate level on $10K c/f machines and I am a Master's aged rider so I am already at a disadvantage from the get-go....:o

My top priority will be to JUST HAVE FUN with a classic steel bike.... But I would like to put in a respectable effort...

For this slightly hilly township/course I've got some gears lying around which I think should work nicely on a racing/low-spoke count wheelset that Jon grinder of grinderbikes.com is going to be nice enough to loan me for the race.
I had hoped to use this Campy set: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...hs+success+new but I have heard several of you discuss the aerodynamic/resistance disadvantage of using more spokes in a race setting... Thoughts on that?

I Probably only have 3 bikes that are even remotely close to suitable for a competition-type setting:

91 Waterford Paramount OS Indexed shifting w/ full D/A

85 Serotta Nova Special X Friction w/ full Campagnolo Super Record

Early 80's Mecacycle Turbo http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=512164 This one has the shortest wheelbase and top tube. Friction w/ mixed drivetrain

Although I don't like aero bars, I have an old Bridgestone set from 1986 that I was thinking of running just to help my time...I really don't want to but ummm.... Thoughts on that?

Which bike makes the most sense to you ladies and gents? :giver:

Take the Mecacycle Turbo, with no silly aero bars and let 'er rip!

I don't think it matters at all which bike you pick. The use or non-use of aero-bars is going to be the biggest factor in your time.

I would ride whichever bike you are most comfortable on in a tuck position.

If your priority is fun, I'd take the Mecacyle - purely as a conversation starter! Just don't kill yourself! Do aero bars make handling less or more predictable?

+1 Whichever bike allows you to assume the most aerodynamically efficient posture while still producing power is the bike to ride. There's no point in doing it without aerobars.
Some other cheap tricks:
Flipping your seat post around might gain you an effective seat tube a degree or two steeper.
A single water bottle on the seat tube is more aerodynamic (On a non-aero bike) than no bottle at all.
Wear tight clothes.
If it's still cool enough come march, tape the vents in your helmet up.
Adjust your wheel as far forward in the dropouts as possible.
If you are feeling crazy you can put the front brake behind the fork crown.

The list goes on and on of course, but these are all essentially "free" speed. Aerodynamics is everything.

For me they have always made the bike more unpredictable/unruly and the response time considerably slower because I have to shift way down on the downtube.. How about you?

I asked because I've never used them. Never raced; my comments are solely based on the social aspects of your endeavor. :)

I just thought it's something to consider if the Mecacyle already presents handling challenges.

Dang Purevl,
I was not aware of the H2O bottle trick, That's a good one!

Ride the red bike. Red is fastest.

Definitely use the aerobars. They're probably good for 25 W at 40kph. So, what I would do is to try the aerobars on all three bikes to find the one that you can get the best fit on.

OK Caloso,
I am a fairly strong rider but this is very convincing data.. I'll use them for sure then, that much is settled.

Geez, that idea about mounting them on all 3 machines is a good one too... I'll have to buy new bar tape though and you guys know what a tight*ss I am....:o

My mistake, it's actually 30 watts!

This is the article I was trying to recall. Took me a couple of tries on Google.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/fitnes...oad/2008/11/27

Your body creates a majority of the drag, which is why aero bars are such a cheap source of speed. If you get around to trying the bars on each bike, you might do a comparative test on a short course - the position you end up in on a bike will be a larger factor than the aerodynamics of the bike, assuming similar wheels. So you may be faster on one bike simply because your body is more aero. Tight fitting clothing was another good recommendation - I see so many people with loose jerseys riding TTs. They are giving up handfuls of seconds to those with tight jerseys or skinsuits.

Waterford in the drops, ride it and don't look back, don't spend money. Tests are finding that discomfort level affects performance at sub-pro levels. The Waterford may be the most comfortable, so you can go harder on it with less pain penalty.

Fit right and train in the drops hard, and when you TT, start in 'em, stay in 'em, learn to shift without moving much. If you like the drops, get bar ends, avoid the shifting penalty.

If you do well, you can switch to aero's, still use the same bar ends on those. Minimum investment that can carry on. But I'd TT at first in the drops.

October '89 Bicycle Guide has a great, common-sense experiment showing the real benefits of aero's, drops, shifting.

I have a plan. You recruit all us C&V types to go to the time trial. We take turns putting spike strips when the kids go by on their carbon $10K bikes. Then we let you through.



No good huh? Well it was just a thought.
Ride what you want, but I'd add the aero bars to your choice.

+1 on the spike strips.
I'll sell tubes.