Right thats it I'm on a plane to japan.





"Er when I can afford the air fair"

Jetstar is your friend. The exchange rate right now is not your friend. The show is usually in Autumn ie. your Spring.

I am SO F'IN JEALOUS right now!

I like the black one more though ... If I win the lottery (although I never play) or if my gold investment assets skyrocket I'll buy thisone:
https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/ph...8_jmm_0094.jpg

Okay so I was getting a bit confused by your reactions and the numbers ...
So today I decided to really test myself.
I went with my wife and kid to visit my wife's 96 year old grandmother in Gent ... we drove together by car and I drove back by bike.
It was a nice and sunny yet not too hot day and there was almost no wind.

This was the course:





Total distance was just under 48 kilometers (30 miles).
As you can see it goes extremely flat for the first 15 kilometers (almost 10 miles) as it follows a canal around the city of Gent there ... then it goes through the city and follows big roads again to where I live. In the last part it goes up about 60 meters over 20 kilometers which isn't that much but still.

Average over the first 14 kilometers was 37,1.
Average over the last 34 kilometers was 34.
Overall average was 34,9.

Calculated power output over the first stretch is around 330 watts.
I am not kwown as a sportive man and until last year when I assembled my bike I hadn't actually ever done any sportive things.
I am astonished myself and I am considering picking up a training program and starting training for timetrails or something like that.
I just returned and may be talking weird because my testosterone levels are probably still a bit high right now, especially considering the old guy in the car that nearly drove me off the road and whom I shouted at like a madman insulting him for every horrible thing imaginable ... that helped btw

At a certain point I was apparently going 188 km/h:



It might also have been a broken speedsignal

"Ha" 188 over here and the government would say "o" we calibrate our speed cameras you must have been doing 188 that'll be $400 thanks sir.
Your a stickler for statistics are'nt you, I still cant work out how to convert my stats to watts.
I looked at those power wattage computers and damm there expensive. The hubs and building a whole new rear wheel actually looks like the best option to me.
That road in the pic looks very cycling friendly to, thats it I,m on a plane to Belgium "In my dreams of course"
I think I've been playing with my vintage project to long and having cycling withdraws. If I get to bed now its only 8 or 9 hours away.




'

good to see you stepping up the mileage and keeping a fast average speed. I knew you could do it. Any complaints from the spine?

It isn't a speed camera actually ... it's more like a speedsign that informs you of your speed ... weird concept but apparently it slows people down (not me I always try to beat it )
Investing thousands of dollars in a wattage meter seems over the top for anyone but an elite timetrail racer ... I use this calculator that was made by a university professor of Gent who also likes cycling and has a whole site about cycling and physics:
https://www.fietsica.be/hoesnel.htm
Scroll down to the calculator and fill in:
"uw massa" = "your weight"
"massa van je fiets" = "weight of your bike"
leave "wielmaat" on "racefiets" ... it means you ride with 700c wheels.
"band" = "tyre" ... select "clincher 23c" for 23's or "gewone band" for 35's

Then ... it says "Vul je gemiddelde snelheid op 20 min in".
Here you fill in your average speed over 20 minutes on a flat course and with no wind in a semi-upright "hoods riding" position.

It then tells you your maximum aerobic power output and also your weight specific output in Watts per kilogram (W/kg) and your frontal area specific output in Watts per square meter (W/m²) ... these are all simple calculations but they are pretty accurate actually
It then also tells you how fast you could climb some of the famous hills of the "tour de france"
The W/kg number is what defines your hill climbing abilities ... a bit further in the article it says that Armstrong's W/kg was 6.5
The W/m² number is what defines your time trail abilities ... it says Armstrong's W/m² was 1185.
Have fun with it

Hehe ... thanks
Surprisingly I don't have more pain right now than on an average day ... hopefully tomorrow this will remain so.

The reason you don't see handlebar configurations like Adelaar's in UCI sanctioned mass start road races is because they are not permitted. You see handlebars similar to what he uses in time trials, triathlons, and other events where they are allowed.

I'm not sure why you think his bike is so ill-suited to fast riding. It seems to go pretty good.

It does indeed go pretty good
I just returned from riding my typical 10km track and beat my best speed .... 39,2 km/h! yay!
This time I'm pretty sure there was no wind either.
Next stop: 40!

Many people feel that the bike is very important when it comes to speed but that isn't the case. It matters ofcourse but not as much as people perceive.
If you look at the frontal area and aerodynamic profile of a 170 pound guy on a bike ... what is the ratio of aero importance? 10% bike? probably less?
So that means that if you upgrade your bike to be 30% more aero (and spend thousands on it) ... you actually gained only 3% total aero.

My bike is pretty aero for a cross hybrid ... the tubing is oval shaped, the aerobar helps and the wheels are fulcrum racing 5 which are pretty nice and light (for their price) and have aero spokes.
The weight of the bike isn't vitally important when timetrailing either since the speed remains relatively constant.

The only thing on my bike that is too unaero is my suspension fork.
What you need to go fast is big lungs

My bike suits me fine ... it takes me through forests with the crosstyres and the suspensions and it takes me near 40km/h with the racewheels. I'm very content with how it turned out.
for timetrail training this bike is good enough for now ... if I ever were to attend an actual timetrail race I can always upgrade to a nice TT-bike

Oh, quit thinking like an engineer, you will just confuse them! A difference in 3% in power won't change your speed much, but if you happened to be a bike racer it would change your speed enough.

Ken

Where do I sign for that 3% extra power?

Status report:

My new TT-bike is nearly done.



It's hard to see on this picture, but it doesn't have gear shifters yet, so for now it is a single speed TT-bike
I had my wife take this picture to help me dial in the aero position.
The spacers will have to go and the steering tube will be cut, as I see it now.
I did a first testride in it's one gear (39/13) and it felt fantastic already

Sweet looking ride!

You have become the kitted out racer wanna-be that you used to mock.

I know

But I won't get caught riding anything under 20 mph with this

Ready to fire the Death Star laser with that helmet.

Ha ha! I was wondering how long the progression would take. I am not going to say that road bikes are for everyone, but for most who are very serious riders on paved surfaces for endurance or speed it is usually the way to go. Nice TT btw AdelaaR.

That's no road bike!.

The thing is, it's more dangerous to go very fast. If he rides only by himself, a slow bike can be used by a "serious rider... for endurance and speed". If the same effort results in a lower speed, that could be a good thing. There maybe opportunities for amateurs to race time trials in Belgium. My guess is most of the entry level racing is crits, so I'd suggest a bike that is legal for mass start events.

I really don't see the reason a recreational/fitness rider would use a machine such as this one. The handling of a TT bike compared to a road bike is compromised in pursuit of speed. Why increase your risk to beat the wind when you aren't in a competition?

It's a road bike albeit a very specialized road bike. Much more so than say a touring bike. I see a lot of guys using these for training around my neck of the woods. Like I said, road bikes are not for everyone, however, it is also not surprising to see a pretty decent percentage of riders who first get into riding that start out with hybrids switch to road bikes.

did anyone go from hybrid to road and then just go back to hybrid?

Not me... I do tend to ride my hybrid about the same amount as my road bike, but with different purposes in mind. The hybrid makes more work commutes and errand runs, while the road bike gets out on the distance runs, like the 40-mile ride this Saturday and the 60-mile Memorial Day ride out west of Okla. City on old US 66.

i went from hybrid to hybrid to hybrid! although it's nice that you can ride faster on road bikes, i prefer the upright position and checking out the view as i ride. there's no way i would get a road bike - especially since i usually ride in jeans or windbreaker pants. i ride for the workout only - not commuting, not racing, etc.

i loved the upright riding position on all my trek's thus far which is why im sticking to hybrids. fast like road bikes, upright position like mountain bikes.

I definately didn't change my mind about hybrids and I definately didn't quit on my wonderful hybrid bike
Whenever I want to ride around for fun and exploration and exercise I use my hybrid since it can take ANY road or even when there is no road

The only reason I got this bike is to start practicing for timetrial races.
The body has to adapt to the new position and it takes a while to become accustomed to the way of riding and to achieve max power.
I got a good deal on a second hand nearly new frameset and so I just went for it

I still don't have a typical dropbar roadbike though and never will.

Never say never! If you want to get into racing, you should probably join a club. I think even TT specialist benefit from training with other riders. Your potential training partners might be more comfortable if you're on a road bike.

This guy hasn't figured out how to adjust his helmet straps yet, but he'll figure it out. He just got his bike Tuesday. He's planning on entering some sprint triathlons.


The fact that a guy on a hybrid is passing him while towing a seven foot long trailer and taking pictures means nothing. He wasn't trying to go fast here.