First time on a TT bike ... EVER!

vermooten

I did my first ever ride on a TT bike on Sunday, Milnthorpe to Grange-over-Sands and back. (Morecambe Bay.) I chose this route cos it's flat, the roads are generally straight and traffic-free and oif course it's one of the most gorgeous places on earth.

My objective was to ride the bloody thing without falling off, nothing more. I'd tried clip-on tribars before and didn't 'take' to them. As it turns out the TT bike was quite easy to ride. I spent a few minutes wobbling til I got the hang of it. I spent the rest of the time trying out different positions to prevent my knackers from getting destroyed (not that I have much use for them these days). I eventually found the right position, and the view in a car showroom window told me that it was right: flat horizontal back, right angles at shoulders and elbows.

The only trouble was that I couldn't hold it for longer than a few minutes. Breathing was difficult, and the next day my neck and shoulders felt like they'd been beaten with lead pipes. Quite a different experience overall to riding a 'normal' bike. And so it should be huh.

So I've got a 10-mile TT on Sunday when I'll try it out for real, should be funny. If you see a headline "Cyclist falls off bike and gets crushed by lorry in St Helens, stupid sod" then you'll know it was me.

Bronzie

Andy, glad to hear you survived your first outing. Dusted off my TT bike on Saturday from it's winter hibernation spot of the garden shed.

I LOVE the feeling of being so damn aero.

I HATE the feeling that being so damn aero gives you the next day.

It does take a lot of faffing around with your position to find some sort of compromise twixt speed and comfort. It also takes your body a while to adjust to the position (how tight do your glutes feel when your back is that flat) which is why I'm planning to ride mine at least once a week in readiness for my first race in March.

vermooten

Riding it regularly sounds like a good plan, shall do likewise!

Burton

Where's the TT in St Helens?
I used to go up there a lot (seeing a laaadeee) and heard rumours of a fast TT course.
I should see if she'll have me for the weekend and come and play!

vermooten

Burton wrote:

Where's the TT in St Helens?
I used to go up there a lot (seeing a laaadeee) and heard rumours of a fast TT course.
I should see if she'll have me for the weekend and come and play!

If it goes well then why oh why would you be getting up early to do a TT?

OTOH if you're looking for something to do while you recharge your batteries, here are the details: http://www.epicevents.org/section.php?xSec=7

If you don't want to run that's fine (I Might not).

SteveR_100Milers

stick your TT bike on your turbo, that'll help.

drewfromrisca

Nice picture Steve... (never a try though!)

BeaconRuth

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

stick your TT bike on your turbo, that'll help.

I agree with that 100%. The neuromuscular adaptations you achieve through training are highly position-specific. So if you want to go fast on tri-bars, then train on tri-bars. I have my old TT bike set up on my turbo so that all the happy hours I spend on the turbo are as close to race-position as possible. My most natural position for getting the power out is therefore down on tri-bars - and my glutes don't protest when the season arrives (Bronzie!).

Ruth

Bronzie

BeaconRuth wrote:

and my glutes don't protest when the season arrives (Bronzie!).

Tis a cunning plan for sure. To be honest, I don't normally do much on the turbo until this time of year anyway, but I agree that training in your TT position is the best way to adapt to it.

SteveR_100Milers

Alternatively do long steady climbs in the aero position (Chris - bwlch this winter on tribars?? )

drewfromrisca

Bwlch....oooooooh the body shivers even thinking of the place!!! Had a few car chases that way and they usually end up as a foot chase especially this time of the year!

Mike Healey

I always tilted the saddle nose down slightly

redddraggon

Used the TT bike to go to work on yet?

vermooten

redddraggon wrote:

Used the TT bike to go to work on yet?

arf!

I used it in a TT on Sunday, only my second time on a TT bike and (obviously) my first in a TT. Position wasn't great as the pictures show -



- they also show that a diet is long overdue - and I also managed to get my PW time. But I could get used to it, just gotta keep riding in this position (as BeaconRuth suggests). I remember it wasn't so long ago when riding on anything but straight bars was weird and unstable.

Burton

Good choice of bike.

Re: The diet, I'm sure it ust be bike related, I have a B2 and I look like that when I'm riding it at the moment. Hope this gives you some reassurance!

:roll:

vermooten

Thanks for the kind words, Burton, but when the met office started to issue weather forecasts about my fat arse then I had to take notice. I posted this pic so that when I'm Schleck-thin I can post an 'after' shot. So to speak.