Bike upgrades for circuit racing

tommy_tommy

In previous seasons, I trained for and took part in cycling sportive s; However, this year concentrated on road racing mainly on flat closed circuits. I am considering some my upgrades for my bike next year and initially focused on reducing its overall weight. However, since I am planning to concentrate on circuit racing again next year and having looked at the bikes/wheels etc used by others when racing on these circuits, it appears that becoming more aerodynamic is the way to go. Especially, since in recent races I have spent more and more time on and off the front of the bunch.

1. Will deep rim wheels give much of an advantage?
2. Whats is maximum depth of wheel allowed in road racing?
3. Can anyone recommend some good value deep rim wheels?
4. What else can I upgrade to become more aerodynamic?

brownbosh

I would say that if you are relatively new to this the best thing you could do over the next few months is work on fitness and maybe a more aero position on the bike plus an increase in your power output. Did you get ,many ranking points this year and which circuits did you race?

Homer J

Zip 808's seem to be a popular choice

bikeboy123

right then, the perfect choice of wheels, and the wheels i would have are zipp 606's, which is a 404 on the front and a 808 on the back, its the perfect combination seriously...

but...

you should do just as well on normal wheels compared to deep section, its all about the legs and how your feeling.

as the thing you'll find doing a full season of circuit racing is that there's crashes, so one crash and that could be a lot of money down the drain, i seen a pair of zipp 808's go down in one of our crits, the rear just folded in half, and the front cracked....

tommy_tommy

Thanks for the replies.

I spent about 10 years racing triathlon, switched to cycle sportive s last year and started road racing at the beginning of this season. I have probably been training seriously on the bike only since July 2008. The first circuit race I did this year I got dropped coming out of a corner at about half way. The second race I stayed in the bunch until the end but had no energy to contest the sprint. In recent races, I have found sitting in the bunch quite easy and have helped on the front in the handicap races and tried to get in some breaks in the 3/4th only races. I still do not feel I have the strength to score any points in these races but with a another winters training and consistent racing next year, I might be able to improve a bit more. However, with age also against me (42), I may have found my level already.

Anyway, I think bike boy has put me off getting the wheels. I think I will try and sort out my position on the bike. I race on a 2009 specialized allez 18 which is a spotif frame and I cant get it low enough on the front. I think a longer stem might be my best option to get a bit more aero.

I am interested in how others have progressed in road racing. Is it case of gradually improvement / progress over years or do you find your level quite quickly and then enjoy sitting in the bunch with the odd foray on the front with no realistic chance of winning.

brownbosh

Power work is what you need and make sure you are set up in a race position and not one more relaxed/multi sport orientated. 42 is not in any way a barrier. I did sportives last year for gold times and did my first ever racing this year. Scored 41 points and was still improving but sickness then a spinal injury has caused my the last 6 weeks and the rest of the season off the bike. There are numerous ways to improve. Physically you can make huge jumps quickly but theres still tactical, motivational, positional and equipment improvements on top. How much you improve is up to you. As for your bike you are on a compact set up i think plus tiagra is not the kind of crisp shift you would normally get on a higher end race bike. You are also riding on fewer gears than most of your competitors. What bike were you doing triathlon on? I would use that bike over the winter and buy a turbo if you dont already own one. A hard winter of your regular rides plus 3 hard turbo interval sesions can see enormous gains in power which will pay off next year.

tommy_tommy

Cheers BrownBosh,

I set the goal the this year to finish in the bunch in these races. Next year I will set an objective to score a few points. I average about 6 hours of training over last winter along the lines of:

SUN: 1.5 HR TEMPO
SUN: 3 HR with 3 x 20 minutes TEMPO ON A LONG CLIMB
MON: REST
TUES: 1 HR TURBO 2 X 20 TEMPO
WED: REST
THURS: 1 HR TURBO EASY 10 x 1 MINUTE HARD
FRI: REST

I sometimes commute by bike on a Friday which is 2 x 1.5 HRS STEADY. I might make this a regular ride this winter in addition o the above plan and see how I go. Considering most of these races are short and fast, would you drop another tempo ride in favour of another set of hard short efforts in the winter?

My Tri bike is a 1996 Giant CADEX Road Bike. I did have it set up by a good Tri coach and I had a great aero position on it. I tried to replicate this position on my new bike but just cant get the bars low enough. I am having this old bike fixed at the moment and I am think of doing my last circuit race on this bike to see if the better position makes me faster.

The gears on my new bike are Shimano Sora 9 speed. I have not found this to be a disadvantage yet.

brownbosh

If you are not doing any other training 3 days rest is a lot fir cycling. I think you should keep those tempo rides but maybe speed them up? I do tempo work Weds and Sat (2hrs 30 mins each) which i will ride at about the 20 mph ave speed across undulating terrain and 3 hours 45 mins hilly work at about 18.5-19 mph average. These slw slightly in the winter but provide an aerobic base. If not racing i will do 4 other interval sessions (riding twice on a wednesday) on the turbo. I do my Intervals at about 10 bpm over tt pace for between 3 and 12 minutes ni the top gear with some resistance on the turbo with 3 minute spinning breaks. If i feel rough after a long ride i just do a light spin whatever the next session is. When in race season i will race weds and some sats plus TT thurs and some sundays. Rides either side are done to ensure i am able to conserve energy or recover. I rest one day in 9 or 10. The fact is one persons regime would be totally wrong for another person. I do 12-15 hours per week and there are others i ride with who have more years in their legs who will keep up on 7 hours. When i dip below 10 hours i feel twitchy and sluggish.

In general if you want to build raw power i would recommend very hard big gear intervals with moderate resistance above your lactate threshold and in the rest phase keep spinning at about the 20 mph pace which will recreate the kind of thing you get in a low cat race. Also i have a recovery protein shake after every hard ride or race and i have found this to help in strength building. Even with the huge gains i have made this year i can see numerous areas to improve. I know i can continue to gain power albeit not at the same rate. I intend to work on my flexibility and lose another stone. (ive lost 5 in the last 18 months). I think there is a lot to be gained tactically and set up wise from watching as much racing as possible and reading on the subject too. Im quite sure that with the same focus and commitment anyone can make huge improvements and continue to improve as long as the desire exists at our level.

If your sora on your bike is a compact it will inhibit your ability to carry out big gear power workouts. Is the front a 50/34?

There is plenty of good advice out there, have you joined a road club with a good racing section? That may be your best way forward.