Frame or training equipment

floosy

Ok not sure if this is the right place......

I have a dilema......

I am planing to do a few circuit races this season, and am wanting some advice please.

Do i get myself a turbo trainer(tacx flow) and a set of race wheels (fulcrum 1 probably) and a years gym membership.

....or a new frameset.
Either a made to measure Viner Vigor or Argon 18 Radon(I have a viner dedalus which is within a few mm of being perfect for me other from bb drop which is std 70mm, need 47mm. I can make up the difference by using a 23 deg stem This then gives me the saddle to handlebar drop i need of 69mm)

thanks in advance.

Dave.

ps im only 5`2

Monty Dog

Can't see a years gym membership making a whole heap of difference to your race performance...

Don't understand why you feel you need a BB drop of 47mm for a crit frame (or is it a typo?) - cross and track frames don't have anything that high either - you must have very sticky tyres and short cranks enabling you to take corners at silly angles?

Anything that is going to improve the quality of training is going to have the biggest impact - the Tacx Flow and even a Power Meter might be the best?

sub55

floosy wrote:

Ok not sure if this is the right place......

I have a dilema......

I am planing to do a few circuit races this season, and am wanting some advice please.

Do i get myself a turbo trainer(tacx flow) and a set of race wheels (fulcrum 1 probably) and a years gym membership.

....or a new frameset.
Either a made to measure Viner Vigor or Argon 18 Radon(I have a viner dedalus which is within a few mm of being perfect for me other from bb drop which is std 70mm, need 47mm. I can make up the difference by using a 23 deg stem This then gives me the saddle to handlebar drop i need of 69mm)

thanks in advance.

Dave.

ps im only 5`22

ps im only 5`22

:shock: :shock:

6' 10" then :!:

Anonymous

I'd get a power meter...

Chip \'oyler

Monty Dog wrote:

Can't see a years gym membership making a whole heap of difference to your race performance...

Don't understand why you feel you need a BB drop of 47mm for a crit frame (or is it a typo?) - cross and track frames don't have anything that high either - you must have very sticky tyres and short cranks enabling you to take corners at silly angles?

Anything that is going to improve the quality of training is going to have the biggest impact - the Tacx Flow and even a Power Meter might be the best?

Why?

EBH does a lot of winter gym work and it doesn't do him any harm

wheeler585

Yeah, it may not do him any harm, and it may gain him some strength and power, if done properly. But with limited funds like he is saying, you would benefit more from a tacx flow or a powertap, wouldnt you think?

No real point joining the gym for the whole yr anyway, ive joined active 8 gym, there pretty good to us cyclists, as you can join and pay as you go, save a wedge of cash coming out your account every month. So come april/may i will be laying off the gym and concerntrating more on the road.

I love my tacx flow,been ideal with all this bloody snow we have had, would of got a powertap, but there a bit pricey fo me at the moment! Supose you could rent one out from cyclepowermeters.com, and see how you get on with it.

Get the mastercard out, buy a powermeter, tacx flow, get your gym memebership and while your at it buy the viner with sram red whith a set of lightweights or 404's, jobs a good one. Problem sorted ;-)

terongi

Chip \'oyler wrote:

EBH does a lot of winter gym work and it doesn't do him any harm

Let's look at the wider picture, shall we?

Edvald Boassan Hagen also has:

1. time to train for several hours a day throughout the year
2. a dedicated team of advisers on every aspect of training, bike set up, tactics, nutrition and position
3. access to the latest technology in power measurement and other biometric data
4. the finest bikes and bike components which his team sponsors can provide

The OP is probably looking to prioritise his spending with a lower budget and more time constraints than a Team Sky rider like EBH

Gyms
There is nothing wrong with doing gym type work, but there is a lot you can do at home with a chin up bar (£6.99 from Argos) attached to a door frame and one of those Swiss balls together with a good book or websites on various core exercises. A lot cheaper than gym membership if all you are doing is training for crit races and not body building or combating morbid obesity.

Training aids or new bike frame?
I agree with other forum-posters that training tools (eg a turbo trainer with power measurement and/or on-bike power meter, if you have the money) will give you most bang for your buck - for the specific stated aim of crit racing

Crits are short races in which tactics are more important than either optimum bike set-up/comfort/weight or aerodynamic drag.

In other words, once you have a basic level of fitness and bike handling skills necessary to stay in a bunch at 40kmh and the tactical awareness of where to be, it doesn't really matter what bike you are riding (within reason, see below).

The sort of precise measurements and equipment specs the OP is worried about are more relevant for: (a) time trialling or (b) long sportifs or road races (>100km) in which incorrect bike set up or discomfort would start to affect performance. Obviously good equipment can make marginal differences in crit races, but only once you have the fitness and tactical awareness which should come first as well as learning how to ride fast in a bunch safely. So I am talking about order of priorities here, not absolutes.

(this is the "see below" bit): obviously, all the above is based on the assumption that you use a reasonably modern road bike which is roughly the right size for the rider. Realistically, the rest is just bling at the lower amateur levels (by which I mean me). I am the first to admit to being a bling victim, but let's just be honest about it.

Conclusion: Riders on fancy custom built frames frequently get beaten in crit races by stronger savvier riders on less expensive bikes. I speak as a rider on a fancy carbon bike who frequently gets beaten in crit races.

Infamous

A fast set of wheels will make more of a difference than a fast frame, but if the current frame doesn't fit then a new frame will be better.

floosy

wheeler585 wrote:

Yeah, it may not do him any harm, and it may gain him some strength and power, if done properly. But with limited funds like he is saying, you would benefit more from a tacx flow or a powertap, wouldnt you think?

No real point joining the gym for the whole yr anyway, ive joined active 8 gym, there pretty good to us cyclists, as you can join and pay as you go, save a wedge of cash coming out your account every month. So come april/may i will be laying off the gym and concerntrating more on the road.

I love my tacx flow,been ideal with all this bloody snow we have had, would of got a powertap, but there a bit pricey fo me at the moment! Supose you could rent one out from cyclepowermeters.com, and see how you get on with it.

Get the mastercard out, buy a powermeter, tacx flow, get your gym memebership and while your at it buy the viner with sram red whith a set of lightweights or 404's, jobs a good one. Problem sorted ;-)

Dont have a credit card..... But do have 7 days a week to train. (Im soon to be a house husband again.)

I am considering renting a power meter to though.

Bronzie

floosy wrote:

I am considering renting a power meter to though.

Whilst I'm a recent convert, I would say that to get the best out of a power meter you need to have some idea of what you are doing with it (there's a fair bit of complex terminology that comes with power measurement which takes a while to get to grips with) PLUS a structured / progressive training plan that you can actually follow in the time you have available.

Playing a bit of devil's advocate here, but if you are fairly new to riding / racing I'd suggest getting some coaching (even if it's a cheapish one-off 3-month plan) may well be a better use of limited funds than buying either new gear or training aids.

simon t

Bronzie wrote:

floosy wrote:

I am considering renting a power meter to though.

Whilst I'm a recent convert, I would say that to get the best out of a power meter you need to have some idea of what you are doing with it (there's a fair bit of complex terminology that comes with power measurement which takes a while to get to grips with) PLUS a structured / progressive training plan that you can actually follow in the time you have available.

Playing a bit of devil's advocate here, but if you are fairly new to riding / racing I'd suggest getting some coaching (even if it's a cheapish one-off 3-month plan) may well be a better use of limited funds than buying either new gear or training aids.

12months of coaching(good) £400ish, used powertap £350 would be better than ANY kit change.

chris halford

in my opinion the bike in road racing makes little diff. whether you spend £3000 or £600,its about you and what power you can produe, iv got podium poitions this year usin an old decathlon with mudguards,spend the money on a coach

floosy

Thanks for the Help boys and girls.

What I have decided for now is to get the tacx flow and a custom 3 month training plan..

I know the turbo has a power measurement facility and probably isn’t 100% accurate but as long as it consistently inaccurate then i should get some useful numbers from it.

Dave.

simon t

excellent choice