10 mile tt advice and bike improvements

daxplusplus

Do you have a gps and HRM?

Recording your efforts accurately is a useful aid and I'd recommend that before getting any TT specific stuff (in case you don't like it).

As already stated if you think your going to get a TT bike then save up for that rather than buy clip on bars (because it's a pain having to adjust the seat between TT and road riding uses so a different bike is so much better).

However if you really want to get the clip ons then get them 2nd hand, a second hand aero helmet and a cheap skin suit. That's achievable for just over £100 (I did this and spent £108) but you may have to wait a while for the kit to come in at the right price .. but the start of the season is months away so should be just about do-able.

ai_1

BuckMulligan wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Nah - just advocating frivolous spending really.

Best spend of the allocated cash is second hand/massively discounted in the sales bits as above but that's far too serious.

You sound like a complete tool.

Well spotted.
One of many unfortunately

okgo

Clip on bars, cheap skinsuit that is tight, masking tape the vents on your helmet latex tubes and decent tyres. That's probably a bit over £100 but those things will give you good bang per buck for sure.

Mr Bunbury

The advice to get a second saddle and seatpost is very worthwhile. If you try using tribars in a normal road position, you'll crunch your hip/torso angle and that will reduce your power. A TT saddle should ideally be higher, further forward and tilted a bit more downwards. Before I got a dedicated TT bike I used to do the two saddles trick: have one set up for road, one for TT and have both insertion points marked on the posts with tape - it makes it much quicker to swap between the two setups.

Bordersroadie

Mr Bunbury wrote:

The advice to get a second saddle and seatpost is very worthwhile. If you try using tribars in a normal road position, you'll crunch your hip/torso angle and that will reduce your power. A TT saddle should ideally be higher, further forward and tilted a bit more downwards. Before I got a dedicated TT bike I used to do the two saddles trick: have one set up for road, one for TT and have both insertion points marked on the posts with tape - it makes it much quicker to swap between the two setups.

Good advice.

A Thomson setback seatpost is perfect for this as it can be used back to front so that it gives the saddle "set forward" instead of setback. The bonus is that it's also a lightweight seatpost - 200g for the Elite 27.2, 158g for the Masterpiece. These are actual weights as Thomson is one of the few honest manufacturers in this respect.

ai_1

Mr Bunbury wrote:

The advice to get a second saddle and seatpost is very worthwhile. If you try using tribars in a normal road position, you'll crunch your hip/torso angle and that will reduce your power. A TT saddle should ideally be higher, further forward and tilted a bit more downwards. Before I got a dedicated TT bike I used to do the two saddles trick: have one set up for road, one for TT and have both insertion points marked on the posts with tape - it makes it much quicker to swap between the two setups.

I couldn't get the saddle forward enough with the existing post on mine and also wanted the ability to switch back to non-TT setup without losing my saddle position. So I got a Profile Fast Forward seatpost. It's now fitted with an Adamo ISM Attack saddle which I find great in the aero position. If I want to change back I simply switch to the original post fitted with my old saddle. Fore/aft position and tilt are retained and height is easy to measure and record or mark on the post. I also find the more forward position available with the foreward offset post makes the setup much more comfortable and natural on the aero bars than trying to get by with a more typical road saddle position.
I have problems staying in a low position on a conventional saddle so the Adamo saddle or something similar is a must for me and really does make for a comfortable solution once you get used to it. However the extensions and forward post would otherwise be the only important modifications and are where I would spend my money if I were you. You can always spend money on helmet, skinsuit, aero wheels, shoe covers, etc later on to try and improve your aerodynamics but your position will be most important in terms of both comfort and aerodynamics so it's an easy decision in my view.

willy b

fish156 wrote:

My advice is different to others. Don't buy clip-on TT bars, save your money. Time-trial on a pure road bike. Quite a few TTs have a separate category, including prizes.
Once you're properly hooked, and if you've sufficient funds, then maybe spend on a proper TT bike rather than budget halfway house kit that will eventually become redundant once you go for a full TT rig.

That's what I did anyway.

I agree with Fish.

Whilst I appreciate that TT bars and wheels may help just have a crack on a normal road bike. You may hate it, you may love it, but at the start simply concentrate and trying to improve your times. You may find that with extra additions there are too many variables to compare your times.

This is what i've done over the past 18 months, and my times have improved. The main thing, and certainly the most important thing is to work on your position on the bike, get as aero as possible, your body is an inefficient shape so improving that will help the most.

Most of all, enjoy. (Not during, that will just hurt)

mpatts

Oh, the top aero tip on a road bike:

Hands on hoods, elbows at right angles.

You're making me very excited for next season now.

BeaconRuth

dombhoy wrote:

Thanks yeah i will definitely look at getting tt clip on bars and then possibly a skinsuit also how does everyone train for tts - 10 fast rides or longer distances with fast intervals

I'd suggest trying to do a real mix of training. Bear in mind that if 10 miles is going to take you 25-30 minutes that's a relatively long endurance effort, physiologically speaking. So your ability to sustain a high power output continuously for that duration is what you're aiming for - sustained aerobic output.

Long rides are good for building base condition but make them continuous and even - just good, evenly-paced efforts of 3 or 4 hours. Don't race about or kill yourself on hills. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of riding tempo too, for up to a couple of hours at a nice even pace just a bit harder than you'd want to hold a conversation at.

And go out and ride hard sometimes for shorter periods - do hard efforts of between 5 minutes and 20 minutes. Imagine you're riding TTs and time yourself from one point to another on quiet roads. Keep repeating and timing yourself once a week or so to see if you can bring the times down.

Ruth

smoggysteve

Practice your pedaling technique. TT's are all about rhythm and efficiency. Your pedal motion and rhythm will bring your times down more. A lot of people set off too quickly at the start and begin to fade later on. Learn to pace yourself.

dombhoy

thanks for all the advice everyone and its given me a lot to think about and has helped me to focus my money/time on the the most important things to improve.