halp: I need cheap speed

[ceolwulf]

Was very happy to learn today that the provincial time trial series is back on this year, after a year hiatus. Completely took the wind out of my sails last year when they cancelled it (not enough people available to organize).

So my TT rig is a titanium/carbon Javelin. Not the most aero frame at all but not bad either, better than a round tube frame anyway and most importantly the position is excellent. I'm sure it could be tuned a bit better but it's at least 90% there. Bars are nice semi-aero carbon Williams TT bars. Wheels are Campy Scirocco.

How do I hot rod this machine without spending a lot?

If possible I wanted to build a wheelset this winter and I had planned a lightweight set but that's out the window and if I can I'll go a 60/80 or 80/90 deep set depending on how brave I feel (it's windy out there).

If I can't do that I'm guessing my best option is a rear wheel disc cover? Any good ones?

What else could I do? I don't have a TT helmet, that's probably priority?

I don't have an aero bottle but I may do the races without hydration because they're quite short. If not, are there hydration packs that can go under a jersey/skinsuit? Or is that a dumb idea.

[kppolich]

1. Body Position
2. skin suit
3. head position
4. FTP
5. Helmet
6. front wheel
7. Rear Disc
8. Ditch all excess stuff, water bottles, cages, weight or in the wind.
9. Everything else, shoe covers, gloves, etc

[mhespenheide]

As kppolich says, body position is the number one thing.

Cheapest is to work on your position and train in your position on the TT bike so that it's low, and so that you're comfortable staying low, and so that you can put out watts in that position.

No flappy fabrics.

Don't go for a super-aero helmet if you're going to drop your head down in a hard effort. Better to go for one of the semi-aero helmets now seen in the pro peloton.

Yes, you can get a hydration pack that goes inside a skinsuit. But you're still breaking position to bring the tube to your mouth, unless you're more coordinated than I am.

[Look585]

1. Body Position
2. skin suit
3. head position
4. FTP
5. Helmet
6. front wheel
7. Rear Disc
8. Ditch all excess stuff, water bottles, cages, weight or in the wind.
9. Everything else, shoe covers, gloves, etc

I'd promote shoe covers *way* up from 9th place. Your feet see a great deal of wind (they hide behind nothing) and the cost of shoe covers is very low on a relative basis.

[Andy sti]

Position is key as others have said. Low is not always fastest either. Think about you arm placement - some upwards angle is fast and closes off the big open chest area. Straight bars sometimes look cool but ski bends may be faster and more comfortable. Comfort is another thing. The best position with the lowest cda is worthless if you can't stay there. Make sure you are comfortable in your position and don't need to leave it.

Aero helmet for sure. Since you're not testing go with a consistent good one - Selector, Advantage 2, P-09, Aerohead, etc.

Tires and latex tubes is huge! Make sure you're on some faster tires and have Latex tubes in there.

If you're interested in wheels check out Flo wheels.

Go fast!

[Louis]

How do I hot rod this machine without spending a lot?

Improve the motor - that just takes time and effort, no money at all. ;)

[GParkes]

All good stuff so far. I would also look at the bike as it sits now - clean up any excess cable if possible, remove anything that doesn't propel you forward. I run a Wednesday TT series in the summer and routinely get 25-30 riders per night. Always interesting to see who shows up with what. Everyone trying to get faster (great threshold training) roadies and tri-nerds alike. Maybe you have a club out your way and can get something started. Good luck.

[GregL]

Thinking a little outside the "cheap" box: wind tunnel testing. Prices have dropped to under $600 for two hours of time in the tunnel (http://www.a2wt.com/Cycling.html). Travel and lodging costs would more than double the overall investment, but possibly worth it if you're very serious.

Greg

[Tandem Rider]

kppolich has a pretty good list. Based on experience, the only changes to his list I would make is move FTP to the top. 80-90% of the drag comes from the rider, but 100% of the power comes from the rider. I don't know how long your targets are, but if they are longer than 5 minutes, FTP is going to be absolutely critical. Second, I would train on the TT bike a least once a week, and sometimes twice, especially as the A races get closer. Put it on the trainer in the winter if you are stuck indoors in the winter.

[nooneline]

As far as stuff you can buy:

If you're talking about speed per dollar, a performance-based aero fit, which might cost you $250, is probably the best bang for your buck. The modern approach is to ride long, not as low as in the past, and hide the face behind the hands. If you want to get more involved with your bike fitting, and you have a power meter, then there are a lot of CdA calculators available (essentially virtual wind tunnels) - you can run some tests to see which position is the fastest.

A skinsuit that fits well should run you about $150. Long sleeves. That's a no brainer, and as other people mentioned you might as well add the cheap stuff - booties, gloves.

Next would be an aero helmet that works well for that position - that might be another $200. A visored, snubtailed helmet like a Kask Bambino Pro is a pretty popular choice; Giro Selectors are cheap (used) and have two different tail kits to tighten the gap between the helmet and the shoulders; Bell Javelin is similar and even cheaper. Depending on the length and conditions of your TTs you might want something a bit more vented and modest, and there are a lot of very fast mass start helmets like the Bontrager Ballista, Specialized Evade, and Lazer Bullet. I think Bell's visored mass-start helmet tests quite fast too.

Next would be a front wheel. 60mm deep should be plenty if you're concerned about the wind. Generally, U-shaped is faster than V-shaped these days. The difference between an aero front wheel and your scirroco is bigger than the difference between the fastest aero front wheel and the least-fast aero front wheel, so, you don't have to spend a ton to get an advantage here.

It should go without saying that training matters, and spending, I dunno, 8-10 hours/week on threshold-boosting work would be as valuable (or more) than the gear. And practicing on your TT bike matters.



aside: somebody said ditch the extra stuff like water bottles, but it depends on the frame - on some frames (not just ones designed specially for them), water bottles are faster than no bottles.

[BLD 25]

Position is key as others have said. Low is not always fastest either. Think about you arm placement - some upwards angle is fast and closes off the big open chest area. Straight bars sometimes look cool but ski bends may be faster and more comfortable. Comfort is another thing. The best position with the lowest cda is worthless if you can't stay there. Make sure you are comfortable in your position and don't need to leave it.

Aero helmet for sure. Since you're not testing go with a consistent good one - Selector, Advantage 2, P-09, Aerohead, etc.

Tires and latex tubes is huge! Make sure you're on some faster tires and have Latex tubes in there.

If you're interested in wheels check out Flo wheels.

Go fast!

I will strongly agree with the tires and tubes statement here. Recent wind tunnel testing by November Cycles(check out their blog), has shown that mid depth aluminum rims like the Kinlin XR31T, and the new AL33 are in line with a zipp 303, and save a watt or two over a 404. Build a nice set of those if you are on a budget, and get really good tires and latex tubes and save multiple watts in rolling resistance.

[Lewis Moon]

Cheap Speed = Cheap Speed...


http://www.therooster.com/sites/default/files/styles/hero/public/drug%20dealers%20live%20with%20their%20moms.jpg?it ok=8rZbEHVG

[shovelhd]

I'd put the helmet in position #2 if you have been racing with a road helmet.

[loxx0050]

Older Giro Advantage 2 aero/TT helmets can be had for pretty cheap. If you can find new probably under $100. Used I've seen for $50 or less.

I've gone through 2 shoe covers (both local swap meet finds) for cheap. I paid about $5 for each pair actually.

Wheelbuilder is a popular disc cover for about $100.

Or search for deals on deep wheels (not cheap but still saves over new). I ended scoring on eBay a HED disc rear wheel for $300 and a HED 9+ front for $350. That previous HED Disc is gone though as I won a newer wide version (HED Disc Plus - 25mm ones) in a raffle from my local TT series. I'm finally going to try latex tubes this season so I'll get around to installing that when the weather starts to get a bit nicer though.

[FlashUNC]

The biggest thing moving through the air is you. Make yourself more aero before worrying too much about the bike.

How's that aero tuck look? Got gloves and shoe covers and a helmet? What about a skinsuit?

[kppolich]

Updated list

1. Body Position
2. Skin Suit (Long Sleeve if possible)
3. Head Position/Helmet
4. FTP
5. Tires/Tubes (Latex tubes or tubulars) and fast tires. Vittoria Corsa Speed TLR, Conti Force/Attack, Conti GP4000SII, Conti Supersonic if the roads are nice.
6. Front Wheel Depth
7. Rear Disc/Wheel Cover
8. Ditch all excess stuff, water bottles, cages, keep cables tight and everything out of the wind.
9. Everything else, shoe covers, gloves, etc.

Preparation: If you are planning on racing for 1 hour- say a 40k TT then spend at minimum 1 hour per week on your TT bike in the TT position.

Tire Rolling Resistance Ranking
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vTm2AQYKeDuabP8Qiv5_AjatJVNYSY_DRBOeFmO3-_8/edit#gid=2047093726

Shoe Covers
I use these, they are a pain to get on and off but using some baby powder helps. They are also cheap to replace if and when you get a tear in them. I've had good luck with getting warranty replacements.
https://www.velotoze.com/collections/products/products/tall-shoe-cover?variant=809239023

[C40_guy]

Spend your money on a good coach. Plan to work with him or her for at least a year.

Coaching, and the improvement to the engine and central governor (your head) will have far more positive impact that anything you can do to your bike or other gear (assuming that your stuff is in pretty good shape).

Interesting story...maybe there's a parallel here. A number of years ago I was autocrossing with the local SCCA chapter. Guy shows up in a rented Chevy Malibu and kicks our butts...every last one of us. Clean and tidy through every turn, posted Fast Time of the Day. Unbelievable. Autocrossers are as particular about their equipment and setup as cyclists...and the parts are more expensive.

Turns out this guy was the local SCCA hotshot. He had just sold his Mitsubishi and was in the process of building his Subaru (or maybe vice versa.) But it didn't matter. It was his skill behind the wheel that made the difference.

Get a coach. Work on the engine and the central governor. Short version of the latter -- your central governor is what tells you to back off when it hurts, survival response to keep something in the tank for when the next animal attacks. You don't really want to do that in a time trial... :)

[superbowlpats]

Listen to kppolich's advice. Pretty sure he also posts over in Slowtwitch where people are fanatical about going fast in TTs (and by extension triathlons).
For TT's, Watts/CdA typically trumps Watts/Kg. I've beaten many riders with much more impressive W/kg than me due to a more slippery position. At some point the Watts are important but there's typically lots of free speed available. Good luck!!

some info

http://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/cyclingaerodynamics.aspx

[ceolwulf]

Thanks heaps everyone, lots to chew on :) And yes of course training is #1, I think I have a reasonable handle on that, just needs to get done is all.