The_Break

Carefu! Or I may call on you to backup your criticisms and deformative comments.

Some frame designers choose not to put a drain hole into MTB frames in the BB area because the risk of corrosion increases. Most frames, especially hardtail, have other drainage points where the water is able to exit. These drainange points are sometimes purposeful and sometimes not (e.g. where production cooling water drainage holes are designed into seat and chain stays for cooling water purposes). Also if you read the warranty/customer booklet (which most LBS do not supply as required) many of the frame manufactueres who do not have drain holes specifically say youu must drain any frame water by removing the seatpost and this means they did not put drain holes in for a very specific reason. Reason being, a BB drain hole is not a guarentee that all frame water will exit as even though the BB is the lowest point in the BB, there are welding beads between the seat tube and chainstays which cause high points and prevent water from exiting the chain stays andinto the BB. Also, by having BB drain holes on MTBs, more dirt and mud will get into the frame when riding through mud and water and thereby cause more blocking and corrosion due to a then higher build up of dirt over these weld beads causing less water to exit the frame. The more dirt inside your frame the higher the risk of corrosion as dirt is not corrosion neutral and adds to corrosion processes. Having cleaner water enter the top tube and work its way out via other channels or by recommended seat tube drainage is definitely something most frame manufacturers consider during their design. Very little dirt will enter through the seat tube when compared to a BB drain hole for the average dirt rider. So no, drain holes are not always the best option for water drainage and corrosion prevention. Each manufacturer weighs up the risks and makes there own decision as I said before and I do not think that suggesting drilling a drain hole is a good option for frames where they have been design out for a reason. I think if you actually mailed a few of the R&D departments they would tell you similar reasoning for not putting BB drain holes in.

Before the final steerer adjustment and zipp upgrade.

There is a reason why there are no holes at the bottom of most mountain bikes. Do you honestly think engineers of that caliber simply forgot to put a drainage holes there. Or, do you maybe think they weighed up the risks of water entering into the BB thread via different channels and decided it was the less risky way to go? My thinking is the later.

Johan!!! I am shocked at this advice. Take the seatpost out and refit. Find a torque wrench from a friend, but for goodness sakes don't drill into your frame.

It is true you will use more energy to ride standing up than seated when travelling at the same speed. It is because you are using energy to support the weight that is normally supported by your saddle. However, I think the point here is under high power climbing efforts, you will have to get out of the saddle as when seated you do not have nearly as much pull on the crank or on the bars. It is like trying to strint whilst seated when everyone else is out the saddle. You need to match their power. To increase your climbing ability under these high power efforts you need to increase your power or reduce your weight or both. Otherwise to help start the climb at the front of the pack so you gradually drift back and hope you still in the bunch at the top. Seated climbing is for long climbs in non-high power situations as if more efficient when seated in general. Alternating is good so as to give certain parts of muscle groups a change of scenery.

When you stand you are able to generate more power and hence ride faster. So if you are generating more power then popping you are probably less fit than they are and/or have a poorer power/weight ratio. There is one trip to climbing out the saddle if you want a bit more power. Climb with your hands in the drops, almost as if you were sprinting. It helps you to transfer more power because your arms are straighter and so you are able to push and pull on the bars to counteract the push and pull of the pedal strokes. You will notice it is easier to climb like this. Your ultimate climbing ability seated or standing comes down to power/weight ratio and how much power you can maintain at your aerobic threshold. Ride above this and you will blow after some time.

Just unscrew the little bolt at the bottom that the cable guide is fixed on with. It should all drain out. Otherwise doesn't your bike have holes in the rear of the chain stay right at the rear axle. It should drain out there if you put the bike on it s back wheel.

Cut them and open before the race. Works wonders.

Ok, setup. Time trialiing is all based around an aero position. In order to obtain a more aero position time trial frame manufacturer have increased the effective seat tube angle so as to move the rider forward. In moving the rider forward, you are forced to also move the rider up in order to keep the effective leg length the same so as to keep the hip angles correct for proper power transfer. Why would you want to move forward and up. Well, because you are then in a better aero position as your hips are effectively rotated thus rotating your upper body and flattening it out. It also helps with getting your arms forward and onto the TT bar pads. So, when you set up a TT bike, you don't set it up normally as you do with a road bike. So here is my advice with setup for UCI controlled road race: UCI rules state that unless you are classed as having an abnormal body geometry the tip of your seat may not be less than 50mm behind the centre of your crank/BB (horizontally measured) and the end of your bars (not including shifters) may not be more than 750mm in front of the centre of your crank/BB. In time trialling the more forward you are the more aero you are, however UCI regulations stop you from obtaining a too forward position as you would find with Ironman and non-drafting legal Tri races. So, I would start by setting your saddle at 52mm behind the centre off BB (to avoid questioning using various measurement devices at different races). Then you adjust your seat height to set your leg angle, with crank parallel to the effective seat tube angle at 30deg between the outside angle of the lines between hip and knee bone knobs and hip and ankle bone knobs as per a normal setup procedure. You knee will now be in front of your pedal axle when crank is horizontal which is normal for a TT setup. Depending now on where you want to sit on your saddle, tip or normal, you may need to adjust the seat back to get onto the tip with the Felt. Normal road bikes require a very forward position of the seat to get the tip 50mm from the BB. A TT frame probably a normal fore aft setup to get it there. Then you set the pads at a comfy position for your forearms and stem at a height that gives you a nice flat back. Your fingers should then be comfortably on the shifters without having to move. Normally a 90deg arm angle is a good comfortable and aero position. This is a good starting point for a nice effective aero position that is sustainable over 40km. It would be interesting to see a pic off your current position though as you may be pretty good already I suspect if you are running for a top 10.

Because you are over exagerating and are going to scare people off of a very good cleaning fluid agent. Diesel is a very misunderstood substance. Woosh and kaboom are very different. If you want to debate in a technical subject then you need to use correct wording or you will be misunderstood. Nothing personal, just need to keep to proper explanations and facts here.

The fact that you can't breath for 3 minutes per bite when your heart is at 95% max durng a race. Then when you finally get to chew thebar your find your teeth are loose.

I think you must be mistaken. Diesel does not explode unless it is under a very high compression ration. It then auto combusts together with a bit of heat added. At worst, if it was diesel you saw, it would have maybe just burnt, but not exploded.

One day I will see you at a race and then we can talk about it in person.

Sorry can't help you, I didn't specialize in Geriatrics. In any case, we are trying to have a mature conversation here.

Suggestion from me is to go for a proper bike setup. Spend the money and make sure you research who is good in town. If you are in PE you welcome to give me a call. Lower back pain from cycling is normally due to your glutes and hamstrings stiffening up which then also stiffens the lower back muscles up. The lower back muscles are attached onto your vertebra and if the stiffer muscles effectively pull on your verteba. This pulling effect can cause nerve pinching and this is where the pain comes from. So I would suggest a stretching routine as follows: Start out by stretching you hamstrings. Not the usual old school stright legged stretch (that onyl strethces your nerves behind your knees), but bend you knees slightly and stretch so that you feel the strecth in the middle of the hamstring. If you feel that buring behind the knee bend a little more till you feel the stretch in the right place. Next stretch you glutes targeting deep into the glute. For me this is sitting on the ground with a straight back, non-stretching leg flat and then trying to touch the stretching leg's knee on the opposite shoulder. Next stretch you lower torso by lying on your back and pulling your one leg over and then rotate twisting. You should feel your lower back and part of your glute stretch. Do each stretch fro 20-30sec 3-4 times each and 2-3 times a day. This should help illeviate your back pain in most cases. As for the upper back, remember to keep your shoulders down and relaxyour arms. Carry your weight on your saddle and nt on your arms. This most probably comes from a poor bike setup. Good luck with getting t all fixed up.

I have had some problems when I have eaten close to a bonk but then still went on and bonked cause the food never went in quick enough. During the Giro last year I ended up popping caramello bears cause I needed sommething to go in and quick during the 171km 3rd leg. With low glycogen reserves you must get whatever you can in and not be fussy. In events such as the DC when you get to the last 2 hours, you don't want to wait half and hour for an energy bar to digest. Feeding continuously is the key obviously, but when it comes to high intensity racing for 3-5 hours feeding not always easy so there are times when you need that sugar or high GI product. Hence my words, just be careful as low GI is not always a good thing.

It is usaully a headwind out once you turn west after about 5km. I am not sure how much you have used a disc, but I have never had a problem in cross winds with it. Weigh 72kg. Theory is that the disc will help more in a crosswind than in a head-on. That is where aero equipment is best. Normally from 5-15degress or so. The 1080 is however only a few seconds slower so also a very good choice, but that said every second counts. Personally I would set up with the 1080 and disc and if the wind is really pumping and you feel a bit uncomfortable during the warm up pre-rollers then swap to the 1080. Just make sure you set the bike up to fit both wheels prior to that and with tyres at race presuure. You don't want to swap out and find your tyre is skimming your frame. Oh, and if you do use the sub 9, just make sure it does not scuff your frame during out the saddle efforts. I know there have been clearance issues with some frames and the sub 9 toroidal. Will post more on setup tomorrow.

Oh, the route is out along the coast. Flat as can be. Normally the wind is in your face going out with a slight yaw on it. Definitely a course where you should go with the deppest wheelset you have. Tar is rough on this section, so don't stress about your speedo. Took me 8 months to figure out why my TT time had dropped so badly after I got here from Cape Town. Hint: Ride the painted lines - they are a bit smoother and faster.

I would suggest the deepest wheelset you have. Most of our past TTs where in strong winds and we still road with discs effectively. Loads of guys still riding witht their 404s, HEDS, etc during road races in our winds. Unless of course you are a lightweight and struggle in windy conditions to keep your front wheel vertical. It is only on really fast decents that winds normally play havoc on the front wheel. Where are you from? Are you using your road bike and moding it or do you have a TT bike?

Why in the world would youu want to use sealant in a perfectly good set of tubbies???? It goes against the whole concept!!! If you can afford to ride tubbies then just replace them. By the time they seal you are not going to want to ride them anymore.

Hi Christoph TT is my food so going to enjoy this thread. There are a few mental training exercises you can do in preparation: Here is a basic and good one I use. The point of it is to help you clear your mind so that you can focus like yo say, but keep the other thins out of your mind. Start off by laying on your back on your bed with your eyes closed. Begin by controlling your breathing and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Nice and easy for 1 minute. More or less, don't look at a watch just keep your eyes closed. Then start to relax your body bit by bit. First your right foot, then your right calf, then your right thigh, etc until you have moved through your whole body. You need to have a feeling of absolute relaxation. Then just let your thoughts run for a while. Try not to focus on anything specific, just let them run for about a minute. Then start to concentrate only on yor breathing the sound of your breathing. Certain thoughts will want to pop back into your mind, but just concentrate on the sound of your breathing and clear those thoughts out of your head. Do this for 5 minutes. The whole exercise takes about 10min. The idea with this is two fold. It teaches you to clear your mind and it teaches you to concentrate on one thing. In this case your breathing and the breathing is what you will want to concentrate on when going full throttle. Try also concentrating on your breathing during training to get used to it. By the way, you may not wear an ipod whilst cycling. There is something else that helps too during the event to keep focus. Pick points a few hundred meters in front of you as you go or certain known defined points along the course and concentrate on getting to those at your overall race pace. It helps to break the 45min odd race up. Our road surfaces are pretty rough down here in PE and together with the "thicker" air your times will be a bit slower depending on where you come from. Have no idea about times, look at last years results. Good luck! You need any advice on optimizing TT set-up and equipment selection?

If you have applied the glue evenly to every square mm of contact between tyre and rim and have allowed for sufficient time to cure (24hours) then you should be good to go. If you try with all your might to roll the properly inflated tyre off the rim you will not want to see any part of it lift up. If the tyre lifts in an area where you can see the glue want to tear and create a gap that is the weak point. Fill it in. Riding forces are higher than what you can press with your hands so if it lifts here it will lift on the road. Having said that though, I have never rolled a tubby that I have checked this way and it is how most experienced people check tubbies.

Geez, is there such a thing as a low GI drink? If there is, low GI is low GI so it comes down to how long it takes to digest and get absorbed into your bloodstream. When I race I want somoething that goes in and gets used immediately so that my glygcogen stores are not affected. Once your glycogen get too low and you are racing at a higher intensity than what you can digest you only have a limited amount of time before you bonk. So I try and run off my stomach contents from my last pre-race meal and food on the bike. Low GI doesn't work for me as by the time the food is digested I have used most of my glycogen and then it is too late. I race at over 900kcal/hour but can only digest around 700kcal. You only have about 1000-1500 kcal in glycogen, so it can run out depending how you feed. Then it is over.

Be careful of low GI bars. Whilst low GI is good as a normal day to day food source, they are not that great for racing as whenyou are racing you want whatever you eat to go right into your bloodstream so that you can use it before the race is over. Eating low GI bars during a race may mean the food takes too long to digest and then you will know all about it. Not saying those bars are not good, but just be careful if you think low GI is always a good thing.