Riding with different set ups

[cadenceblur]

Hi There

 

Anybody out there training with a different set up to what they race with? I am referring to wheels and clusters. Are the benefits very noticeable?

[fandacious]

train with a mtb, race with a road bike. Will feel amazing when you race

[cadenceblur]

I am sure it will! but unfortunately do not own one!

[Enticement]

The academics say you have to race with your training set-up. You have to practice rugby if you want to play rugby, you cannot replace training with tap dancing. However you can replace certain parts of your conditioning with something else - like when you do strength training by pulling a tractor tire you don't have to race with the tire. Interesting empirical research has been done on ROTOR cranks indicating that your brain, your body's ultimate anticipatory regulator, adapts to the cranks within about 30 days and you're back to where you were before you started using them.

[Swift01]

Just a benefit of costs. Good to train with stronger heavier wheels and save those super light not so straong wheels for racing. Just make sure you have the same tires on both as that can really change the feel of the bike.

[cadenceblur]

but surely training with a cluster, say less suited to climbing, which is then swopped out for one more condusive to climbing in a race, will result in an improved performance?

[Swift01]

I have tried using bigger chain rings and a road bike cassette. In the end when i got back onto the racing bike I found I could not get into the groove because the ratio's are different to you can't get into a comfortzone. I also once took off the granny gear so I had a 2x9 (way ahead of the times) I found that better for training than the bigger chainrings. Saying that I just got simpler. Singlespeed............ who needs gears

[Falco]

Anybody out there training with a different set up to what they race with? I am referring to wheels and clusters. Are the benefits very noticeable?

I train with heavy crappy aluminium wheels (Mavic Aksiums) with rubbish tyres (Mavic something, came with the wheels) and a 23:11 cassette.

I race with alu/carbon rims (Shimano RS80), with Continental GP4000S tyres and either a 25:11 or 27:11 cassette, depending on race profile.

It makes a huge difference.

The training setup strengthens the legs, the racing setup makes it possible to use those stronger legs and better equipment to go faster.

[Let's Ride]

Different wheels but honestly it's probably best to train with the same everything that you race with. No point being the slow one at a club ride and feeling disappointed etc.

 

Grabs my bike and goes for a cycle.