one pro told me that 99% of cycling equipment is marketing hype but a good aero set of wheels is noticeable…in a sport where 10 meters can mean the difference between winning & not placing, it could be worth getting a cheaper frame/gruppo and really good wheels.

At this level, the variablity of in fitness, and readiness can mean much more than any minor reduction in co-efficent of drag from a superslippy helmet or a pair of aerobars made by Ginsu to cut through the wind. The bigger issues are what else is going on in your life that prevents you from fully focusing on the TT and doing your best. *IF* there is a benefit from the expensive stuff it is the psychological benefit of some super-expensive, aero setup that makes you think yourself faster than any actual decrease in frontal area.

Plus let’s face it, we all spend a lot of time on our bikes, we want something that is aesthetically pleasing. My bike was more expensive than my (very used) car. But I put more mileage on my bike than on my car last year, so I think it’s justified.

this is why i hate the tt. not because it hurts so much or because i suck at it but because so many people get caught up in watts, heart rate, equipment, drag coeficients, sub lactate intervals, and so many other things that distract them from cold hard facts.

if you really want to see some really slow people riding on some way too expensive bikes that make them just a bit faster than my hairy legged brother, go to a local triathalon, it is a total freak show.

Your position on the bike is more important than how tricked-out your equipment is. If you have a cheap, heavy TT rig that sets you up in a fast position, and you train on it so you’re comfortable and efficient, you’ll go faster than someone on a $12,000 Pinarello with disk wheel who takes it out of the closet the day before the race. The reason for getting a TT bike is not because the bike itself is so much faster than your road bike, but because you need to adapt your position, and you’re not going to bother if you have to adjust your saddle, seatpost, stem, and handlebars every time you want to go for a training ride.

Aero wheels are probably worth some time, though Jeff King did 27-something in the park last year with a road bike, clip-ons, and a set of Ksyriums, and Alex Gulla did the same the year before.

The first TT I ever did was at Fitchburg in 2003. I borrowed a set of clip-ons the night before, stuck them on my bike and warmed up on the trainer, then headed to the line. I had never tried riding like that on the road, and after a couple of minutes I found I couldn’t breathe. I rode the rest of the TT on the drops.

It’s too bad there’s no TTs in the park this year. In past years Andy posted photographs of everybody, and it was interesting to see what the fast guys look like when they’re racing, and compare it to your own position.

Gulla was low 26’s but he did have a disk wheel on his stell bianchi with clip on bars.

as you imply by bringing up the equipment argument right after the sandbaggin argument, these are both symptoms of dragon as$ complex.

i didn’t win b/c of a sandbagger
i didn’t win b/c my equipment sucks
i didn’t win b/c my [INSERT VO2/LT/AT/ANY OTHER QUASI-UNDERSTOOD METRIC HERE] is too low/high
i didn’t win b/c my energy drink didn’t have protein
&c.

this keeps people buying more schnitz, to which i say, cool. if you got money in your pocket to go buy some theoretical speed, go buy it. supports the bike store/catalog/industry. gets the velocity of your dollar up and into someone else’s mitts. keep making more dough and spreading it around, the more money you spend the bigger cycling will get. trickle down effect in action. plus psychologically easier to swallow than saying to yourself ‘i blow goats,’ and don’t underestimate the frailty of a man’s ego in full-on lycra and the mental health importance of proppin up said ego by any means.

so the next time you see a tri-freak on a tricked-out P3 kicking it at 19mph, thank him/her. just as the lottery is a tax on those who are bad at math, good equipment is a tax on the weaker riders. they’re subsidizing your portion of development costs.

FULL DISCLOSURE: i just ordered a boatload of protein-laden energy drink. my energy drink is the sole reason i don’t win races, nothing else. i will keep searching until i find the right one. this undying belief in the incompetence of my energy drink provides the full psychological benefit of an equipment addiction at a fraction of the cost. next stop: colostrum from virgin new zealand cows.

TT

There was a cannibal TT in NJ already. I think they called it the Flanders TT. (not sure)
Another factor to consider, when reading the TS post, is that the course will usually dictate the set-up. The Dietrich time you posted didnt describe the parcours. Was it hilly? Perhaps his set-up made sense. The Loehner case is plausible. Most athletes with time to calibrate a comfortable position and time to warm-up are capable of good results. Not to belittle the accomplishments of the rider you mentioned, but I’ve seen guys post good times on borrowed bikes and new unfamiliar bikes. That said I also agree with your point about the engine. All flash and no gas sucks. If you have the equipment atleast put in the work.

Dietrich did his time on a rolling course – the CT TT course in Winstead that goes up Rte. 8 into MA. It is fast. Full aero is best on that course. Kevin, where you there in ’86? I raced that day.

yap yap yap spend spend spend bitch bitch bitch. New York cycling………

No name in search of energy drink have you tried Andrews cup cakes, I hear it helped him win last night

About 9 years ago when the whole Carbon craze started and road bikes didn’t have the strict laws that they do know. I saw a cat.2 race with a 5 man break away, 4 guys from the same team with tricked out Monocarbon bikes (similar to the old trek "Y" frame), and the 5th guy was on a 70’s Pogliaghi. He was shifting on the down tubes, feet strapped in. Not only did he fly from his breakaway group… not only did he lap the field… he crossed the finish line first and caught the breakaway group doing so! You should have seen there face when they saw they where a lap behind this guy. From that day on I knew it’s all about the one on the machine and not so much the machine!

But… on the other side of things a TT bike does make a difference, and so does a good set of wheels. Just don’t doubt the guy that put in the work at the end of the day. Someone that can drop 10G on a bike ain’t going to be able to turn over a 55*12 if they don’t have the muscle or heart! (still working on turning that one over!)

I don’t understand the interest or desire to ride a "cannibal" TT. I can understand perhaps having some training TTs where the expensive stuff like disk wheels are not allowed. That could level the playing field. But getting into a serious TT position — with clip-ons or dedicated aero bars — is a fundamental part of the sport that, in the big scheme of things, not that expensive. In fact aero bars are probably the cheapest speed you can buy, and finding a good position in that takes skill and practice. Those are things our sport should reward.

JT – sure the stuff is cheap, but you know the riding position is significantly different and you need to train in that position to make it effective. so given the impact of TT’s on racing results throughout the year time seems best spent focusing on the road position for me.

besides, i’d much rather have a set of 28 spoke GEL 280’s with campy SR hubs tied and soldered than a carbon disk wheel!

TS – yes the same course, nice and "rolly". best i could muster was a 59:09, no aero bars 32 spoke matrix iso rims in the 40k in ’88??

out of respect for all the great racers in our club, don’t judge gulla’s TT time as the be all/end all indicator of his racing ability. you overlook a lot of other guys who could dismantle him on a regular basis in a typical road race or crit. sherry, x-factor, upton, lattanzi, gavi, loehner, eugene, etc, etc. actually, then again i don’t think gulla would be racing with these guys b/c he’s not a 2

Craig, Schmalz is here to be mocked. More of a whipping boy than a poster boy. Of course, I’m stating the obvious.

DS, that was a friggen classic! ya gotta love a good poo poo joke.

Don’t forget the time Gulla raced in the B’s – caught the A field rode right through them caught the A break then dropped them too. Guy was a legend.

first, variances in budgets and the aerodynamic advantage of a riders’ equipment is, and has always been, part of time trialing. there is no question that the very most important weapon one can possess is fitness, strength both physically and mentally, and the right body physique for good aerodynamics. yet, good equipment shall always be to the advantage of the one who possesses it, and to the detriment of those who dont have or can’t afford it.

lance armstrong, postal and discovery spent significant monies to acquire the best technologies, to get the most aerodynamic setups on their riders’ bikes. was it an advantage? yes. unfair? no. because thats how that game is written.

Recently, there was a flanders TT which was ala eddy merx. the idea was "old school":. no tt bikes, no clipons , no aero bards, no discs. so everyone who hda the means, technology and desire had their stems drilled down lot, water bottle cages removed, and the deepest dish non disc you could get. I finally had a great reason to use my 808s instead of the 999s. (fyi, i am detinately one that is addicted to wheels and loves having many arrows in the quiver.).

if you’re the one in possession you’re in favor of unconstrained rules. if you are not in possession of the technologies, then you’d love it to be like "stock car" racing. unfortunately, stock setsup are not feasible in amateur cycling. heck, they dont even enforce the 5cm saddle setback from bb rule.

i’ve had many racers come to me after my finish and ask to borrow wheels and i’m always glad to do so. remember, at the end of the day, i have to assume, putting money aside, that most of us are addicted to this sport, and even if we cant own it, we love staring at it, marveling at it; TT setups are cutting edge. the edge of speed , aerodynamics and teechnology. and so i would be totally out of favor of eliminating such advantages because it would put us bak in the stone ages, which would have a devistating impact on the overal progression of cycling stuff.

heck, i say lets scrap a stealth bomber or two, take the proceeds and give every registered USCF rider a set of 404s. until then, make do with what you go. find a good set of 404s, very versatile and rock hard.
-sg

I think Aaron bought it off a guy who saw it fly off a roof, or something like that. I think it was a state of the art TT bike, for 10 years ago.