OMFG:

Caletti Cycles Ti Road | Cycle EXIF

 

Biggest part of being fast, IMO. Im not fast by any means, but I did a solo ride last night with some nice winds. I made myself ride as hard as possible to try and keep my speed up in the wind which becomes mostly psychological.




Side note: Dedacciai aluminum tubes ordered for the tandem build. Should be in within a couple months.

-Tapered head tube with integrated bearing cups, 181mm long
-61x32mm aero tubes for top tubes
-77x37 aero tubes for downtube and boom tube
-33x18 aero tapered to 16mm chain stays
-26x18 aero tapered to 16mm seat stays
-35mm butted tube to accept 31.6 seatposts


I still need to get the bottom brackets, dropouts and cable stops for the frame buildup.

 

I've been basically cheating at this by using the power meter to pace myself. It takes all the self-questioning, wondering about the wind, etc. out of the equation. "This climb is 2 minutes long, set the power to 400w and do it" and suddenly the guys behind me are breathing a lot louder than they were 30 seconds ago

 

lol, okay.

 

besides composition and basic training... which in each individual ride is a constant.

 

He has a point. Self belief is worth a lot of watts and I mean that in all seriousness. You are either mentally strong or you are mentally weak. It's easy to give up, not push as hard. That's what those sensations of pain are trying to get you to do. You push past that, in training and in racing. Make pain your bitch ("is that all you got?"). Do you kinda want it or want it real bad?

A cyclist lives for those moments of grace where you transcend all the closely held beliefs about yourself.

 

This is what racing is about, not the latest crabon bike.

 

Don't get me wrong, power meters have their place, but in this case you are also limiting your performance to 400 watts. Keep your head up, ride with anger and courage and I bet you will do that hill at 460 watts.

 

Thanks for clearing that up considering no one here rides a new or unreasonably expensive bicycle.

 

There is a place for both. I find power meters a very useful tool. Like any tool, they have a specific purpose. They don't help you find power you don't have. They do however, let you know how you are progressing and that is key to any meter.

Just like a predictive lap timer for driver or dyno for the engine.

 

I know what you're saying, but I'm not arbitrarily picking the power numbers - I know what my previous PR is (in that case ~380w) and I aim to beat it by a small margin. I'm using the PM to pace myself independent of my own feelings, essentially tricking my mind into doing something I don't think I should be able to do. I typically feel like absolute *** when I'm using the PM to pace myself, HR is 1-2bpm beyond what I consider to be my comfortable max, legs are screaming, everything is telling me to lift, shift down, sit up...except the number on the PM and my faith in the data says it's almost certainly doable if I just sit there and do it.

So I do, and I can, and then I come back in 3-4 weeks and do it all over again.

 

Yeah, I see most of the guys rolling on 105/ultegra mass production bikes, which is pretty much thesweet spot for value for money.

I should stop preaching as I was wearing my 39 ring out on my Moots/DA till I sold it toanother Fred. I only look at my Rossin/C-record. My only meaningful rides/ races were done on Chinese carbon this year.

 

Good use of PM.

I dunno.... I see Froome with a radio in his ear and his eyes fixed on his PM, and all the aesthetic of racing is gone. Its like watching a spin class.

 

Not intending to challenge you, but I am curious what is considered an unreasonably expensive bike today. I seem to see a LOT of athletes spend a few grand on a bike, just to be mid to back of the pack anyways during 'competitions'.

My only bike currently is the aluminum frame Giant road bike that I bought new back around 2008 for about $800. For a short time I owned a used Giant Trinity for around $1200 to train for the Chicago triathlon. I kind of regret selling it now, but at the same time it was really a luxury to me...not really necessary. I have a hard time understanding what you get in a bike for $1000+ more than that.

 

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Yep, I'm in that sweet spot and loving the 11-speed 6800, on the fantastic yet cheapest composite frame Cannondale makes.

My pretty bicycle posts seem to so frequently inspire complaining about money. Maybe people should worry a little less about the money and sit back, appreciate the artistic value of said bicycles and not be so closed-minded.

 

I have more fun owning and riding my fancy bike than I would owning and riding your cheap bike. That's all the justification that should ever be required.

 

Might buy one of these:



Scott Voltage Fr20. Comes with a pass to angelfire for 2015, which is ~40 mins away. $1200 including the pass. Whatcha guys think?

 

lol @ "fancy" anything without Campy. AMIRITE!?!?!?

 

Luxury:

a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort : sumptuous environment <lived in luxury>

something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary <one of life's luxuries>

an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease <had the luxury of rejecting a handful of job offers

I bought a fancy bike because I wanted to, thus it is entirely justified, just as that floor covering, graphics card, smartphone, pet, lasik, nice neighborhood are all luxuries