Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Campagnolo do a center pull rear but not front, can it be adapted?

It's a long time since I looked, but IIRC it is only a simple bolt swap to fit their rear center pull on the front.

So erm, well, erm

If there were an old chap, let's say an idiot 46 year old more suited to riding a long way than riding quickly, what would be the best way for him to start doing TTs? What sort of times should he capable of doing over what sort of distances for him to not be utterly laughed out of town? I asumme him riding a normal road bike as a total beginner would be OK? or not?

Asking for a friend obviously.

Thank you.

what would be the best way for him to start doing TTs?

Ride some evening 10s as a start

What sort of times should he capable of doing over what sort of distances for him to not be utterly laughed out of town?

Nobody will laugh however slow you are. If you think you're going to take much more than 30 minutes for an evening 10 it would be sensible to ask for an early start

I asumme him riding a normal road bike as a total beginner would be OK?

Yes, a road bike is fine. You'll probably get sucked into trying to buy speed like we all do, but it's possible to resist.

Also, in TT terms, 46 isn't old. Tops is older than that, and he has won the BBAR for the last 3 years.

Thank you very much indeed. I can do 10 flat miles inside 30 minutes with a traffic light or two thrown in so maybe I'll take a look for some to do. Thank you again

Damn, I was hoping 46 might be some sort of excuse :-)

inside 30 in general training mean youll probably go a fair bit faster on the actual day as long as you dont go out way too hard and blow up. plus as you get older theres veteran categories. 2nd on the no one will laugh at you..ive found in general everyone applauds a good effort but then im not going to the kind of events where everyone gets out rollers or turbos and shoves whatever it is they shove in their nostrils(cotton wool? answers please). im 34 and doing 25-26 min 10s and i regularly get outperformed by older testers.

im 34 and doing 25-26 min 10s and i regularly get outperformed by older testers.

You have time on your side, another 50 years of training and you can knock of the 1 minute+ you need to take Eric Marsh's VTTA record of 24:11 at age 84

Tops is 46.

shoves whatever it is they shove in their nostrils(cotton wool? answers please)

Olbas oil. Supposed to clear out the snot pipes, ease breathing.

^ How many watts is that worth? Might get some.

It's only useful if you're racing with a cold and as we are not pros it's probably better for us to not race. I prefer Vicks and a lie down, personally. Watts be damned.

i sometimes get a build up of phlemg in my throat when pushing hard, it can be quite hard to cough it out when panting for breath.

Sexy.

I like a nice lie down in general to be honest

I've pulled.

oh you lucky, lucky man

hah, i though that might trigger some kind of innuendo. Its actually a really annoying issue when it happens. Catarrh and in general anything that inhibits breathing is never going to help though. I think mine in part is caused by excessive dairy product consumption. Im not willing to go quite as far as Daniella Westbrook to improve my breathing but i may give olbas oil a try.

Has anyone used those nose plasters before?

I think mine in part is caused by excessive dairy product consumption

It's not - this has been widely disproved. Milk and dairy does not cause mucus production.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373954

Thanks for the link, i'd always wondered if it was an old wives tale or if there was any truth in it.

Milk drinkers make the best lovers.

Has anyone used those nose plasters before?

Plenty of people have tried them despite the fact that they are obvious bullshit. I can put out around 600l/min breathing through my mouth, no amount of olbas oil and sticking plaster is going to let me flow even 10% of that through my nose, and if it did the snot rockets would bring down light aircraft.

I think it's probably gluten

Yeh but Obree says you go faster getting as much air up your nose as poss because it's warmer that way.

I'm not quite sure I get the logic as my vague memory of GCSE fizzix tells me there is more oxygen in denser, colder air.

I feel like I'm a bit undergeared on the Lea Valley road track. I'm currently running 42x13 to develop 84.9". Would trying a 12t sprocket be too big a jump to 92"? Should I try a 44t chainring instead to give 88.9"? I'm probably doing about 95rpm as my average speed is around 39kph.