Transcontinental Race No. 7 - TCR7 - #TCRN07 - 2019

Can anyone recommend a wheel builder who can rebuild my rear wheel to a suitably tough TCR standard?

@arup did mine and I couldn't be happier with how they have faired

Thanks what did you get made just out of interest? Did you ride an edition of TCR or similar on them?

I have dynamo front, hope rear, pacenti forza rims and sapim race spokes. Started last year as a pair and my partner got pneumonia just before cp3, so after a half day of rest I left him in a hotel and raced (having scratched from the pair, so not actually in the race) to the finish, then he did the same just after a couple more days of rest, antibiotics and a hospital visit.

Okay thanks

If anyone wants to practice their race nutrition, I spotted this in a shop in Hackney.

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How essential is a dynamo?
I was pretty set on getting one but I'm starting to wain a little.
I don't plan to bivvy. I already have an Exposure Diablo, which has a very good brightness to run time so might get another.

less faff with a dynamo

My local Sainsburys has them. I grabbed one on Saturday. #dotwatching is serious business so it's never too early to get some practice in.

I did it without a dynamo, bivvied a lot and had zero faff, using 2 USB power banks a Zendure A2 for phone (3 full charges) and a Maplins one for lights (1 full charge of the Exposure, or partial charges of the 3 rear lights).

GPS- Etrex that runs on AA batteries
Lights- Exposure Strada with about 15hrs burn time on low (plenty bright enough)
Phone- didn't use it much and was often on airplane mode so charged every other day or so
Rear lights- all USB chargeable, Lezyne and 2 cheap wiggle ones for back-up

Not necessary at all.
I did it without a dynamo and will do again. Saves loads of faff in getting your bike set up and gives you the equivalent of an extra 10W threshold power. Stay in a hotel once every 5 nights and you can recharge. And you can use AAs if you need to.
josh ibbet won tcr and Mike won tabr without one.

4w.

I love having a dynamo light. So practical. Would hate to race without one.

But it’s personal preference.

Don’t worry

Ok so my current wish list is;
Electronic shifting
Power meter
Dynamo

What order would people put these in, given I only have the one bike for training and the ride.

Probably the order you have put them in. Depends what training you are going to do. Power can be handy for training but doesn't help you much once you are underway other than it can stop you blowing up on the first day

Speaking of which how’s the training going? Sorted your turbo out yet?

To an extent. I am now using it without powermatch, so just using the trainer to record power. That is ok and I can do a workout without the power bouncing all over the place and the resistance being up and down too.

The trainer records a higher power figure than my power meter, but that isn't a problem as long as I do a test using that figure - it could just be calibration. However, it is not consistently higher than my PM. So, yesterday I was doing unders and overs, and I did an over, and it felt like the resistance actually went down, not up. Checking it against my garmin trace afterwards, that is what the PM said , and my heart rate went down, which kind of proves it. So I am still in dialogue with TR to see if they have other ideas. Basically I don't know if it is the PM, the trainer or TR, but at least one is not working properly.

But today I rode my bike outside for a change - rode to work in bright sunshine and home in snow!

I don't have electronic gears or power meter. Can't say I'd even want them.
I don't have a trainer either, prefer riding.
Really like my dynamo though, for all of my riding.

I'd love to be riding! I didn't use a trainer before I had a baby. G+T is in the same boat so long rides every weekend not an option, alas!

Re dynamo, it also depends on how strong a rider you are. The higher your power, the lower the loss as a % of what you have. If you are shooting for the podium, a dynamo will cost you less time than it will if you are touch and go for getting to the party. It's only 2-4 hours, so other stuff, like how hard you pedal, faffing / how long you ride for per day and aeroz, will make more difference.

The reverse.

A power meter is a great training tool, but as I imagine your goal is to finish, then the best training you can do is as much time in the saddle as you can manage. With a dynamo, that can include training at night when the kids are asleep.

Someone like @skinny gets a lot of benefit from a PM, but he’s training his body to run as efficiently as he can. For someone aiming to finish, that’s less of an issue.

Electronic shifting is great but it’s another thing to go wrong and another battery to worry about charging.

@GoatandTricycle FWIW I bloody love my dynamo. The drag really is negligible and mine has been flawless.

Spa Cycles can build you up a decent dynamo wheel cheaper than anyone else, they were loads cheaper than various wheel builders I contacted for my build. The SP hub has been great as well and much friendlier on the wallet than a SON.

Thanks for all the comments. Helpful in forming an opinion.

I’d certainly prefer to be out riding but as Frank says not reliable or always viable.
Trainer has been good for me so far, ie Monday morning I woke with a feed at 05:20 hopped on the trainer for 45 mins. Get much better quality than I would and less faff than going out at that time.

On that note I’m going to look at an old langster today to use as a commuter.

Yeah pm would be down my list of stuff needed for most.
A hr monitor would do 7/10 of the job for little cost.

I think you can do it just fine without electronic shifting and a dynamo. They’re nice but not essential.

If I come back I’d like to do it on an old steel bike with down tube shifters and all that. Just to show it’s possible to still rip it up. It’s nice to have all the gear, but you really don’t need it. As we see every year, people finish on cheap piles of shit. But they’ve strong minds.

Sure, I can see the need for a trainer!
I have the time and place to do short hilly rides/hill repeats during the week and longer rides on weekends.

I did my first TCR with 1x6 Steamroller, friction shifter. Second with indexed 2x7 on the same bike. Now I have a new bike though.

I’m under no disillusion that my bike is already more capable than I am.