Tri / Triathlon / Triathlons - do they float your boat?

Will you be using the NRG chain soon? If you let us lazy preppers your thoughts that'd be great thanks. I am either considering that or going the full wax ho following some of the great suggestions in that thread (like the mini beauticians pot) - thanks for linking.

If you do find it, let me know!

Has anyone with the more classic aerobars managed to stop them rotating? I've slightly overtorqued my PD bars, but they slip anyway. I imagine that'll be even worse with the bottle on them :(

I'll be using the NRG chain in June. Its a cheap YBN chain that they've waxed. It's heavy not that that matters too much on my tt bike. It's was only £60 though and comes with a quick link tool and some powder. I've got profile design tt bars on my watt bike and they've never slipped. Is that what you meant by PD or PDQ? Have you got carbo grip on them? I've found the velcro and there's easily enough for a bento box. I can stick it in the post if you want to give it a go before getting out the power tools?

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Finally got around to fitting selcof bars, need to dial in fit so are just set up as they came for now. Need to pick up nice wheels asap with racing coming in fast

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Yes the drilling was a bit nerve wracking but the cable hide one was endorsed to a degree by cervelo as they even made a guide for it no idea where one might find it now though, will have another look later… I wasn’t fussed as it was a pretty cheap frame that I wasn’t intending to do anything that extreme on… belting up and down dual carriageways and Ironman courses…

Paint was easy in itself, I’ve not got much experience of painting anything and more of an artists eye might have been a good idea but it wasn’t any worse than the tatty original paint and meant it didn’t clash with my club kit at least!

The other option for behind the saddle bottle cages is the xlab gorilla ones, they’ve never let me or anyone I know down…

How flexible is that Torhans bento box? I've got a bend in my toptube, do you reckon it would flex to the shape?

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It's pretty rigid in every direction even the opening is very stiff. It's OK for gels but i have to leave my gel bottles poking out abit and if i accidentally pushed one all the way back in i wouldn't be able to get it back out without stopping. I think you'd struggle with energy bars as well. It looks tidy but isn't very good. The bottle is great though

Well, you definitely didn't sell it, so I made my own. Just in time for my first triathlon race! It also holds my di2 battery, and according to my measuring method of "pick a random number between 1-10", it saves 7watts compared to taping the gels to the top tube.

Dear diary,
On Saturday I did the Olympic distance of Challenge Samorin in Slovakia. Really enjoyed it, and very happy with 2:26:26 for my first go. The plan was to get a grip on the ins and outs of a triathlon before I head to Warsaw for my middle distance in 3 weeks. My transition times were quite good for a first try, and my bike split was 12th fastest overall with drafting allowed & clever positioning. Run came in at 5:01 pace, thats about what I expected.

Then on Sunday I did the cycling leg of a middle distance relay, came in 2:19:06 on a course 2k short of 90km, but not the way I wanted it. I cramped up around 2/3rd the way, but thankfully it was headwind almost all the way out where I was pushing 250W average for the first hour, and I managed to cruise back in the tailwind. Definitely felt the previous day in the legs!

Excited for the half ironman coming up, and cannot wait to really work on my abysmal swimming technique starting July :)

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An overzealous marshal might pull you up on that - as if any even ever really inspects bikes to make sure they are rules compliant.

Admittedly not super familiar with the technical rules, but why? I just made it based on the widespread availability (and usage!) of these by frame manufacturers & aftermarket boxes that go in the same spot.

Went through the regulations, and found this:

Fairings are prohibited. Any device, added or blended into the
structure, that is destined to decrease, or which has the effect of
decreasing, resistance to air penetration or artificially to
accelerate propulsion, such as a protective screen, fuselage form
fairing or the like, shall be prohibited;

But this is not a fairing, its a very much functional part of the bike carrying both the di2 battery & nutrition, just like a between the aerobar hydration system. If the concern is the electric tape around it, thats not how its secured, its by 4 bolts to the bottle cage mounts.

Last IM I did, they made me flip my wheel from fixed to s/s before they'd let me start the bike - jumped-up little Hitlers.

But they were ok with the cut down handlebars and skinny jeans?

But this is not a fairing

No, but it is

any device [...]

Either way, it's only kl that ever gets pulled up by the inspections.

Right, so it feels like the kind of rule that can be applied to virtually any of these hydration/nutrition systems, but they rarely enforce them?

In any case, I'll make sure to carry some tape with me if I end up having to take it off :)

it's only kl that ever gets pulled up by the inspections

infamy, infamy...

Nice job on the frame box. I've read the rules and i don't understand a lot of them not just about fairings. I've seen people get away with serious aero modding and others including myself get pulled up on nothing. You can't rock up on one of these though

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The rules about fixed gear in tri are clear if annoying. I’d say the fairing one is questionable, I don’t see how what you’ve done is different to the canyon storage

First proper tri since 2019 next week, Grafman middle distance, I’ve swim more this year than ever, biking and running have been a bit lacking but still have some decent volume in the legs, last few days of training then it’s taper time!

Grafman went better than expected, my open water swimming has been way slower than expected this year so was hoping for around 35 minutes, entered t1 in just over 33. Bike was a bit hillier than I expected but managed to tick along at target power and came in around 2:36 and despite needing a pit stop on the run managed a 1:36 half marathon and finished in 4:49, kind of want to do another one now…

A great marker for Ironman talinn in 8 weeks, some work to do both on increasing my ability to hold those paces for twice as far, and losing a bit more timber so I don’t look like such a fatty in the race photos!

Edit.. corrected some horrible spelling and added some race photos..

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Very nice overall, especially the run!

In less happy news I potentially wrote off my TT bike due to someone cutting up the person in front of me (whilst on their phone apparently) and causing an emergency stop.

I was checking behind and did not stop in time. Fail my end but also very unlucky. Crossed fingers for the frame/wheels as I'm fine...

Glad your OK mine was the other way around my bike is fine but my arm and hand has some nasty road rash and I've lost a knuckle which is really sore. I need to get on the TT bike and see how it feels. I'm meant to be racing my first tri of the year on Sunday which I've paid and trained for so I want to go if I can hold on to my bars OK 🤞

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First tri of the year on Saturday, and first time age grouping - Madrid ETU Standard Champs.
I’ve swim twice this year so wasn’t devastated when they cancelled the swim due to poor water quality and made it a duathlon.
Warm day and a bit stuffy, didn’t ever quite feel like I was on top of my pace, but stayed conservative too.
Runs were a bit long (about 17k in total instead of 15), slightly rolling and a mix of path and trail, bike a bit short (38k) and a mix of crap surface and fast A road.
Went alright, could have put in a bit more effort on the bike at 1hr 5mins, but held almost identical pace across the two runs at slightly quicker than 4min/k and came in 11th in AG, which I’ll take for the first time as a full GB kit wanker.

Signed up for middle distance champs in Belgium in August. Should probably swim between now and then.

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Eurgh. That looks like a stinger. What distance?

I just hit the car hard enough to bleed from my shoulder bruise with a few bruises (from the bike I assume) on the legs but it's nothing in comparison. Very lucky!

Tempted to swim train tonight. Thoughts...? Might not be the best idea

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Ouch but it's not in the worst spot. I've been training since mine and in the water I used clear blister plasters on my hand and a me pore patch on my elbow covered in k-tape and it stayed put. Should be OK on your shoulder. I'm doing Eastbourne standard distance this weekend
@duncs congrats on a good race but your only a full GB kit wanker if you wear it to every spin class at your local leisure centre for the next 10 years 👌

Haha, I took great pleasure in wearing my vintage gb kit from 2015 to the lake yesterday! Was trying out a swim skin for the first time, on reflection an hour without a wetsuit was too long for me at this stage of the year, couldn’t talk by the end i was so cold!

For me the real faux pas is wearing gb kit for racing when it’s not a gb race, have a club mate who does this and she just looks like a dick…

How was the swim skin? I found mine made a real difference but I'm only a mid pack swimmer so probably aids my poor body position more than a better swimmer with lower drag?