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Maybe the older hands will say it was always thus but it just feels like a money game now
'twas ever thus🙂
But yeah, the difference my £14.19s frame made in a TT over something less #tartmode which cost £5 was basically zero, whereas today there is equipment, and maybe even more so techniques, which really make a difference, and those things are not cheap.
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For the first time this year I entered into the land of aero testing and understanding truly the difference in equipment choices and position.
I am fully convinced the difference between £10k of new gear and tunnel time and well thought out 2nd hand equipment is so so much smaller than you think.
For example, in my specific frame (noting I didn't personally pay for this tunnel testing), the difference between front wheels from a £3.7k Princeton and a 'standard' Roval which can be had 2nd hand for a couple of hundred quid is............ <3w. Everything else tested in between. The fastest wheel was a slightly more expensive Roval but still a fraction of the Princeton.
That's an extreme example but it carries through to so many facets of equipment choice. Helmet testing for me was all within 4-5 watts. The fastest helmet tested, I subsequently bought 2nd hand for £150.
Tl;dr yes it's frustrating that some can just buy watts, but unless they are really well informed, I bet they aren't buying as much as you think and in some cases they may even be making themselves slower.
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gbj_tester
onyerbike
@ewanmac
Yeah I feel a bit conflicted. On the one hand (in my time as a tt-er, so all of the 2010s) it was always about the bike, from nick bowdleresque fairings and xav’s homemade helmet and leg aerofoils, to sawn off bars and drillium in hill climbs. I love the slightly mental nature of wringing everything one can out of a bike. But the problem is that previously it seemed that most of these madcap innovations were “relatively” affordable. Real enthusiasts were out home testing different positions, but it seemed more about an investment of time rather than money. Last tt I did, a near rival turned up with £10k+ of new gear and tunnel time and beat me by 2minutes. It feels like there is nothing I can do with a 2004 bike and second hand parts. Maybe the older hands will say it was always thus but it just feels like a money game now.
Then again, you’re only racing yourself, right?