August 11, 2008
More Free Speed
Some more speed that is "free". Stuff I haven't tried though. Seems like it's all about golf ball dimples:
Zipp Tangente Clincher Tires
Clincher tires developed in a wind tunnel, featuring golf ball dimples!
Rocket Science Sports Dimpled Water Bottles
Dimples on your water bottles reduce drag!
Nike Swift Spin Time Trial Suit
Nike's Project Swift incorporates dimpled surfaces on time trial bike suits to reduce drag. Lance Armstrong and the USPS team wore this suit at the Tour de France. Where can I get one?!?!?! Don't think you can get one anywhere! Read way too much about the science of drag from Bike Tech Review.
Posted by dshen at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
Free Speed
A buddy of mine once remarked that you should get free speed whenever you can get it.
What's free speed? Well, it's not really free. It's just speed you gain from means other than physically improving for it. That means paying cash for it mostly. But at least you don't have to sweat for it!
Racing technology has improved greatly. Everything gets tested in wind tunnels to eeke out that last bit of efficiency. The basic idea is to slice through the air more cleanly and to reduce turbulence exiting out the back side.
Here are some ways to get free speed, and also empty your wallet in the process!
Aerobars
Aerobars help you be more aerodynamic simply because you're not upright against the wind. You can relax in a more aerodynamic position and revel in your arms not getting tired holding yourself up and just pedal! Some aerobars are also flattened like wings and are theoretically more aerodynamic than those made of round tubes.
Aero wheels
Deep dish wheels and disc wheels are more aerodynamic than those with thinner rims. One disadvantage is that against crosswinds they can whip you around the road or even blow you over. On the other hand, disc wheels have been shown to have a "sail" effect against some angles of crosswind, giving you an actual speed boost. Cool!
Aero bike frame
Round bike tubes have been the standard on bike frames. Then somebody put flattened wing like tubes on bike frames and found out that made bikes more aerodynamic. Recent wind tunnel tests have shown other types of aggressive frame shapes can be more aero than others. Spring for that cool Trek Madone that Lance Armstrong rode or Specialized Transition TT Bike. Wow! Or "settle" for a Cervelo P3C.
Aero helmet
Guess what: your head is a big wind drag! Buy an aero helmet and feel the air peel around your head in aerodynamic glory! Normal bike helmets can't compare.
Less weight
The less poundage you drag along with you, the less energy you waste dragging your butt up hills or accelerating. This includes your weight and whatever you carry with you on your bike. Carbon fiber everything!
Tight clothes
Loose, flappy clothes just hold you back. Buy clothes that hug your body. Get muscle compression benefits too! But watch out for cutting off your circulation - racing on numb limbs is not fun!
Bento box
That little bento box sitting behind your handlebars has a slight aerodynamic increasing effect. It smooths out airflow off the stem area.
Water bottles
Some folks are making aero water bottles. Good for shorter races, but not that great when you're finishing bottles and tossing them on longer races. MIT cyclists have found that if you put a water bottle on the seat tube cage, it increases aerodynamics for those with non-aero seat tubes.
Wetsuits
Definitely wear one on the swim. It makes you float higher, and your body more slippery. I wish they would make the new Speedo Fastskin Pro easier to take off - great for swim only races but terrible for triathlon transitions! Don't wanna rip a bodysuit that costs $400!
Have fun getting faster without working out harder, and feel your bank account drop like a rock!
Posted by dshen at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2007
Racing Photogenically
Friday, I picked up my official DVD for the NYC Marathon. It was the first one I've ever bought and thought that it would be cool to see how I ran on video.
It was really well done. It covered the pros and saw Paula Radcliffe's amazing acceleration at the finish, and the men's finishes.
And then, there was me.
ACK! I ran like a dork! The great form I thought I had was an actual bouncing, half limp. When running, you strive to keep your head at the same level and reduce the up and down motion of your body. Obviously I did none of that. My head bounced up and down quite a bit. Also, I was reminded of my growing blister on my right foot and could see me limping slightly to favor it. It made my stride much stiffer and didn't help the up and down motion of my body as I ran.
The first time I raced, I saw pictures taken of me at various stages. I thought I looked kind of lame and wanted my race pictures to show me looking like I was racing well. On the bike, I would be upright but I thought that didn't look as good as being in aero position. So now, when I see a camera man, I go into aero position whenever possible, even if I'm going uphill to make myself look better in the picture. Sometimes I smile, but sometimes I try putting on a Lance Armstrong-esque grimace. On the run, I have a similar strategy. Generally, if you are running with the compact step that is typical of most of an Ironman marathon, you'll look like you're walking in pictures and not running. I discovered that if you just simply lift your heel a bit more as your foot goes back, almost like you're going to kick your butt, the pictures look like what is the popular perception of running versus walking.
Also, there are finish line pictures where I do not raise my hands all the way up, but only partway. Ugh! That might be a great way to show your enthusiasm at the finish to do a bent arm fist pump with both hands, but it looks real dorky in a picture. Raising your hands all the way up looks much better! In fact, pausing under the finisher's arch and raising your hands/fists all the way extended upward looks great and gives the photographers a chance to snap the shot!
It sounds silly, but I have learned to race not only to finish, but photogenically as I want my official pictures to look good. Sometimes they have great photographers to help take great pictures, but most of the time you have to do a bit of posing yourself.
Now, upon receipt of this NYC Marathon DVD, I have another thing to worry about and that is to race for video and not just still pictures. I need to figure out how to pose a bit to make sure I look great on video !
With video, I think there is also a method to the madness; after watching the DVD, I am now thinking that I should use video more often as a check on my form. This gives me ideas on bringing my video camera to the track and videotaping myself as I run my intervals.
Posted by dshen at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2006
High Tech NYC Marathon Expo: Drown My Sorrows in Shopping
So pretty much knowing that I wouldn't be racing this year, I drowned my sorrows in wandering the expo and shopping. When I walk the expo, I notice there are many instances of new technologies being showcased. When it comes to new technology, I can't help but try it out. Here's a few of what I saw and ultimately bought:
PowerBar Gel, Double Latte - claiming 4X sodium (200mg) and 2X caffeine - WOW! It must work! I'm a heavy sweater so the extra sodium is needed. Looking at my old favorite, GU brand gel, they have no caffeine and only 40mg of sodium. So I'm actually jumping 5X from where I was before (not counting all the salt/electrolyte tabs I take)! And I've proven to myself that caffeine does have an effect; at my first Ironman, I drank exclusively coke on the run and it really woke me up - I attribute that to caffeine for sure.
Velocy Running Shoes - I run Pose Method normally, which is forefoot running to maximize relieving of stress on the legs while running. So these shoes are a natural for me. They have designed a support chassis in the sole that rotates the body forward, so that you're more naturally on the forefoot and your body's center of gravity is ahead of your feet. It causes a more natural use of gravity in propulsion as well as helping with shock absorption via rolling through the impact with the support chassis. I am looking forward to using these shoes on a test run. They already fit my feet very well. Check out the Velocy web site for more details.
Asics Redux - OK I'm giving Asics a second chance. After they narrowed their Nimbus design causing all sorts of problems for me, I went to Adidas. They were good, but even narrower in other ways causing blisters on the insides of my feet. I then moved to New Balance 755s, which aren't bad and fit a wider foot. I need to try these out more. But I decided to give Asics a second chance: enter the Gel Kayano 13. It is a stability shoe which I don't really need, but more importantly it comes in multiple widths. I try the size 2E (up from the normal width) and it seems to fit better. I hope to put it through some test runs this winter in hopes of recapturing my love of Asics shoes.
Garmin Forerunner 305 - I own a Garmin Forerunner 301 which I love. The GPS is really accurate, and it's great for downloading my workouts so I have a record of everything on my PC. But sometimes it doesn't work too well. Like in a big city like NYC. The 305 has supposedly been improved for city use with a more sensitive sensor and one that is oriented on the wrist so that it is always pointing up. Another thing to try as I go through trail runs with lots of tree cover and also running around the city. Buy it at amazon.com .
Posted by dshen at 06:32 AM | Comments (0)
