This is getting silly...

[andygates]

...I mean, me, the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells, at a triathlon training camp? With my reputation?

Sunday, Wellington. A chance to work out what the hell happens at transitions, and ride the route so I can gauge what gear to put on the fixie. Just barely enough time for a bike day and a Saturday swim. Holy crap, that got very real very suddenly!

I'm not there to leer at tri girlies. Really, I'm not. 'ello darlin', your number's a bit smudged, let me touch it up for you...

Comments

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

Oh. In Munky's case it's because the only other bikes he has are Dave the Cannondale MTB-stylee beast and the shit folder.

Nero is a Mercian track bike and therefore probably his best option for maximum advantage.

Other people use fixies for this sort of thing for all sorts of reasons. A lot of it is psychological. But don't forget that the lack of gears means that a fixie will always be lighter than a similarly-specced geared bike. The transmission - particularly the block - weighs a fair bit.

My Pinarello weighs less than my Pompino, but there's not a lot in it despite the Pinarello being aluminium with carbon forks and the Pompino being steel. The Pinarello has a 20 speed (chainset's a double with a 10-speed Campag Chorus rear) transmission. It makes a helluva difference.

Fixed also forces you to attack hills.

There are two ways of riding fixed: full-on, nuclear aggressive and totally relaxed "I'm already so much harder than you cos I'm riding fixed, nyer."

[andygates.livejournal.com]

It's not that shit. Okay, it is really. It's ghastly and needs a different frame.

Fixie does have the psychology behind it: "I'm strong enough to ride this, get out of my way, puny humans!" "Hulk mash!" And fixie riders do nothing to dispel that when it's to our advantage, eh?

I was planning on nuclear out of the transition (got to put on a show), cruise where I can, nuclear through the little hilly bit and cruise back into T2 so my legs aren't beasted. But the best laid plans...