Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bare Bones

In an effort to cheat the clock out of a few more seconds, I decided to take my fully loaded commuter bike and make one more change to it before the race. The new tires really help me get some more speed so I figured that taking a bit of weight off may help even more. Here's the bike with the usual accessories:
I removed the lights, the speedometer thing that I use to secure the garmin on (I'll be wearing it on my arm for the tri), the saddle rack and the fenders. The bike looks even faster now even if it can no way compare to some of the elite bikes that will show up for sure this weekend.
I also took some time to refresh the lube on it even if it didn't really require it. All I have to do now is pedal hard and get a good time! Here are the parts that I will no doubt reinstall once I start commuting again after the race:
I'm not sure how much they weight but I'm told by people that know much more than I do that every ounce counts!

5 comments:

  1. Good luck on your tri- wow with your times I thought you had a road bike - if you ever get one, you will fly! You will rock this tri this Sun, have fun!

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  2. Nice bike! Good luck and have fun this Sunday!

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  3. Didn't see them in the pile but reflectors on the wheels should be removed too, more from a coolness perspective than anything else ;-)

    And you probably already know this, but bend your arms to stay as low as possible when riding. When going over 15mph, air resistance is a much bigger deal than weight and the more upright you are, the more drag there is.

    Have fun!!!

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  4. Shirley has made some good points, go as aero as possible, espcially on the down hills (yes, there are hills).

    remember to watch on the hairpin turns not to bump anyone and remember to cut your corners, don't go too wide, that'll help with your time too....

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