Saturday January 30th Ride

Saturday January 30th - LTHR Test Ride

Today we (I) did testing to determine the LTHR based training zones for improved training design. No one was there.

Derek Westra-Luney came all the way from Victoria to show up part way through, he missed the testing, but got to ride with the painfully out of shape Sherwood.

A few notes on the Garmin data: The elevation was off by about 25-30 meters for most of the ride, and I had to restart my computer part way through the warm-up, so the full length of the ride isn't there.

As for everyone else, Frank Schleck has a message for you:

And here's a picture of Andy Hampsten illustrating Frank's wristband:

I expect to see more of you next week.

UBCTC Spring Fling Race Series

After very little debate, the name of this race series has not been changed, therefore I am making the executive decision and keeping it there for simplicity.

We haven't worked out the exact dates of all the events, however, the first two events which will be taking place Pre-Olympics are going to be as follows.

Sunday February 7th, 2010

- 500m Swim Test Set

Wednesday February 10th 2010

- 5km Run TT

Gross I know, but I figured we would keep the more exciting events for after the holiday.

Realizing that this is somewhat hard with midterm crunch we are going to adapt the point system a little bit just this time.

In order to get full participation points, the event needs to be done sometime between now and the 12th when the Olympics start, however, if you can't make one of these events due to studying or exams, then simply let an executive know that you have done it and we will mark down your time.

The 5 km course will be decided on this week to make it fair for everyone.

Cool, I hope people are pumped. After all the smack talk last semester, I hope we can keep up the intensity.

Buying New Vs Used Bike

photo from Cycling Tips Blog, Great Blog to read

Found this thread on TriRudy and figured I would share

Anyone considering buying a new bike should definitely do some searching for used bikes because they can save a lot of money and get a bike that is nearly the same as a new model. However there are some things one needs to consider before buying used.

1. If one is shopping for a full carbon frame, be sure to check with the
manufacturer on the possibility of warranty transfer. Carbon frames are
expensive, can crack and buying new in this case can provide peace of mind.

2. Higher end bike shops usually provide a fitting with purchase so one should see this as a savings that can be as much as $300, but typically not lower than $100. So, buying used will mean that you need to spend the extra amount on fitting.

3. Depending on how used the bike is, it can be pretty beaten
up--especially if it is being sold by a professional/semi-pro rider. These riders go through chains, cassettes, and chain rings very quickly. They also wear out tires quickly, so a careful inspection of these parts is critical.

4. Yesterday's Dura-Ace is today's Ultegra. The used bike sporting high end components may not be better (and may be inferior) to a new bike that comes with lower end components in the same company because of what is known as a trickle-down effect in the industry. The technology from high end components tends to find its way into lower end products every year that the component line changes. Probably the rule of thumb is two years max for component comparison (i.e. Shimano Ultegra today may be very similar to Dura-Ace of two years ago). Always ask the used bike seller for the series number for the component line because a new bike can be sold with older components (i.e. Ultegra 6500 is not the same as Ultegra 6700).

5. Don't underestimate the cost savings regarding taxes on a used bike. Higher end bikes come with significant tax--somewhat offset by the free bike fit--but still something to consider.

6. Most used bikes will come with pedals or you should at least negotiate this into the price because they will cost you anywhere from $150 to $300 on a new bike (which never comes with pedals).

7. Be careful when comparing USD prices to CDN prices, even when one can ship a bike from the US to Canada, there are significant shipping costs, customs and insurance can completely negate an attractive initial retail price.

8. Nobody should buy a bike without riding it first, sometimes buying used doesn't permit this because the person selling it may not be local. Too much risk involved and one should never buy used without riding it first. Buying new is less problematic in this regard because one can try the same new bike at a local shop and feel confident that their new bike from another city will feel good when it arrives.

9. Shipping costs within Canada for new bikes can be negotiated into the price most times--but it shouldn't exceed $75 anyway and this includes insurance--no customs obviously.

10. A used bike that has been treated well will almost always look brand new because riders with high end bikes like to keep them clean and looking new. Most riders take pride in a clean machine so if the used bike looks really dirty it's a good indication the bike was not taken care of.

11. One should try to make sure the used bike was kept indoors (in house not garage) during winter (this is especially important for carbon and carbon alloy frames).

12. Asking price should be about 30% less than the original asking price for the first year after purchase and then the asking price should drop slower thereafter every year. This is mostly because the components improve almost every year and (as mention above) lower end components on new bikes can be better than last year's higher end product.

These are my initial thoughts as to what I think are relevant
considerations for buying used.

TriClub ride

Sat, Jan 23rd UBC TriClub ride

This was the ride we did this morning (all 3 of us...).

AB RIPPER X!

Hey Team, starting this week we will be doing an ab routine after the Monday and Wednesday Runs.

Kory Seder has offered to bring in rubber mats for us to do this on and thanks to the glory of the internet we have access to the AB RIPPER X videos.

I HATE IT!

BUT I LOVE IT!

P90X Ab Ripper X Part 1

P90X Ab Ripper X Part 2

Swim Times

Hey Team,

We have had some problems with scheduling the pool.

We have two options

1:30-2:30 Tuesday Thursday

or

3:30-4:30 Tuesday Thursday

Currently we are swimming at 3:30-4:30, however, the indoor pool is being used at that time, so if ever they need to do repairs to the outdoor pool (which happened 5-6 times last semester) we won't have the option of moving the practice indoors and the result will be practice is cancelled, and unfortunately often with very little notice (as in show up and no pool, oops).

Alternatively we can switch the swim to 1:30-2:30 which gives up the option of moving indoors if ever repairs need to be done.

I have created a poll and I ask that you post if you are AVAILABLE for either time. I don't care what your preference for them is, all I care about is if you CAN or CANNOT make the swim times that way we can make the best call for everyone.

Also, if you don't come to the swims, you don't need to vote.

Poll: http://www.doodle.com/vx4s4akrr6ppssfu

Motivation

New to the 2010 Spring Season, I have decided to create a little motivation for all athletes participating in the next race series: UBCTC Spring Fling Series (name may change).

All athletes who beat their time in ANY of the events from last semester (other than the Aquathon because SOMEONE forgot to time it) will win a prize. What that prize is I'll keep secret for now but rest assured it is GOOD!

In addition to this, any athlete who breaks one of the team records will also be awarded a SUPER prize. It will be similar to the individual prizes but BIGGER!

Is everyone excited? You should be! Race series starts in just about a month, time to get rid of that Holiday Excess and get back in gear.

Just a refresher of the Team Records:

Uphill Time Trial

Dan Clouston 4:06

Lauren Sagadore/Victoria Gilbert/Greta Raymant 5:56

Uphill Run

Matt Reeve 2:59

Claire 3:43

Mile Run

Barry Claman 4:57

Victoria Gilbert 6:10

10k Bike TT

Barry Claman 14:59

Kim Seder 18:23

5K Run TT

Barry Claman 17:10

Claire 20:28

Brick Workout

Matt Reeve 20:34

Kim Seder 24:47

Swim 500m

Derek Westra-Luney 6:09

Kendra Swain 6:31

Tire Change

Matt Reeve 1:27

Victoria Gilbert 2:45

Underwater Swim

Nathaniel Janzen 72m

Rachel Schoeler 45m