Burnet Tri and Rocket Skins

This sunday a group of us went out to the Burnet Triathlon. We did alright...results. George Schmitz took the overall win, Don Ruthven won the 46-49 (5th overall), I took the 25-29 win (7th overall), and Paul Pederson took 40-45 (9th overall). All in all we had 5 out of the top 10 people wearing the Austin Tri-Cyclist Jersey. Don and I wore the Rocket Science Rocket Skins for the swim. Let me tell you that those things are AWESOME. I know they dont claim to have bouyancy, but I sure as hell felt bouyant. I will admit I was a bit skeptical of the claimed 10 second gain per 100m, but after using one I am a skeptic no more. If you want to swim faster go get a swim skin.
On to the bike. I felt weak on the bike, but managed to keep it together. The course was an out and back with the first and therfor last 3 miles full of hills. I really need to work on brick workouts. I felt it took forever to get my biking legs to get going.
The run went okay. I felt I was in no mans land and just sort of cruised along. Again I need to start doing bricks. All in all it was a fun race. George and I stayed with our friend Grant at his lake house which was a blast. Thanks Grant.

Reynolds Clincher Wheels

Carbon Clincher Wheels!

Clinchers seem to be becoming all the rave instead of tubulars. A clincher with latex tubes and a nice tire has equal to lower rolling resistance than that of a tubular. Not to mention you can change them quicker (for most) and cheaper (for all). Check out rolling resistances here.

So I got out my Cervelo R3-SL and put on a set of Reynolds Attacks with latex tubes as my new set of training wheels. Before this I had a set of American Classic 420s. So far I have put about 500 miles on the wheels and they ROCK! They are lighter, stiffer, and look awesome on the bike. I had to true the wheels once at about 100 miles. The spokes they use are very thin and "stretch" out. Since that initial true the wheels have kept up. Granted I weigh in at 140lbs (Reynolds claims they do not have a weight limit...which I kinda doubt). The wheels are full carbon so that means the braking surface is carbon (they come with carbon brake pads). The brakes work well, but emergency braking is not as good as aluminum braking surfaces. Nothing like the insecure feeling of smelling burning brake pads on a descent.

FYI - Another guy at the shop got the Reynolds Assaults, he weighs in at 175 lbs and hasn't had any issues. I know my 140 lbs doesnt stress wheels too much.

Pros:
Light as hell (1400 grams)
Stiff
Acceleration is amazing

Cons:
Carbon rim requires special carbon brake pads
Thin spokes

Zoot Shoes

Zoot Shoes.
Here is what we thought. Overall the shoes seem to be really comfy. The neutral shoe they make is a bit more like a light weight trainer with its low profile (reminds me of a Asics DS trainer). This shoe would be the better long distance race shoe. The light weight of the shoe is noticeable in quick turnover. The stability shoe offers more comfort and is great for the moderate pronator. I wouldn’t say it’s the best for the flat footed folk out there, hopefully next season they can create a shoe with a straighter last. The racer is a perfect 10k-half marathon shoe. It has enough cushioning for longer races, but its not the lightest and most flexible if you are looking for a fast 5k shoe. The built in elastic laces work great in keeping your foot in place and we didn’t notice in heel slippage. In short if you like a running shoe with a less is more feeling, low profile, and quick turnover feel then I would try these out. If you like the cushy (asics nimbus, adidas supernova cushion) then these would be a noticeable change. Due to the low profile feel, these are not a high milage kinda shoe.

-Adam

Reason for the blog

I am in a unique position since I work for a bike/triathlon shop in Austin. This allows me to see and test the latest gear. So I am going to start product testing and give my honest feedback. Feel free to send me ideas of products that can be tested. We are a Cervelo, Cannondale, Fuji, and Argon 18 dealer. We have Zipp wheels, various bars, and other high end equipment on hand. Of course there will be the latest happenings in Austin racing also. On that note there is a race coming up called the hi-fi tri in galveston. This is going to be the Austin Tri-Cyclist employee showdown. 500m swim, 19 mile bike, 5k run. I am sure that I will be owned in the swim, but will make up some ground on the bike and run. Don Ruthven has been doing 3 workouts a day in preperation....George Schmitz is young and always in good shape. Missy Ruthven is an ex-pro triathlete in good form. Grant Glauser will hopefully be tired from racing in Kona, but him tired is still crazy fast. So the competition will be strong.

-Adam