Time Trial Helmet

If you have a budget of around £100 ($185), you will be able to buy a good time trial helmet.

The main time trial helmets are;

1. Giro Advantage - £80
2. Bell Meteor II - £70
3. Louis Garneau - £50

Time Trial No.2

I can tell you that the new equipment definately did help. This race was along a dual-carriageway, which I had never done before, it also had two-lane roundabouts, I don't know how they work because I don't drive. My goal was under 30 minutes, and this is over 3 minutes faster than my first 10 mile time trial, but I had some new equipment, so I was hopeful.
To get this time, I would need to do 32km/h. I started well, staying over 32km/h but for about 1km before the turn, I started to slow down, towards 27/28km/h. I thought that I was just tiring, and started to worry. I went round the turn and realised that it was just the wind, I was going at 36km/h! I didn't keep this pace but kept a good one. I crossed the line, and went to HQ, my time was 29.52 minutes. I came last though, a few seconds behind the pack.

Concept Bikes

Strange Bikes

Other wierd & wonderful bikes, if you were interested by the trike, there is a whole community of building strange bikes. There are recumbent bike, in which you lie back and pedal in front, and many more.

How Much?

'Profile Design Aerobars' - £30 - eBay
'Cat-Eye Speedo' - £12 - Local Bike Shop
'Oxonian CC Bike Shorts' - £12 - Club Official
Since Then;
'Louis Garneau TT Helmet' - £40 - eBay - See Here

Getting the Time Trial Kit

As you can see, I am the person with the green jersey. There are two other fully kitted, experienced racers, one with a racing tricycle!
Things I have got since the first Time Trial:

• Lycra clothing & padded short (very helpful)
• Clip-on aerobars
• New Speedometer

I still didn't have SPDs or a TT helmet, I have since got a helmet though.

Photos from Time Trial No. 2

How to race a time trial

You will probably notice that the other competitors are very experienced at time trial, and they have all the gear. Most of them will have;

• Lycra clothing
• Expensive bike, designed for time trials, with built in time trial bars (aerobars)
• A TT helmet (the long ones)
• SPDs - Clip on pedals
• The solid wheels (no spokes)

If you have a £300 Dawes Giro 300, like me, with regular road bike handlebars, normal wheels, regular helmet and regular pedals, this may alarm you. 

And yes, these things do give you a big disadvantage. 

I am 'John' McRobert, even though my name is Jack, nearly 4 minutes behind the regulars, but ahead of someone who crashed!

What to do at a Time Trial?

Once you have found a Time Trial, you should find out where it starts. Go to the start of the race and speak to the administration. They will probably let you race that day as a 2nd claim member of that club. Then its time to race...

Competing in a time trial

Firstly, you need to find the cycling clubs near you. I live in Oxfordshire, my nearby clubs were Oxford City RC, Oxonian CC & Mid-Oxon CRT. These three clubs all compete together in time trials. To find the clubs go to the British Cycling 'Find a Club' page. Once you have found your clubs, have a look on their web page and find out when their time trials are.

What to do next?

I kept a bike log ever since I started.

I recorded my speed, time, distance, and location.

But if you are not satisfied with having just a record, you should try racing, like I did.

The easiest way to do this, I believe, is time trialing.

Getting Started - Distances

My first ride, shown in my last post, was 28.5km. You can measure your route on www.bikely.com, by just drawing it with your mouse. You should start off with around 20km and then start doing 30km & 40km.

Getting Started - Where to go

You will probably want to stick to minor roads when you're just starting, in the UK, this would be B-Roads and smaller A-Roads. My first big ride went almost along B-Roads, an easy ride. Along the route above.

Selecting a Bike - Where to buy?

You can either buy your first bike from a bike shop or the internet. Of course, a bike shop is more reliable but you can better deals over the internet. The method I used, was I picked out a bike, a Dawes Giro 300, which was over my price limit. Then I went home and found the best deal for that bike. I got it for £279 when the RRP was £349, great deal. Once you have ordered it from the internet, you will probably need to attach, things like the handlebars, saddle, front wheel, etc. This should only take about 30 minutes, make sure you have an Alan Key, and that everything is as tight as possible, apart from the headset, in the middle of the handlebars, to get the best performance.

Selecting a Bike - Price

Obviously different people will have different price ranges, here are my recommendations.

$300-$500 - Dawes Giro 300

$500-$800 - Trek 1.2 Series

$800-$1200 - Scott Speedster S40, Felt F95

$1200-$3000 - Giant Trinity, Guerciotti Atos Alloy

Selecting a bike - Size

You need to buy a bike which suits your size, this is very important. If you buy one that's too small, you will not maximize your legs energy. If you buy one thats too big, you will probably not be able too get on. Here is a guide to what size frame you should have,

Height - 5'4", Frame - 19.7in

H - 5'6", F - 20.9in

H - 5'8", F - 21.7in

H - 5'10", F - 22.6in

H - 6', F - 23.2in

Intro

Hi, my name is jack, and if you are interested in starting road cycling of any kind, this is the place for you, your guide of what to buy and where to go.