Random Thoughts re: climbing

[DuncanWatson]

So I am wondering how much of my improved speed on climbing on Vixen (Vendetta TT) is due to the higher gearing. I have an 11-32 in the back and a 50/34 up front so my gear inches ranges from 27.9" to 119.5". On my raptobike my low gear is 20" or so. I find that I don't fully downshift on my Vixen most of the time either. I know that during the 2009 STP I lost access to my lower half of the Rohloff hub making my low gear about 57". I finished the 200 miles like that and went up hills quite a bit faster.

I am having trouble separating the placebo effect from actual performance right now. I do feel the work in my core and shoulders over time and like the engagement I can get from changing the wheel angle during pedaling. All in all I am really happy with my Vendetta. She asks for more than I can give her right now and I have a lot of room to grow. Rick Youngbloods seat attachment method with the formed dense rubber and the Volae seat is awesome. It is firmly attached and chipseal just a bit of buzz. I am very lucky to have this bike and appreciative of all those who have gone before me and helped improve this wonderful product.

-Duncan

P.S. I was looking for a good picture to attach but am unsatisfied with my gallery right now. I will get my wife to take some action shots with the camera on burst mode.

 

[John Dorlon]

How much higher does the new seat feel over the old?

 

[DuncanWatson]

Not really noticeable. I can put my left foot flat on the ground at a stop and I am short. Given how much I sanded and cut down the rubber blocks I am likely only 1/2"-3/4" higher.

 

[Rick Youngblood]

Glad to see you're starting to enjoy the fruits of the Vendetta.

I think sometimes, having the lower gear range will make us (me for sure) more lazy when climbing. Sometimes I will just shift in to lower gears to save my energy for the distance or what's to come, or even when I'm just not have a good day.

I think the rubber absorbs some of the road buzz for sure, like an insulator. I'm not sure and apologize for not remembering, but I thought it was possibly Joseph that used a less dense rubber for his seat conversion which adsorbs road buzz more effectively.

 

[JOSEPHWEISSERT]

I used Sorbothane, which does absorb shock much better than rubber. But I switched to rubber after trying Sorbothane because, with the softer Sorbothane, the seat tended to rock left and right. The rubber is stiff enough to prevent rocking. The ideal Sorbothane solution would require a mechanism to prevent left/right rocking, but allow up and down motion. The up/down shock would then be dissipated by Sorbothane.