Question:

How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Thanks Mike — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

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I personally am in the Look camp as far as pedals go.  Everyone around me has and loves their Speedplays.  I don’t think dirt is really an issue.  If kept clean on a regular basis, a little dirt or sand at a race won’t casue any problems. The only thing I have heard with Speedplays is numbness on very long rides.  I think this is more of a misalignment of the cleat on the cycling shoe though. www.TransitionTimes.com Triathlon Magazine Original Message: How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Thanks Mike — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

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How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think?

If you leave your shoes on the pedals and put the shoes on after you mount the bike it won’t be any problem at all. -Harold

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I ride Speedplays in triathlons…I love ‘em.  I did the Malibu Tri in September and ran through plenty of sand, dirt, and mud in the transition and I snapped right in without issue. -BP

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Thanks Mike — — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

Response:

How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think?

bigger problem is running in them – not easy footing.  While I’ve gotten a good amount of grit in them at races, nothing that prevented locking in.   As Harold said, you can eleviate the hazard by keeping them in the pedals, though for me, the gain doesn’t seem worth it.   — Rec.scuba strokes pics page: www.jor.com/strokes Aquashot page: www.jor.com/dive/aquashot

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How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think?

Clogging has never been a problem but grip on an asphalt transition area is tricky. Sure you can have your shoes on the pedals but that has never worked for me. Phil – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks Mike — — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

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Made the transition from Look to Speedplays for tri’s about 3 yrs. ago and love em.  No problems at all AFAIC. No clogging, no problem at all getting in and out, BUT, do hold on to your bike when running through the transition area, the cleats are a little slick on concrete or a hard surface like Phil said. Good luck. Bill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Clogging has never been a problem but grip on an asphalt transition area is tricky. Sure you can have your shoes on the pedals but that has never worked for me. Phil Thanks Mike — — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

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How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Thanks Mike —

If you leave your shoes clipped into the pedals, which is much faster anyway, you will never have any problems with the speedplay cleats.

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If you leave your shoes clipped into the pedals, which is much faster anyway, you will never have any problems with the speedplay cleats.

How much faster is it, really?   I can see the gains in a sprint, but not in the longer events.  And even then, the time spent getting in and out of the shoes on the bike detract from pedalling.  I prefer wearing socks, so I would also have issues with grit.   — Rec.scuba strokes pics page: www.jor.com/strokes Aquashot page: www.jor.com/dive/aquashot

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Keywin pedals from New Zealand rule. The titanium version is lighter then speedplay and they have an amazing platform for transferring energy during each stroke.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How do people feel about Speedplay pedals in Triathlons? My main concern is that the cleats are susceptible to clogging with dirt and that many transition areas are either sandy or grassy and could cause problems. What do people think? Thanks Mike — — —– One does not cease to play because one grows old. One grows old because one ceases to play. Karkanis

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Andrew wrote Keywin pedals from New Zealand rule. The titanium version is lighter then speedplay and they have an amazing platform for transferring energy during each stroke.

I used Keywins when I first started doing tris, in the early 80’s – didnt know they were still around, must have a look in the shops here to find them.  They were great way back then (light, tough ultra hard resin), and if they make a Ti version now, it would be interesting to see the price diff. between these and a set of speedplays. triboynz

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Speedplays are the greatest.  I changed to them in 1993 and while I have tried all other pedals, I have never liked a pedal more than the Speedplay.  Dirt is not an issue with the cleat or the pedal.  Those that complain about their feet falling asleep have a problem with their shoes, not their pedals.  A rigid shoe will not know what kind of cleat is mounted. Emilio De Soto II www.desotosport.com     "The triathlon clothing company" www.tribuy.com               "Triathlon’s internet auction site " www.t1wetsuits.com       "Triathlon’s most innovative wetsuit" Email me for a De Soto Sport free catalog

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Question:

It extends the season and is faster than a shorty. I have a cottage near Gracefield and I was swimming in the middle of May last year, only because I had a fullsuit and booties, no way you could do that in a shorty. If you are in the Ottawa area a local coach also has a business selling Orca wetsuits: http://www.magma.ca/~rmsc/ Salut, Ross – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi ! I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at? Thanx

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I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at?

Daniel, There was already one recommendation for Enduro Sport (Thank you!) and we do have a good selection of suits available. Up here (in Canada) we seldom sell QuickJohns (sleeveless suits with short legs) but our closeout partner, Steve’s Multisport, currently has some QR Quickjohns on closeout if price is an issue. These suits are just US$79.99! You can check them out at: http://www.stevesmultisport.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=701&storeid=1 or visit Enduro Sport for a full selection: http://endurosport.com/equipment/swimming/wetsuits.html Thanks, Dan Rishworth Enduro Sport – Your Triathlon Source 1-800-448-4678 and http://www.endurosport.com/ —— To Subscribe to Enduro Sport eNews, our free email newsletter, please use the following link:

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If you ever got people prank calling you with the proverbial (is Mr Wall there, is Mrs Wall there, are there any Walls there) that would be a real fizzler. SB – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Enduro Sports in Toronto has sleeveless trisuits in the neighbourhood of $249-$299 CDN$. The prices are very competitive to any prices I have found on the web from US based stores (plus the exchange rate of course). They carry several different brands (IM, QR etc). Their site is www.endurosport.com. Cheers Jim Hi ! I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at? Thanx

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Daniel in Montreal – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Enduro Sports in Toronto has sleeveless trisuits in the neighbourhood of $249-$299 CDN$. The prices are very competitive to any prices I have found on the web from US based stores (plus the exchange rate of course). They carry several different brands (IM, QR etc). Their site is www.endurosport.com. Cheers Jim message Hi ! I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at? Thanx

Response:

Hi ! I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at? Thanx

Response:

Enduro Sports in Toronto has sleeveless trisuits in the neighbourhood of $249-$299 CDN$. The prices are very competitive to any prices I have found on the web from US based stores (plus the exchange rate of course). They carry several different brands (IM, QR etc). Their site is www.endurosport.com. Cheers Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi ! I want to know where I should go to get a wetsuit. I want short legs and short sleeves. I am from Canada so what kind of amount of money am I looking at? Thanx

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Question:

as soon as i saw the post with the zipper complaint (and ones to follow) i thought that it could be fixed by a small piece of cloth, and then i read emilio’s post proposing just that.    i was surprised, however, that it seemed to be a staple-like item the zipper manufacturer added (put in a lot of 100 suits out of 40,000, i believe).   my experience with this sort of thing in other clothing has been that the irritation came from a heat-searing of the plastic end of a zipper so it wouldn’t ravel.   the remedy was the same: just cover it.     the other posts backing desoto quality and service say the same things i’d say.   they’re tops, which is why i buy them.   peggy mcd-c

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[snip] here’s the bummer of it, that for de soto, for me when i was building QRs, and for others, YKK is the only zipper maker you can use.  nobody else makes a decent zipper.  every now and then, once in 4 or 5 years on average, YKK makes a boo boo.  they build a bad batch of sliders, or teeth, whatever.  nobody has the time to stress-test every piece of raw material pre-production.  you just use them.  then you have a problem like emilio’s skinsuit. emilio will show good faith with his customers, like he always does, and that’ll be the end of it.  he’s still the best tri-clothing maker out there. oh, and peggy, i did a taste test this week:  braeburn, pink lady, cameo, macintosh.  it was a pink-lady/cameo tie. slowman

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Ah, something *really* important!  What about Fujis?(are they really different than Braeburns, though?) If you lived around here(Chicago) I’d also have you try local Cortlands-very tart, lots of crunch. Scott "don’t get me started on grapefruit" Hoffman — You got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there. — Yogi Berra Before you buy.

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Emilio makes great triathlon clothing, period.  But, the best part of his business, and he did mention this, is the customer service.  He offered to customize a skinsuit for me earlier this year.  Nice guy and great business man, and excellent triathlete. I would think that another solution is to place the zipper on the back like a wetsuit. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [snip] here’s the bummer of it, that for de soto, for me when i was building QRs, and for others, YKK is the only zipper maker you can use. nobody else makes a decent zipper.  every now and then, once in 4 or 5 years on average, YKK makes a boo boo.  they build a bad batch of sliders, or teeth, whatever.  nobody has the time to stress-test every piece of raw material pre-production.  you just use them.  then you have a problem like emilio’s skinsuit. emilio will show good faith with his customers, like he always does, and that’ll be the end of it.  he’s still the best tri-clothing maker out there. oh, and peggy, i did a taste test this week:  braeburn, pink lady, cameo, macintosh.  it was a pink-lady/cameo tie. slowman

Before you buy.

Response:

Ah, something *really* important!  What about Fujis?(are they really different than Braeburns, though?) If you lived around here(Chicago) I’d also have you try local Cortlands-very tart, lots of crunch.

fujis are good — a poor man’s pink lady.  i was on a long ride in the eastern part of san diego county about two weeks ago and i stopped at an organic fruit stand.  they had a lot of little fujis and i bought a bag of them and started chomping.  these being organic, they weren’t sprayed, and so a little protein buried itself into my carbohydrates.   this added crunchiness to an already crunchy apple, and no doubt aided my muscle recovery. i’m not familiar with the cortland.  i favor crunch, and high juice content, but i’m not a fan of tartness.  but i’ll reserve judgement pending an actual test. slowman

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Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

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As long as we’re on this apple thing, I want to cast a vote for Winesaps. Loads of crunch (downright hard!) with real apple flavor and aroma, not just sweetness. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

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You kids and your sweet tooths.  Get a Granny Smith, BEFORE it’s ripe. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As long as we’re on this apple thing, I want to cast a vote for Winesaps. Loads of crunch (downright hard!) with real apple flavor and aroma, not just sweetness. Just a little apple recommendation:  for lots of juice and good crunch try the Macintosh.  Most cider in the Northeast is made from them. Before you buy.

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You kids and your sweet tooths.  Get a Granny Smith, BEFORE it’s ripe.

sweet tooths.  is that right?  sweet teeth, otoh, doesn’t sound right.   we need the grammer police to come to the rescue. slowman

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Question:

Hi Colin! Where abouts in Belgium are you, I live near Tervuren if you know where that is.  I have a Cannondale R600 (aluminium, Shim. 105) with Spinergy wheels and have done 5300km in the past year or so and the bike is still as good as new. The aluminium frame is as responsive as I’d want it to be, and is just about comfortable enough on the worst sort of concrete roads (you know the sort!). The only disadvantage might be when it comes to riding the cobbles, the guys with the steel bikes always tend to go faster, although this is a Belgian speciality! I don’t think the weight is a major factor, unless you’re at a high level of competition where every second counts, mine weighs 10kg which is fine. I don’e have a any first hand experience with Trek bikes, but do look for a discount if your buying one, our local bike shop normally gives 10% off the big makes like Trek and 5% off the smaller makes like Fondriest, Eddy Merkx etc. Hope that helps, Ben P.S.  If your anywhere near Vossem, try a ride with the Vossem cycling team , its one of the fastest around here – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone share their experiences with Trek Bikes. I am currently looking at the 5200 as a performance road/triathlon racing bike. My concern is that it is a carbon frame… roads here in Belgium are rough to say the least. Would I be better off with alu or steel… but what about the weight and responsiveness – sacrificed? I obviously want the leg power transformed into speed and not bike bend – but don’t want to get off the bike after 5 hours still shaking from the vibrations of an uncomfortable ride. I expect to be training/racing over distances from 40 – 200 km, max of 300 km/week. I would like to say with Shimano Ultegra gear. Thanks, for any useful input on Trek or other suggestions and reasons for a decent tri bike. Colin

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I switched from steel to a 5200 Jan 2000.  The steel bike has less than 50 miles on it since I bought the Trek.  I have it set-up as my road bike and do Tri’s with it in that configuration.  My MPH avg went up 3.5 on the bike split from last years race over the same course.  Fitness is better, but it doesn’t acccount for all the improvement. What I notice most about the difference between the Trek and steel bike is:  1)  Ride on the Trek is much les harsh.  2)  Responsiveness:  The 5200 can change lines in a corner with little coaxing or feeling fidgity and can seeming accelerate like my old Honda 750F.  3)  Climbing and descending are excellent. I’m very satisfied with the 5200.  I may find its limitations later in the summer as I work towards getting ready for 1/2 fe races.  This related more to fit as I try to retro fit it for triathlon…. but that’s another story.  BTW questions about the 5200 have been addressed several times on this newsgroup.  Try a search. * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping.  Smart is Beautiful

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone share their experiences with Trek Bikes. I am currently looking at the 5200 as a performance road/triathlon racing bike. My concern is that it is a carbon frame… roads here in Belgium are rough to say the least. Would I be better off with alu or steel… but what about the weight and responsiveness – sacrificed? I obviously want the leg power transformed into speed and not bike bend – but don’t want to get off the bike after 5 hours still shaking from the vibrations of an uncomfortable ride. I expect to be training/racing over distances from 40 – 200 km, max of 300 km/week. I would like to say with Shimano Ultegra gear. Thanks, for any useful input on Trek or other suggestions and reasons for a decent tri bike.

Hi Colin. I’ve been using a 5500 for both road racing/criteriums and triathlon this year. (This is the same frame as the 5200). Without a doubt, this is the most responsive bike I have ever ridden, and it is very comfortable over long rides (150km+). The oclv frame is superb at combining light weight with a very stiff bottom bracket. The only caveat I would give is that, this is designed as a road racing frame, and will always be a compromise in triathlon. I move my seat forward on the rails and clip on aerobars, but this does compromise handling a little. I can’t afford a decent road race bike and a tri bike, so I live with this compromise. I’d probably swap out the rolf wheels that the 5200 comes with too, if you’re serious about triathlon competition. You want something much more aero. I use shamals for both road racing and tri, but ideally I’d have some tri-spokes or Hed deeps for tri. In terms of rough roads, then I’d recommend just reducing the tyre pressure a little for training rides – that will make far more difference than frame material. Carbon has been renowned for soaking up high frequency road buzz quite well, but I think that really applies to slightly rough tarmac. Riding on Belgian pave would be a different matter altogether… Interestingly, the US Postal look like they’ll be riding an all-new Trek sources carbon time trial bike for the TT’s in this year’s tour, instead of the rebadged Lightspeeds that were sued last year. The photo’s I’ve seen show the new bike looking kind of like an oclv, but with very flat section tubes. Wonder how much that would retail for… Cheers, Andrew —                              o                    _o       <|                  _ <_      _  ____ –^o- __  (_)/(_) __   /  ______ |                                     | | Andrew Turnbull                     | | Stirling Triathlon Club             | | http://www.stirling-tri.demon.co.uk |

Response:

Can anyone share their experiences with Trek Bikes. I am currently looking at the 5200 as a performance road/triathlon racing bike.

I don’t have any firsthand experience with carbon fibre bikes, never having ridden one. All my knowledge comes from reading reviews of them and talking with people who own them. My concern is that it is a carbon frame… roads here in Belgium are rough to say the least. Would I be better off with alu or steel…

No, carbon fibre would be good for this. All the reviewers say that carbon is good at damping high-frequency vibration. I’m not sure why, it’s in the nature of the material itself. This is why lots of alu race bikes have carbon forks. The roughness of the roads won’t be a problem for the longevity of the bike. The main worry about carbon is that in a crash you might damage the frame more than you would an alu or steel frame.  But the tube thickness on the lightest alu bikes is getting thin enough that you can have similar problems with alu. but what about the weight and responsiveness – sacrificed? I obviously want the leg power transformed into speed and not bike bend – but don’t want to get off the bike after 5 hours still shaking from the vibrations of an uncomfortable ride.

Carbon bikes are supposed to be quite stiff, so you’d be all right there. — Myra’s Bike Pages                http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mvi20/bike/ GoFar magazine : UK XC MTB       http://www.gofar-mtb.com/

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Question:

I am getting back into the sport, and looking for a tri club in the Richmond, VA area. Can anyone tell me if one exist in the Richmond area. Thanks Before you buy.

Response:

I am getting back into the sport, and looking for a tri club in the Richmond, VA area. Can anyone tell me if one exist in the Richmond area. Thanks

Yes!  Check their website at http://www.richmondtriathlonclub.homestead.com/RTCHome.html And if you’re ever in Roanoke, VA, check out the Big Lick Triathlon Club at http://www.biglicktri.homestead.com/ Before you buy.

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Question:

I think that there is (there was?) a Valentine race in Rome (Italy) for couples to be run "in contact" (not sure, I think it is hand-by-hand). Distance about 5Km, I think. Never run but I’ve been told it’s big fun; I don’t think I shall try tough being my r.o. ex-200/400m hi-school runner now jogging and looking forward for coming back to 5/10Km run (race?) and me a triathlete and marathoner looking forward to move to ultras. I wouldn’t like to be pulled for 5Km by my r.o. ;^) better just either taking her times from a bike or getting water from her with she on a bike. Stefano

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are/were there any valentine’s day races around the country/globe?

We did the Frosty 5K in Newport RI.  Mostly a fun run, but good course.  A good hill between miles 1 & 2 then downhill all the way home. I did 8:58 miles, which is good for me, but not the best I’ve done. Andy La Varre **** Join the fight against spam!             details at http://www.cauce.org

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1/2 marathon in san diego  that day.san dieguito half marathon.

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Ran the annual New York Road Runner’s Valentine’s 5K in Central Park. It was cold and windy, but fun. And they gave each finisher a rose. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – for those who participated in valentine’s day race in washington, dc.. happy valentine’s day..  and for those who are not in dc, are/were there any valentine’s day races around the country/globe?  the one in washington was 5 miles..  and it was a good race.. and i think i might have broken my PR.. but the stupid computer crashed and i won’t know the official time until sometime later this week..  will wait and see.. won

  vcard.vcf

< 1K Download

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for those who participated in valentine’s day race in washington, dc.. happy valentine’s day..  and for those who are not in dc, are/were there any valentine’s day races around the country/globe?  the one in washington was 5 miles..  and it was a good race.. and i think i might have broken my PR.. but the stupid computer crashed and i won’t know the official time until sometime later this week..  will wait and see.. won

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Question:

This looks like a fine event. Where and when is it?

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Attention Swimmers: No need to bother with those pesky bike and run segments to win your next local triathlon!  We have an event tailored just for ME!….uh…er…umm…YOU! TK’s Most Excellent Swimathlon!!!      Race Director….TK!!! Get This: SWIM – 2 Nautical Miles – NO WETSUITS ALLOWED.   RUN – 13 Meters up to the awards platform  BIKE – Back to your home with award hardware tucked in back of Speedo. BRAG – To your friends, family, and co-workers about conquering the wimpy           world of Triathlons! If it is determined that you have:     1) Run a 5k in less than 30 minutes within the last 3 years     2) Biked over 15mph contiuously for more than 10 minutes in the last 3 years     3) Touched, seen, or even thought about a wetsuit ever it will be considered grounds for disqualification. Furthermore, if you happen to win overall but your initials are not TK, you will be assessed a time penalty, the length of which will be determined by the RD, (TK). Due to the unusual nature of this event, the winners can be announced in advance. OVERALL MEN  1. TK  2. Matt B (25 minute penalty for excess speed)  3. Tom J (24 minute penalty for excess speed)  4. Rowdy G (23 minute penalty for excess speed)  5. Melvin S (22 minute penalty for excess speed)  6. Homer S (21 minute penalty for general stupidity…..DooooooHHH!!)  7. Beavis ? (20 minute penalty for indecency in T1)  8. E. Valdez (19 minute penalty and 180 million dollar fine for running aground)  9. Elvis P. (18 minute penalty for entering competion illegally,  It turns out he is         still dead and we cant let a "floater" win.) 10. Bill and Hillary C – TIE (17 minute penalty for Whitewater infraction) DQ List:  1. Moby D (looked like he was wearing a wetsuit…swam too fast anyway)  2. Lang, k. d. (started with wrong swim wave)  3. T Kennedy (Tried to use car like a wetsuit, besides, Race Director protested          on account of his initials!)  4. A. Gore (everyone says he appears wooden, and that makes him a "floater")  5. K. Costner (his Waterworld was a real bomb…DQed for illegal             explosives…should stick to Dancing…)  6. D. Letterman (kept squirting everyone with water from between his front teeth)  7. D. Parton (use of illegal flotation devices, natural or manmade is not allowed)  8. Ted Koeppl (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials)  9. Ted Knight  (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials) 10. Tony Kornheiser (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials) So there we have it, a FAIR competition where we can ALL have a chance to WIN! (The above is a paid political announcement paid for by Triathletes Against Swim Specialist Parity and in no way reflects the opinions of TK or his ilk….) GANelson

This thing had me laughing. Sorry Tim, no offense to you, this post was funny. "Iron" Pete Priolo Sub 10 hour IMC’97 —Countdown: 14 days until D-Day!!!

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Dateline: Xanadu, Nirvana, Shangra-La, Etc. Attention Swimmers: No need to bother with those pesky bike and run segments to win your next local triathlon!  We have an event tailored just for ME!….uh…er…umm…YOU! TK’s Most Excellent Swimathlon!!!      Race Director….TK!!! Get This:  SWIM – 2 Nautical Miles – NO WETSUITS ALLOWED.    RUN – 13 Meters up to the awards platform   BIKE – Back to your home with award hardware tucked in back of Speedo. BRAG – To your friends, family, and co-workers about conquering the wimpy            world of Triathlons! If it is determined that you have:      1) Run a 5k in less than 30 minutes within the last 3 years      2) Biked over 15mph contiuously for more than 10 minutes in the last 3 years      3) Touched, seen, or even thought about a wetsuit ever it will be considered grounds for disqualification. Furthermore, if you happen to win overall but your initials are not TK, you will be assessed a time penalty, the length of which will be determined by the RD, (TK). Due to the unusual nature of this event, the winners can be announced in advance. OVERALL MEN   1. TK   2. Matt B (25 minute penalty for excess speed)   3. Tom J (24 minute penalty for excess speed)   4. Rowdy G (23 minute penalty for excess speed)   5. Melvin S (22 minute penalty for excess speed)   6. Homer S (21 minute penalty for general stupidity…..DooooooHHH!!)   7. Beavis ? (20 minute penalty for indecency in T1)   8. E. Valdez (19 minute penalty and 180 million dollar fine for running aground)   9. Elvis P. (18 minute penalty for entering competion illegally,  It turns out he is         still dead and we cant let a "floater" win.) 10. Bill and Hillary C – TIE (17 minute penalty for Whitewater infraction) DQ List:   1. Moby D (looked like he was wearing a wetsuit…swam too fast anyway)   2. Lang, k. d. (started with wrong swim wave)   3. T Kennedy (Tried to use car like a wetsuit, besides, Race Director protested          on account of his initials!)   4. A. Gore (everyone says he appears wooden, and that makes him a "floater")   5. K. Costner (his Waterworld was a real bomb…DQed for illegal                explosives…should stick to Dancing…)   6. D. Letterman (kept squirting everyone with water from between his front teeth)   7. D. Parton (use of illegal flotation devices, natural or manmade is not allowed)   8. Ted Koeppl (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials)   9. Ted Knight  (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials) 10. Tony Kornheiser (Race Director discretionary DQ due to competitors initials) So there we have it, a FAIR competition where we can ALL have a chance to WIN! (The above is a paid political announcement paid for by Triathletes Against Swim Specialist Parity and in no way reflects the opinions of TK or his ilk….) GANelson

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Question:

I heard via the grape line, that David hansen is running an enduro – double super sprint 2x(300m/6km/3km) – event on Monday 10th march – the labour day hoilday – at Mordialloc. This event has been put together suddenely, as a 2nd BRW race because the real BRW had so many entries, but I understand any can enter the enduro, although the closing date is thursday of the week before. Now, wouldn’t this be great fun, but how could you fit this into your training/taper a week before the long course….? Hmm, I think i’ll just have to try…. Cheers, Richard Triathlon Victoria: http;//www.vicnet.net.au/~trivic

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Richard, call it sharpening work and feel like you are doing the right thing, I wouldn’t stress as if you don’t recover relatively comfortably from that Frankston will be tough! By the way in regards to your other hat (tri vic) is it possible for you to get world long course qualifying forms on the web site? Stuart J. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I heard via the grape line, that David hansen is running an enduro – double super sprint 2x(300m/6km/3km) – event on Monday 10th march – the labour day hoilday – at Mordialloc. This event has been put together suddenely, as a 2nd BRW race because the real BRW had so many entries, but I understand any can enter the enduro, although the closing date is thursday of the week before. Now, wouldn’t this be great fun, but how could you fit this into your training/taper a week before the long course….? Hmm, I think i’ll just have to try…. Cheers, Richard Triathlon Victoria: http;//www.vicnet.net.au/~trivic

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Question:

Since weve been beating around the legalities of fairing type aero drinking systems for a while I was wondering what the rules are for aero helmets and such?  I seem to remember awhile back Matt Brick using some wild looking Gyro aero helmet that had a complete face shield on it.  Was this outlawed?  Also what about those crazy looking "fins" for your arms from Wear and Tear.  They were supposed to smooth air flow around the body and shave minutes off of a 40K TT. Were these outlawed as I suspect? Or was it you looked so dorky with them on that nobody would use em? "sometimes I sit’s and wonders, and sometimes I just sits." Mike

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The Wear & Tear aero winglet things were declared illegal.  Which is good, because they did look really ridiculous! I think helmet visors are still legal, although I think UCI rules put a limit on the dimensions of the visor.  I don’t know if Tri-Fed has similar restrictions. Timothy — Timothy Gotsick

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: this outlawed?  Also what about those crazy looking "fins" for your arms : from Wear and Tear.  They were supposed to smooth air flow around the body : and shave minutes off of a 40K TT. Were these outlawed as I suspect? Or : was it you looked so dorky with them on that nobody would use em? I think they outlawed the Wear & Tear wings because the non-swimmers were using them as water wings to stay afloat when wetsuits were not allowed. Coach Michael Collins Davis Aquatic Masters

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: this outlawed?  Also what about those crazy looking "fins" for your arms : from Wear and Tear.  They were supposed to smooth air flow around the body : and shave minutes off of a 40K TT. Were these outlawed as I suspect? Or : was it you looked so dorky with them on that nobody would use em? I think they outlawed the Wear & Tear wings because the non-swimmers were using them as water wings to stay afloat when wetsuits were not allowed.

I hope  this was a joke .   Actually, I believe that they were ruled illegal because their sole purpose was to increase aerodynamic efficiency. Where the new HED water bottle serves some other function the arm wings did not.  Stretching a little, aero bars and disk wheels also fall under this rule because aerobars steer the bike and the disk wheel is still a wheel.  You have to work pretty hard to find a real function for the Wear & Tear Arm things other than keeping the arms warm. John K.

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You have to work pretty hard to find a real function for the Wear & Tear Arm things other than keeping the arms warm.

I heard a rumor that they will be used, with sharp points attached, to allow competitors to puncture the tires of drafting competitors, thus making drafting rather undesirable.  Thus they should be allowed under the "no draft" rules.   Comments Larry ? Rolf — Rolf "Ironman" Arands, Ph.D.|"The world is made for those who are                             |   – Sue Sarandon in BULL DURHAM

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I think they outlawed the Wear & Tear wings because the non-swimmers were using them as water wings to stay afloat when wetsuits were not

allowed.<<< Interesting chioice of words. A few years ago when I was at Triathlete Magazine we described them in the magazine as  looking like "glorified waterwings." Shortly thereafter we got a very stern call from the company’s attorney asking who wrote that negative statement. (Guess who?) Anyway, they were ruled illegal by Tri-Fed and I haven’t seen many ads for them since. JJ Jeffrey Justice

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Question:

Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose my better watch sailing.  As long as I’m going to buy a watch for sports, I like to try and find one that has some cool features that might be useful or at least amusing.  I’m looking for something under $100 like Casio or equivelent brand (no ROLEXes, TAGs, 1992 Olympic Seikos, America’s Cup Citizens, etc).  Of course it should be water resistant, preferably to 100m.  I have no interest in a watch that is of a nautical ‘motif’ but has no additional functionality.  Features I’d be interested in could include: multiple time zones, alarm(s), countdown timer(s), stop-watch(es), barameter/altimeter.  I’m primarily intested in cruising/daysailng. I don’t race sailboats now so I don’t need features specific to racing although some racing features might be useful for cruising/daysailing. Anyone have any recommendation or experience with cheap watches with techno-goodies? — An amazing insight may have paid you a fleeting visit and then retreated. Resist the temptation to chase it; it is faster than you are.  Value your glimpse of it, and invite it to return some other time.      -John Bitmap

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Anyone have any recommendation or experience with cheap watches with techno-goodies?

As I look down at my wrist, I am quick to recommend Casio.  I believe the model I have is W-780, at least that is the number on the back.  My watch has a stainless case (which I like better), but I am fairly sure the same watch comes with the black plastic case.  I think my watch came with the plastic band, but I replaced it with the stainless band from my sailing watch, which I replaced with a valcro band.  The price was closer to $25.00 than $50.00 (I don’t remember exactly how much). For features, it has time & date (naturally), dual time, more alarm features than you can imagine, a stopwatch, and a count-down timer. I have had good experiences with Casio.  I have had my sailing watch (the one with the valcro band) for over 10 years, and it is still doing fine. Jeff Huntington

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| Features | I’d be interested in could include: multiple time zones, alarm(s), | countdown timer(s), stop-watch(es), barameter/altimeter.  I’m | primarily intested in cruising/daysailng. I don’t race sailboats now | so I don’t need features specific to racing although some racing | features might be useful for cruising/daysailing. I’ve been using a Timex digital sports watch for the last 5 years which has worked out quite well for sailing.  It’s a Marathon watch, but there are others (Decathlon, etc.) with similar features.  The watch cost about $35 new, I think. Features: Waterproof to 100m 2 time zones Alarm on the hour (beep beep) Settable (to the minute) alarm (plays a little tune) 12/24 hour time presentation format Day of week, day of month, month (doesn’t do leap years) Stopwatch (only 1 hour worth, to .01 seconds) Countdown timer (max 12 hours, settable to 1 minute) – great for racing I like the watch.  I has a rubber wristband, which I have to replace every year or two ($2 if you look around), but otherwise has been very adequate. I never take it off. dK 8999 Nelson Way Burnaby, BC, CANADA V5A 4B5

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: Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I : thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose : my better watch sailing.   I use a $30.00 Casio and love it. It has two time zones, alarm, countdown timer (with switchable auto repeat), and a stop watch.  It is the only digital watch I have been able to pick up and use without reading the manual. I routinley run the coundown timer, switch to stopwatch to time something, and then switch back to the countdown which is still running. The bands also break, but they are about $5.00 each so you can replace them before they are compleatly gone. I recall reading an article in a sailing magazine about racing with a member of the Royal family of some European contry.  He and his sailing master had expensive fancy watches, but the author made a point of the fact that the crew used his cheap japanese digital to time the start.

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: Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I : thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose : my better watch sailing. I use a $30.00 Casio and love it.

Ditto. It has two time zones, alarm, countdown timer (with switchable auto repeat), and a stop watch.  It is the only digital watch I have been able to pick up and use without reading the manual.

Agree completely.  Mine also rated to 200 meters.  Never tried that depth, but it’s been diving several times in the Virgins with nary a problem. And the elastomeric case housing seems to survive anything: scratches, shock and all encountered paints and solvents. — Bob Robert J. Hanners         "My comments; only mine."          *DIASTOLE* 676673

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   Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I    thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose    my better watch sailing. I won’t try to advise you on what watch to buy because I’m too much out of touch now.  However, I suggest that when you do buy one, if it has a two-part band, replace the band with a single one. After losing a relatively expensive watch that caught on the rigging, I went to K-Mart and bought a <$20 Casio.  I also bought a single band and had the assistant swop the bands for me.  Next I tried to buy some

Then take some electrical tape and do a figure 8: across the bottom of the face, cross over on the back, across the top, cross over the back. I broke the pin seating on my $9 Casio (where _do_ you boys buy watches that you get clipped like this?) at the Newport regatta (third strap in 5 years) and taped the watch onto the band. Tastes great, less filling, and the black tape is such a nice fashion statement. I know, duct tape is more appropriate, but black looked so much nicer. It’s a minor parlor game at Sonar regattas to figure out who paid the least for his Casio. I’s great to have 50 boats come up on the line and 200 watches simultaneously going beebeebeebeep beebeebeebeep …. Sonar 404

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I sit here looking at my Timex Triathlon (<$20 if you look carefully).  It has a recessed "mode" button to switch from one function to another; I have never had the modes change by mistake.  On the face of the watch, it has two big buttons, one labelled "Start/stop," and the other "lap/reset;" to reset the stopwatch you must first stop it (otherwise, the second button simply records a lap split time.)  It also has a light.  For me it does everything I need in triathlons and sailboard racing.

I have a Timex that I used to use for timing starts. I found that I was accidentaly hitting buttons all the time. It was a real pain in the ass. So I got a Casio instead, which works fine. Maybe is depends on the shape of you wrist, what you are wearing, what you are doing, etc. In may case, I was always wearing foulies, and diving under the boom on a J-24. I think the foulies sleave was pressing the big buttons on the top of the Timex.                                         Chris King                                         Island Graphics Corp.                                         San Rafael Ca.

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WH|What I’d like to see some manufacturer come out with is a wrist-mounted,   |digital, dedicated stopwatch (countdown). That’s right. Only one function. and   |only one or two buttons. Bet they could do it for about $5. Then USYRU and   |Sailing World mag. could give them away when you join or subscribe… How about   |inscribed with your boat name, for you guys too cheap to give the crew Lands   |End jackets or shirts? Hey, lets not forget the wrist-mount GPS! Regards, Mike Federchuk              | Burlington, Ontario, Canada | —    OLX 2.2   Eagles fly, but weasels aren’t sucked into jet engines!    RM 1.60: Usenet: Rose Media – Hamilton (416) 575-5363

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    Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I     thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose     my better watch sailing. I won’t try to advise you on what watch to buy because I’m too much out of touch now.  However, I suggest that when you do buy one, if it has a two-part band, replace the band with a single one. After losing a relatively expensive watch that caught on the rigging, I went to K-Mart and bought a <$20 Casio.  I also bought a single band and had the assistant swop the bands for me.  Next I tried to buy some of the pins (don’t know their official name) that attach the strap to the watch.  The assistant wouldn’t sell me any but she gave me a dozen which I keep in a box on my boat. Twice in the last season I have caught my watch on the rigging and had one of the pins tear out.  Instead of watching the thing go over the side, I still have it held to the single strap by the other pin. Replace the lost pin and carry on. The single strap does not look as fancy as the original two-part strap, but so what? B.S! (he of the lugger…)

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Can you post what model (Number) that Yacht Timer is? The roll-over feature is the one thing I wish my watch had. Do any of the "plain vanilla" Casio watches also have the roll-over countdown? I have one of those Casio "G-Shock" watches. It’s big and indestructible, and I use it for sailing, windsurfing, and diving. I call it "Robo-Watch." i’ve had it for about five years and it just won’t die. What I’d like to see some manufacturer come out with is a wrist-mounted, digital, dedicated stopwatch (countdown). That’s right. Only one function. and only one or two buttons. Bet they could do it for about $5. Then USYRU and Sailing World mag. could give them away when you join or subscribe… How about inscribed with your boat name, for you guys too cheap to give the crew Lands End jackets or shirts?

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As I look down at my wrist, I am quick to recommend Casio.  I believe the model I have is W-780, at least that is the number on the back.  My watch has a …. I have had good experiences with Casio.  I have had my sailing watch (the one with the valcro band) for over 10 years, and it is still doing fine.

Ditto that. I’m on my second one, only because the first was lost overboard.  Mine sounds to be the same as Jeff’s, except mine says W-1500.  Haven’t a clue as to the difference. AT&T Paradyne, LG-132           Phone: (813) 530-8605 8545 – 126th Avenue, North      Gulfstar 37, aft cockpit Largo, FL, 34649-2826           She’s old and she’s creaky, but she holds!

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Casio has an 800 number (which I don’t know off hand but 1-800-555-1212 will) and I obtained their catalog of watches which is a truly fun read. They have a gazillion different types of watches. My only problem is that the more featureful watches don’t have lights, which I’d really like. Mark. I have a Casio Yacht Timer, which comes in two forms: fancy metal, and not fancy plastic. It has a stop watch, alarm, and a 5 minute countdown yacht timer. This works on 5 minute starts, and rolls over at the end of 5 minutes and starts over. Does all sorts of beeping just before zero, which is ok. Problems: The yacht timer can be set to another time, but it doesn’t work the same (no beeping). The five minute timer is a pain in the ass to turn off, so you get all this beeping at 5 minute intervals which is a real distraction. There is no light for night viewing. I usually use the stop watch function for all starts. This is available on less expensive casios, but the cheapies have function buttons which go off at a flick of the wrist, so when you look for a time, you find out that 1) the timer has stopped (shit!), 2) you are looking at the time (which can be confusing), or 3) you have stopped, and restarted the timer (in which case you are late for the start – double shit!). All the casios suffer from way too many functions. Why in hell does anyone really need a "2 lap timer" function on the timer? Sometimes you get it into the 2 lap mode and you are just screwed when the prep flag goes up. Alarms are worthless. So is 24 time. What I want (are you listening casio or timex?) Digital watch which shows time and date. Stopwatch with 1 button for CLEAR-RESET at any time, 1 button for start/stop. Buttons which don’t change the mode when you don’t want them. Programmatic interface to turn off functions I don’t want, but your engineers will insist on giving me anyway. If I cant get the above, give me a big button for TIME. Light at night.

I sit here looking at my Timex Triathlon (<$20 if you look carefully).  It has a recessed "mode" button to switch from one function to another; I have never had the modes change by mistake.  On the face of the watch, it has two big buttons, one labelled "Start/stop," and the other "lap/reset;" to reset the stopwatch you must first stop it (otherwise, the second button simply records a lap split time.)  It also has a light.  For me it does everything I need in triathlons and sailboard racing. (I note the time at the start of the start sequence so I know when to watch for the next signal and start the stopwatch, and then use simple subtractions to figure whatever I need to know…this works only if such arithmetic comes easy, even when you are under stress.)  The watch is water resistant to 50 meters–enough for me–but I believe that the very similar but slightly more expensive "Ironman" version is resistant to 100 meters. I used to have a Casio "Jogger" that did much the same. Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans          Those who can, teach;                                      those who can’t, don’t;

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Casio has an 800 number (which I don’t know off hand but 1-800-555-1212 will) and I obtained their catalog of watches which is a truly fun read. They have a gazillion different types of watches. My only problem is that the more featureful watches don’t have lights, which I’d really like. Mark.

I have a Casio Yacht Timer, which comes in two forms: fancy metal, and not fancy plastic. It has a stop watch, alarm, and a 5 minute countdown yacht timer. This works on 5 minute starts, and rolls over at the end of 5 minutes and starts over. Does all sorts of beeping just before zero, which is ok. Problems: The yacht timer can be set to another time, but it doesn’t work the same (no beeping). The five minute timer is a pain in the ass to turn off, so you get all this beeping at 5 minute intervals which is a real distraction. There is no light for night viewing. I usually use the stop watch function for all starts. This is available on less expensive casios, but the cheapies have function buttons which go off at a flick of the wrist, so when you look for a time, you find out that 1) the timer has stopped (shit!), 2) you are looking at the time (which can be confusing), or 3) you have stopped, and restarted the timer (in which case you are late for the start – double shit!). All the casios suffer from way too many functions. Why in hell does anyone really need a "2 lap timer" function on the timer? Sometimes you get it into the 2 lap mode and you are just screwed when the prep flag goes up. Alarms are worthless. So is 24 time. What I want (are you listening casio or timex?) Digital watch which shows time and date. Stopwatch with 1 button for CLEAR-RESET at any time, 1 button for start/stop. Buttons which don’t change the mode when you don’t want them. Programmatic interface to turn off functions I don’t want, but your engineers will insist on giving me anyway. If I cant get the above, give me a big button for TIME. Light at night.                                         Brad Cote’

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Since I end up breaking the band of my Seiko every few months, I thought it would be a good idea to buy a cheap watch so I don’t loose my better watch sailing.  As long as I’m going to buy a watch for

Instead, take the Seiko (or did you lose it already) to a dive shop and get a velcro watch band.  Available in many colors, infinitely adjustable, and mine has never come open when I didn’t want it to. —

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… Anyone have any recommendation or experience with cheap watches with techno-goodies?

The only watch that I know of that has a barometer/altimeter on it is made by Casio and can be had in Vancouver for $90 (CDN) plus taxes from the Mountain Equipment Co-op.  It has an analog clock and an independently setable digital clock, but no light!  Only the minute hand is luminous.  The digital portion also has a depth meter (watch rated to 100M), alarm, stop watch, and countdown timer.  The timer is very easy to set to any 1 minute interval, but is not adjustable while it’s running (like most "yatching" watches are).  The timer’s only audible signal occurs at 0 sec (no intervals). DW

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   Path: walter!uunet!gatech!destroyer!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!samsung!transfer!questor .sw.stratus.com!kvk    Newsgroups: rec.boats    might be useful or at least amusing.  I’m looking for something under    $100 like Casio or equivelent brand (no ROLEXes, TAGs, 1992 Olympic    Seikos, America’s Cup Citizens, etc).  Of course it should be water    resistant, preferably to 100m. Casio has an 800 number (which I don’t know off hand but 1-800-555-1212 will) and I obtained their catalog of watches which is a truly fun read. They have a gazillion different types of watches. My only problem is that the more featureful watches don’t have lights, which I’d really like. Mark. —– Disclaimer: I am just a satisfied casio watch customer.

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