Andy Heuser taking the win in the McNellie's Blue Dome crit at Tulsa Tough 2023. Photo: SnowyMountain Photography.
Saint Francis Tulsa Tough is one of the biggest road cycling events on the calendar, with crit races that attract professional and amateur racers from across the country. There are three different crits during the weekend, and the prize money rivals the largest purses in the nation. With stiff competition, many leave disappointed. But not our expert Ride Guide Andy Heuser, who managed to win big on Friday (note: he's not the breakaway rider):
When Andy's not answering phones or emails, he’s out on his bike, training and racing. He rides for Team Audi McKinney-Encore Wire p/b Cadence Cyclery. Needless to say, Andy is pretty fast. And he’s built a pretty fast bike too. There are some interesting quirks about his setup, so let’s take a closer look at the gear Andy used to take one of his biggest wins.
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Andy’s 2020 Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc
Size: XL
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra R8000 w/ RX rear derailleur
Wheels: Reynolds AR41 X DB
Tires: Vittoria Corsa N.EXT - 28mm
Andy’s Giant TCR is the sort of bike you’d expect a competitive crit racer to ride. He has a carbon frame with a workhorse Ultegra groupset. The cockpit setup is fairly aggressive, with a fully slammed stem and narrow 38cm handlebars for aerodynamic gains (and STYLE gains).
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Andy uses Zipp's SL-70 aluminum handlebars. He actually prefers aluminum bars for crit racing because of the extra durability.
"If and when you go down, you can be confident your bars aren't cracked without having to unwrap and inspect them," Andy explained.
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He also sticks to lightweight but indestructible titanium bottle cages. The whole build rolls on some moderately deep, tubeless-ready Reynolds carbon wheels.
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This is where things get interesting. Mounted to his carbon wheels are Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tires (I reviewed the Corsa N.EXT last year and loved their performance). You’d expect someone competing for Cat 1-2 wins to use the faster cotton-casing Corsa Pro, but Andy chose the Corsa N.EXT which uses a tougher nylon casing for more durability. It kind of makes sense. Nothing is slower than than a flat tire.
The other interesting thing is that Andy (who describes himself as a “pressure nerd”) runs his 28mm Corsa N.EXTs at 70 PSI on 21mm internal rims. I was surprised since that sounded quite low, especially since Andy is 6’3 and around 205 pounds. Many riders prefer significantly higher pressures. But it’s not necessary since the Corsa N.EXT works extremely well at lower pressures. Not only does this make Andy’s bike more comfortable, but it provides extra grip and confidence in corners.
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Andy’s wheels are also equipped with Reserve Fillmore valves. He constantly talks about how good these valves are, and even called them out in our list of the best bike products of 2022. The high-flow design that makes setting up tubeless easier and prevents clogging.
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His secret weapon is a clutched Ultegra RX rear derailleur (his is mechanical rather than Di2, but they use the same clutched design). Rear derailleur clutch technology came from the mountain bike world, and it's designed to improve chain retention on rough terrain.
“A clutched rear derailleur is a godsend on crit courses like this with how rough the roads are,” Andy explained. “A lot of people don't run them with Shimano, but I hate the sound of chainslap.”
A clutched rear derailleur does add a small amount of drag. But sacrificing a few watts doesn’t matter much to a big powerhouse like Andy, and just like with flat tires, nothing is slower than a dropped chain.
There is one more unique feature on Andy’s bike… googly eyes. Are they there to intimidate riders trying to suck his wheel?
“They’re the most important feature on that bike,” Andy explained. “They make you at least 3000 watts faster.”
Those googly eyes might have seen the top step of the podium a couple more times, but unfortunately, Andy crashed during Saturday’s crit with 4 laps to go (“The ups and downs of crits 😂,” Andy said).
But he still made it out of the weekend with a win, and the entire TPC team is supremely impressed. If you’re ever looking for advice on road bikes for crit racing, road racing, or just going fast, Andy is the Ride Guide to ask for!
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