Triathlon Aero Wheels?????

wellboss

Hi Guys,

Im heading into my second season of triathlon next year and Im gona take it pretty serious so iv decided to treat myself to some nice wheels for my tri bike. I have the Focus Tria http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Focus_Izalco_Tria_2008/5360032367/
Im dont know much about the aero wheels but Iv heard good things about the HED 3 Spoke Carbon that it's light and very durable so its not gona shatter if i hit a pothole on teh lovely irish roads:D:D
http://www.hedcycling.com/wheels/hed3carbon.php so im thinking about getting that for the front.

Im looking into getting a disc at the back , any ideas which one is best, or even of a very good standard without the crazy price tag. I have seen a few of the corima discs knocking about http://www.hedcycling.com/wheels/hed3carbon.php
I wonder what they are like?
My price range for both wheels would be in the region of about €1500


Anybody got any thoughts or ideas that may help me out

Cheers
WB

Bambaata

Just bought a Zipp 606 set today for that money. Wont have them for a few months though as its part of an overall package (deposit down) for a Cervelo P2C so will have fully paid by January and i'll pick it all up then. Was looking at HED etc too but in the end i went for the fully tried and testsed Zipps

tunney

Some comments:

*Firstly you say you are going to take the sport seriously. The best way to take the sport seriously is to get a proper coach. It costs money but delivers the best bang for buck. ( If you need the details of a top class coach let me know)

* Secondly, if you *have* to go down the kit route I would recommend a power meter over aero wheels. About the same cost for a power meter as aero wheels (only valid ones are Quarg, SRM and Powertap) Its all well and good having aero wheels but if the engine is not good then there is no point. (NB: training properly with a power meter requires alot of discipline)

* If you have a coach and a power meter and still have cash (or just want flash wheels) then you've a few options. Just remember they won't make as much of a difference as hard, guided, sensible training.

As you say the H3c up front and a disc in the back is one option. The new Hed disc (actually a wheel with a cover) is getting excellent reviews and is meant to be super fast. Not quite the same sound as a solid disc but fast. H3c are nice, fast but are slow to accelerate, the combination of a tri spoke and a disc will present a problem with winds. I know I only use my disc in 70% of races. You'll need an aero fall back. Either a deep section or another trispoke.

Alot of people ride Zipps, however they are not necessarily the fastest. Some of the new Heds are giving them a real run for their money, both in terms of speed and in terms of cost. But what is common is the general set up. Deep (50mm or so) up front and deeper (80-100mm) on the back. Running > 60mm on the front would be for me a no no on most courses. The only course where I wished I had a Zipp 1080 up front is the Lisboa International HIM.

Another thing to consider are your forks. If your forks don't have much clearance between the spokes and the wheel then a conventionally spoked will will be much more aerodynamic than tri-spoke. If the forks have lots of cleareance then a tri-spoke will be okay. Cervelo used to ship with a wide fork and recently switched to a narrow fork - got a few people alright. Looking at the photo of your bike I would venture a guess that a tri spoke wouldn't be suited to those forks. You'd need to consider changing them as well if you really want a tri spoke.

Also consider clearance - the Zipp sub 9 disc and the new Hed discs are *not* compatible with alot of the new aero frames (all Cervelos and the new Scott to name a few).

Also the bearings are just as important as the rims, make sure that whatver you get has good bearings.

If I had the money I would get the following wheels:

Front:
* Deep section H3c - gorgeous wheels (http://www.racycles.com/HED3CDeepWheelset-idv-7972-323.html)
* Zipp 1080
* Zipp 404

Rear
* Zipp 900 disc
* Zipp 1080
* Zipp 404
* Zipp 808

Also remember that the most wind resistance is generated by the rider, not the equipment, so get you position looked at. Also an aero helmet will give more aerodynamic savings than aero wheels!

wellboss

Thanks Tunney some good advice there I appreciate it;).

As serious as im going to take it I don't think il be going down the coach route though, but I will definitely keep it in mind, thanks.

Yeah I was also considering the 50mm front 80 -100mm back setup as well, at the moment im just playing around with different ideas trying to get the revalent info to make a good decision, because at the end of the day it's alot of money and i want to invest in the right equipment

You know of any good websites/shops that sells and all the major brands, im finding it difficult to locate a good website/shop. I know wiggle is pretty good and has a good range, any more out there?

Yup im already planning the aero helmet and gona get my bike set up and position analysed. Which of the bike shops in Dublin do it? Wheelworx, cyclesuperstore?

Cheers

tunney

wellboss wrote: »

As serious as im going to take it I don't think il be going down the coach route though, but I will definitely keep it in mind, thanks.

Bang for buck, coaching is the best route. But each to their own.

wellboss wrote: »

Yeah I was also considering the 50mm front 80 -100mm back setup as well, at the moment im just playing around with different ideas trying to get the revalent info to make a good decision, because at the end of the day it's alot of money and i want to invest in the right equipment

We still haven't gotten onto the tubs versus clinchers and the debates on rolling resistance and whether a smooth steel drum is an accurate approximate of the road.

wellboss wrote: »

You know of any good websites/shops that sells and all the major brands, im finding it difficult to locate a good website/shop. I know wiggle is pretty good and has a good range, any more out there?

This is where I differ from alot of the posters here. Where possible I try to go to my LBS (although its not local ) for my gear. A number of reasons for this but the most relevant here is when the bearings started running rough in my rear Zipp 404 this year before a major race my LBS gave me a replacement wheel (Zipp 404) for the race. Wiggle won't do that

wellboss wrote: »

Yup im already planning the aero helmet and gona get my bike set up and position analysed. Which of the bike shops in Dublin do it? Wheelworx, cyclesuperstore?

A TT position is very different to a triathlon position (particular for long course stuff) as such I'd only recommend Wheelworx.

wellboss

Whats your opinion on the clinchers v tubs?

Am I right in saying that clinchers are the normal tyre and tube setup that can come off easily if need be but that tubes are glued?

Is there much of a difference performance wise?