Flo wheels
Hi everyone, i am new here so i hope this is the right place to post this.
Wondering if any of u guys have tried the FLO wheels, and have any comments on whether they're any good or not?
Thanx
David
0
Hi everyone, i am new here so i hope this is the right place to post this.
Wondering if any of u guys have tried the FLO wheels, and have any comments on whether they're any good or not?
Thanx
David
Comments
I have a FLO disc and set of FLO 60's. I really like the wheels so far. I opted for the ceramic bearings and couldn't be happier with my choice. I really like supporting small start up companies with a great idea and something to prove. Jon & Chris from FLO seem to really fit this bill.
I plan to get a FLO 90 rear wheel as well as the FLO 30's when the release later this spring. Service and support has been great. I emailed them back when I ordered my disc to see if I would get it in time to use at Augusta 70.3 last year. Within 15 minutes I didn't get an email, I got a phone call from Jon letting me know that I wouldn't get my wheel in time for that race but that would do everything possible to make sure that I got them for my "A" race IMAZ. They came through and I rolled the disc out there to a 5:29 bike split.
Bottom line, I like the wheels. Quality seems very good, aerodynamic design looks to be cutting edge (or at least on par with others), price is definitely right, and I get to help support a startup company in an industry that is dominated by the if "if it costs more it must be better" dynamic.
thanx for reply
@ David - thanks for starting this thread!
@ Bob - as self-proclaimed 'gear snob', how do you think the FLOs compared to the 'traditional' aero wheels in terms of durability, esp the HED 3? My aero wheels will also be my every day wheels and the roads where I ride aren't exactly always very smooth, so I'm looking for bomb-proof in addition to aero. I've heard good things about HED 3s in that regard...
Carry on!
From all accounts, Flo wheels punch well above their weight. The only drawback is no PT option. Yet.
And not to hijack the thread, but I'm getting close to finalizing a pretty good discount for EN Members on Gray Wheels as a "sponsored" athlete. Watch the discounts thread.
I have been of the school of thought that most of the 404-equivalent front wheels were close enough to one another in performance as to be a wash, and have an older HED Jet 6 (or 60 or whatever it is) that is their "404 equivalent".
I had heard enough good things about the 808 firecrest front clincher that I've been considering that upgrade for some play money that I have. I'm waiting around to pounce on some great bargain sale. (Not willing to drop $1300 on it.) What do you think? Are the FC808 actually the king right now? Or was I right in the first place...all about the same and a silly expenditure to switch? I could probably do the net change from HED to FLO for a modest price. Worth it?
I'll PM this to Bob to make sure he sees. :-)
It seems that Zipp has separated themselves from the pack with the FC wheels. The data on the 808 FC is pretty compelling from what I have seen (so good that it virtually eliminated the entire 1080 product line from Zipp's catalog). My stamp of approval for Flo certainly factored in price considerations. If I had to buy a new wheelset right now I would buy the a Zipp 808 Firecrest front and the new Zipp Super-9 Carbon Clincher Disc rear. That's $3,700 for the wheelset though. The Flo equivalent (Flo 90+Flo Disc) would cost about $1,000.
Would I pay the extra $2,700? Yes, I would but my one guilty pleasure is my bike gear.
Kate,
I don't think any wheel compares to a Hed H3 from a durability perspective. Flo wheels haven't even been out a year so I guess the long term jury is still out but they would be getting persecuted on Slowtwitch if a lot of people were having problems and that hasn't been the case.
I used to have an H3 wheelset (I still have and race with the front as you can see in my profile pic from IMAZ). I did not like the rear wheel... at all. The H3 is a thin, thin wheel and is at its most aero when mated with a 19mm tire. You can't find 19mm tires anymore so the closest you can get is 20mm. No big deal there. The big deal comes in the quality of the ride. Riding a 19/20mm rear wheel & tire is nowhere near as comfy as riding something wider. You could run a wider tire on a rear H3 and it wouldn't be as much of an aero penalty as the front because the rear wheel isn't as exposed because much of it is hidden behind the seat tube of the frame. It's still not as comfy as wheels that use Hed's wider C2 rim technology. My everyday training wheels are a Hed Jet 6/9 combo and Texas roads are absolute garbage and they have held up really well.
I think a lof of us are waiting for Hed to come out with a C2 H3. That would be the wheel to have!
Thanks for the info Bob, that's really helpful. Having majored in German Linguistics is really not helpful when trying to making these sort of decisions - yet another reason to love access to all the geniuses in the Haus
. Btw, I emailed about this FLO last night, got an email about 6 hours later (!):
* My aero wheels will be my only wheels, e.g. I'd use them for training too. I realize you're still fairly new, but what's the data/feedback on the FLOs' durability/being "bomb-proof"?
Much as I love this hobby/life style, Zipps and HEDs are out of my league $$ right now and in the near-term, so FLO might be it for me!
(For the record, I bought my HED used...that's an option out there, but hard to argue you should buy a used HED over a new FLO. I do wonder, though, if the FLOs will lower the price of used Jets...I'd have to think so.)
Wow, a front 90. I can barely handle my front 60 in the wind.
Handling has not been an issue for me with the front 90...but I've probably lucked out on non windy days.
I've been thinking about a set of FC 303s for my road bike. The 808s would probably look pretty Fred on it.