Race Wheelset Options

jpmarchewka

Just purchased a Felt IA14 and looking to potentially put a FLO wheelset on it.  Wondering what the best option is as far as depth (see below)? Also, for races was planning on buying a disc cover from Wheelbuilder.  Thanks!

 

• 60/60
• 60/90
  
  
• 90/90 
  
  

 

 

Dave Tallo

I can't think of any situation where a 60/90 and wheelcover would leave you wanting. The 90 front would be a bit faster, but it's a pretty small gain.

(That said, I like a 90/90 combo even in big winds, as long as I've trained on it. But my go-to is a disc/h3).

David Leventhal

x2 what Dave said. I've got Zipp 808 on the front and back & I love them. I'm a bigger guy though so I don't get blown around too much with the deep front wheel. But...if you're a little guy I could see where the 60 on the front might be better.

Mark Maurer

I have a Felt B16 and I run a FLO 60 on the front and a DT Swiss with a disc cover on the back for races. I use the FLO 60 for training as well but leave the wheel cover off except for RR. Tim Cronk did a post this summer where he compared wheel set ups on the same ride with the same power output and similar conditions. If I remember correctly he concluded that the 60/disc set up was the fastest for him for that particular ride.

tim cronk

The good thing about FLO is they are reasonably priced , all the wheels are the same width , and over time one can accumulate a few choices.... I have them all except the 90 front and 60 rear... Here are my opinions on the FLO's and a few others...



FLO- 30/30's - awesome wheels for training and or road bikes -the rear is NOT necessary ever on a tri-bike unless you like training wheels -the front is an absolutely amazing wheel for extreme conditions like a windy day in KONA...



DISC - I bought this because I am lazy and didnt like dealing with a disc cover all the time.. with all the wheels being the same width there is no brake adjustment needed swapping back and forth.... Very happy I went this route... @ 120lbs I have never ridden a course too windy for a disc....



FLO 90 rear - Perfect alternative for races that do not allow disc's like KONA/IMCOZ etc....



FLO 60 front - perfect for all conditions but does start to become a handful in windy descents... I have ridden 3 front wheels in very windy conditions , the FLO60 is a bit scary descending , the FLO 30 was a piece of cake slicing thru huge gust with nary a bobble , the HED Jet4+ which measures 46 was noticeably easier to handle than the FLO 60.



I think the obvious choice is 60/90 with an upgrade to 90 front only if you are sure you can or want to ride it in all conditions... I would not even consider a 60 rear....

FLO vs. HED ? I have a couple HED Jet + wheels and find them to be a bit better quality even though the HED fairing is flimsier , I like the way the tires seem to hook into the rims better and I have never had issues with latex tubes and HED wheels ( see next paragraph about FLO/LATEX)  The HED are a little lighter probably the thinner flimsier fairing vs the FLO's... 

FLO/LATEX - I have had, and seen, many issues with latex tubes blowing out on FLO tubes... I have come to the conclusion is the tape.... NOW I run STANS tubeless tape (2 complete wraps) on my FLO rims and have NOT had an issue since....



@Mark- Not sure which testing/comps you are referring? It sounds like the one you maybe referring to I was testing position NOT wheels, in which I rode the same section , same day , same winds , at exact power to test positions seated vs. aero and yes differences were huge.... I would view that as a true test... The others I have posted about wheels/tires/tubes/pressures etc were not scientific enough to really call a test but my observations where not much different riding a 60/90 vs 46/90 vs 46/DISC vs 60/DISC or 23mm tire vs. 25mm tire or 80 psi vs 90 psi vs 95 psi



Last Comment....Love aluminum brake track ! Heavier than Carbon but They work !



NOTE: I would love to get one of those H3+ front wheels

John Henault

I run a Felt B2 with Flo 60/90. I am a girthy American (did IM Choo this year at about 235) and find the Flos to be solid. I have never had a problem in the wind. I use the Flos for both training and racing, and think they are solid enough to withstand that use. Like Tim, I really like the aluminum brake track. Yes, it makes them heavier (I should lose body weight before I start to worry about bike weight), but I think it gives them good stopping power.

thekidduxc

@ Tim - thanks for that useful info. I haven't really looked into FLO before and I am in the market for a second set of wheels. Would be interested to hear your thoughts of Zipp v FLO for rear wheel options.

tim cronk

@David Walters - I still have an old style pair of Zipps, the 808front/1080rear , dimpled , aluminum track and they are awesome wheels. We still use these wheels and love them , Heather just rode the 1080 rear in IMAZ.... Infact kinda funny I have had the same latex tube in one of those Zipps for 4-5 years with NO issues... For me, and my opinion only, since I appear to be a minority when looking around at all the carbon fiber wheels is THE aluminum brake track, I want to be able to stop.... I would have no issue with any of the newer name brand wider aero wheels as long as they had the aluminum brake track... The ONLY downside is a little bit of weight...But again this is just me.... Keep in mind I am a light weight and every ounce matters more than it does for most but I value braking power much more than weight!

robin sarner

personally i am off Flo.     my rear flo 90s bearings failed after minimal use.       the company said this was normal. - nonsense.    i have never had other company's bearings fail.    

flo 90 too squirely for me in the front.      so now i have zipp 60.       zipp 60 are better quality than Flo and about the same price - with metal braking surface.

i replaced my rear Flo 90 bearings.    use that with wheel cover.      until i can afford to replace the rear Flo with another brand.

 

Paul Hough

I can't imagine that carbon rims would have any impact on our resident featherweight stud, Tim. But I can say that at Austria this year a number of athletes had rim failures on their carbon fiber wheels. I took my Enve 8.9s which did not fail, but did pick up some heat damage on the front rim (a small deformation on one side about 1/8" resulting in a thump-thump when braking). Enve covered the rim rebuild at no cost but lesson learned. My new road bike has Dura Ace 35s with aluminum rims in case I ever get into Swissman. I'll be testing them in the GA Gran Fondo this coming May - 108 miles with over 12,000 feet of climbing.

Brad Marcus

Love my Zipp firecrest 404's. I race with them and also like the fact that I can get away with using them day to day for training. I viewed it as: why spend that crazy $$, if I am only using them a few times a year for racing?..but I may be in the minority there. But, a BIG however is that the carbon track totally sucks in the rain. I raced with them at IMLP in 2014 in torrential downpours, and descending down the big hills into Keane, I nearly crapped my shorts wondering how I'd stop if I needed to quickly. That being said, I'd highly consider carbon wheels with aluminum tracks the next time around.