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To rear disc or not to rear disc...

Jeff PhillipsJeff Phillips
in General Training Discussions

Hi,

I was very excited this morning when I learned that ENVE finally released a full disc rear wheel as they have been saying for months it would be coming to market. I called ENVE to see if I would have any issues with fitting the wheel in my frame if I elected to purchase (I currently run ENVE 7.8s on my 2017 Cervelo P5). No issues with the fit, so that is good news.

I asked the rep at what speed the aero benefit of the disc wheel is greater than that of the rear 7.8 wheel and the answer was 27 mph. Any speed under 27 mph, ENVE recommends a deeper cross-section, non-disc wheel -- they are obviously partial to what they offer :). While he couldn't speak to the speed tipping point for other brands, the rep felt most age group athletes may be doing themselves a disservice by running a disc if they can't maintain a high speed (i.e, extra rotational weight). This is one person's opinion on the dynamic of disc vs non-disc and there may be other considerations to factor. That said, I'm a decent cyclist, but I don't hold 27 mph routinely on the flats, nor am I at the pointy end of my age group in IMs.

I was exploring a rear disc wheel as IMAZ is a target of mine for 2019 and believe it is a course potentially good for using a disc (or wheel cover) if available. For those members who have raced it and the WSMs who have not, is the potential "cost" of riding up the Beeline Hwy worth it with a disc wheel for the benefit of the long descent back into town? I understand there are numerous scenarios here, but in general, what do you all think? Have you found yourself faster on disc wheels, is IMAZ a good course for those?

(I went back through the forum archives and it appears it has been a few years since this has been discussed)

Thanks... jp

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