Race Wheel Newbie

mcstrangelove

I've never tried race wheels (other than a wheel cover) and can't afford to buy new or used ones, but would like to try them out (rental) for a race.  When you first used race wheels did you just rent them for a race, or did you rent them ahead of time to try them out?  I hear that in gusty wind conditions they can be hard to handle.

 

I'm not sure about dropping the coin to rent them twice...then again one of the cardinal rules of triathlon is to not try something new the day of the race.  Wondering what most folks do in this situation.

John Withrow

You should have no problem rolling with your training wheel with a disc cover on the rear and renting a race wheel front just for the race. You won't have issues with the front unless it's a race that you expect gusty wind conditions. If you are worried about your bike handling skills, you could go with a Zipp Firecrest 404 which is not quite as deep and actually handles the cross winds pretty well.

Cary Blanco

Just an FYI - FC404s will require different brake pads and a serious gap adjustment.

William Crawford

I rented for a HIM and was amazed at the increase in speed. I bit the bullet and bought race wheels after the race. I was able to negotiate for a credit equal to the rental fee from my LBS. The HIM was windy and had no issues with the Zipp 404s.

Michael Byerts

I rented them and have continued to rent them (maybe 4 times over the last 3 years for about $100-150 each time). I have seen two benefits: first, the obvious aerodynamic advantage, which can be in the 1-2 mile an hour range depending on how fast you are going and what wheels you are comparing it to; second, the psychological benefit of feeling fast -- putting race wheels on the bike just gets me into the "time to race" mode and I think that helps me.
Every time I have rented wheels, I get them no later than about the Friday before the race, and often a day or two before that. There is time to ride them on or near the course on the day or two before the race. Honestly, that's all you really need to do to get comfortable on them. You don't need to rent them twice. I think the "nothing new on race day" mantra really applies to things like nutrition, shoes, wetsuits, or whole bikes. It's a useful rule of thumb, but applying it to every situation is taking it a little overboard.
Also, I think that the handling issues are largely overblown (pun intended), at least for athletes weighing more than 100-120 pounds. Unless you are expecting Kona-level winds (including the random gusts), I don't see a problem with a 404 or 808 front wheel, and even if you do expect that kind of win, I think you will very likely be fine. I have ridden an 808 front, disc cover rear in very heavy winds in San Diego, Ventura and Malibu, while never feeling unsafe.
Go for it!

MattAaronson

Posted By Michael Byerts on 02 Oct 2012 10:04 PM 



Also, I think that the handling issues are largely overblown (pun intended), at least for athletes weighing more than 100-120 pounds. Unless you are expecting Kona-level winds (including the random gusts), I don't see a problem with a 404 or 808 front wheel, and even if you do expect that kind of win, I think you will very likely be fine. I have ridden an 808 front, disc cover rear in very heavy winds in San Diego, Ventura and Malibu, while never feeling unsafe.

Go for it!

Totally agree. I'm 135-137lb and ride an 808 and disc. No handling issues whatsoever, even in brutal crosswinds like at Kansas this year.

Regarding the rental point, you might want to consider buying a SRAM S80. It'll be as cheap as a couple of rentals. Or think about a used 808 off of Ebay...as cheap as a couple of rentals AND you can sell it for about what you paid for it if you don't like it.

tgarson

Mac, what race are you considering renting them for?

I'm a little south in SD, but I have an extra set of HED Stingers sitting at my place right now that you could borrow if you just wanted to get a little deep-wheel practice time in.

Personally, I agree that the effect of crosswinds is mostly exaggerated, but I also think the latest generation of wheels (Firecrest/Flo/etc) handle noticeably better in the wind than the previous generation. I also have not experienced anything out here in SoCal like the winds we would get out in Iowa in the spring. Out there you seriously needed to get some practice time in on your deep wheels, I had races where you had to practically ride on the center line at a 45 degree tilt and would regularly be blown to the far right extent of the road in gusts.

For most races in most places, probably not an issue.

Jeff Unruh

Just bought a set of S80's off eBay for the reason Matt mentions - a few rentals and the wheels are paid for. Also, with PayLater - 18 months of 0% financing = WIN!

Wanted to get Flo wheels but waited too late and missed their #2 group.

mcstrangelove

Thanks all for the input.  Good to hear there's no need to rent specifically to train.  I guess I'll keep watching eBay and Craigslist, however most of the time they are still ridiculously expensive.

@Trevor, thanks for the offer.  No race in particular.  Looking at some sprints in the future.  I've missed podium spots by 1-2 mph over the course of a few races.  I'd rather raise my fitness to be able to go faster, but the wheels are sure tempting.