Disc vs. spoke vs. tri-spoke
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kylie posted 17 weeks ago.
Discs are not allowed in the front since it makes bikes too hard to handle. Some courses also won't allow them in the back (depends on wind).
The depth of the front and back wheels is the same thing: handling. My fiance is a strong biker, and while I like depths ~4cm in front, he likes ~8cm. But even in slight wind he sometimes finds the 10cm depth to be more than it is worth.
My favorite race wheel combo is a front aero spoked wheel with a rear aero spoked wheel with a PowerTap hub and a disc cover. Then I have a disc when I want one (for about $80). Depending on how much $$ I have to put into the wheels when I finally get that setup will play a roll in determining the depth and such of the aero wheels. Right now I'd go with ~4cm front, and ~8cm back -- my favorites are the Wheelbuilder ones.
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phillytri posted 17 weeks ago.
ugh I wrote a longer thing earlier but it refused to post.
I like HED 3's as an affordable combo of speed and handling in crosswinds.
Deeper is faster, but you become limited by cross-winds (80 MM front + disc rear = bad day in 10+ mph crosswinds).
Personal opinion go HED 3's or 60 mm or less up front and 100mm or less in the rear. You should be able to use this combo in most conditions...
Also depends on your weight. If you are 180+ you can go deeper. Under 160 lbs and you may struggle with anything over 40 in the front and maybe 80 in the back...It just depends on the cross winds that day.
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joetex23 posted 17 weeks ago.
Thanks for the Wheelbuilder site kylie. Lots of good info there! By the way, I'm 5'8" 175 lbs. I think the HED3's would probobly be a good choice for me, not only economically but performance wise too.
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385 days
MarkyV posted 15 weeks ago.
kylie wrote:
Discs are not allowed in the front since it makes bikes too hard to handle. Some courses also won't allow them in the back (depends on wind).The depth of the front and back wheels is the same thing: handling. My fiance is a strong biker, and while I like depths ~4cm in front, he likes ~8cm. But even in slight wind he sometimes finds the 10cm depth to be more than it is worth.
My favorite race wheel combo is a front aero spoked wheel with a rear aero spoked wheel with a PowerTap hub and a disc cover. Then I have a disc when I want one (for about $80). Depending on how much $$ I have to put into the wheels when I finally get that setup will play a roll in determining the depth and such of the aero wheels. Right now I'd go with ~4cm front, and ~8cm back -- my favorites are the Wheelbuilder ones.
You forgot to add the most important rule of all... no race wheels till AFTER the powermeter purchase. :)
MarkyV Racing and Coaching
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kylie posted 15 weeks ago.
MarkyV wrote:
You forgot to add the most important rule of all... no race wheels till AFTER the powermeter purchase. :)
Sorry Coach... Guess I'll have to do something painful tomorrow. Oh wait... that'd be just like a regular training day ;)
But yes, I am VERY glad I got a powermeter instead of race wheels last Christmas. While race wheels are fun, I would have gotten a couple days a year out of them, and I use my PM every ride and am seeing it help me get faster.
I didn't say all that since I figured I've said it in enough places on here for this week, and instead actually stuck to answering the question.
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Nobody posted 13 weeks ago.
I still scratch my head over the discs in the wind. I've gone out in some pretty bad conditions with wind coming hard at all angles and have never had any issues. I'm 170lbs.
I don't like the weight of the disc I have, though, so I'll just be running a HED3 in front and an Easton Vista II in the back for all of my races this year.
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.
So, what's the scoop on aero wheels? I'm going to be buying a tri bike this year and I'll need a good set of race wheels. I've seen bikes with tri-spokes front and rear, spoke front/tri-spoke rear, and spoke front/disc rear. If discs are so aero, why not put them on the front as well? Why the different rim depths front and rear? Just looking for some answers :). If you know of any good articles, please enlighten.