Ironman Hawaii

only if the race rules prohibit their use.

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"that which does not destroy me will only make me stronger" Frederick Nietzsche
andrew peabody
http://BREAKAWAYMULTISPORT.COM

Ever.

Disk cover at any race that's not Kona, or a hillclimb TT.

Why buy a disk at all?? You can get all the aero benefits for like 10-20% of the cost.

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float , hammer , and jog

I think a disc is always better, but lately I've found that races with very steep climbs can be problematic as the disc flexes more than a good, stiff spoked wheel and can hit the brake pads when I'm out of the saddle, really muscling a climb.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

I won't use a disc on a hilly course as I find I notice the extra weight vs. my Zipp 404's or Hed 3's.

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Member of the Litespeed Factory Team
www.litespeed.com

If you are considering a disc, there is very little downside ($70-resale if you decide you don't want it) of buying a wheel cover and then going out and riding around the next time it is windy, taking it for some trial runs on some of your local hills to see for yourself.

With a wheel cover, you do lose the flex and brake rub of a real disc, but you have to make sacrifices... ;-)

When do you NOT use a disc?

When I'm not racing.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

For me, for the courses in Southern Ontario I wouldn't buy a disc. I chose to go H3C front & back.

Based on historical HED sales in Canada, I mostly sell discs to TT athletes (Flat out & back).

For Tri/Du customers, for every one disc I sell twenty trispokes or deep rim (=>60mm).

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Paul "Speedy" Gonsalves
http://www.rollingthundercanada.com
RollingThunderCanada

Canadian distributor for HED Cycling, Blue Competition, Akona Biospeed & Aerus Composites

well I will say that a bad time may be in near hurricane conditions. Gusts of 50mph and a steady wind off 35-40mph made for some sideways riding.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

<< With a wheel cover, you do lose the flex and brake rub of a real disc, but you have to make sacrifices... ;-) >>

True that.
Also, you don't get the cool "whoomp, whoomp whooomp" sound like a 'real' disc, but in my mind that's actually better for stealth passes - why let the other guy know yer coming and give him an opportunity to try to accelerate to hold you off?
I'd rather be like a Ninja.

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float , hammer , and jog

I Dont think those disc covers are that great, unless you have a really light wheel to put it on, plus, I would worry about the screws coming loose during a race. I was thinking about getting one, but I got a 575 instead and love it.

when not?: bad roads.

solid discs do not have nearly the vertical compliance as nearly any spoked wheels, so they transmit a lot more road shock to the rider.

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Where would you want to swim ?

Only before I bought one. Since then I use the disk for every race, flat or hilly. If I qualify for Kona, I'll have to rent a set of 606s...

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

I'm racing this saturday, first race of the season. The bike course is 4 loops with some climbing and obviously some descending. The winds are somewhat unpredictable on the course, especially in early spring. I'm also going to be racing for the first time on my new bike which has spent most of the winter on the trainer. While I've used my disc before in some pretty awful conditions, I'm electing to use a 404 rear instead just so I'll be a little more comfortable with the handlding of the bike.

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Jonathan Blyer,
ACME Bicycle Co., Brooklyn, NY

I had the same question so I bought a cover to find out for myself. I ended up riding it all the time. Training, racing, whatever. You'll find people on this board worry about two things a lot.

1) Training on their precious race wheels

2) Being able to handle said wheels in a crosswind.

Well if you can find a way to stop worrying about #1, you'll eventually stop worrying about #2. Every time my tri bike goes out, it goes out with a rear disc cover and 60mm front -- no matter what.

 

When there are lots and lots of turns in the course.
I cannot take a turn nearly as fast on a disk as I can on a spoked rim. There is no flex on a disk so you have a much higher chance of the disc sliding out from underneath you taking corners and turns as you would a spoked rim.

Wheel cover = bento box:)

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I wanna go fast!

Any feeling for how much time you have saved in races since you went to the disc for 100% races. I have lots of hilly courses, so am concerned
with some saying do not use if it is hilly.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Martin is not going to like that relationship. :o)

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Someone posted here a few years ago, that you DO get the whoomp, whoomp......????

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Pretty much every rider at the ToC prologue rode with a disc. The was 1 mile flat and 1 mile straight uphill. Most triathlons have a net elevation gain of 0, so I would say that pretty much every triathlon course calls for a disc as being the fastest option.

The only time when a disk has been proven to be slower than a non disk, based on the studies I have seen, is when its too windy to handle the bike safely, and when the course is virtually exclusively uphill. The various previous posters who cite slow turns, hitting brakepads, and slow climbing on rolling courses are relying on faulty perception, poor set-up (ie widen the pad spacing) or myth.

Styrrell

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Styrrell

 

Perhaps partially true, but you don't see many disc being used in crits... now granted you can draft in a crit, but that doesn't prevent the pro's from using some deep dishes for aero benefits. I would argue that a disc does not handle as well as a spoked wheel due to the stiffness of it. If I was riding a short course tri with some technical turning or even technical descents with lots of switchbacks, I would opt for spoked.

Disks aren't legal for crits in the US. Also even if they were I agree they may be a bad appication, but I still think that they would be a good choice. Look at most mass start pro track races, where fast acceleration is at a premium. Lots and lots of disks (and other heavy composite front wheels.)

As far as a twisty time trial course with lots of accelerations. I believe that a disk will corner slightly slower, but you will get much more back in the straights. Heck way back when world championship mountain bike races were won using disk wheels (nifty trivia)..

Styrrell,

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Styrrell