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Money Wasted?
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Hey. Picked up a Felt IA3 last season. It came stock with what they called Felt TTR1 wheels. I’m told they are built by Novatec and just basically a felt branded 50mm Carbon clincher. Wanted to see if anyone has any input on how they stack up to the bigger name wheel manufactures. Would picking up a pair of 808’s or 7.8’s as my race wheels actually save me any time in a 70.3? Or would it just make me look cooler coming into T2?

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Besides slow, they're dangerous. DANGEROUS, I tell you! You should buy a new set of Enve$ post haste and sent the Feltovatecs to me post haste for proper disposal.


Seriously, 808's or 7.8's would likely be faster, but only marginally so. If you've aero-maximized everything else and you're ready to drop $2500-3500 to get that last minute or two on the bike, then go for it. But those wheels aren't bad and probably aren't holding you back as much as other things.

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Those are decent wheels, but they are not very deep. You will get speed simply by going 40mm deeper in back, and you could probably go 10mm to 40mm deeper in front too. The IA handles great in the wind.

But if wasted money is a concern, I would not get Enve or Zipp wheels. I would get FLO or HED which cost 1/3 of those two and out perform them. If you drop a set of HED Jet 9+ or FLO 90 wheels on that bike for around a grand, it will definitely not be wasted money.
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Re: Money Wasted? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the reply.

I’m not worried about the money as much as wasting it on something that’s only marginally better than what I have. My skydiving addiction funds my tri addiction, so it’s a wash in the end.

I was thinking about flo only because a friend is selling a 60 front and disc for a steal. My only concern was he thought other than depth, that they were the same quality. Plus, I don’t hit the speeds I’ve read you need to make a disc worth while. Maybe I’m wrong though.
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Skydive80 wrote:
Thanks for the reply.

I’m not worried about the money as much as wasting it on something that’s only marginally better than what I have. My skydiving addiction funds my tri addiction, so it’s a wash in the end.

I was thinking about flo only because a friend is selling a 60 front and disc for a steal. My only concern was he thought other than depth, that they were the same quality. Plus, I don’t hit the speeds I’ve read you need to make a disc worth while. Maybe I’m wrong though.

Well actually the slower you go the greater the time saving because you are on the bike longer for any given distance.
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Based on some independent tests, namely a chart by Tom A, with the right tire a flo 90 is about as good as you can get. Add in flo's data that the 60 is almost equal with the 90, especially at low yaw and that 60+disc combo is pretty much as good as it gets.

Basically, if I were you I'd buy them
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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A Flo 60/Disc for a steal is a no-brainer over those Novatec 50mm wheels. They will definitely be faster.
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Buy from your friend and use a felts as training wheels. That setup gonna last for yrs.
The cheap route would be a cover for the rear felt.

-shoki
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Skydive80 wrote:
Or would it just make me look cooler coming into T2?

Thanks in advance.

Isn't that enough?
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Re: Money Wasted? [B.McMaster] [ In reply to ]
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B.McMaster wrote:
Skydive80 wrote:
Or would it just make me look cooler coming into T2?

Thanks in advance.


Isn't that enough?

You made me laugh out loud!


Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling
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Re: Money Wasted? [Skydive80] [ In reply to ]
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Skydive80 wrote:
Plus, I don’t hit the speeds I’ve read you need to make a disc worth while. Maybe I’m wrong though.


That statement isn't true, but it is commonplace in our sport. Here's an excerpt from something I wrote on this topic a while back.


Excerpt
If you believe race wheels only benefit the fastest athletes, think again. Whether you win the race or finish dead last, the laws of physics still apply. Aerodynamic drag is one of the leading forces robbing you of speed while riding your bike, and learning how to minimize it will get you to the finish line faster.


What Is Drag?
If you have ever stuck your hand out of the window of a moving car, you are well on your way to understanding aerodynamic drag. The force you feel pushing on your hand is aerodynamic drag.


Drag Doesn't Stop Existing When You Go Slower
Because water is denser than air, you feel more drag when in water. For this reason, I'm going to use water to help you understand that drag doesn't go away when you slow down.

The next time you're at your local pool, try to both run and walk through waist deep water. When running, you'll feel a lot of drag from the water on your legs. When you switch to walking, you experience less drag, but, it's still there.

These same rules apply when you ride your bike through the air. Slower riders don't feel as much drag as faster riders, but it's still slowing them down.


Why Are Aero Wheels Faster?
The shape of an object plays a significant role in how much drag it creates. We see examples of this in nature. Animals like fish and dolphins which have evolved to live in water, have very streamlined body shapes to help them reduce drag while swimming.

Like aquatic species, aero wheels are shaped to reduce the drag they create when traveling through air. When you ride a bike with well-designed aero wheels, you reduce your overall drag and as a result, go faster.


If Slower Riders Feel Less Drag, Why Do They Save More Time?
The fastest Ironman athletes spend about 4 hours on their bike, while the slowest athletes take over 8 hours to complete the same course. Slower athletes benefit from aero wheels for a longer duration, and as a result, save more time overall.


Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling
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Re: Money Wasted? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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FLO projects a savings of just over 2 minutes in an HIM to go from a pair of FLO30's to their full carbon 60/disc set. I'd be shocked if the Novatec R5's weren't at least as good as a set of FLO30s.

There's a bit of savings to be had here with a wheel upgrade, but it will be far from dramatic.

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"
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