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Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet?
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Was thinking why we keep our race wheels in closet when we ride our pricey bikes all day? I don't put my race tires on while training. I don't always train with race wheels for fear of ruining them, but was thinking what sense that really makes? I get a better sense of how everything works together in wind, corners, uphill, downhill while training WITH race wheels on. Is my fear of training with my race wheels bullshit??
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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I just keep on my race wheels all year. They cost a lot, I enjoy how they look/feel, and I like getting my money's worth from them which I don't think I do if I store them inside 99% percent of the year. However, you will get a variety of opinions on the matter and nobody can provide an answer for you but you.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [Tri Slow Poke] [ In reply to ]
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Is it wise to get wheels checked out by a legit wheel guy every year or two or before races?
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Crashes happen. Wheels get damaged easily.

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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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ErickBar wrote:
Was thinking why we keep our race wheels in closet when we ride our pricey bikes all day? I don't put my race tires on while training. I don't always train with race wheels for fear of ruining them, but was thinking what sense that really makes? I get a better sense of how everything works together in wind, corners, uphill, downhill while training WITH race wheels on. Is my fear of training with my race wheels bullshit??

Now that I'm doing most of my training indoors it doesn't really matter, but when I was doing a lot of miles outdoors, I broke spokes on occasion, stuff gets corroded, potholes knock the wheels out of true, etc. I liked having a set of race-only wheels which didn't take all the abuse.

Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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I don't ride with my race wheels for the following reasons. (404 aluminum clinchers)

1. I don't like dealing with valve extenders or having to buy tubes with longer valves.
2. I prefer to keep my race wheels with a fresh set of tires and latex tubes already installed so there is no pre/post race fuss of swapping things out.
3. I've bent my fair share of rims from hitting nasty pot holes, and I rather bend a $40 hoop than a race hoop.
4. I've broken spokes during the middle of a long ride before, and riding a 32/32 spoke training wheel will get you home where a 18/24...not so much.
5. Often times during training rides the guys I ride with like to hit up some mild gravel or dirt sections just for fun.

I bought race wheels (used) to go faster during races...not to go faster during training. So I use them accordingly. If you bought them for different reasons then you should use them accordingly as well. Different strokes for different folks.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Couldn't hurt. Unless you ride indoors all of the time, wheels may knock out of true slightly over the year and may requiring truing.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Assuming you are not talking about something that would be a bad fit on your general training rides (i.e super deep rims or a disk in a windy area or you train rough roads and lightweight wheels are not the best choice), I say ride your best stuff as often as possible.

Saving race wheels to avoid breaking them before a big race is a legit concern but most damage can be fixed pretty quick so your window to stay safe does not have to be the entire year except for a few race days. Even a broken rim can be obtained and swapped out in couple weeks and if you are just talking a spoke or two, take that down to a few minutes if your mechanic likes you. Personally, my race wheels have proven to be more than up to the task of getting me over my normal training grounds without breaking so I only put them "on the shelf" in the winter to save them from the abuse of dirty, wet and salty roads.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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ErickBar wrote:
Is my fear of training with my race wheels bullshit??
Yes. Live and love your race wheels.

I only have one set of wheels, tires, and tubes. And I ride and race on them all the time. Last year it was a pair of 60/90 carbon clinchers. This year it will be a 90/disc. I love them. They are cool. The risk of damage is minor in the grand scheme of things, and I happily accept that risk for the pleasure of using them every day.

To your point, if you want the handling skills on race day with whatever wind might be there, then train on those deep carbon wheels.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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I ride race wheels all year.. occasionally I will remove the Super9 disc, in favor of just a deep wheel but that's it.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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In the off season I ride my race wheels without a disc cover and whatever tubes and tires were left on after my last race.

In season I want to race on a faster setup and don’t want to fuss too much with my wheels. So, I ride training wheels...

No right answer for everyone.

Ps - I hate the way my bike looks and feels on the training wheels, but that’s the sacrifice I make to limit the time messing with my setup before a race
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Like most questions, the answer is probably "yes, in moderation". Maybe the answer is not one extreme or the other but just training with your race wheels every once in a while to remember how they feel and any differences, especially as you get closer to your "A" races. I don't think you need to have them on all the time to race fast with them. My 2 cents.

Strava
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Ten years ago training on race wheels would have seemed a bit pretentious. Now the the roadies have largely adopted them as every day wheels, I think that has mostly gone away.

I have 404s with latex tubes and race ready tires on my tri bike all the time. Fact is, I don't ride my tri bike a ton so swapping wheels out isn't really worth the effort.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [Tri Slow Poke] [ In reply to ]
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Tri Slow Poke wrote:
I just keep on my race wheels all year. They cost a lot, I enjoy how they look/feel, and I like getting my money's worth from them which I don't think I do if I store them inside 99% percent of the year. However, you will get a variety of opinions on the matter and nobody can provide an answer for you but you.

Tires become slower as the tread wears and the rolling resistance increases. Not by much, but some. Also, I personally like the feel of training with heavy unaero training wheels and then putting my racing wheels on and (theoretically) going fast.

2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [Sanrafaeltri] [ In reply to ]
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I hear ya! Like I said......everyone is going to have a different opinion on the matter and they're all correct!
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [Tri Slow Poke] [ In reply to ]
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Life is to short to ride boring wheels...
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [superdea] [ In reply to ]
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superdea wrote:
Life is to short to ride boring wheels...

Agreed!
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [superdea] [ In reply to ]
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superdea wrote:
Life is to short to ride boring wheels...

So true.

Last 2 years I’ve been riding my Chinese 404s on my one long ride outdoors (trainer rest of time). My 808/ disc where the race wheels. Got Envelope 7.8 and thought about selling the 808s and keep riding the Chinese, but why? 808s with Zipp course 25/28, butyl tubes, let er rip.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Hello ErickBar and All,

Race wheels and tires are like bananas ..... they get old.

Use them now .........



To the extent you can .... practice (train) like you play (race) .... with your equipment



Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster
Last edited by: nealhe: Jan 12, 18 14:19
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe I'm the only one here who actually rides and races his bike a lot. Leave the race wheels in the closet for training or (a) they won't be fully reliable on race day, and (b) you'll need to replace them every year, which makes no sense.

For those of you who think your wheels will go out of date anyway, I'll remind you that if you used the fastest front/rear wheel combo from 1990 (trispoke/disc) right now, you would be within a whisker of the fastest wheel combo available today. That's nearly 30 years!
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [ErickBar] [ In reply to ]
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Sure you risk damaging them by training on them. But it’s maybe less of a worry than changing brake pads, brake width setup, derailleurs adjustment if the cassettes don’t line up exactly, etc.

What I can guaranty you is this - if you train on your race wheels, you will get a slow leak/flat the week before your race and then have to change tubes/tires. But if you don’t train on them, you will get a flat the day before the race and still have to change tubes/tires. Both have happened to me - on tubulars.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [lanierb] [ In reply to ]
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lanierb wrote:
(b) you'll need to replace them every year

lol, sure.

I hear a lot of complaining about crosswinds on ST, but not a lot of effort to actually ride deep wheels (i.e., race wheels) to practice their handling skills. Hmm.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [Jason N] [ In reply to ]
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Jason N wrote:
I don't ride with my race wheels for the following reasons. (404 aluminum clinchers)

1. I don't like dealing with valve extenders or having to buy tubes with longer valves.
2. I prefer to keep my race wheels with a fresh set of tires and latex tubes already installed so there is no pre/post race fuss of swapping things out.
3. I've bent my fair share of rims from hitting nasty pot holes, and I rather bend a $40 hoop than a race hoop.
4. I've broken spokes during the middle of a long ride before, and riding a 32/32 spoke training wheel will get you home where a 18/24...not so much.
5. Often times during training rides the guys I ride with like to hit up some mild gravel or dirt sections just for fun.

I bought race wheels (used) to go faster during races...not to go faster during training. So I use them accordingly. If you bought them for different reasons then you should use them accordingly as well. Different strokes for different folks.

1 and 2 for me
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [lanierb] [ In reply to ]
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lanierb wrote:
(b) you'll need to replace them every year, which makes no sense.

So race wheels from brands such as Zipp, Enve, HED, Reynolds, Flo, etc only have a ride life of about 100 rides? I seem to be missing that on their webpages.
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Re: Training on race wheels vs keeping them in closet? [JT_Dennen] [ In reply to ]
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JT_Dennen wrote:
lanierb wrote:
(b) you'll need to replace them every year, which makes no sense.


So race wheels from brands such as Zipp, Enve, HED, Reynolds, Flo, etc only have a ride life of about 100 rides? I seem to be missing that on their webpages.
Yeah that's exactly what I said, because 100 rides/yr must be riding a lot, right?
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