I haven't used the Stealth PBO wheels, but I've gotten multiple years of riding out of some older Spinergy Xcyclone MTB wheels and a set of tubular aluminum rim road wheels that I use for cyclocross. Both of those sets have PBO spokes like the Stealth wheels. I can really notice the vibration damping on the CX bike, although I'm not sure it would be that big of an advantage for a tri bike ridden on relatively smooth pavement. The only issue I've had was that the freehub went out a little prematurely on the MTB wheels. Unfortunately it was a Spinergy-specific part and they no longer carried a replacement, so I had to retire the wheels earlier than I would have liked. That might be something to check on the Stealths before buying them.

Thank you for taking the time to fill me in on your experiences with the wheels. I will look into the hub issues.

Joe

I have ridden these wheels for over 5 seasons on my p3. I love them as they are very durable and ride well. The PBO spokes absorb the road very nicely. I have had zero problems and literally I have ridden thousands of miles on them. I highly recommend.

They would make a great set of training wheels, but I wouldn't race on them. Yes, the PBO spokes do a great job of absorbing road vibrations, but they are big and round, so aero penalty #1. The 43mm rim profile is an older profile, close to a V shape, which is worst than toroidal, so aero penalty #2. Plus, the entire wheelset is relatively heavy if weight is one of your considerations. There are several online reviews. Check them out.

I typically race on Hed 60/90 combo. Having said that I have raced with the spynergys and honestly the difference was a couple minutes over a half iron.

I've been riding on a set for 6 seasons now, and I have put at least 7,000 miles on them. They still are as true as when I got them and they ride just fine. Next year I may finally upgrade, but I've had no complaints. I often finish in the top 3 or win my weekly time trial rides, beating guys on Zipps and other high end wheels, so they can't be slowing me down that much. I bought mine slightly used for $500, so they've definately been worth that. If you're getting them relatively cheap with the trade in, I'd say go for it.

These are great wheels, have had them for several years. They are a little on the heavy side. Super supple due to the pbo spoke. I train on the Spinergys and race on traditonal spoked wheels and the traditional spoked wheel are harsh riding compared to the Spinergy. They are still true and I have only had the rear whele bearing serviced once in 5 years and a ton of miles.

Those guys on Zipps and other high end wheels don't have the engine. You would have been even faster on those high end wheels. Drag data don't lie.

Yes, I mentioned that they're not showing me down that much, but know they are to done extent. I've used my club's two sets of zipps on a couple occasions and I was faster. I thought about buying new wheels this year or a cover, but figured I'd first see how fast I could get on my current setup.

Thank you!

Thank you!

I used to beat guys on full Zipp 808/disc set-up and $10k bikes when I had a 8 year old steel frame road bike with clip-ons... not all that aggressive of a position and didn't pace my rides very well.... what's your point? In an Olympic it was about a 4 minutes slower set-up for me. You're either very fast or need better competition. But those wheels aren't doing you any favors, but position and helmet selection have a bigger impact and tire selection can be about the same as wheels. I still ride a pretty good pace on box rims with Gatorskins.... but I sure as hell wouldn't race on them unless if was a gravel road TT.

There's no correlation between the size of an athletes motor and the size of their pocket book. Folks should buy the most equipment they can afford or proportional to their level of involvement in the sport as part of their lives, nothing more.

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