Aesthetically speaking, it's rear wheel
But technically speaking, it should be front.

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Stay home, stay healthy.

Could you make a front wheel and a disc cover work with your budget? You could also DIY the disc cover.

Actually, it's important to keep the back the same depth as the front, or deeper. Otherwise the bike becomes very squirrelly in a cross wind.

So, if the op is going to have a box rim on the bike, it needs to be the front.

The exception would be if a cover is going to be used. Then a 60 front and rear cover is the best way to go, as long as the box rim goes back on the front when the cover is removed.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

What's a box rim? Right now I just have some standard bontrager wheels that came on my Trek. Would they be compatible with a wheel cover? I almost feel that if they should be the same depth I might as well just become a little more broke and buy two 60s....

Your standard Bontrager wheels are box rims. Yes, you can put a Wheelbuilder cover on them (but go to the site and check).

That would be the cheapest route and very close to the fastest, but likeI said, you need to put the original rim on the front if you remove the cover.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I think you're better off just saving your money. Wheels are icing on the cake. you need cake. Spend that money on an extra race or two, or put it away and build on it for that tri bike you want.


edit: to actually answer your question, upgrade rear first, and rear should always be same size or deeper than front, if nothing else than for aesthetics.

OP, disregard this post. He's crazy.

1. Buy a flo 90 rear. You could buy a 60 rear, but later you'll wish you bought a 90 rear.
2. Don't forget to buy clip on tri bars.
3. Buy a 60 front when you have the money.

Thanks for all the input so far!

I should probably mention that I'm a petite 5'3", 115lbs soaking wet. I wasn't really considering a 90 because I didn't think I would be able to handle it in the wind. Thoughts?

Unless thing have changed recently, a front wheel will save you more time that a rear. That said, an aero helmet will save you more time than a front wheel.

I like what a prior poster said, get the aero front and a cover for your current rear. But, get a pointy hat first.

This. I ride a deep front with a box rear and it is fine, but I'm 180 lbs.

Cost / benefit wise, an aero frame should be near last. Tri bars and the stem, saddle, and seatpost to get aero first, then helmet/skinsuit, then wheels, then frame. Aeroweenie.com is a good resource. Also frictionfacts.com!

But, also prioritize things that will make you excited to train.

A good helmet is a better $ / drag reduction purchase , but I admit wheels are more bling

Tri bars and aero helmet.

Agreed; helmet makes you feel like a badass on race day; wheels make you feel like a badass any time you swing your leg over the toptube.

Flo 60 front and wheelbuilder cover on your rear stock wheel. That combo is going to be faster than most of the field, and you'll be within margin of error of the guys spending $$$ on Zipp/Enve/Etc.

Swap back to stock wheels when training.

Save your money for a tri bike down the road. Wheels are a big investment for a fairly marginal performance improvement. And if you can't afford two nicer wheels, that's another reason to hold off on wheels for now (and having to swap front and rear wheels with any regularity is going to suck). And with disk brakes and new axle standards coming in, there's a decent chance in a few years you'll be happy to have postponed the wheel purchase.

Having said all that, you'll get better feedback if you can share your specific objectives and constraints. For example, might seconds or minutes saved get you on the podium (seems unlikely since you're riding a road bike)? Are your current road bike wheels corroded and need replacing? What are your racing plans/hopes over the next few years? What are your current and expected future budget constraints?

This seems like the best bang for buck.

Get aero bars if you haven't already.

Personally, I would go with the fastest front wheel you can afford/control, and a wheel cover for your back wheel. This is pretty much as fast as you can get, for a very affordable price. With respect to front wheel control, most people are comfortable with a front FLO 60. If that is out of your budget, then a front FLO 30 and a wheel cover for your rear wheel is pretty much the best bang for your buck you can find.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask.

Take care,

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

I personally would steer clear of the 90 rear. I would go 60/60 for the ease of using the same tube and not having to deal with the valve extenders. You will "lose" just a few seconds by not running 60/90.

Why are you afraid of valve extenders?

I HATE valve extenders. Always seem to leak air. Op could just get tubes with long valves for both wheels. May look funny on the front wheel though.

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2017 races: St. George 70.3 May 6 | Madison 70.3 June 11 | IM Zurich July 30 | Chicago Marathon October 8

which valve extenders? I've been happy with my silca extenders. I don't notice losing air any faster than normal. As always I pump up at least once a week. No more frequently when using valve extenders vs not.

A properly installed extender doesn't leak.

Do you use Teflon tape on the threads?

Honestly, If you've only been doing them for a year, I wouldn't recommend upgrading your wheels. They really don't make you THAT much more aero compared to other changes you probably haven't made yet. I recommend you get a TT bike before you get wheels. Your position will help you much more than aero wheels will. I did my first two years on tris on a road bike with clip on aero bars and dropped some fast bike splits. Until you're going sub 2:20 in an olympic, it really don't matter too much. (That last sentence is just me going on a salty rant) If you're on a budget, Cervelo is definitely not the brand to go with. You're paying for the name. Have you checked out Giant? You get a LOT for your money. They're not super popular in the US so they're priced well. Hope this helps.

Oh, and don't feel like FLOs are the only budget wheels options.

Honestly, I've only used them a couple times and shouldn't give them such a bad rap. But the times I used them, I did use tape - not sure if Teflon - and had difficulty pumping air with a standard floor pump. I'm sure I was doing something wrong, but it was frustrating at the time and I decided to just get tubes with longer valves.

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2017 races: St. George 70.3 May 6 | Madison 70.3 June 11 | IM Zurich July 30 | Chicago Marathon October 8