Just been having a look at the CH Aero Wheel Cover. The blurb on excelsports.com says that it attaches to the spokes of a “standard” wheel.
Does anyone know if they work with a Zipp 440 ? Or if there are other brands/models out there that would work with a Zipp 440?
Thanks folks.
They are designed for a box rim but a number of people have modified them for use with a wheel that has a dish. You basically have to trim off the bottom that forms the seal with the box rim. I believe it might have been Andy Coggan that posted here or perhaps on another site describing how he did this procedure.
Is $59.00 a good performance investment?? You might want to spend 5.00 and get the results for Kraig Willet’s testing of CH Aero covers vs Zipp disc. http://www.biketechreview.com/tunnel_main.htm
Thanks CG - I’ll do some searches to try to find Andrew’s comments.
Whilst I haven’t read Kraig’s paper I understand that the findings were not unfavourable to the wheel covers.
"I understand that the findings were not unfavourable to the wheel covers. "
I’ll say it again - a disc is a disc is a disc. Just make sure that a good seal is present between the circumference of the rim and cover. They work fine on the box rim but if trimmed to fit a dish rim they may have to be glued if you want something permanent or just use a bead of black electrical tape around the circumference for the duration of the race if it is a temporary application.
What are your thoughts on trimming the CH cover to fit a 650 wheel - doable? I believe they only come in 700.
They only come in 700c but I’ve been thinking of trying to trying to cut a pair down to 650c size. I have a Hed Deep rear that maybe I could make the CH Aero covers work with. Haven’t tried it yet but it might be a winter project. Also there are a couple of sites explaining how people have made their own disc covers, mostly recumbent bike folks. Don’t have them bookmarked but a goggle search should find them.
Here’s a site that tells different ways of making your own disc.
Thanks for the link… But i would have to have a lot more time on my hands to be able to execute that plan. Not to mention, i don’t think i am nearly competant enough. I think i will sit it out until i splurge on a Renn
"I think i will sit it out until i splurge on a Renn "
Unless you’re a fellow basement tinkerer who enjoys the challange then buying the Renn is the smart way to go. I should have figured that out by now.
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Klehner - What are we looking at here? Is this a cover you made? Thanks.
Yes, it is a rear wheel cover I made. UltraKote ($12.99/roll), contact cement, a yogurt container (I kid you not), razor blade, clothes iron, and about 4 hours labor. Highly resistant to punctures, repairable when damaged, very tight, and available in many colors, including carbon fiber! I’ve had this on my Power Tap wheel since April, with no problems.
Ken Lehner
I am not familiar with Ultrakote .I would like to make one of those.If you have a store bought disk you can’t be part of Team Dollar store ;-).
Klehner, Great looking cover. Is each side done with 1 large sheet, or did you do it in triangle sections? How many (1M?) rolls did you need for the 1 wheel?
Thanks.
The rolls come in 26" widths (what, didn’t they consider bike applications?), so I had to glue two pieces together (the backing is heat-sensitive adhesive); you can see the edge going across the wheel near the rim. I made a circle, then cut out a small wedge shape to allow the final surface to be conical, and adhered the edges of the cut-out together.
The rolls were more than 1m long; one roll was enough for two disks, if I recall correctly.
Anyone remember J-Disk by Nosler? Or are you all too young?
Ken Lehner
That looks awesome! I was considering picking up a CH wheel cover ('cause they don’t make J-discs anymore) to use with my PowerTap wheel, but what you’ve done looks really good and I like the idea of a home-grown solution. How did you bond the cover to the rim? Just with the heat-activated backing, or did you use something else? Also, did you do anything else to help get a nice smooth seal around all the edges?
Thanks Ken, Time for me to remember how I built all my RC gliders as a kid. Before starting you position a yogurt lid with a hole in the middle of the sheet and iron the mylar to it right? I assume from there you just start ironing from the rim inwards and touch up as needed to make it taut.
All the best.
How did you get the material to adhere to the rim? In my limited experience with model airplane coatings, they don’t seem like they’d adhere to metal very well.
…did you disturb the cat’s private time?
No. The cat won’t use the litter box, preferring the great outdoors. We have to lock him in the house for a couple of days to get a stool sample in the litter box.
Ken Lehner
How did you get the material to adhere to the rim? In my limited experience with model airplane coatings, they don’t seem like they’d adhere to metal very well.
Indeed. I used contact cement (you can see the small bottle in the background on the shelf). Gotta be careful not to let the material touch the rim until it is in the right place.
Ken Lehner