Skip the Hed 3s and get some Jets. You can fix them when they break. One of the guys around here that’s your size had problems with his 3s disintegrating around the hub in one season of racing. Hed replaced them free. I’m around 250lbs and my Jets are four years old now. Just a couple broken spokes and some bent ones from a whole rack going down at a race.
I usually don't comment to ignorant posts but when did 220 pounds become so overweight that we cannot have great gear. I would bet that there are many 220 lb guys on slowtwitch that could ride and run faster than you and then kick your a$$ after waiting for you to finish. My weight right now is 221 and when I am at my lightest I can get to 205. I have ridden 21 mph plus in 70.3s and I have run 1:40 for the half marathon. I am not world class but I think I should be allowed to ride some nice wheels.
BTW, I ride mavic ksyrium ssls that are now 3 years old and are still true as ever and look good too.
Kinda off topic, but the direction of this thread convinces me that triathlon gear makers are missing out on an entire market for their products. There are a lot of big guys out there who get into triathlon for the enjoyment of the training and the health benefits of this kind of lifestyle. But a lot of the products, such as clothing, aren’t designed for bigger guys, like me. I think that this is a great niche market opportunity for some brave companies out there…
But then again, maybe after a few months of training, I’ll be half my size!
Can you please explain how aero race wheels would help less for a 220lber than they would for say a 150lber?
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I’m not saying that they would help less I’m saying that losing weight will make you faster than the race wheels. Spend the money on weight loss, it’s a better investment in speed and health.
But race wheels may help a skinny guy more. Lets say the 150lb guy can put out 330 watts for the duration of a 40k TT, and the big guy can do the same. The little guy will get much more out of the aero wheels because he’s traveling at a faster speed.
Actually a slower rider will save more time than a faster rider.
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In reply to —
I was a linebacker back in college and am slowly but surely streamlining a lot of unwanted bulk. I definitely get your point about getting lighter and how that will help me get faster than anything I can buy - I don’t want to be that guy on a $5,000 bike with aero wheels going 15 mph!
What sucks is that 30lbs. of muscle still seems to be just dead weight when it comes to racing, especially when you carry it in your upper body. And like S~ said, most drag -by far- comes from the body, not the bike.
Dude you can do what you want, but do you really want to lose all of that muscle? I come from a similar background and really enjoy doing triathlon, but I also enjoy weightlifting as a part of overall fitness and I enjoy it. I weight 215 with very low bodyfat, and I have no notions that I will ever be elite but every race try to race to the best of my abilities. Seems a bit drastic though to drop all of that muscle mass just because a few people don’t think you don’t fit the perfect mold of a triathlete. There are alot more guys with our builds then you would think. It is kind of nice feeling comfortable in both a weight room and an Ironman finish line. And who gives a shit what a few people think you should weigh. Tell them to mind their own business and answer the question you asked :^)
In reply to —
I was a linebacker back in college and am slowly but surely streamlining a lot of unwanted bulk. I definitely get your point about getting lighter and how that will help me get faster than anything I can buy - I don’t want to be that guy on a $5,000 bike with aero wheels going 15 mph!
What sucks is that 30lbs. of muscle still seems to be just dead weight when it comes to racing, especially when you carry it in your upper body. And like S~ said, most drag -by far- comes from the body, not the bike.
Dude you can do what you want, but do you really want to lose all of that muscle? I come from a similar background and really enjoy doing triathlon, but I also enjoy weightlifting as a part of overall fitness and I enjoy it. I weight 215 with very low bodyfat, and I have no notions that I will ever be elite but every race try to race to the best of my abilities. Seems a bit drastic though to drop all of that muscle mass just because a few people don’t think you don’t fit the perfect mold of a triathlete. There are alot more guys with our builds then you would think. It is kind of nice feeling comfortable in both a weight room and an Ironman finish line. And who gives a shit what a few people think you should weigh. Tell them to mind their own business and answer the question you asked :^)
I imagine that he IS doing what he wants, as he said he is “streamlining unwanted bulk”. And what makes you think that those of us with ~170 lb builds aren’t comfortable in the weight room? Just because we aren’t bench pressing volkswagens, doesn’t mean we don’t know our way around the iron.
The only person who even mentioned dropping weight was niezwhateveritis, and that’s because he’s of the opinion that all triathletes should be 140 lbs and in need of a medical tent after the race.
John
having done 3 im’s north of 220 i would guess that I am qualified to volley an opinion.
I have been on hed3’s,606,404,csc’s,hed alps and eastons.
I can say any of the wheels listed above are good or great i have not been displeased with any of them.
my 404’s are my least favorite they just feel “slow” not snappy like riding in mud.
next is the 606’s with chris king hubs laced 28 spoke good but not stellar I can feel them squirm when i stand.
next hed alps just not for me.
Hed 3’s, eastons and Zipp csc have all been daily drivers with lots of miles and racing.
the hed 3’s got 6-8k miles same as the day I bought them re built the hub and sold them to a buddy
eastons circuits got 10k miles never trued, perfect roll great best $500 i have spent
csc’s 5k miles great just had them replaced from a crash replacement looking to do another 5k.
any wheel w/e for super fly weight stuff will be fine. the csc are low spoke and 1500grams so pretty light and held up great.
I would say spend some good quality on rollers and perfect your spin, don’t hit stuff practice being smooth on your pedals and the wheels will thank you.
K
Not sure if you saw this article a while back…
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/220_pounds_of_Estonian_power_120.html
Also, if you’re interested in shedding some mass but also maintaining some strength and definition you should check out CrossFit
Lots of great exercises that focus on getting the heart rate up and building functional muscle. Since I started doing tri’s I haven’t been lifting as much for fear of putting on mass but the CrossFit style workouts are a good way to stay strong and not put on too much size.
In Reply To ----
I imagine that he IS doing what he wants, as he said he is “streamlining unwanted bulk”. And what makes you think that those of us with ~170 lb builds aren’t comfortable in the weight room? Just because we aren’t bench pressing volkswagens, doesn’t mean we don’t know our way around the iron.
No intention to imply that someone ~170 can’t find their way around a weight room. The point I was trying to make is that triathlon isn’t limited to certain body types and you don’t have to lose a lot of muscle mass to be able to compete (assuming you don’t want to). Is it an advantage to be carrying 40 lbs of muscle mass on the upper body? I think most would agree no. But for many triathletes, triathlon is just one piece of their overall fitness journey.
If you can hold off a couple days I will be having a 6’9" 240 lb club rider take the Blackwell Research 50mm Carbon Clinchers for a ride this week and I can let you know what he thinks.
p.
Okay, I just won a set of H3s off of ebay and it comes with “wheels only.” Besides tubes and tires, what else will I need? A cassette, hub and skewers? Not familiar with these tri-spoke wheels…
BTW, what tubes and tires would you recommend for these wheels?
Thanks for everyone’s help!
Okay, I just won a set of H3s off of ebay and it comes with “wheels only.” Besides tubes and tires, what else will I need? A cassette, hub and skewers? Not familiar with these tri-spoke wheels…
BTW, what tubes and tires would you recommend for these wheels?
Thanks for everyone’s help!
And you might need a bike too. Wheels alone won’t get you anywhere 
Guessing you are buying clinchers??? So get tubes, and for tires i have 2 recommendations: Michelin pro Race and Conti GT4000s. Cassette is up to you, I usually have one different size on each set so I can switch them acording to races. For the skewers, don’t go crazy with carbon ones. Get something solid.
Thanks, S~. I heard really good things about both those tires. BTW, your sweet Felt DA inspired my Felt B12. I love my HED aerobars and that Fizik tape you use is nice! Like the speed bottle, too.
Thanks again for all of your help!
I am in a similar situation. I am currently 240 (will get down to 225). I am looking to buy a good set of training wheels. I have just bought my first bike, and have been looking at the mavic open pros and cxp 33’s.
The other thing I am considering is that I will be doing about 4 sprint triathlons on this wheelset over the rest of this season. I cant have 2 wheelsets right now, so this one will serve both training and racing…
Any insight?
I was a linebacker back in college and am slowly but surely streamlining a lot of unwanted bulk. I definitely get your point about getting lighter and how that will help me get faster than anything I can buy - I don’t want to be that guy on a $5,000 bike with aero wheels going 15 mph!
What sucks is that 30lbs. of muscle still seems to be just dead weight when it comes to racing, especially when you carry it in your upper body. And like S~ said, most drag -by far- comes from the body, not the bike.
That said, it’s fun to make your bike as fast as it can be. Still deciding between the HED 3s and the JETs…
I can use old zipp 440s @200, and I’d rock them at 220 too.
I imagine Clydesdale rims are stiffer, good for anybody I think. If you were to get “normal” 808s you’d be fine. The best way to get some use out of the 30lbs of muscle would be to get 1080s. I know I can control them in anything a lot easier than the ideal cyclist @~150, and get a bit of benefit out of my hard gained heavy ass pecks and shoulders.
I noticed that when I first jumped on zipps I gained ~4mph. Some of that is wind, but I think there’s more in the stiffness of deep carbon rims vs the Neuvation big boy training wheels I was using. The neuvations are beefy, but can only get so beefy vs a couple inches of carbon.
If you use the muscles and I’m thinking body type of an athletic 200lb+ body to push 54-56/42-44 chain rings @ 95-110rpm, and the stiffest frame/wheels you can get, you have a lot of advantages. A 2* slope will benefit you, and the ability to absorb the training to push high watts can help to compensate for carrying a small chimpanzee worth of extra muscle.
Work with what you have, grey matter wins close contests.
Hills suck for everybody.