Doing a flat 70.3 race and considering upgrading to a rear disc wheel (Zipp). No substitute for a strong engine so is it worth it? Have heard die hard cyclists say it’s the only way to go and others say the time savings is not worth the price of the wheel. Thoughts?
is it worth it depends on how much money you have.
a disc cover of course is 99 to 101% as good for just $100 then the equation gets pretty easy.
But the cover doesn’t go “whump whump whump” when I’m riding it. That sound alone is worth about $1000, so that confounds the equation a little bit. 
Disc is without question always faster. Is it worth it is up to you. My Renn did not break the bank and has thus far been bomb proof after 3 seasons. I was on a Hed 3 F&R before, now H3 F, Renn 575 rear. The disc is faster than my H3 is on my rolling 10 mi. TT route I use for field tests. It’s difficult to give an exact time though as conditions play a roll and I don’t use a PM.
Hed Jet 90 fronts do though!
But the cover doesn’t go “whump whump whump” when I’m riding it. That sound alone is worth about $1000, so that confounds the equation a little bit.
I am kind of a newbie to disc wheels. So they make disc covers, that mimic the aerodynamic effect of disc wheels?
A disc is a disc is a disc. Disc covers are the equal to a disc wheel. For $100. you can get one custom cut to your current rear wheel. Check out wheelbuilder.com
That’s awesome, so why wouldn’t everyone do that? I can understand how the quality and performance might not be as good as a full carbon disc wheel, but for $100 compared to $1000?
Go on biketechreview.com and if you want you can find a cover vs disc windtunnel test available for a small cost. The results will shock a lot of people.
But then there is the “cool factor” of a “real” disc, which means a lighter rear wheel even though weight isn’t that important, the “whump, whump” sound and of course the dimples.
because looking good is more important than being good
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Its been said before so I will mention it again. Save your $$$-$$$$ and get a wheel cover from Rich at Wheelbuilder. They can custom cut a wheel cover for your specific wheel and its the fit is bananas good. Been riding one for 2 years with no problems.
According to Zipp data looks like you might save at most a minute tops over lets say a 404 or 808 rear.
Look in this thread:
I have been running for a while now and I do live by the motto, it’s not how you run, it’s how you look when you run haha. In running it has a little more truth than biking though. My fastest mile ever, I ran a 4:17 and it felt like a 4:30, I was relaxed and pictures say that I looked good haha.
I’m working on it man.
That’s awesome, so why wouldn’t everyone do that? I can understand how the quality and performance might not be as good as a full carbon disc wheel, but for $100 compared to $1000?
I used to run a disc rear and a Hed3 front. It was a very fast set-up. Then, when I thought I was leaving the sport after the 2005 season (I was suffering from an iron-hangover), I sold my race wheels, my bike and just about everything else. Now I’m getting back into the sport and I really miss my race wheels. I’m about to buy a pair of Hed3’s from a friend and I just ordered a disc cover from Wheelbuilder. Placed the order last night, in fact. I’m going to use the disc cover (over my Rolf Vector Pro) on the back and the Hed3 front. The rear Hed will be a spare. I’m getting the Hed3 wheels for $500, the cover for $100. So for $600, I’m getting the equivalent of three extremely aero race wheels. Not too shabby, eh?
and if you qualify for kona you have the best possible rear wheel =)
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Either you run a disc or your regular setup. Covers are wack. lol. I’m all about style over substance - luckily the disc has substance.
Shop around…I got a Zipp disc for under $500 in excellent condition. Has zero dimples, but until someone with a dimpled disc beats me by less then 1 second, I don’t care : )
The only reason that I can think of not to go rear disk cover vs disk is the fact you can’t use covers in UCI sanctioned races (I’m not talking Ironman, triathlons, etc). I don’t know why they aren’t allowed, just one of their messed up rules.
Seriously, another reason to go rear disc with the Zipps is that you can easily convert it to a track setup. This was a major point for me as I wanted a rear setup I could do both with.