I weigh about 150lbs
During a Tri race, I average ~23 on a flat half IM course in low wind conditions (including mounting, turns, out of water warm up, etc.) so cruising speed is around ~23.5
I’l be racing Eagleman and Las Vegas 70.3 next year, plus some Olympic and Sprints
I prefer hilly technical rides for the shorter races that I do and have an aggressive ride style (cornering, downhill, getting through throngs of earlier waves, etc.)
I have a HED Stinger 9 FR as the rear wheel
So, for the front wheel, I am considering HED Stinger 9 FR (versus the Hed Stinger 6 FR or the HED H3) for front wheel, will I be ok with this the HED 9s in 90% of race situations (at what point does the HED 9 start to work against me versus the other choices)? What factors should I consider going to the Hed 6 or H3 on the front?
Depending on wind at Eagleman I would go with the h3. I was averaging about the same as you at EM but around mile 40 I could not keep up pace and it was all down hill from there.
Depending on wind at Eagleman I would go with the h3. I was averaging about the same as you at EM but around mile 40 I could not keep up pace and it was all down hill from there.
Thanks - not I’ve seen many people with the 90mm on back and tri spoke on front. Is this a ‘normal’ configuration? Did you use the H3 at EM?
Stinger 9 all the way. It is super fast and comfortable. I have an '09 version that I’m trying to get rid of. The only thing I don’t like is that it is not as stiff as the zipp 808 fc.
I had the H3 and a sub nine on mine. I was humming and hawing about the 1080 but I decided against it incase we’re some strong gust. It turned outto be very calm that morning but the bike was already in T1. It worked out fine and I was happy with my choice. Though I was not happy with my performance after i cooked myself.
based on the fact that you say you are aggressive when cornering I think you will be comfortable on a 9 front 95% of the time.
the only time it works against you is when crosswinds scare you out of your aerobars (or crash you!)
put a disc cover on the rear and it will be even faster and more stable.
I weigh about 150lbs
During a Tri race, I average ~23 on a flat half IM course in low wind conditions (including mounting, turns, out of water warm up, etc.) so cruising speed is around ~23.5
I’l be racing Eagleman and Las Vegas 70.3 next year, plus some Olympic and Sprints
I prefer hilly technical rides for the shorter races that I do and have an aggressive ride style (cornering, downhill, getting through throngs of earlier waves, etc.)
I have a HED Stinger 9 FR as the rear wheel
So, for the front wheel, I am considering HED Stinger 9 FR (versus the Hed Stinger 6 FR or the HED H3) for front wheel, will I be ok with this the HED 9s in 90% of race situations (at what point does the HED 9 start to work against me versus the other choices)? What factors should I consider going to the Hed 6 or H3 on the front?
Stinger 9 all the way. It is super fast and comfortable. I have an '09 version that I’m trying to get rid of. The only thing I don’t like is that it is not as stiff as the zipp 808 fc.
Hi Rick - what don’t you like about the '09 Stinger 9?
Nothing at all. It is a great wheel. Between the stinger 9 and 808fc it would be impossible for me to say which is faster without a trip to the wind tunnel. But, IMO the 808fc is just a stiffer more solid wheel. I feel more confident on it, and also think that the brake surface is better.
These are no doubt subjective issues and I know the new hed wheels have new hubs which may stiffen up the wheels. But I have ridden my 09stinger and fc back to back, and in my mind there was a difference.
Another selling point to me was that the 808fc is a clincher. That adds ease of use. With a gp supersonic and latex tube, my 808fc is within 50 grams of the stinger 9 tubie with a bontry rxl glued to it, so weight is a non issue.
Not to hijack the thread (but here it goes), what wheel is best for the average circumstance? Flo’s 6 or 9?
I understand that having a shallower rim would be ideal in severe crosswinds but if the price is prohibitive, should the buyer go for a deeper rim and hope for a calm day? Or should they buy the deeper and just toss a training wheel on the bike, if need be?
Looking forward to any replies and sorry for the hijack
It’s a race day only tire, very good feel and no flats or wear issues yet. That said, I don’t have enough miles on it to have a strong opinion on its durability.
well in the case of Flo, the 6 is as fast as the 9, so that is an easy choice.
in general you need to ride some deep wheels on a windy day and find out what you can tolerate.
Not to hijack the thread (but here it goes), what wheel is best for the average circumstance? Flo’s 6 or 9?
I understand that having a shallower rim would be ideal in severe crosswinds but if the price is prohibitive, should the buyer go for a deeper rim and hope for a calm day? Or should they buy the deeper and just toss a training wheel on the bike, if need be?
Looking forward to any replies and sorry for the hijack
I ride a Stinger 6/9 setup w/ a wheelcover. How much speed can I buy switching the front to a Stinger 9? Also, doesn’t weight play into the decision? Is it reasonable for someone 135lbs to handle a deep front wheel?
I ride a Stinger 6/9 setup w/ a wheelcover. How much speed can I buy switching the front to a Stinger 9? Also, doesn’t weight play into the decision? Is it reasonable for someone 135lbs to handle a deep front wheel?
Keep the 6 for windy days. Get the 9 for calm days… or to loan to friends ; )
I ride a Stinger 6/9 setup w/ a wheelcover. How much speed can I buy switching the front to a Stinger 9? Also, doesn’t weight play into the decision? Is it reasonable for someone 135lbs to handle a deep front wheel?
a little bit more speed
not really
my wife manages it fine at 135lbs. then again my 185 cat 1 friend can’t handle deep wheels at all.
What kind of conditions will you be looking to ride in most of the time?
‘most of the time’ - hmm; these will be race wheels, so expect primarily to use them at races and some tempo riding leading up to race day
Flat races tend to be windy; Hilly races tend to be a bit less windy.
I’ll use these on sprints through IM distance races, although I only have 3 half IM races on my schedule in 2012 (Eagleman, Vegas, and either Musselman or Providence) + Escape from Fort DE + USAT Olympic Nationals in Vermont + some Sprint races - both hilly / technical and flat
So, I can’t say I have a typical race, but Vegas is my most important race.