Patiently waiting on a new Trek SC… considering some different options on wheels. Experience with Zipp 454/858 and the Super-9 disc. But super curious on others thoughts for comparables with HED or Swisside? Any opinions / experience here?
I have Zipp wheels, disc and 858 and a couple of Chinese made cheap training wheels. Zipp wheels are overrated in my opinion. Some wheels are not as expensive as Zipp but faster. I’m sure other people will chime in but my advice is don’t get caught up on name brand like I did. I was a newb and I thought name brand wheels are absolutely faster than other wheels. Unfortunately, I didn’t know Slowtwitch back then and had no one to helped me. Good luck!!
Are you looking for an all around set out just race day only?
I’d agree with the comment above regarding zipp. Perfectly fine wheels, but there are so many options that are great now that kind of makes it hard to justify Zipp prices.
HED, Hunt, and others are all really good with slightly lower price points. If you want to go the route of off brand generic, there are a lot of china direct options that have compelling value, but with less flare and possibly service.
I think the bigger thing is rim width and depth. I’d be looking for a pair with an internal width of at least 21mm. Front wheel 60-80mm. Rear 75-full disc. Wheels and tires are going wider… So best not to be way behind.
Thanks - looking for race wheels, and I’ll also grab a full disc as well - or at least will take a look at them. Racing on mainly 70.3 courses, some rolling hills, some flats.
Thanks - looking for race wheels, and I’ll also grab a full disc as well - or at least will take a look at them. Racing on mainly 70.3 courses, some rolling hills, some flats.
Are you keeping the stock bontrager for training?
That’s the plan yes
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So many options. So many great options.
My GF and I ride Aerocoach, Zephyr fronts and she has the standard read disc and I have the lighter ultra version. We have one Zephr rear also.
If I was buying a new set today I’d most likely buy Princeton and then Swisside.
Money isn’t a factor, so I’m not looking for value, looking at solely what I want to ride.
Also, if wondering, we both ride P5D and are located in the USA.
I have Zipp wheels, disc and 858 and a couple of Chinese made cheap training wheels. Zipp wheels are overrated in my opinion. Some wheels are not as expensive as Zipp but faster. I’m sure other people will chime in but my advice is don’t get caught up on name brand like I did. I was a newb and I thought name brand wheels are absolutely faster than other wheels. Unfortunately, I didn’t know Slowtwitch back then and had no one to helped me. Good luck!!
^^^this
Unless you have money to burn I wouldn’t bother. At the very least buy second hand. I have a $800 rear disc and would bet good money it is no slower than a $3k zipp or Dt Swiss
So many options. So many great options.
My GF and I ride Aerocoach, Zephyr fronts and she has the standard read disc and I have the lighter ultra version. We have one Zephr rear also.
If I was buying a new set today I’d most likely buy Princeton and then Swisside.
Money isn’t a factor, so I’m not looking for value, looking at solely what I want to ride.
Also, if wondering, we both ride P5D and are located in the USA.
The Princeton options are interesting. Would love to see the data on the new offerings.
You bring up a point on this in terms of cost. To the OP, it kind of depends on your budget and/or your objectives. I could afford the super high end stuff but personally just can’t overcome my value bias in things, and always end up sourcing rims and building myself. For the first time I just ordered a pre built set of Ali from a seller that was very good on the communication side. For $1400 (on sale and small package deal) was able to buy a 65F/75R carbon spoke build AND a rear disc. Star ratchet hubs with ceramic bearings (common sized bearings so easy swap if they are poor quality).
So again, I think it depends on what you want to spend or are trying to achieve. I wouldn’t compromise on the rim specs though. 21 internal minimum width.
HED, in my experience, has exceptional customer service and an American made product that is outstanding. Call them and see what they can do for you.
I could afford the super high end stuff but personally just can’t overcome my value bias in things, and always end up sourcing rims and building myself.
The 24 spoke front wheels on disc bikes would be a good thing to avoid think… But if you are value conscious, you might be on an old rim brake bike.
Yoeleo wheels have 2 sets for triathlon bikes thousands of miles 1/3 cost of zipp or enve from china in 4 weeks they are a tour France supplier…. Good people to deal with check them out on line
Yoeleo wheels have 2 sets for triathlon bikes thousands of miles 1/3 cost of zipp or enve from china in 4 weeks they are a tour France supplier…. Good people to deal with check them out on line
Who at the tour is riding Yoeleo ?
I could afford the super high end stuff but personally just can’t overcome my value bias in things, and always end up sourcing rims and building myself.
The 24 spoke front wheels on disc bikes would be a good thing to avoid think… But if you are value conscious, you might be on an old rim brake bike.
Yep…on a Gen 2 speed concept. 16 hole front. 😉
Are concerned about torque and needing more spokes?
That’s the plan yes
Why?
Why not? I have a personal preference to keeping a set of wheels I only use for races.
Why not? I have a personal preference to keeping a set of wheels I only use for races.
Because I don’t understand why someone would spend that much on a wheelset and keep them in their garage except for a few times/year.
Why not? I have a personal preference to keeping a set of wheels I only use for races.
For sure. Would be nice! Just keep a set of training rubber on one and race rubber on the other.
Are concerned about torque and needing more spokes?
No, it just seems odd that nearly all the TT disc wheels appear to be poorly designed for their task. It’s weird because… don’t people still care about aero? Is anyone testing them? I understand that disc TT bikes are the thing now, and pretty much all you can buy, and that won’t change anytime soon… but no one even seems to be trying to make them as good as they could be.
The main task difference is that the front disc wheel needs to handle braking torque. That might be a lot of torque too when braking is involved, but I question whether the potential of disc brakes is wasted on a TT bike. I’ve personally done an endo in a race when I was trying to stop to avoid a crash. That was with old Campy Record sidepulls, that absolutely suck for braking power compared to modern caliper brakes. But still if it’s properly adjusted and you grab them hard, a forward endo-faceplant is the result… just physics. Where it’s nice to have powerful brakes is when you need to use them a lot for a long time… and having the braking force not heat up your rim/tube/tire is sensible. So on MTBs and maybe road bikes it makes sense. On TT… not so much…
Sorry, I’m drifting. The task is making the TT disc front wheel handle braking torque while being as aero as possible. Torque is lever arm and force, simple enough. So triplet lacing with a big flange with tangential lacing on the disc side will do this the best, with the least stuff churning in the breeze. And yet I see 24 spoke small flange front hubs even by the big manufacturers. Zipp uses 20 spokes, but still small flange hubs… and they even radial lace the non-disc side even though the hub is beefy enough to transmit a good amount of torque.
The only sensible one I’ve seen is the Specialized Roval. Triplet lacing with a big DS flange, and radial on the little NDS flange, 14-7. Maybe not perfect, but at least they put some thought into it, while I’m not sure what the other companies are doing… but it looks like they are using off the shelf MTB hubs…
Having had many of the name brands you’ve listed (no knock offs as I treasure my life) I really would look long and hard at Swissside. JP Ballard does incredible work and these wheels are amazing. I have a couple of sets and you really will not do better than Swissside or DT Swiss. Hubs, wheels, cutting edge and up to date aero tested products make them a buy worth every penny.