As I understand it the Hed Jet series of wheels have carbon fairings affixed to a spoked wheel.
If that’s true, and they are legal to use in USAT events on the front wheel then it should seem to indicate that an innovation that allows a deep fairing to be mounted on an existing spoked front wheel would also be allowed. Right?
The problem with a real deep fairing ,ala Jet, is that as you get closer to the hub the spokes get further apart from side to side as they attach to one side or the other. Your fairing would get further enclosed in the turning spokes and less effective. If you look at the Jet 60 and the Jet 90 you’ll see that the spokes enter the fairing furth down the side as it gets deeper. Going much beyond the 90 would not gain much, if anything, since the deeper fairing is more enclosed in dirty air from the spokes. As long as it is permanently fastened I don’t think legality is a problem…but why bother?
Yes you’re right of course about the spokes being farther and farther apart the deeper the fairing becomes on a Jet 90 but I think most experts would agree that a Jet 90 front is faster than a regular training wheel. That’s why I would bother.
The problem with a real deep fairing ,ala Jet, is that as you get closer to the hub the spokes get further apart from side to side as they attach to one side or the other. Your fairing would get further enclosed in the turning spokes and less effective. If you look at the Jet 60 and the Jet 90 you’ll see that the spokes enter the fairing furth down the side as it gets deeper. Going much beyond the 90 would not gain much, if anything, since the deeper fairing is more enclosed in dirty air from the spokes. As long as it is permanently fastened I don’t think legality is a problem…but why bother?
That is true for most wheels, but is less relevant for wheels like the new star-hub Roval (by Specialized) where the spokes are almost vertical (very little exposed to wind). I suppose tri-spokes too… (didn’t HED make a ‘disc’ like that once? Basically a fairing on a trispoke?)
a fairing on a trispoke?
Hey, don’t think I haven’t thought of doing that. Maybe I should put on 30 pounds and try doing that to my H-3.