Hi All,
I am currently racing on a pair of Reynolds sixtysix wheels (66mm deep). In the persuit of greater speed, i have been contemplating either buying a disc (and keeping the 66 on the front) or going with a deeper set of rims (somewhere between 80-90mm). Thoughts?
Buy this…
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/aero-disc-covers.html
Use it with your current setup… and you’re only out $100.
A rear disc wheel or wheelcover is faster.
As xeon said, get the wheelcover. The wind won’t know the difference between this and a disc, but your wallet will!
Hi All,
I am currently racing on a pair of Reynolds sixtysix wheels (66mm deep). In the persuit of greater speed, i have been contemplating either buying a disc (and keeping the 66 on the front) or going with a deeper set of rims (somewhere between 80-90mm). Thoughts?
I read somewhere that Reynolds themselves stated that the Aero 90 outperformed their own Element disc, so may really depend on which wheels you’re comparing.
Generally a disk + deep is good to go. Two 80+ deep wheels will likely not handle as well in cross winds.
I’m not a big fan of covers myself, but they definitely work!
Generally a disk + deep is good to go. Two 80+ deep wheels will likely not handle as well in cross winds.
I’m not a big fan of covers myself, but they definitely work!
What is wrong with covers?
Nothing really, I just prefer a disc - it’s the ‘correct’ option. I tend to be quite fussy about how bikes are set up, so I don’t like swapping crank power meters around for instance.
If there is an issue it’s that they may offer a little more drag than a true disc, and some frames have clearance issues wit some wheel/cover combinations.
What is wrong with covers?
Disc sounds much better and more intimidating.
Another question is cost, both short term and long term. I just had my LSB tell me as my bikes were getting ready to be loaded into the Truck for Penticton worlds that my 10 year old Disc wheel was bad. Just what I wanted to hear before my big races. So I had to rush home, and get a spare vanilla wheel I had. So that is like 2.5K down the tubes. If I had just a wheel cover on my cheap wheel, I could have used these on my wheels I have.
So now I am asking myself do I buy something for next season. I really would not want to buy something used since I know now they can go bad. (I guess I found the real root cause of the crack I heard going down the hill at my Donner race).
And if I buy something new, well I now open up the question do I need a new bike for 11 speed. Then I ask but I really want disc brakes. Not the questions I wanted to ask. 
<<So that is like 2.5K down the tubes.
not really, unless the wheel is new and you have never used it. Surely you got some use out of it so cost divided by miles or years used. Everything wears out or breaks eventually, just hopefully not before a big race as in your case. See you in P-town.
What is wrong with your disc wheel?
<<So that is like 2.5K down the tubes.
not really, unless the wheel is new and you have never used it. Surely you got some use out of it so cost divided by miles or years used. Everything wears out or breaks eventually, just hopefully not before a big race as in your case. See you in P-town.
Yea, you are right, just hurts to think that is the cost to replace
What is wrong with your disc wheel?
My LBS said any carbon, when used enough will at some point fail, wear out. I had told him I had heard a crack flying down the donner hill. So when I left, he was carefully looking over the bike before it got in the racedaytransport truck. He then pulled me back in and showed me how the zipp was flexing, soft spots, etc, and said, he would not ride the wheel anymore from a safety angle. I told him thanks and just put on a regular wheel for the race. Not much else I could do at this late date.
my bikes were getting ready to be loaded into the Truck for Penticton worlds
You’re going to worlds? Why didn’t you tell us already??
What is wrong with your disc wheel?
My LBS said any carbon, when used enough will at some point fail, wear out. I had told him I had heard a crack flying down the donner hill. So when I left, he was carefully looking over the bike before it got in the racedaytransport truck. He then pulled me back in and showed me how the zipp was flexing, soft spots, etc, and said, he would not ride the wheel anymore from a safety angle. I told him thanks and just put on a regular wheel for the race. Not much else I could do at this late date.
Why didn’t you get the wheel checked out prior to drop off? You had plenty of time to take it to a LBS (not LSB) after you heard the crack. Seems like no one to blame but yourself on this one. Live and learn I guess…
You can get a Flo disc in classifieds here for around $400
.
What is wrong with your disc wheel?
My LBS said any carbon, when used enough will at some point fail, wear out. I had told him I had heard a crack flying down the donner hill. So when I left, he was carefully looking over the bike before it got in the racedaytransport truck. He then pulled me back in and showed me how the zipp was flexing, soft spots, etc, and said, he would not ride the wheel anymore from a safety angle. I told him thanks and just put on a regular wheel for the race. Not much else I could do at this late date.
The HED and Flo discs are just basically permanent wheel covers. You could ride them every day and not wear them out. I have been using one I bought on EBay for years now. It has a PowerTap so it is basically a training and racing wheel. I would never hesitate to pick up a used HED disc.
You can get a Flo disc in classifieds here for around $400
Please link said disc. I’m in the market. I’ve been using a 2004/2005 Renn Disc that I had redrilled to fit an 11 about a year ago. Before 70.3 Ohio, I noticed a slight bulge next to the rim and am going to replace it.
It’s on first few pages of classifieds…flo 90/disc and I think he said he would split
.