I race about 5 sprints and 3 Olympics a year. and I’m looking to add a HIM to the race schedule this year hopefully, if not 2010. I currently race on a wonderfully light set of Fulcrum Racing Zero’s (aero alum rim with bladed spokes). I also race in the NY-LI area mostly, and on LI we have a lot of hills and turns on our courses. I am looking to either get a HED Jet 60/90 combo or a Zipp 404/1080 combo, but I’m not sure if I should just rent them for the 2 or 3 Oly races (and eventually HIM and IM) or if I should go out and spend the money (on ST or eBay of course). Also, any opinions on the two wheel sets I’m looking at - I can’t afford different front and rear wheels for different conditions, etc. Thanks.
I’ve used racedaywheels (http://www.racedaywheels.com/) for my first HIM…Marc is great and you can get your wheels shipped out to you, etc. You just ship them back and it is super-easy. Plus, it’s a lot easier to get behind spending the small fee to rent than drop the big $$$.
You can get: http://www.racedaywheels.com/wheel.html
Just make sure to reserve them in advance, particularly if your race is around the same day as an Ironman 
Hi,
There is a lot to be said for renting…typical price is $150 per race. You can do several seasons before the costs balance out.
Plus, with a good rental set up you can get the best set for the day. Doing IM Az? 1080 and a disc please.
Doing IM CDa? a SET OF 606’S, THANKS AND SO ON.
If I was buying a set today, a HED 69 C2 would be my do everything set . For nearly a grand less than Zipp 606 09 wheels.
TP
My shop sells and rents BTW (so I can be somewhat less than Biased one way or another.)
i suppose i will play devil’s advocate and say that there is a certain degree of uncertainty about the safety of rental wheels. Sure the renter will inspect the wheels etc, but for structural carbon in particular, there is really very little safety inspection that can be done other than an eyeball check, and there will be a small proportion of mini-cracks or whatever that slide under the radar. I feel safer using equipment i have used before.
I would not be more concerned of “hidden” dameges of a rental wheel than my own, but would anyway not rent a wheel.
Wheels are very critical for safety regarding the behavior/handling of the bike. And wheels are different, discs, tri-spoke and deep front wheels have a quite different behavior than standard training wheels. I would never race with a wheel I’m not very comfortable with, after training in wind/terrain that can be compared with the race conditions.
(There is a reason why I was able to sit “tucked” in the aerobars all the way in the very strong winds at Kona in October).
Rent. Especially for your important races. That being said, I do own a set of race wheels, but as previously posted if they aren’t ideal for the race you are doing then you can allways rent exactly what you want.
For this year I bought, however,
For IMC 2008, I used Race Day Wheels, I flew to Penticton with no wheels (which left lots of space in the bike box for packing!) got there they installed and adjusted my 808’s, and I was good to go. All this service for a one time low, low fee.
In your case, I think you race enough that you should ante up and buy a set, renting 4 or 5 times a year adds up really fast. Last year I rented as I only did one race, and it seemed a waste of money to drop big bucks on owning race wheels.
Martin
Both? I was in the same position. My soution was to buy Cosmic Carbone’s as an all around training and racing wheel for shorter distances. I am planning on renting a disc or something like a 1080 rear for the one IM this season.
Well, looks like I’m renting. For two reasons, 1, the advice, and 2, the wife said I couldn’t buy unless they were no more than $500 (together - yeah, fat chance). Will probably go with Zipp 404/1080 clincher combo
Just to throw in my 2 cents since this is my strong suit; renting is a way to be able to get the best wheels for the best course. While we always give free advise, we also partnered with Colorado Premier Training this year because they feel that their athletes can benefit from the variety of wheels and equipment we offer. To get the best race possible at different locations that have different geography and weather requires a full quiver of $10,000 worth of wheels. There is not one wheelset that can be all around for every condition. Look at the pros- they ride different equipment for different conditions all the time.
Practically speaking, renting makes a lot of sense, too. Like your wife said, most race wheels are priced out of the equation of life right now. We already have reservations for races in July and August by athletes who are riding $3500 wheelsets for $200. It makes sense. They get to go fast without having their better half kick them out of the house.
And to address the idea that rental wheels are “cracked or defective” is total bollocks. One of the BEST reasons to rent wheels is because they are professionally maintained between races and not simply stuffed into the wheelbag for a month between events.
Our website is in my signature here. Check it out.
Just to throw in my 2 cents since this is my strong suit; renting is a way to be able to get the best wheels for the best course. While we always give free advise, we also partnered with Colorado Premier Training this year because they feel that their athletes can benefit from the variety of wheels and equipment we offer. To get the best race possible at different locations that have different geography and weather requires a full quiver of $10,000 worth of wheels. There is not one wheelset that can be all around for every condition. Look at the pros- they ride different equipment for different conditions all the time.
Practically speaking, renting makes a lot of sense, too. Like your wife said, most race wheels are priced out of the equation of life right now. We already have reservations for races in July and August by athletes who are riding $3500 wheelsets for $200. It makes sense. They get to go fast without having their better half kick them out of the house.
And to address the idea that rental wheels are “cracked or defective” is total bollocks. One of the BEST reasons to rent wheels is because they are professionally maintained between races and not simply stuffed into the wheelbag for a month between events.
Our website is in my signature here. Check it out.
I just want to agree a little with you. I think that renting wheels is a great thing and the guys/girls at CPT our some of the best coaches/people around these days.
I would like to add that wheel technology has come a long way in the past 2-3 years. You can get 60mm wheels that only weight about 1300 grams. I think that if you mostly do regional events you can find one wheel set that will suite your race schedule. Now back to renting, spend a season renting wheels to try out lots of different stuff. The wheel market is crowded so take advantage of all the different wheels out there by testing as many as you can.
150.00 x 8= 2100.00 I could find a nice set of race wheels for that. On ebay you could get a nice set 4 almost half that. If you have it drop the cash now. One of the best upgrades you can buy. Though I do not know what the savings would be from your current wheelset. They are nice wheels too. I like the 1080’s. be nice if you could go with the 1080’s and then get a disc cover for your fulcrum. about a 100.00 from wheelbuilder. I have the Flashpoint 60s(bought 450.00 set on ebay) and like them thats also a cheaper alternative. god luck and see you at the NYC Tri.
E-mail bicycledoctor@att.net and ask for the winter wheel special price sheet, 100s to pick from all the top brands. You can pick up a nice set new wheels 10-20% off MSRP during the winter sale and sometimes more on some models. Speed cost money, you will be able to go fast and still have money left over.
My two cents on rental, it can be messy, rental fees are like renting a house you never own them, shipping cost, late return fee’s, what happens if the wheel or wheels get damaged how much will it cost you, and last you need to train some on the wheels you will be using in a event to know and trust your Equipment.
.
s
Both Echappe and Race Day offer crash coverage that is complete. We had a kid who crashed a Sub9 last year but had the crash coverage so he didn’t have to pay a cent more. If he had owned that wheel he would have been out a few hundred bucks to get it fixed, and thats only if he was the original purchaser from an authorized Zipp Dealer. Otherwise, he would be stuck with a dead wheel.
Also, we’re a rent to own program. Every customer gets a credit and our members get twice the credit. I did that because I agree that spending money on a rental can seem like wasting money and that just doesn’t make sense. You should be able to try out really expensive things before you buy them. Being burned on eBay and feeling confused my marketing is why I started this operation. It wasn’t to rip people off- quite the opposite.
And I’m sorry, but you should not train on 1080s, 808s, Stinger 9s or 6s. They are race wheels meant for racing, not for training. Its why we call our businesses “race” this or that.
rent/buy
If you do not consider the financial side go with the buying option. You can practice them in different weather conditions/road conditions so race day you’ll be prepeared.
I have seen many newbies rent wheels for their first IMs yet they are clueless like norman whn it comes to changing a flat. And seen a lot of handling issues when they don’t have any experience.
Anyone know of a shop that rents race wheels with PowerTap and the cost?
We rent Powertap wheels. You can have them shipped to any Trek Concept Store or Trek Dealer.
“the wife said I couldn’t buy unless they were no more than $500 (together - yeah, fat chance)”
I got an H3 from the ST classifieds for $300 and a wheelcover for $70 three years ago. If they are using butyl tubes, there is a good chance whatever combo you get will be slower.
The H3 is probably still worth around $300.
Renting race wheels seems foolish if money is at all a factor. If we assume you rent 3 times a year, at $150/race, If I went back 3 years and had rented instead of bought, I would be out $1280, and I would have been riding training wheels in the rest of my races/TTs.
Except for the ability to exactly match wheels to race, smart money is on buying. If you rent 4 times in a season, that is approximately $600 - $800. You can buy a nice Zipp disc / 1080 combo on eBay for about $2k and resell it at the end of the season for nearly the same amount. Certainly it won’t depreciate more than the $600 - $800 you spent renting. The other advantages of buying are that you get comfortable with the equipment and can put on the tires of your choosing. Tires are as important as wheels so it makes sense for you to put on the best tires out there, which are probably not the ones that come with rental wheels.