It is official. I have lost it. All because of f$%king race f*#king wheels!!!
After months and months of trying to find out which option weighs more, costs less, has more aero advantage, has aero spokes, has crap hubs, is bombproof, is available in Australia, can be ordered over the internet, does have import duty attached, doesn’t have GST applicable, is reliable second hand, should be steered well clear of, can be obtained through my LBS, etc f&*king etc I cannot stand it anymore.
So f&*k it!! The $15000 I have been saving over the last year towards the deposit house that my girlfriend and I are saving for is in serious danger.
Hands up those people who think I should bag the saving splan, risk incurring the wrath of the girl, and buy 5 sets of race wheels so I always have the right option for every race I ever f*#king-well compete in again!!!
Whoa partner. Why totally piss off the girlfriend and cut yourself completely out of the fun for at least a month. This is what you do. Buy a zipp type front. Its light aero and will work for every race. Buy a used disc for flat to moderately hilly courses and a rear Jet deep type wheel for the really hilly races. Put half of that 15000 down on the house, take the girlfriend out to a nice romatic dinner, ensuring you get lucky, and break the news about how much you were able to put on the house after buying race wheels. Its a Win Win Win situation.
the way i see it, you should save your money. you can go cheap with a velocity deep v rim, some spokes, and an ultegra hub for a decently aero front wheel. need a disk for time trials? get a ch aero wheel cover for your rear wheel (excelsports.com)want a deeper section aero rim for the front, but dont want to spend the money for a carbon rim? get a fir sc350 from red rose imports (you have to call them as this is a special order. you could also use either the velocity deep v or the fir rim i mentioned for the rear wheel. want to go even cheaper you say? well then get a book on wheelbuilding and build them up yourself. by the way, the velocity deep v is 30 mm deep as opposed to the fir sc350’s 35 mm depth. just thought i would tell you what i did on a high school students budget when i was in need for a new set of wheels.
I have a simple rule about these things: DON’T BE A DUMBASS!
If you have money in your down payment account, well, that’s down payment money, friend. You can’t touch it because it’s not yours. Fiscal discipline is the only thing that will get you through life in one piece, and assure that you (usually) have a roof over your head.
Now then, your obsession over race wheels tells me that you are a normal healthy triathlete. But once you get the race wheels, it will just be something else, then something else, and eventually you’ll realize that you really need a whole new bike(which, by the way, you already do.)
If you really want to do it right, just go pro. Then you will get to live like a pauper, your girlfriend will dump you, the most expensive thing you will own will be your bike, and whatever sponsors you get will give you a 10% discount on their gear. ;p
I think Yoda would say, “If obvious the answer is, mock you mercilessly will I.”
Buy the wheels. Do it. Right now!!! Make sure they are all Campy compatible!
Then, when your girlfriend lays in to you, and you realize what I huge mistake you made, I can swoop in and buy them from you at a MASSIVE discount while you go crawling back to your lady!
I have found that when my wife gets a new house we are in the “honeymood” period and I pretty much get to buy whatever I want since she is happy. Keep your woman happy unless you expect your bike and wheels to wipe your ass when you are 85 years old.
Living in the SF Bay Area, I am green with envy that 15k will take you even half way towards a downpayment on a house.
To the matter at hand. Here’s what you do. Don’t just go out and buy the wheels, instead, spend every waking moment perusing classifieds, ever searching for those various wheels. Ignore your girlfriend. Use that time at work for something truly useful. Send countless emails off into the ether to sellers, haggle over shipping costs, read their ‘Seller Reviews’ on Ebay, become an expert on world-wide shipping and tariffs, track down leads, endure disappointment, and ultimately lay claim to the fact that you got a great deal on a late model, ‘lightly used’ set of wheels.
Doesn’t that sound like fun?
From what I gather from countless posts, Zipp 404s and a Renn(if you must) and boom you’re done. Of course there’s always the alternative…
"I didn’t realize prices had come down so much in SF. "
Here in the rural boonies 300 K would buy you half the town. Half of that will almost get you a mansion. But then of course we don’t have the street cars here.
I have always said that “savings” money for whatever you are saving for is not to be touched.
Ask yourself how much the high-zoot wheels are really going to help your triathlon performance? For most, in the grand scheme of things, it’s minimal - despite all of the chatter on this page and others about the advantages. If you are a top placer in local races or going for age-group wins and you need/want to be on an even playing field with your competition, then you may be able rationalize the purchase.
Relax - again. The advantages of top end wheels are minimal AND the differences between the top end wheel models are minimal - just about any, that fit your bike, your budget and your riding style and needs will do. Most bikes new, out of the box these days comes with pretty decent wheels - wheels that would have been considered near top end 10 years ago!
Ask yourself how important is your relationship with your girlfriend? If you are making this significant a purchase together I suspect it’s a long term thing.
