I am curious as to what aero wheels to buy. If I could get people’s input/suggestions that would be great.
A little bit about me
Height - 5’10" - Weight - 150 lbs
Bike - Trek Speed Concept 7 Series
2015 Events - Ironman Wisconsin, 70.3 Racine, another 70.3 (yet to be decided) and many small events.
I currently have a set of Aura 5s which I like a lot, just debating if an upgrade would be worth the price for me.
Ironman Wisconsin is my primary event for next season. So if I were to buy any wheels, they would absolutely need to work for that event.
I am currently debating on buying a set of 808s (used) (front and rear)
or
An 808 Rear and 404 Front
or
Buying a disc (used) and use my Aura 5 for a front.
(I am open to other brands, HED/Mavic/Shimano/etc.) I just used Zipp as an example (I do like Zipp though)
What are your opinions? I would like to upgrade to deeper wheels if they will help me. I just don’t know where I would get the best bang for my buck. Any opinions would be helpful.
Also, anyone who may be interested in selling wheels (2011 or newer preferably) to a college student for a good price. Let me know!
The aura 5 are a pretty decent wheel. At 50mm deep, wide and a blunt inner edge, they are not giving up much to a fire crest 404. I would say get a disc cover for the rear and save your money for other things.
The aura 5 are a pretty decent wheel. At 50mm deep, wide and a blunt inner edge, they are not giving up much to a fire crest 404. I would say get a disc cover for the rear and save your money for other things.
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I raced a season on an Aura 5 front, disc covered powertap rear. It was very fast with nice tires and tubes. Plus it was incredibly stable in cross winds and had fantastic braking power with tr aluminum tracks.
You would not be giving up much, if anything, to some of the high dollar wheels.
I’ve been on the hunt for new aero wheels too after switching from 10 spd to 11 spd rendering my Zipp 808 front and Zipp disc obsolete. I was gonna go with a new set of Zipp Firecrest 808’s, but I surprised myself as a Zipp lover and decided on Enve 8.9’s. I think Zipp finally has some competition with Enve and I can’t wait to try them out. The biggest selling point for me was that they had better hubs, and 3 different hub options. For a similar price I was able to get Chris King ceramic hubs.
Up front a trispoke will give you the best all-around performance at varying yaw angles, or something like a Zipp 808fc, ENVE 8, Reynolds RZR 92. Bontrager Aeolus 9 would be fine for still days and use the Aura 5 for windy days.
I have a set of Boyd 90mm Carbon Clinchers for sale if you are willing to consider something that isnt Zipp. I’m flexible on price if you are interested but i think the price point they are at now will be inside your range.
I’m on a HED Jet+ disc and it’s verrry comfy Nothing wrong with the Aura 5. Might be giving up a few seconds but nothing to sweat. Solid build and an aluminum brake track.
Nothing wrong with the Aura 5. Might be giving up a few seconds but nothing to sweat. Solid build and an aluminum brake track.