What is most important to you guys when you're looking for a race wheel?

Triathlon Forum
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What is most important to you guys when you’re looking for race wheels? (I know it’s a very broad question but that’s my intention.)

2

Road - stiff, reasonably light, low friction bearings

Tri - aero, light, low friction bearings
.

3

Strong, light, cheap. Pick any two. I usually go for strong and cheap. Well, “cheap” is relative in the world of triathlon equipment. You know what I mean.

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That pretty much describes a Zipp wheel :slight_smile:
.

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It’s gotta have dimples. :slight_smile:

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Indeed…it MUST HAVE DIMPLES!!

Since I can’t see spending quite so much for a cranks, the ideal race wheel for me has some strain gauges in the hub!!
Aero powertap!!

7

Road: light, stiff, durable

TT: aero, dependable, - then light, stiff
.

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Do you mean like the ceramic bearings on a Zipp? If so, do you think the ceramic bearings (originally designed for high-RPM, high-heat applications) make any difference in a low-RPM application like a bicycle wheel?

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  1. Aero
  2. Stiff
  3. Hub Quality
    .
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sorry mate but I have no idea if they do or if they dont. I dont own or lust after zipps, all i want is a very stiff and hassle free set of wheels, that are reasonably light, would really help if bearing are nice and smooth. Now having said that I probably save myself a bunch of coin by simply keeping my ultegra hub well greased and clean (that is where the hassle free part comes into play! )

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The “tri-ad” of wheel perfromance:

  1. Aerodynamics.

  2. Durability.

  3. Weight.

Those three aspects of wheel perfromance should be in balance for a general use race wheel in my opinion.

12

“Price” is not in that triad or quad-whatever :wink: ???

13

Having a separate set of race wheels is a good idea for several reasons (I’m answering this from a triathlon point of view.)

  1. They should be in good shape and true because you don’t use them much. Much less likely to have maintenance issues mid-race.

  2. You probably have a new set of tires on those wheels. The likelihood of a flat is lower with more tread on the tire and fewer/no cuts or skid spots.

  3. If you have enough money to buy a carbon deep rim then you will gain some aero advantage. A rear disc helps as well. Frankly, with the ease of buying wheel covers these days, I’m not sure I would put out the money for a disc again.

  4. They should be a little lighter than your regular wheels, which should help on really hilly courses, if you have them.

Most people buy them for the reason three or four, but frankly I think one and two is more important. If I didn’t have much money to spend, I’d buy a set of decent quality wheels, put a wheel cover on the back and use them only on race day. Having a flat mid-course or a mechanical error could cost you the race if you DNF or spend a lot of time changing a flat. That alone is worth the second set of wheels.

Chad.

14

How about that you can race and train on the same wheels?

15

I do that myself… on my XLABs (Front deep dish 50mm C2 rim - Rear is Tri spoke). Happens quite often.

  • kd (MOP’er)