Guys, which front wheel would you use? I shall be using my Kuota Kaliber with a rear disc (Renn of course) and wondered whether to go with my Alp or Nimble Cross wind. I am 150 lbs and have had trouble in the past with side winds on the HED. I know the profile but am unsure how wind affects the course. I’m not keen on death wobble on fast decents, although I am not a particularly nervous descender.
If you’re more confident on the Crosswind, run the Crosswind. The couple of seconds you might stand to gain with the HED (in theory) will be eclipsed by far if you’re nervous on a descent and ride the brakes, burn too much energy death-gripping, or worst yet, crash.
Confidence in your equipment is paramount.
Prety much my theory too. Does it get windy on the descents there?
When are you travelling to Penticton? We are driving down either after work Saturday or early Sunday morning the week before race day. Is there an organised bike course tour, or a partial ride of the course?
You know, I really have no idea. Simon’s raced there before though - I’ll ask him.
Sorry, Khai I thought you had trained there.
I was 158 on race day and used a Zipp 404 in the front. No problems whatsoever even in the descent from Richter which is the really fast ones. I actually wished I had used my front HED 3, I have heard people use it with no problems.
Was that last year, K?
No organized tour. Get in your car and drive it… you can’t get lost… There probably less than a dozen turns the whole way.
If you want to check out either Richter or Yellow Lakes by bike, you can park your car at the bottom of each one.
Thanks, Sync. I pretty much thought that would be the score, and intend to do just that. I have my Ironmap ready!
-done it twice. Use 909’s.
Yep, IMC 04
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I rode it last year on American Classic 58 mm (aka Zipp 404) and had no problem although i am heavier at 180 lbs. I just got a 575 this winter and have been debating whether or not to ride it at IMC this year. Do the flats make up for the extra weight on Richter and Yellow Lake?
I’m no vetran on the area but it seems to me the times I have been out there that the wind was worse at Yellow Lake than Richter. I think I have heard that from others as well.
Last year was a perfect race day - relative cool and little wind…which is unusual - 2 days before race day I rode short sections of the approach to Richter though Oliver and it was extremly windy. In 03 (year of the fires) guys were saying you had to peddle the decent from yellow lake to Penticton due to the head wind. I believe it is common to experience wind both through Oliver to Richter and though the rollers to yellow lake.
I’ve done IMC twice and have gone up there for the course twice. I’ve raced it with deep Zipps with no issue. Lots of people race discs there. I’m taking my 909 disc there this year and am not concerned. Headwinds are more of an issue there than crazy cross winds.
ride the disc. there is too much ‘exposed’ areas on that course where you’re exposed to wind to not…richter’s and yellow lake aren’t even that bad.
i’ve run a ksyrium front (03) and spinergy tillium (04) + 05 with a renn rear every year, and have had no handling issues.
as for driving the course/tours/etc. there is no way that you’re dumb enough to ride the IM bike course race week. get in the car, and drive it. if you really feel zealous, practice some of the descents down mclean creek rd (it’s kind of sketchy), and down richter and yellow lake. most who ride the course during the season skip the out and back…BORING.
anyway…see you there 
ciao,
I rode a Nimble CrossWind and a Hed3D disk there last year and I was about 147lbs on race day… no problems
Trev
Thanks Tre, that’s the information I needed, right there!
thanks for the advice on the disk. as i just got it this winter it’s all new to me but i’ve found in rides in very strong wind that the disk does tend to stabilize the deep front wheel more than with the matching deep rim on the rear.
Even when the winds are bad they tend to go in line with the valleys so, for most the course you have a head wind or tail wind but not a cross wind.
". . .most who ride the course during the season skip the out and back…BORING. "
I thought it was bad karma to ride the IM courses in training!
Fleck