I have been thinking about this for a while, and I am curious to know people’s opinions on what makes a better choice:
Replace the medium quality road bike(Lemond Buenos Aires) with a medium quality tri bike(Cervelo Dual or similar), or
Buy/build a set of race wheels for the road bike, such as Hed3 front/Ch Aero disk rear or some such thing.
What got me thinking about this is that a new set of Hed 3 wheels costs around $1100, while a Cervelo Dual costs around $1600. I don’t know how much of a difference a Hed3/disk combination would make compared to the current Bontrager Race Lites that are on the road bike(I measured them at ~38mm deep), and whether that difference is greater than improvements that would be seen by going to a tri-specific bike.
If a set of race wheels gives you a 1-1.5 mph improvement, then that’s about a 15-20 minute improvement in an IM split, based roughly on a 17-19 mph rider. On the other hand, my tests on the Computrainer show that a 15 watt increase(from 186 to 201) in output on a 40 mile course cuts only 4 minutes off the results, which leads me to think that the improvement given by a set of wheels is potentially greater than that given by a new bike, unless that bike allows you to significantly increase power output at a given exertion level, and improves aerodynamics(which I don’t have the facilities to test, and the CT doesn’t account for.) I realize that I’m leaving out a lot, but I don’t want this post to go on endlessly.
I know that these topics occupy far too much of my brain power, and maybe too much of yours too, as we try different combinations of bikes and parts, and have an ever-growing pile of gear in the basement. Being cheap, I hate it when I spend money on stuff that doesn’t make sense, and doesn’t help me rider better, faster, and more comfortably.
If you manage to get a good position on your bike - keep it and buy new wheels. Typical problems with road bikes is that it’s not possible to get the bars low enough, not possible to get the seat enough forward - or stability problems when moving the seat forward.
A good position/fit should be first priority, then aero wheels. Other differences in tube shapes and brakes, crank, deralliurs etc doesn’t make any major difference.
A bike like the Dual will allow you to be in a more aero position, and that will save you more time than wheels alone. Depending on the race, you can rent the race wheels for $150 or so - then you have the best of both worlds.
Using info from biketechreview.com I just ciphered (my head hurts) that upgrading my front wheel from the Velomax Circuit (20 spoke / 26.3mm depth) training wheels to a Hed3 would save me 61 seconds on a flat 1/2IM. Ok so I ride 2’56"(19.000mph) rather than 2’57"(18.893mph). Not worth >=$400 to me. I guess a disk would save me even less but I can make my own disk cover for $30.
The current RaceLites are 23mm and the older ones were 19mm deep I believe.
“If a set of race wheels gives you a 1-1.5 mph improvement” Not sure where you dug this up. Once you get off the box style wheel you get a lot of the advantage of the deepest wheels.
Thanks for the info, all. I’ve been very busy lately, so I’m behind on all the tech threads that I’ve missed. ;p
I’m pretty sure that I measured the wheels at ~38mm, but my memory could be fuzzy, or I could be recalling total dpeth including the tire. The Lemond web site says my bike comes with the Select wheels, which are a cheaper version than the Race Lites. That’s probably what I have. I know that they are deeper than some other ‘aero’ wheels I’ve seen, if not particularly fancy. The rear wheel has an invisible bump in it from a bad hit it took last year(ahh, New England roads), so I probably need to replace it anyway. Even though it’s been trued, you can feel that it’s unbalanced when it spins.
I read the 1-1.5mph improvement thing either here, on another tri site, or in one of the numerous books I have accumulated over the past couple of years. Based on what you say, I might as well stay with what I have. Maybe shell out some money for the CH Aero cover.
IMO, a lot depends upon how you ride. If you ride/train solo then go for the Dual. If you group ride with roadies as part of your training and ride your bike for other activities (centuries, hill climbs, social, etc) besides just racing/training for tris then keep the road bike and get the wheels.