I am going to venture out and do an omnium this weekend, and was planning on using the 404’s for the road race and obviously the time trial, but I wasn’t sure about the crit. I have a cheap pair of Mavic training wheels as the other option. Thoughts??
-Brandon
Cat 1-2-3-4-5?
If it’s Cat 5, definitely the Mavics.
If it’s Cat 4, ride the Zipps if you think you have a realistic shot at the win. Otherwise, ride Mavics.
If it’s Cat 1-2-3, you shouldn’t be reading this message (especially since it’s written by me)
as long as the tires are glued properly, you will be fine.
I agree that cat5 races are too sketchy. I would avoid cat5 crits completely.
There are always several pairs of 404s or 303s in the cat5 crits. As it was already said make sure its glued effectively. And don’t race anything you can’t afford to break.
My teammate rides 404 in cat 5 crits as well as collegiate D.
Helps with the accelerations out of corners and sprinting, but if you are worried about busting them
it is not worth the DQ and relegation.
Crash replacement is always an option, and the Mavic’s can be your neutral support wheels for the crit. BUTTTTTTT like everyone else said, if it’s a Cat 5 crit, I’d think about it hard…and possibly switch things around 404s as your back up and the Mavics for the race. The “don’t race anything you can’t afford to break” is sound advice, also depends on how much you’ll be risking in the race…ie: taking the corners super sharp and fast, leading out team mates etc…
What exactly is the big deal with Cat 5 crits? I’m cat 4 here in the UK - i.e the lowest of the low, so our crits are often populated with newbies. Same with the track. You soon learn to avoid the people who obviously cannot corner or ride in a bunch.
My personal safety is assured by getting dropped. 