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Old 04-06-12, 08:41 PM
  #21  
Dalai
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Australia
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My Fuji Track Pro 2008 came with Alex Crostini R1.1, 32-hole rims on Formula High flange hubs which have been bomb proof training wheels and fine for starting out racing.

For front race wheels I currently use either a Zipp 404 or Hed Stinger 90 from my road ITT wheel collection and bolt on skewer. Only limitation in sharing wheels between the track and road is I am using Vittoria Evo CX road tires - a slightly slower compromise indoors compared to a pista tubular shellaced on.

One rear disc option not yet covered is-

Zipp Predator/1150/950 Disc

Pros:

- Relatively cheap as the two sided track/road hub only takes a road screw on cluster up to 8 speed so most road users have moved on from these. I asked around on a local triathlon forum if anyone had one of these gathering dust in their garage and were willing to sell cheaply. I ended up getting my Zipp Predator gratis!
-The bearings are press fit sealed bearings readily available.
- Sealed bearings don't require service or attention.
-Bomb proof and stiff (can only compare with my Zipp 900 on my road TT bike and cannot fault either wheel).

Cons:

- No track axle conversion kits available anymore. I had a friend machine new custom axles out of stainless stock.
-Old. First started to be made back in 1988! Check the hub is still securely glued to the disc (I have heard of one accident where the glue bond failed causing a crash).
-Hub can be replaced by Zipp to a new track hub but cost outweighs going with the wheel in the first place. When I looked into this years ago it would have cost $300. Expect this to cost more if the service is still available.

Conclusion:
I recommend these wheels for budget conscious endurance racers if you can find one cheaply and have contacts who can turn an axle.
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