johovishta

Hi,
I started road cycling last year for triathlon.As it was a new thing to me I bought an entry level bike.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/....3/7842/45448/

Anyway turns out I like road cycling and triathlon but now I want to go faster (but have only limited a money). For reference my 40 km ride in my olympic triathlon last year was 1:09 and intend to do half iron man distance this year. I have slapped some aero bars on my bike and i figure the next place to get "equipment" speed gains is to get a new set of wheels. I figure I should invest enough so down the line when I get a better frame down the line (e.g. of a bike that might cost around £3000) my wheels will still be "good" enough to put on that if you get what I mean.

So I am thinking of getting some Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL's

https://www.mavic.com/en/product/whee...mic-Carbone-SL

I wasn't 100 % sure that these would be compatible with the Shimano 2300 groupset on my Defy. DOes anyone know? Sorry I am a really bad bike mechanic but do hope to work on that :-). I have to say these wheels look pretty darn cool so thats got help me go faster right?

For convenience I do quite a bit of training (especially during the working week/winter) on my Kurt Kinetic Trainer. I have noticed it messes up the rear wheel. So I was thinking I could cycle on the road with my fancy new tyres and swap the rear one for the stock wheel for going on the Turbo. Will it be easy enough to change back and forth between wheels for me (bearing in mind my lack of aptitude for mechanics).

Thanks,
J

PS Yes I am training more and realise being fit is the main key to going faster!

gsteinb

this will get more responses in the road forum.

laserfj

Welcome!

You are correct that the way to become faster is to train more.

That being said, to answer your question about compatibility, most wheels will come in one of two options: either a) shimano/SRAM freehub or b) campagnolo freehub. This option dictates what type of cassete will fit onto the wheel. As long as your rear wheel has option a, you should be good using it with shimano.

Aside from training, the biggest way to increase your time trial speed is by reducing air drag. The two biggest factors to help that are improving your aero position on the bike, and wheels (aero position > wheels).

It's possible to get into a good aero position on your current bike. If you get a new bike in the future for triathlons, consider getting one with a "TT" (time trial) geometry. These are designed with the assumption that you will be riding in the aero position, so they make it more efficient and comfortable.

The next best thing is aero wheels.

Just don't forget to keep training!

climber7

this is a good plan, but you should also get an aero helmet. speed gain is probably as much as / more than what you'll get from wheels, and it costs much less. i would also suggest that you consider a disc cover (<$100 from wheelbuilder.com) for the rear wheel. any combination of wheels/disc cover/helmet will help a bunch.

groupset should have no effect on wheel compatibility as long as you get the right freehub and cassette to go with the wheels.


yep - piece of cake. just watch a youtube video or two and you'll be fine.



and also if you don't tell people around here you're a triathlete

canam73

Somebody who knows the Defy better than me can hopefully confirm this or point me out as wrong. But doesn't that bike have more of a comfort geometry?

If you are headed toward a dedicated Tri/TT bike I wouldn't worry about it. But if you are interested in a faster riding road bike I would probably try to upgrad the whole bike before the wheels. Being able to get into a good position is going to make you more aero than new wheels will, and that frame looks to me like it is designed for more of an upright (non-aero) stance. You could get a low angle stem to compensate for the tall head tube, but why buy stuff for a bike that you are planning on outgrowing?

John_V 

Correct! The Defy models all have a compact frame or relaxed geometry.

echotraveler

ride more you'll get faster. specially ride with stronger experienced riders. I currently have a cycling partner thats riding a freaking heavy bike! and he keeps up with us because he keeps riding hard...

valygrl

There's some really good advice on time trials here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ead-click-here.

It reiterates climber7's point above, that a TT helmet is better bang for the buck than wheels.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to get a great set of used aero wheels on craigslist. Everyone here is selling off their pre-firecrest zipp wheels.

3kmi

As far as tri is concerned, an aero helmet will net significantly higher gains than a wheel change. Cheaper and faster, but new wheels are more fun.

johovishta

Thanks for the tips guys; am gonna get me these wheels :-)

Also an aero helmet is now in the budget - does anyone know a model which has considerable head room ... ( i have big head/hair) ?

Actually, since I installed my aero bars I am relatively happy with my aero positioning on this frame (and can even hold it for a couple of hours). I have done a bit of work while on the turbo trainer setting up video cameras/mirrors and trying to get everything set-up nicely and comparing my bike posture and how I look compared to the pros on youtube and diagrams! That is why I am thinking wheels now and a new (and more expensive) frame/groupset might be for next years budget. If it can be cleared with the local purchasing committee (wife)).....

nkfrench 

I just ordered the women's equivalent of the Giant Defy 1 (Avail 1). It is to be my commuter/trainer/utility/mudder bike.
My LBS will adjust the head tube spacers to drop the handlebars to a more aero position.
Based on a recent professional fitting, they will also adjust the saddle height and fore-aft and replace the stem/handlebars to duplicate my "good" bike's fit.
They tried this out on a Giant Avail 2 (in stock) to reassure me they can adjust the Avail 1 (same geometry) to suit me.
I am also swapping out the compact crank/cassette to suit my riding style.

The basic shop fit I had on my "good" bike was pretty close, but the pro fit minor tweaks made a noticeable difference in smoothing out my pedal stroke and helping my climbing.
Caveat: my "good" bike is not a time trial or triathlon bike, I believe it's designed for fast centuries.

I was test-riding some bikes with 2300 components and noticed that the cranks seemed to flex when I put force on them.
I was assured that the 105's will be stiffer.