Disc wheel for TT
 

About to do a 12-mile TT with 500 feet of climbing. Opinions on Zipp 808 or disc wheel? Also, if it’s windy, which one is better?

How about 808 Front and Disc in back?

i can do that, just wondering about Rear wheel.

If it's not super windy, go with the disc. When you warm up, if it feels like the wind is pulling you around too much, switch to the 808.

Always disc on back. If it was windy enough for it to be dangerous they'd cancel the event. I worked for a women's pro team for a decade and they (even the smallest girls) ALWAYS used the rear disc. Even in wind strong enough to wreck pop-up canopies in NM at Gila they'd use the disc. Some climbing on that course as well. I've never felt the rear wheel to be much of a problem at all compared to the front. If it's windy use a low pro front.

Disc.

And this:

+1
I have never had an issue with a disc on the rear when windy.
Don't even notice its there as far as bike handling goes.

I don't know if they still do, but they used to hold TT championships at Lake Los Angeles and I remember leaving my disc in the car and many competitors did the same. Rumor had it someone drifted off the pavement, but I didn't think it was a safety issue so much as figuring that we would lose time and energy swerving all over the road and fighting the crosswinds.

Wrong. Read post 7.

Yeah, I read that post, and if you read mine you’d see I had a totally different experience, and that many others that day felt similarly. Maybe it was because I weighed 125 back then, but I felt like I was getting tossed around like laundry on a clothes line.

Dunno, maybe not a great TT position on your bike? Maybe you're not a great bike rider (nothing at all meant by that)? All I know is that every girl/woman I ever worked with used a rear disc at EVERY TT. Some mentioned the wind but none ever had any serious problems and it was for sure faster. They had a 3 time Olympic TT champion as either a teammate or director and she made sure I put a disc on every bike. I tried to get a hold of a disc for the track (Hellyer, outdoors) every time I could, which wasn't often enough but it was never a big deal. I think a lot of people get it in their head that it will be a problem and succumb to that.

That's entirely possible (no offense taken), my Olympic dreams were abandoned decades ago and ITT was definitely not my best event (though I was pretty good at pursuit... go figure). I raced at Hellyer a few times, much like my home track (Encino) but a little less bumpy.

Never raced at Encino...it's bumpier than Hellyer?!? They repaved the apron at Hellyer a bunch of years ago and screwed up by a tiny little bit. The black line went from 333m to 335m. Makes for some weird start/finish marks.

It felt like it to me. Worst part of Encino was this dip in turn 3 that would sometimes catch riders off guard in the final sprint and they'd lose traction. That 335m sounds crazy! I thought it was weird enough at Marymoor (400m).

So how did it go???

HED now makes a wheel for those who can't decide. The Jet 180.

I thought this was some kind of April fools joke when I first saw it:


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0db2aa5620.png

^ When I first saw that, I thought "damn you're gonna need a LOOOONG valve extender!" 😂 Then realised it has a valve hole cut-out like a disc.

I don't see many people using that weirdly deep wheel, unless it's in a specific race where discs are banned.



Also ...

😀

It's not about deciding. At Ironman Kona you can't use a disc because they seem to think the crosswinds are a problem. Maybe for a triathlete that probably isn't very good on the bike and is very tired.

full disc always is better... unless it's like 50mph+ wind

On Slowtwitch they claim in Hawi there's some specific piece of road with a cliff to the side with one trade wind that causes the issue that's unique to the course.

I take their word for it. Also IM events have like 500-1000 people? A time trial might have like 30 to 60 people on course at any point in time for a full 40k distance. So there's that also.

Kona? Yeah, OK.

These HED wheels will be a big hit with the MUP warriors who swerve around kids and dogs in their aero tucks while training for the local sprint race.

I just saw this at Kona this past week. One of the professional women (can’t remember who right now) was running this wheel. I’ve always wondered why something like didn’t exist because it would be a great wheel for people new to TT bikes who are looking for better aero but aren’t comfortable running a full disc (and I know the arguments for and against discs…). Glad this is finally out there.

There were quite a few (I assume wheel-sponsored) athletes running that mega-deep wheel at Kona over the weekend. The look is growing on me, although I'm never going to race at KONA so a full disc will do me.

The 180 is just a new version of the old 1080. I mean, it looks deeper, but the 1080 was a thing for quite a while.

No, the 1080 was a Zipp wheel and not anywhere near as deep as the HED 180. The rim depth of the 1080 is 111mm, the HED is...well as it says on the wheel, 180mm deep. That's a HUGE difference.