Wheel/tires/cassette for Triathlon race day
08-05-21, 07:33 AM
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Wheel/tires/cassette for Triathlon race day
Does it make any sense to do my ordinary biking/training with my stock wheelset (700s; road bike) and create a second full set for race day with the expensive aero wheels, cassette, and low resistance tires?
Some of the roads I practice on have potholes and debris so I would be using my more flat-resistant ties for everyday use and saving the more-prone low resistance tires and aero rims for race day.
Some of the roads I practice on have potholes and debris so I would be using my more flat-resistant ties for everyday use and saving the more-prone low resistance tires and aero rims for race day.
08-05-21, 07:37 AM
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People have been doing that for a long time.
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08-05-21, 08:32 AM
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Wheels
Just be sure to get a ride or two on the race wheels right before race day.
Last thing you want is indexing issues on the day.
Barry
Last thing you want is indexing issues on the day.
Barry
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08-05-21, 08:38 AM
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If you are so good and competitive that having those things will improve your result at the end, then yeah of course you should get em.
...and maybe use the good wheels for the 95% of riding you do instead of only for 5% of the riding(race). They are wheels- they shouldnt be so delicate that you are afraid they will break during normal use. Just slap better tires on for race day.
...and maybe use the good wheels for the 95% of riding you do instead of only for 5% of the riding(race). They are wheels- they shouldnt be so delicate that you are afraid they will break during normal use. Just slap better tires on for race day.
08-05-21, 08:44 AM
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How much money are you willing to spend on this? Wheelset, duplicate cassette, and tires/tubes. Give a dollar figure.
08-05-21, 12:18 PM
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I am thinking of China-made carbon Fiber (SuperTeam $375.00), Conti 5000 ($110), and 10 speed Shimano cassette ($75.00) = $550.00
08-05-21, 12:30 PM
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So you are going to train on decent wheels and run cheap wheels from China on race day?
John
John
08-05-21, 12:36 PM
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What would you recommend for wheels that won't cost more than the bike itself (Specialized Roubaix Carbon frame, ~ $3,000 several years ago; DT Swiss 3.0 stock wheels)
08-05-21, 12:58 PM
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I’m not a racer so, I won’t venture a guess. I’ve seen Superteam mentioned here before and I think they are decent.
But I’m not sure what exactly $350 buys you, and more importantly where you are getting them.
John
Edit Added: So I decided to do a bit of Googling and I guess $350 is the normal price for SuperTeam carbon wheels shipped to the US.
Regardless, I’m not sure if that is a good thing. I did see that some Zipp rim brake carbon wheels are around a grand.
But I’m not sure what exactly $350 buys you, and more importantly where you are getting them.
John
Edit Added: So I decided to do a bit of Googling and I guess $350 is the normal price for SuperTeam carbon wheels shipped to the US.
Regardless, I’m not sure if that is a good thing. I did see that some Zipp rim brake carbon wheels are around a grand.
Last edited by 70sSanO; 08-05-21 at 01:15 PM.
08-05-21, 01:27 PM
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Yea $350 carbon wheels aren’t really what I would call race wheels
Last edited by Germany_chris; 08-05-21 at 02:27 PM.
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08-05-21, 04:42 PM
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I agree. You should first be competitive, even if it's age group. Aero triathlon race wheels aren't good for much else and you'll need to pay upwards of $1000. As hard as it is for cyclists to fathom, the run is what counts. Swim and bike just keep you in the running....
08-05-21, 08:22 PM
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^^^ This ^^^
Unless you're already competitive in your bracket (or close to it) flash wheels aren't going to do much for you. Have you already optimized your position for aero bars? Since you use your bike for ' general riding' as well, I'd guess you likely haven't.
What's your distance? Sprint? Olympic? Usually when you start going after Half- or Full-Ironman distance, a dedicated TRI bike is in the cards.
I've only attempted Sprints myself, but the bike leg is sufficiently short enough that riding the drops on a normal road bike is plenty fast for back in the age brackets. I'm a 40-something Clyde who's also kinda short- legged, so I'm lucky to beat my bib number, and I prefer duathlon, because I'm a crap swimmer; but in any case, the bike leg is supposed to be as efficient as it is fast. There's no point in saving seconds on the ride if it costs you minutes in the run because your legs are shelled from smashing an ITT on the bike
Unless you're already competitive in your bracket (or close to it) flash wheels aren't going to do much for you. Have you already optimized your position for aero bars? Since you use your bike for ' general riding' as well, I'd guess you likely haven't.
What's your distance? Sprint? Olympic? Usually when you start going after Half- or Full-Ironman distance, a dedicated TRI bike is in the cards.
I've only attempted Sprints myself, but the bike leg is sufficiently short enough that riding the drops on a normal road bike is plenty fast for back in the age brackets. I'm a 40-something Clyde who's also kinda short- legged, so I'm lucky to beat my bib number, and I prefer duathlon, because I'm a crap swimmer; but in any case, the bike leg is supposed to be as efficient as it is fast. There's no point in saving seconds on the ride if it costs you minutes in the run because your legs are shelled from smashing an ITT on the bike
08-05-21, 10:54 PM
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Draft legal triathlon is all about the swim because if you're not out with the first group, well, you're not going to catch a group on the bike unless you're a whole another level above them in ability. Once you are in a pack, the bike doesn't matter that much and you are saving yourself for the run. Long course non draft legal triathlon, the bike matters more and especially if it's hilly it's possible to really gain time on people on the bike.
Nice wheels and a pair of GP5000s (which are good and durable enough to train and race on) never go amiss, but cheapest Chinese wheels aren't really an upgrade over a good alloy set - a decent pair of CF wheels goes upwards of a thousand and that is for cheaper offerings such as Light Bicycle and the like.
Nice wheels and a pair of GP5000s (which are good and durable enough to train and race on) never go amiss, but cheapest Chinese wheels aren't really an upgrade over a good alloy set - a decent pair of CF wheels goes upwards of a thousand and that is for cheaper offerings such as Light Bicycle and the like.
08-06-21, 05:12 AM
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I guess a dissenting opinion. For sole purpose of using on race day triathlon, the OP's notion seems fine. Assuming he's averaging over 20mph on the flats, why not some deeper 50mm+ rims. So what they're cheap, is the hub quality going to really more than offset the rim's aero advantage? Are the wheels that ship out of true that they wobble? Seems the above opinions are along the lines that unless OP hopes to win each event he enters, he shouldn't bother.
08-06-21, 07:49 AM
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Both arguments are nonsensical.
Will aero wheels change anyone from pack filler into a winner? No. Will they make anyone faster? Yes.
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08-06-21, 09:13 AM
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Since the OP rides a 'several-years old Roubaix' that he also uses for 'general riding' so I'm doubtful that he's optimized to the point that carbon wheels will make a difference.
Dont get me wrong, I like new gear as much as the next guy, and new wheels and good tires definitely make a bike feel faster. If the OP wants a dedicated set of 'race' wheels, then go for it if it's what you want, but I woudn't expect it to be a game-changer.
08-06-21, 09:28 AM
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Rider position (saddle position and aero bars) are the biggest contributors to the difference between TRI and a regular road bike. Wheels are in the category of 'marginal gains' if you haven't made the big changes, you won't get much benefit out of doing the little ones.
But yes, it does make sense to first go after the "low hanging fruit". Here's a chart of equipment upgrades from cyclingtips, along with their energy savings and dollar cost:
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08-06-21, 03:32 PM
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Well, at least where I am everything shorter than a half IM distance is draft legal and hence tri bikes aren't allowed, so a tri bike isn't always the answer.
08-06-21, 03:39 PM
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What does draft legal or illegal, or tri-bike or non-tri-bike allowed, have to do with whether aero wheels make sense for riding in a Triathlon?
08-06-21, 07:26 PM
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Well, a few posts up someone is suggesting that unless you're riding a tri bike it's rather pointless to spend on aero wheels, which is a bit bogus.
08-06-21, 08:48 PM
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Draft-legal, as practiced in the Olympics, and Sprint-distance World Championships, (31 and 18 miles, respectively) allows for riding in pacelines / pelotons during the bike leg, which is generally multiple laps of a shorter course, which naturally brings the competitors closer together. In draft-legal tri's, standard drop-bar road bikes are required, aero bars and bullhorns are prohibited, and wheels must have at least
In the OP's case, the type of events he's planning on doing, and how serious he is about them should guide his equipment choices.
Last edited by Ironfish653; 08-07-21 at 10:07 AM.
08-07-21, 06:13 AM
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In an Ironman type triathlon (140 or 70.3 miles) , riders are not allowed to follow closer than 3 bike lengths to another rider, unless passing, or you can receive a time penalty for drafting. The bike course is usually an out-and-back or one or two large loops, essentially ridden as an ITT. This is the realm of the specialized, full-aero TRI bike.
Draft-legal, as practiced in the Olympics, and Sprint-distance World Championships, (31 and 18 miles, respectively) allows for riding in pacelines / pelotons during the bike leg, which is generally multiple laps of a shorter course, which naturally brings the competitors closer together. In draft-legal tri's, standard drop-bar road bikes are required, aero bars and bullhorns are prohibited, and wheels must have at least 24 spokes.
In the OP's case, the type of events he's planning on doing, and how serious he is about them should guide his equipment choices. No sense in rocking up a $1000 set of Campy Shamals (16/21h) to a draft-legal TRI, when they're likely to get bounced in scrutineering for not having enough spokes.
Draft-legal, as practiced in the Olympics, and Sprint-distance World Championships, (31 and 18 miles, respectively) allows for riding in pacelines / pelotons during the bike leg, which is generally multiple laps of a shorter course, which naturally brings the competitors closer together. In draft-legal tri's, standard drop-bar road bikes are required, aero bars and bullhorns are prohibited, and wheels must have at least 24 spokes.
In the OP's case, the type of events he's planning on doing, and how serious he is about them should guide his equipment choices. No sense in rocking up a $1000 set of Campy Shamals (16/21h) to a draft-legal TRI, when they're likely to get bounced in scrutineering for not having enough spokes.
As to the Tri bike rule, maybe you misinterpreted the 24 spoke rule to mean the minimum allowed for the entire bike (ie. both wheels combined)? According to this link, each wheel only requires a minimum of 12 spokes.
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlo...l-For-Athletes
08-07-21, 10:51 AM
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Thanks. I know what drafting is, but don't see how any of this is relevant to whether OP should get some more aero rims than the stock alloy shallow ones that his bike came with?
As to the Tri bike rule, maybe you misinterpreted the 24 spoke rule to mean the minimum allowed for the entire bike (ie. both wheels combined)? According to this link, each wheel only requires a minimum of 12 spokes.
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlo...l-For-Athletes
As to the Tri bike rule, maybe you misinterpreted the 24 spoke rule to mean the minimum allowed for the entire bike (ie. both wheels combined)? According to this link, each wheel only requires a minimum of 12 spokes.
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlo...l-For-Athletes
It seems that the bike leg in a draft-legal can be more like a crit, with lots of short laps; when you're riding 3 or 4 back in the bunch, having a really aero bike is a lot less important than if you're doing 50 or 100 miles solo out in the wind.
It seems like the OP is looking at a ~50mm wheel, and 25mm GP5k's which is pretty standard 'fast road' stuff, not really exotic like a ZIPP 808, or HED Tri-spoke. I can also see that if you are racing on the same bike that you use for a lot of training and regular riding, that you'd maybe want to ride on some more durable running gear during the week, and have a 'good pair' for race day.