After much deliberating, starting and joining in many conversations on various internet forums (time trial forum/ tri talk u.k/ beginner triathlete) and conversations with Alford wheelers club members i decided on a pair of planet x 82/101 wheels (www.planetx.co.uk)
I had considered the idea of importing a set of race wheels from china however for every good story about there quality there seemed to be a negative with wheels failing and for me this was too much of a gamble, I also considered a shallower depth of front wheel as it had been mentioned a deep section front wheel can be quite a handful in the wind, it is also considered that there isn't 'much' of a time saving from a 50 mm deep wheel which would be more controllable in windy conditions to a 80 mm deep wheel, for me however the fact there was a small time saving was enough, as i find when in top competition every second counts and in a sport where marginal gains are key to victory this wasn't something i wanted to miss out on, as it happens my Giant trinity came with 42 mm deep rims as standard therefore for me it was a no-brainer, I would have the best of both worlds .
eventually I came across a second hand pair of planet x wheels on a internet forum we agreed a price and the wheels were shipped to my works address, my first challenge was fitting a tub to the rear wheel as the rear tire had come separately and it was something I had never done before. As it happened the job was really simple, I would say it was on par with fitting a standard clincher and inner tube in terms of difficulty. and my fear of tubs was largely unjustified, if your uming and arring whether to invest in a set of tubular rims instead of clinchers but are unsure about investing then the fitting and removal is certainly not a issue to worry about.
Next for me was to fit my plastic wheel cover to my rear wheel, this was a simple task as i had previously fitted it to a older wheel, the cover is held on with various cable ties and tape, it all sounds a bit Heeth Robbinson and in all honesty it is however if you take your time it can look very neat, and has fooled several people into thinking it is a proper disc wheel, The reason i fit this is because when you are riding a time trial bike there is no sheltering behind anybody from the wind, and you and your bike are the largest items slowing you down while traveling at speed, any airflow that has been interrupted becomes dirty air, and this causes drag, this is where deep dish wheels and disks help to create a smoother flow of air around you allowing you to go faster for less effort(please correct me if I'm wrong !)
I took the wheels out for there first ride the day before Woodhall spa triathlon, I was very cautious riding through town until i hit the outskirts, when i first started to apply the power the first thing I noticed was how direct the drive was, every pedal stroke instantly propelled me forward, they felt so much more direct than my original training wheels, the second thing i noticed was the sound, although not helpful in my quest for speed, there's something rather special about riding a bike that sounds like an Apache helicopter :) .
Are they worth the money? yes, without a doubt, the added stiffness to the ride is worth it alone the carbon rims take the buzz out the road which help stop fatigue setting in quite so early, but mostly they make the bike look fast even when its standing still ! the quality of the wheel build is impressive and i would recommend them to any one who is confident in there bike handling skills.
eventually I came across a second hand pair of planet x wheels on a internet forum we agreed a price and the wheels were shipped to my works address, my first challenge was fitting a tub to the rear wheel as the rear tire had come separately and it was something I had never done before. As it happened the job was really simple, I would say it was on par with fitting a standard clincher and inner tube in terms of difficulty. and my fear of tubs was largely unjustified, if your uming and arring whether to invest in a set of tubular rims instead of clinchers but are unsure about investing then the fitting and removal is certainly not a issue to worry about.
Next for me was to fit my plastic wheel cover to my rear wheel, this was a simple task as i had previously fitted it to a older wheel, the cover is held on with various cable ties and tape, it all sounds a bit Heeth Robbinson and in all honesty it is however if you take your time it can look very neat, and has fooled several people into thinking it is a proper disc wheel, The reason i fit this is because when you are riding a time trial bike there is no sheltering behind anybody from the wind, and you and your bike are the largest items slowing you down while traveling at speed, any airflow that has been interrupted becomes dirty air, and this causes drag, this is where deep dish wheels and disks help to create a smoother flow of air around you allowing you to go faster for less effort(please correct me if I'm wrong !)
I took the wheels out for there first ride the day before Woodhall spa triathlon, I was very cautious riding through town until i hit the outskirts, when i first started to apply the power the first thing I noticed was how direct the drive was, every pedal stroke instantly propelled me forward, they felt so much more direct than my original training wheels, the second thing i noticed was the sound, although not helpful in my quest for speed, there's something rather special about riding a bike that sounds like an Apache helicopter :) .
Are they worth the money? yes, without a doubt, the added stiffness to the ride is worth it alone the carbon rims take the buzz out the road which help stop fatigue setting in quite so early, but mostly they make the bike look fast even when its standing still ! the quality of the wheel build is impressive and i would recommend them to any one who is confident in there bike handling skills.
No comments:
Post a Comment