Triathlon deep rim wheel advice

Skateboy
Skateboy Posts: 69
edited March 2012 in Road buying advice
As the title says, im riding a bianchi infinito with campag veloce. I like the look of the zipp 404 and the planet x 50, are they compatable with campag or can you advice me on something that would do the job.

Thanks

James

Comments

  • darby allen
    darby allen Posts: 1
    Just joined,not very computer savvy,but can anyone help me with this problem?i bought a pinarello quattro last year and read reports that the wheels were heavy.I then went and bought a set of ultegra wheels a bit lighter 300g overall,and this is where it gets interesting just using my hand i spun both wheels the originals spun for over 5 mins the ultegras for about 30 seconds surely this is wrong
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    darby allen wrote:
    Just joined,not very computer savvy,but can anyone help me with this problem?i bought a pinarello quattro last year and read reports that the wheels were heavy.I then went and bought a set of ultegra wheels a bit lighter 300g overall,and this is where it gets interesting just using my hand i spun both wheels the originals spun for over 5 mins the ultegras for about 30 seconds surely this is wrong

    Well for starters - you need your own thread in "Workshop" :lol:
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Problem with full carbon rims on a road bike is that every time you swap wheels, you need to swap brake pads as well, which is very tedious, plus they are tubolars... are you familiar with tubolars? It's a 50 pounds job per puncture. I suggest you look at deep section clinchers with aluminium braking surface... Mavic Cosmic Carbone or Campagnolo bullet for instance
    left the forum March 2023
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Err, where does he mention going tubular? http://www.zipp.com/wheels/index.php zipps come in both flavours. Planet X only seem to do SRAM/ Shimano fit. http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/c/q/wheels

    PP
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    £50 for a tubular repair anyway? Who repairs your tubulars?? Even a mail order repair is only £15 following a quick search so even adding postage out, thats well under £20. I used to get mine done by someone for £10 locally when i raced.

    If i get myself a new TT bike this year - it will be for tubulars. Lighter weight wheels and lower rolling resistance is enough to convince me that tubulars are the way to go for time trials or triathlon. This is for "race only" wheels however.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    Err, where does he mention going tubular? http://www.zipp.com/wheels/index.php zipps come in both flavours. Planet X only seem to do SRAM/ Shimano fit. http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/c/q/wheels

    PP

    Planet X sells rims only as well, which can be built into wheels for Campagnolo... I looked inot that for a friend and it's possible to build a very nice set for just over 300 pounds, which is a hell of a lot of saving over a pair of Zipps and the likes... still, carbon braking surface, I would not bother on a road bike. I am not aware of spare carbon rims with alu braking surface for a cheap build... does anyone?

    Tubolars issue... yes, there are (few) people who repair them, not many and not cheap anyway... most people would look at spending £ 20 on an old tyre as false economy over spending £ 50 for a new one... of course one could learn the DIY, but reality is, not many bother
    left the forum March 2023
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    still, carbon braking surface, I would not bother on a road bike.
    but he wants them for triathlons, not road biking. Anyhow, I have carbon clinchers on my road bike, there are pros and cons....fantasticly lightweight, spin very freely, climb well, really come into their own on the flats and downhill and are very strong with no flex. Downside is braking in the wet where they are not as good, but you just take that into account with your riding style. Braking in the dry is very good with decent pads, but they need to be soft and hence they wear very quickly on the front. So if you can live with that and the additional expense of a set of front pads every few months then that is the only drawback. It does depend how many hills you ride though as it is only hard braking on downhills that really wears them fast. I use Zipp pads over the previous Swissstop that I had fitted.

    So it really comes down to what you want to use them for....triathlons - Can't see a problem other than if you want to swap them constantly for alloy rimmed training wheels. If this is the case it would be quicker to get a second hand pair of brakes and swap them with the wheels rather than swapping pads constantly.

    PP
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Pilot Pete wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    still, carbon braking surface, I would not bother on a road bike.
    but he wants them for triathlons, not road biking. Anyhow, I have carbon clinchers on my road bike, there are pros and cons....fantasticly lightweight, spin very freely, climb well, really come into their own on the flats and downhill and are very strong with no flex. Downside is braking in the wet where they are not as good, but you just take that into account with your riding style. Braking in the dry is very good with decent pads, but they need to be soft and hence they wear very quickly on the front. So if you can live with that and the additional expense of a set of front pads every few months then that is the only drawback. It does depend how many hills you ride though as it is only hard braking on downhills that really wears them fast. I use Zipp pads over the previous Swissstop that I had fitted.

    So it really comes down to what you want to use them for....triathlons - Can't see a problem other than if you want to swap them constantly for alloy rimmed training wheels. If this is the case it would be quicker to get a second hand pair of brakes and swap them with the wheels rather than swapping pads constantly.

    PP

    That was my point... it is a pain to keep swapping pads... there are pads that work for both Aluminium and carbon, but typically they cost as much as a set of budget wheels and last as little as a couple of months.
    A set of Cosmic can do sunday rides as well as saturday triathlons...
    left the forum March 2023
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    I think carbon/alu mix deep section rim represents a really bad trade-off, because you pay a big weight penalty for it. Same goes for all-carbon clinchers actually.

    If you're racing, and you want deep section (and this is a good call for aero reasons!), then go the whole hog and go for an all-carbon tubular. This buys you the most speed for the least money, which is the key point of racing equipment! Yes, you have to change the pads, but this is relatively easy. Yes, you have to deal with tubulars but they roll faster and for race only wheels, this is fine (actually better, because if you puncture, you've got the option, if it works, of firing a can of pitstop into the wheel and being on your way pdq. Or using preventative sealant in advance).

    The only issues are wet braking (which is a minor issue for tri's, given you can anticipate braking and adjust accordingly) and crosswinds (which is a far bigger issue for tris, given handling issues with tri-bars).

    My advice: get a set of Planet X R50 rims built up onto campag hubs. Great value. Use the money you saved (e.g. over and above a set of Zipps) to buy nice tubs and think about also getting a set of deep section alu rims (e.g. 30mm or so, built up with 20/24 spokes) for use on windy/wet days.
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    PS one thing also worth considering (because the planet x deals on their Shimano R50 wheelsets are really good), is getting a shimano splined/campag spaced cassette, so you can use the standard build shimano freehubs.
  • Skateboy
    Skateboy Posts: 69
    Guys, unreal. Thank you so much for ur help and advice. Really helpful and informative. Alot more help then some forums.

    You are all my heros.

    Thank you so much again.

    James

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