Solid rear wheel

[CUEVO]

Hi All,

Jut wondering if anyone has ridden with a solid real wheel before?? What are the benefits of it??

[Kalgrm]

What do you mean by "solid"? Can you give us a brand name as an example to search on please?

Cheers,
Graeme

[JV911]

you mean a time trial disc?

very aerodynamic, however at around 1kg quite heavy

[stryker84]

i'd guess aerodynamic, if you don't have to worry bout strong crosswinds.

[CUEVO]

you mean a time trial disc?

very aerodynamic, however at around 1kg quite heavy

yep, like a time trial disc...a few guys from work who ride a lot reckon it might be a good option for triathlons...i mainly go road riding, but am entering a few tri's in the next few months (Nov, Jan and March)

If it is much heavier, probably not worth the expense then

[DanielS]

In a flat TT or tri-ride, weight doesn't matter. Aerodynamics does. So discs are a good thing (apart from in heavy cross winds).

But they are incredibly pricey, and I certainly wouldn't consider getting one unless you know that you are going to be using it often.

[sogood]

yep, like a time trial disc...a few guys from work who ride a lot reckon it might be a good option for triathlons...i mainly go road riding, but am entering a few tri's in the next few months (Nov, Jan and March)

If it is much heavier, probably not worth the expense then

As said, weight is usually not an issue for Tri time trials.

Disc as well as deep rim wheels will make a characteristic whoosh sound. The aero benefit can certain make a significant difference for the pros where seconds count. But for amateurs, there's no good justification in that heavy handed investment. Spend the money in getting the engine stronger first before considering these hardware options.

The other thing to be aware in the amateur ranks is that, using a disc is like wearing a yellow jersey. Your competitors would love to run you over with their regular wheels. So you may end up attracting unwanted attention and make the race harder for yourself.

[Tom Marius]

in a bike australia mag i was looking at recently not all the TT bikes of the Tour (2007 one i think) had the solid disc wheel (well, it was two out of about 14 that didnt have one) but it makes me think that if it was really that crucial ALL the teams would put them on the TT bikes?

[sogood]

in a bike australia mag i was looking at recently not all the TT bikes of the Tour (2007 one i think) had the solid disc wheel (well, it was two out of about 14 that didnt have one) but it makes me think that if it was really that crucial ALL the teams would put them on the TT bikes?

It can be affected by side wind. And obviously team budget would play a role too. Then there's strategy. Is the extra weight worth it for the particular course and teams would arrive at different conclusions.

[Tom Marius]

in a bike australia mag i was looking at recently not all the TT bikes of the Tour (2007 one i think) had the solid disc wheel (well, it was two out of about 14 that didnt have one) but it makes me think that if it was really that crucial ALL the teams would put them on the TT bikes?

It can be affected by side wind. And obviously team budget would play a role too. Then there's strategy. Is the extra weight worth it for the particular course and teams would arrive at different conclusions.

yeh the crosswind thing and the strategy was the conclusion i came too. But surely team budgets in the Pro Tour would be big enough to cover the expense of the disc wheel should the riders want them?

[Parrott]

Disc as well as deep rim wheels will make a characteristic whoosh sound. The aero benefit can certain make a significant difference for the pros where seconds count. But for amateurs, there's no good justification in that heavy handed investment.

Sorry strongly disagree. I have some tubular 85mm tubular carbon tokens and they are the difference between hanging on and struggling to take a decent turn in a handicap race, to feeling competitive in the group. If there aint much between the riders, as there shoudn't be if you are graded correctly, when the others have 50mm plus carbons, 404's etc, you are outgunned without them.

I now have a tt bike and using it equipped with the 85mm wheels I am 32 sec quicker over our 8 km tt course than I was on my tri bar equiped road bike. I feel approx half that time is attributable to the wheels.

[Bnej]

Disc wheels are also lousy for handling, especially in the wet.

The wheel is so stiff that it can jump and skitter around much more readily on small bumps, which can result in sudden loss of traction as the wheel reconnects with the ground when cornering hard.