(This is cross-posted over at the BF Track forum, which no one ever reads.)
I have a pair of old Specialized trispoke wheels, first generation carbon composite, which I’ve adopted for track use. I have the opportunity to pick up an older HED disc for about $100, and I can use the same over-priced track adapter kit which I bought for use on the Specialized on the HED disc, then probably just sell the trispoke on eBay for a quick few hundred.
I am a strong mass-start racer, and not a pursuit specialist or someone who really excels at any of the individual effort races, so it is not as though I need it to shave a precious fraction of a second off somewhere. I’d imagine the the nature of the materials (solid carbon composite vs. hollow carbon walls) would make the trispoke some measure stiffer, which might benefit me more than a disc, but we all know that the disc is inherently more aerodynamic, and probably stiff enough for my 130lbs self.
So if you had to choose one or the other, would you have an old flexy trispoke wheel or an old flexy HED disc? This is for use at an outdoor velodrome, by the way.
I had a 130lb. friend complain about flex on his old HED road disc that he converted to track usage FWIW.
I still haven’t noticed anything negative in the flex department for my old Specialized Tri Spoke on the track. I’d take it over a disc for sure. Aerodynamics still make more difference up front and I haven’t had any cross wind issues (you usually get a head/tailwind in the straights with the walls protecting you in the turns at Alpenrose though).
Well I’m definitely keeping the tri-spoke up front, I’m inquiring about which to use as a rear wheel.
I had a HED disc before and I thought it felt slower, which I attributed to flex, but looking back at it now, I don’t think I ever adjusted the hub correctly and I think it probably tightened down and bound the bearings.
A HED disc up front would be sweet if they ever went through with the talk about an indoor velodrome.
buy disc then sell to sol. keep the pair of tri’s on ur biek
If you’re interested, I can maybe pass it along. You have to shell out stupid money ($110) for the track adapter kit from HED, and there is still no provision for a track lockring (and not enough threads for even a BB lockring), so there’s really no way you can safely ride it in the street.
Oh yeah, it’ll work with any kind of threaded-on freewheel, no freehubs though. Tubular, of course.
HED discs are horrible.
my zipp 1150 is fifty times better (stiffer, lighter, ect)
i would stick with teh trispokes
i weigh 142lbs and i could tell the flex in a hed disc
hed disc for show
trispokes for go
EDIT:
after reading the thread, if sol is seriously interested in the disc, id say the best scenario here is for you to buy it and resell it to him
and keep the hed3s on your bike
Yep. I’ve never heard a good thing about old HED discs on the track. Some strong guys race/have raced rear Tri-Spokes at Alpenrose.
I heard they good guys too
but are they strong riders…
And they used said trispokes when they messed in the 90s.
I just bought a disc from PBK, one of their $500 specials and it is flexy as shit… I can make it hit the brakes on my tt bike if I’m out of the saddle… but I’m not sure it would matter… If you read some of the technical discussions on wheel flex, some believe and I think prove that it is not wasted energy.
Personally I don’t think wheel flex is wasting much energy or making anyone much slower (brake pad contact excepted), but the fact that it can mess with handling and feel ‘off’ is enough grounds to justify not wanting flexy wheels to race on. Gotta have that peace of mind before you make your move…
buy disc, sell disc. continue 3sp0k usage. I bought a Hed superlite freehub shimano 9/10 disc several months back on ebay for 150 with intentions of getting the axle kit, got bored and heard it was no fun in sprinting with the flex issues, and put it on velospace as ‘best offer’. someone gave me 500 bucks.
if you want a sweet track disc get a zipp or a mavic
If anyone wants a HED disc, it’ll be for sale very shortly.
[quote=Ranger Rick]
relevent[/quote]
i feel like i should buy a 650c front disc for my funny bike
because bikes like this look sick
but then im like naw