Monkeyclaw

Hi All-

I'm looking at getting into racing and wonder if my bike and wheels are adequate/acceptable? I compete in a lot of tri's, and also do some local group rides.

For racing, I plan on using my Kestrel Talon SL Road. For wheels I usually use HED Jet 90 C2's w/ PT. On the front, I swap out for a Felt TTR4. Should I skip the PT and use the TTR4 rear too? Or is the Jet 9 OK?

Is the Talon OK for racing? You don't really see them very often, especially for racing.

Thanks!

kindablue

You'll be fine with the bike if you feel comfortable with it in group rides. I'd skip the 90mm deep section wheels though, generally way to friggern deep for most group applications... not always but usually.

And please no bar extensions in road races. They are not USAC legal.

Brian Ratliff

You'll have a better bike and wheels than 90% of the Cat5s you'll be racing against, whatever you choose to ride. 90mm might be a bit deep on the wheels.

carpediemracing 

I googled both the Talon SL Road and the TTR4s. The bike should be fine, with the caveat of no aero bars. The wheels too.

I have one Jet9 (a rear, to go with a Jet6 front) and feel it's pretty heavy, so heavy that I only use the wheels in training. Initially I bought them as both training and back up race wheels. The surges you'll experience in racing may favor the TTR4s.

shovelhd

We have a guy in our club just like you, a triathlete who races his Kestrel in Cat5 crits. Definitely ditch the disc and deep section wheels. You're going to have to learn how to handle your bike in the pack in close quarters and the last thing you'll need is that stuff blowing you all over the place. You won't need or miss the Powertap. If you have the funds, think about picking up a cheap set of spare wheels for the pit.

Hermes

+! Triathletes race at sub threshold and typically do not experience multiple high power accelerations. A Cat 5 crit will feature high speed turns in close proximity to other riders and fast acceleration at high power out of the turns. I did a cat 5 four corner easy crit that featured 80 accelerations per my power meter. Riding is a pack negates a lot of the benefit of aero wheels. So the ideal set up is a fairly light stiff bike that corners well with wheels that you can spin up. So it is about the engine and bike handling.

waterrockets 

This is an old discussion around here, but in a crit, aero wheels are more beneficial than super light wheels. To win, you have to be in the wind at some point, and they'll help you there. The energy it takes to spin a slightly heavier rim in an acceleration is very small. ~15W savings from lower CdA in a sprint or break can be significant.

shovelhd

For the record, I'm not saying that aero wheels have no benefit in crits. I'm sure they do, but there is a risk/reward point. I've seen more than one crash this year caused by a guy with deep section wheels (over 40mm) getting blown into another at the front of the field.

Nate552

Sounds like those guys need to practice handling their bikes instead of entering in crits.

Monkeyclaw

Thanks for all the input! My bike is set up as a pure roadie, I have a Felt B2 for racing Tri's. I raced crits as a junior (~28 yrs ago), but wasn't very good. No competitive edge and no idea of tactics when you're 13 years old I did a lot of week-long tours as a kid, my dad's idea of a vacation. I think my group skills are pretty good, but they can always get better. They're probably not as good as I think...

I have a set of Ksyrium Equipe wheels too, which I can use as backups. Would the Jet 9 rear be ok for a RR? Or should I just give up using the PM for racing (except TT's)? It wouldn't be a huge loss, but I love looking at the data afterwards.

I made a mistake on the wheels - they are TTR2's, not 4's. I think the only difference is weight (2's are lighter). Might be a slight difference in depth too - TTR2's are 42mm deep, not sure on the 4's.

Thanks again for the input, now I just need to find some races... Maybe a team too.

timster

That's not the fault of the wheels. That's the fault of the rider not knowing how to handle his bike with aero wheels.

Hida Yanra

your gear will be fine.
be careful in the pack, be attentive, and race what you can replace.

shovelhd

Of course. Remember the context here.

carpediemracing 

For data the Jet9 would be okay for a crit or road race. Personally I'd use a lighter wheel, but if you want to collect data (and races are a good place to do that) then use the Jet9 with whatever front wheel.

A tall rear wheel basically stabilizes you so you can always use a tall rear wheel. Even a disk, if legal, will work in a crit. I've used a disk in a few crits and there are local riders who still use them by default.

A tall front wheel makes you more vulnerable to wind and forces you to steer the bike more (instead of leaning it). The latter is technically inaccurate but that's the "feeling" I get when I move from short to tall to short front wheels.