Sincitycycler

Racing newbie. Saw it on a local crit/rr flyer. What does that mean?

tekhna

The level of mechanical support a rider can receive also varies from race to race. In a small local road race, racers may be advised to carry their own spare tires and pumps. Larger races may provide “follow vehicles,” aboard which riders may load spare wheels. This support usually is provided on a “wheels in, wheels out” basis -- if the riders have placed wheels in the van, they can take one if they flat; no wheel, no deal. If the vehicle is designated as “neutral support,” wheels it carries are available to any rider who flats. In major road races, trade-team vehicles and neutral support companies will form a caravan that follows the competitors with everything from spare wheels to complete bikes. A team’s follow car is usually driven by the team director who has contact with all the riders on the team via two-way radio.

DannoXYZ 

You also put a tag with your race-number on your wheels so that if you do get a flat, the guy in the support-van knows which wheels to grab. I've gotten other people's wheels by accident a number of times and nothing's more frustrating than trying to shift with non-compatible cogs and/or spacing.

In the pits of crits, they usually space the wheels out along the kerb so you don't have to dig through a pile of them. Just pull up right next to your wheels, quick swap, wait for the pack to come around again and you're back in the race.

For our collegiate races, we had support from Mitch at Mavic for all the races. The guy was on speed I tell ya, rushing around swapping wheels, pumpin' up tyres for people, checking glue, etc. He had this custom pump that took only 5 strokes to go from zero to 110psi!

MacMan

One of the things I love about Superweek is the neutral support. So nice.

EventServices

Mark your wheels well, my friends.
I mean, mark them so that you can spot them from an airplane!

There's nothing worse than:
a. having a well-meaning and well-intentioned volunteer give your wheels to someone else because "they all look the same"
b. not being able to find yours in the back of the wheel van when the pack is riding away from you.
("But mine were easy to identify!!! Mine was the one with the slight rub mark right near that valve stem, and the titanium spoke nipples!!")

Also, take your wheels to the Wheel Van at the last possible minute. That will ensure that they're on TOP of the heap o' wheels.

And never ever put your best wheels in there. That's a recipe for disaster.

zero

around here, wheels in wheels out means that you put the wheels in the van, and then when someone flats, they grab them the most available compatible wheel.

zzzwillzzz

the main thing it means is that if you don't put wheels in, they won't give you a wheel if you flat.

in crits, you'll get your own wheel and an official might check that it's really flat or has a mechanical problem before sending you back out when the field come around

in a road race, it depends on the promoter and how organized they are. they will probably just give you a wheel. do you really want to lose a couple of minutes as the field rolls away while they dig through the truck or van to find YOUR wheel?

bbbean 

If you'll forgive me for resurrecting an ancient thread - what's the best way to mark your wheels for the wheel truck, assuming wheels in wheels out?

BB

Homebrew01

nope

Ygduf

urine

jmikami

Clip with you team/name and number. this way they can move the clip to your flat wheel when they change it, or whoever steals your wheel.

aaronmcd

Looks like the quality of the 33 has gone downhill in the last 8 years.

Must have been a boring place back then.

globecanvas

For a road race, "wheels in wheels out" means you put your wheels next to the follow vehicle for your field, the vehicle gets changed because the driver didn't show up, the wheels sit in the grass enjoying the sunshine and quiet while you race, and then you drive home forgetting that you left your wheels there.

Also, if you do happen to flat during the race, you will lose 5 minutes trying to tear the old wheel out and stuff the new one in with the derailleur on the wrong cog and the brake engaged, so the race is basically over anyway, regardless of whether or not your wheels, or any wheels, are in the follow car.

gsteinb

making it back to your car without wearing holes in your socks...


priceless

carpediemracing 

For a wheel van (meaning that the wheels closest to the doors get handed out, regardless of who they belong to), you either try to get your wheels pretty close to the door (and hope not many people flat before you, if you do), or you bury your wheels and put them in first. Either way you try to put in disposable wheels, i.e. you'll be mad if the wheels disappear but you won't have a coronary.

I have stickers that are next to impossible to remove on the hubs. They're normally frame decals. If your name isn't that long that's one way. This way I don't have to worry about labeling my wheels for a wheel pit (I don't do road races).

Another is you tie a string or something around the hub. In the old days guys would put a toe strap (typically some obnoxious color). Neutral wheels used to be spray painted all yellow or something like that, that's another way of figuring out if it's your wheel (just mask off the brake surfaces).

carpediemracing 

Finally, if you do get a wheel change, you actually might get back on:

Sprinter della Casa: How To - After getting a new wheel

hack

^Ha ... great story on the tow up

Wylde06

Thats awesome

Creakyknees

I like to leave my pit wheels in the wheel bag. Makes ID easier, slows down the wheel change of course. In a crit / free lap it's not a problem. In a road race, I'm OTB anyway, so, no problem.

Talking with one official one time, he said when he sees wheels in a bag he takes them out, since it violates the spirit of neutral wheels. I think that's BS and so is "neutral wheels" ... they are not "neutral" they are MINE and I'm not running a charity op here.

/ rant off

bbbean 

It would ALMOST be worth flatting to get the story!

carpediemracing 

Note on wheel bags - in flat windy courses I've seen wheels in wheel bags (in the pit area) lift off and go flying across the course (Ninigret Park but also Bethel).

carpediemracing 

I never learned who got the tow and I haven't heard a story about "the time I went 50 mph to get back into the field". It would be nice to see what he thought of the wheel change and resulting "chase".

06SpiceRed

Depending on how the race is set up, Ill either have my girlfriend or someone who I allocate as a wheel ***** to be near by. Fortunately I havent had a need for that.

bbbean 

FWIW, wheel truck proved to be a moot point. Threw a pair in, got them back at the finish line. But I sure liked knowing they were back there just in case!