Opinions on Specialized tri spoke wheels

[anonymous-user]

I'm reasonably new to triathlon and i'm really enjoying to bike at the moment. I quite like the idea of some better wheels on my road bike and someone has offered me a set of Specialized tri spoke wheels for £500, they're the ones with the alloy rim so I won't need to change my brakes.

My bike is a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 with standard wheels.

What are people's opinions on them and will they compliment my less than focussed bike?

[Steve vRS]

If you drive a Saab 9000, you will coordinate well

Steve

[Disco You]

My £500 would either go here if you need wheels:
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPPXPC82101/planet-x-...

But a TT/tri frame would be a bigger improvement.

[anonymous-user]

haha, yes I was thinking of getting a Ford Probe so I could match!

Thanks for the reply, I'm pretty naive to this at the moment, so a TT frame would be better than a wheel upgrade?

It's a moot point at the moment anyway as I can't afford a new bike unfortunately.

[agentnomad]

To go faster in TT's an Aero position on a TT bike then aero wheels followed by a proper training plan then all the other little bits of aero kit.

[bakerstreet]

I'd go out and buy a Planet X TT bike for £1k

[upsidedownmark]

Disco You said:

My £500 would either go here if you need wheels:
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPPXPC82101/planet-x-...

But a TT/tri frame would be a bigger improvement.

Mine wouldn't!

Nothing against the wheels per-se, but tubs are a hassle that most normal folks just don't need - I'm not doubting there are arguments for them either, but unless you know you want them, you probably don't.

I'd seriously consider a set of their carbon clincher 'hed' lookalikes tho.

And yeah, a TT frame would be a bigger boost, but I'm not sure there are that many around for 500 quid, and you need to get one that fits.

A pointy hat and some clip-ons (if you don't have them already) might yield a worthwhile improvement for well under 500 quid..

[Barchettaman]

If they're Specialized trispokes they likely are pretty old. That design has been built by HED for about 15 years.

Good points - bombproof wheels, hold their value well, there will always be a hipster / fixie rider / courier wanting to buy the from you. You can (could?) get a conversion kit from HED to turn the rear into a front, and if it's a freewheel rear you can file it down ghetto style to fit a front fork.

Do they have a freehub (cassette sprockets) or a screw-on freewheel? If the latter, you won't be able to run 10 speed as they're not available as a freewheel.

To get the most out of the front wheel aerodynamically you need to run a super skinny tyre - Continental Supersonic in 622/20 seems to be the best bet - which will impact on the comfort for the rider.

Also, if the rims are out of lateral or vertical alignment they are impossible to true.

Best of luck!