Wheels

Best "bang for your buck" would be a disc cover for the rear and a used tri spoke for the front.  Also one of the better all around aero combinations.

Disc cover is less than a hundred bucks, and you can usually find a used tri spoke in the $400 or less range.

For serious cycling improvement, I tend to recommend a wireless PowerTap over a wheel upgrade.  You can always slot a buddy a few bucks to borrow wheels for a weekend.

 g

If you mean "cheap" like I do, then your best option is going to be ebay and hope that you can pick up a set in your price range.  I don't call $500 and up cheap for wheels.  The disc cover is a good option, unless you plan on riding in the wind...

I have a set of HED Jet 60's that came with my bike. Otherwise I would have never shelled out over a G for wheels.

Which answers your own question. To some people the advantage is going to be well worth the cost, some will even spend twice, three times the amount of the cheapest aerodynamic wheels just to get the marginal benefits that say a Zipp Disc (at $1,900 for a Sub9) will have over a Renn 575 (at <$600).

You have to find that personal point where the marginal benefit equals marginal cost.

Nothing wrong with riding a disc cover in the wind.

For me it's not worth the cost, yet.  When I consistantly place 4th or 5th in my AG and think that the extra minute or two from the race wheels may bring me to a podium spot, then I'll jump.  Until then (I'm budgeting for 2010 ;)), I'm training and racing on my current cheapo setup.

Brian 

Wheels are such a key component of your set up.  Save your money and buy the best.

Matt Cazalas
Technical Writer

Network Cables

Depends on how much you race... I live in Boulder, and the tri community is pretty much split. Half of us dirty-rich hippies buy our own Zipps, and half of us rent wheels on race day. Obviously, there are advantages to both -- owning wheels, you can race as much as you want. You can ride 'em on a day when you just want to be fast. It's also useful to getting used to riding in cross-winds. Renting 'em, though, saves about $2100, for just one race. But as everyone who's ever run a 1080 with a disc knows, it takes a LOT of getting used to cross-winds. It's scary.

 For short range guys, owning might be a better idea, because you're more likely to run 80+mm wheels, which take getting used to. Iron distance, lots of people run much more shallow rims. It might make more sense to rent wheels, but there's also more riding on it.

Also permit me to mention the Easton line of wheels. I'm a road cyclist as well (hehe), and I run Easton EC90SLX clinchers for training. Racing, I run Easton EC90 Aero tubulars, which are about $600 less than Zipps, and about the fifty grams heavier. And let me tell you -- they have just as much bling as the zipps, but I get more questions about them. I've run both in races, and the only difference I have EVER noticed is climbing, and the Eastons were nicer to climb on.