Flo Cycling Wheels (Page 25)

dgunthert - 2012-02-10 4:24 PM Can you give any estimate on the turn around for those of us that pre-order?  Or will we have to wait until Monday? 

That information will be available Monday.

Take care,

such a tease!

Let me ask some questions to help answer yours.

What will be your primary use for the wheels?  Triathlon, road racing, training and racing, just racing etc.  Also, do you plan on buying a DISC?  If not, do you plan on using a wheel cover?

Thanks,

I'm jumping on the question to explain my need:

- Triathlon exclusively, racing 80% and a little bit of training for the remaining.

- Ironman and 70.3 distances, most of the time it won't be on flat course.

- Might use a disc cover instead of disc

So ?? 60/90 or 90/90 or 60/60 ??

Thanks

Hi Chris,

Shipping to Canada: will USPS/Canada Post be an option in order to avoid the sometimes onerous courier broker fees?

Well, my plan is to use the wheels for racing & training.  I could switch back and forth between my current bontrager wheelset, but that means adjusting the brakes.  Which, honestly, isn't that big a deal.  

I do a good mix of distances - sprint, Olympic, and 70.3.  Eventually I'll get into the Iron distance events, but not this season.  

I wasn't planning on a disc or wheel cover...yet.  Funds are limited at the moment - babies are expensive!

There are great advantages when your wheel is spinning at 10,000rpm.

I tend to lean towards a 60/90 combo for triathletes.  Let me try and explain.

Front Wheel
Our FLO 60 and 90 have similar aerodynamics.  The FLO 90 is faster until about 12 degrees of yaw and our FLO 60 is faster at yaw angles greater than 12 degrees.  This is a common trend among other aero wheels on the market.  It is known that faster riders experience shallower yaw angles.  It's just how the physics works out.  This means faster riders (riders who have and average speed of ~24mph or greater) will benefit more from the FLO 90.  Athletes averaging more humane speeds will benefit more from the FLO 60.  Also, keep in mind that the FLO 90 will be a little more touchy in cross winds. Our new fairing shapes allow all of our wheels handle much better in cross winds when compared to standard aerowheels... but... if you are at all nervous about bike handling, the FLO 60 will be an easier wheel to handle on the front.

Rear Wheel
The rear wheel may be a bit of a different story.  To start, crosswinds really don't effect a rear wheel like they do a front wheel.  This is because there is no steering axis.  For this reason don't base your choice on handling your bike in a crosswind.  Let me give a few examples of what rear wheel choices you could make and why...

Rear FLO 90 
Based on our experience from talking with thousands of people, I would imagine most triathletes will go with a FLO 60/90 combo.  The main reason for this choice is versatility and aerodynamics.  For athletes who are not able to also buy a FLO DISC, the FLO 90 will make a great covered wheel.  Our FLO DISC was based on the FLO 90 shape.  Therefore, a covered FLO 90 should be the next best thing when compared to our FLO DISC.  Getting FLO DISC aerodynamics by simply adding a wheel cover to you FLO 90 gives triathletes a lot of versatility.  Very aerodynamic versatility at that.

Rear FLO 60 
The rear FLO 60 may work better for road cyclist who are racing crits, stages races etc.  Because the rear FLO 60 is lighter, it will help with the continual accelerations you experience when racing crits and the heaving climbing you can experience in some stage races.  The FLO 60 should also be very aerodynamic if you ever need to use a wheel cover.  We haven't tested the FLO 60 covered... but I'm sure the aero benefits would still be very good.  

So you ask... aren't triathletes also concerned about weight?

Good question but...
Since triathletes spend much less time accelerating and typically spend less time climbing, the weight is much less of a concern.  This article here explains why (http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Why_Wheel_Aerodynamics_Can_Outweigh_Wheel_Weight_and_Inertia_2106.html).  For that reason I think most triathletes will benefit more from having the ultra aero option of adding a wheel cover to their FLO 90.

FLO DISC 
A disc wheel is always the fastest wheel.  The FLO DISC is super fast and if you want the ultimate "get from point A to point B in as little time as possible wheel", get the FLO DISC.  

In the end the FLO 60 and FLO 90 are both very aero wheels and any of the combos, 60/60, 60/90, 90/90 will make great choices that are much faster than a standard wheelset.  The aerodynamics of the FLO 60 and 90 are very similar... so... if you have your heart set on any of the above combos, you really can't go wrong with any of them.

I hope this helps, 

We have USPS shipping installed in the cart to provide more affordable shipping rates to all of our international customers!

I think training on your race wheels is a good idea.  It helps you get used to handling the wheels in all wind conditions, corners, etc so there are no surprises on race day.  Not have to adjust your brake pads is also a benefit

I wrote a detailed explanation on choosing wheels about 2 post up ^^^^^.  That should help you make your choice.  I don't have any babies yet but... I can certainly imagine they are expensive.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.  

Take care, 

I noticed in your email that was sent out yesterday that you have a mailing address in Halifax.  Maybe I could just go and pick mine up there? 

I've got a long way to go before I join that club!  Thank you for the words of encouragement.

Pre-Order sales start February 23rd at 10am PST for anyone who signs up to our Pre-Order.  Full details on the pre-order will be available on Monday.  We aren't trying to hold out on everyone we are just getting all of the information put together so it's ready.  There a lot of details to work out as I'm sure you can imagine!

Take care, 

I will have to agree that they will look great on an S5!

All information will be available on Monday.

If you need a person to distribute them from Canada...I would love to help out a fellow Canadian.

I don't have any business but could be the "in-between" for all your Canadian customers

I'm hopefully going to get a Flo 90 front with a Flo Disc for the rear