60/90 setup vs 60/60

The 60/90 will handle a little better in windy conditions but since you should have a cover on the rear for any triathlon where it is allowed, that doesn't really matter.

If you are looking at 60/90 versus 60/60, probably a handful of seconds over 40km.

Shane

Guessing you have the Flo 60 front and rear. Why not a disc cover for the rear and call it good?

Their site has data on it between the wheels.

Yep, what everyone else said. Just rock a 60 up front and a disc cover or full disc. No reason to just have a 90 back there (or 60 for that matter) with no cover.

I use the 90/90 combo and haven't really noticed a lot of instability in crosswinds. yeah there is pull, but that is to be expected when you increase the surface area that much over standard aluminum clinchers.

you aren't going to be in aero on the road bike anyway so the control argument of the 60 vs 90 goes out the window there. the two 90's would be better aerodynamically, but add a little bit of weight, which realistically you won't notice much if at all.

Not trying to highjack, but I have not come across any non-drafting races that do not allow discs in the back, but I have seen comments before about "when it's allowed"...what am I missing? when are they not allowed?

One I know of is Hawaii 70.3 due to the crosswinds

"2) No tandems, recumbents, fairings, solid/disc wheels, wheel covers or any add-on device designed

exclusively to reduce resistance are allowed."

Edited by popsracer 2013-07-18 12:30 PM

Cozumel does not allow discs, nor does Kona.

Good question. We get this one a lot. I've pasted some info below for you to read over. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

All the best,


Choosing a Wheelset

Front Wheel
Even though the front FLO 90 is faster than the front FLO 60, it still makes sense for most riders to choose the front FLO 60. Our new fairing shapes allow all of our wheels to handle much better in cross winds when compared to a v-notch profile, but if you are at all nervous about bike handling, the FLO 60 will be an easier wheel to handle on the front. Coming out of the aerobars once to try and control your front FLO 90 could eliminate the additional 14 seconds saved (estimated over a 40k) using the wheel. We've always believed that a confident bike rider is a faster bike rider. If however you are a confident bike handler, the FLO 90 might just be the wheel for you!

Rear Wheel
The rear wheel is 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 rear wheel choice on crosswind handling. Let us 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, we 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 near FLO DISC aerodynamics by simply adding a wheel cover to your 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 cyclists who are racing crits, stages races etc. Since the rear FLO 60 is lighter, it will help with the heavy climbing you can experience in some stage races, and will help (a small amount since aerodynamics are more important) with the frequent accelerations you experience in crits. If you ever need to use a wheel cover on the FLO 60, the aerodynamics should also be very good.

Aren't triathletes also concerned about weight?

That is a good question. Since most triathlon courses have average climbing (rolling hills), aerodynamics are much more important than weight. This article http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Why_Wheel_Aerodynamics_Can_Outweigh_... published by Slowtwitch (written by Tom A) helps to explain why. 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 (assuming you are not racing a mountain stage). 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 stock training wheels. All of that said, the aerodynamics of the FLO 60 and 90 are very similar. If you have your heart set on a specific set of wheels, you really can't go wrong with any combo you choose.