A challenge with oneself (before the one with the competitor), is in three segments: this is triathlon. To get a head start during the cycling segment, it is important to know how to choose the right equipment, obviously starting from a performance bicycle. How to best improve its proper operation? Choosing the very best wheels, of course! Here are our tips.
It can be said that in Triathlon, the cycling race segment is of fundamental importance for the final rankings. If the first swimming stretch is particularly hard, the challenge becomes even more difficult starting from the swimming-biking change, where details can really make the difference between victory and defeat.
Once on the bike, it is important for a triathlete to keep the group’s lead at all costs and avoid losing the pace that has been set ending up continuing the session solo and seeing the gap from the race ahead growing inexorably. The greater consumption of energy, due to the fact of not being able to use the opponent’s drafting (in the segments where it is allowed), terribly complicates the final running race. That is the reason why in a Triathlon it is of the utmost importance to care for the technical details of your bicycle.
How to choose the right setup? In this sense, important components are the wheels, which with their technical characteristics can change the performance of your bike.
It is often thought that the choice of wheels for triathlon bikes is practically a mandatory one. Bicycle manufacturers, in fact, offer mountings where the purely aerodynamic aspect is emphasized by the presence of high-profile wheels with carbon rims. In the collective imagination, this is the standard, yet it is certainly not the only possible option.
The high-profile option is particularly suitable for longer distances, culminating in the most extreme type of triathlon, the Ironman. Particularly in this specialty, where drafting is not allowed, a setup with high-profile carbon wheels (from 60 to 90 cm) will be useful for the best aerodynamics, thus reducing the dispersion of power. An excellent way to not over exert yourself while saving your energy for other portions of the race when needed. On the other hand, the high profile does not help in the presence of lateral wind gusts, which hit the surface negatively affecting the riding characteristics of the bike. (Although this issue can be partially solved by choosing the best Triathlon wheels).
It is for this reason that for medium distances such as Sprints and Olympics, where the use of drafting is legally allowed, expert triathletes like Davide Uccellari (Italian Olympiad in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016), normally choose carbon wheels with medium height profiles (from 30 to 50 cm). Pedaling in a group, they have less need to rely on a strong aerodynamic setup, thus preferring endurance model bicycles with lighter and easier to handle wheels.
Wheels for triathlon bikes, how to choose the best ones? We have seen how there are different solutions to adopt based on the type of route you will have to take on. The advice we can give you is, first of all, to understand what type of triathlete you are, meaning if you think you will be racing by bike on long or less long stretches. Based on this, you could go into further research by reading this article, where we will present the best wheel models of the Ursus range for triathlon use.