Thinking ahead here........which bike/wheelset would you take to IMFL if
this were to be your first and possibly only IM:
1. New ti road bike, LS Tuscany, Mavic Cosmos *clincher*
wheels (came with bike but seem very nice)
2. Old ti tri bike, LS Tachyon (650, aerobars), Zipp full-
disk rear and deep-dish front with *tubular* tires
3. #2 bike with boring rather heavy factory-default wheels
with *clincher* tires
Here's the thing: I want to take the tri bike with racing
wheels because.....well, it's a tri bike w/ racing
wheels......I expect IMFL to be flat and not ridiculously
windy and over 100 miles the aero wheelset might actually
make a difference in my time. BUT I have never changed
tubular (or disk/deep-dish) tires on my own....I've never
flatted in a race [knocking on wood] and don't even carry
the repair stuff (or know what that would be), and I would
hate to ruin a whole IM because of a flat tire, which seems
not too terribly unlikely to occur in a 112-mile bike leg. I
don't like option
#3 because a 650 bike with heavy wheels seems a little
#pointless, except for
training.
I think I am talking myself into option #1, bringing the
road bike, as I type this........clincher tires, no extended
valves to deal with, easy to change flats/carry repair kit,
comfier ride for the long bike leg. I love my tri bike but
can't afford yet another wheelset for it.
Any thoughts?
Susan in LA (Don't ask me why I thought I needed sewups on
my racing wheels when I bought them 10 years ago....I have
no idea....)