@Darkgerbil - that looks fantastic. Assuming I could get it to mate as well with my Flo 30, I’d be very happy with that! How do the small zip ties work - what do they fix to on the cover?
EDIT: Sorry, I just looked more closely at your photo and I can see how the zip ties attach it to the spokes behind the cassette.
It looks like the rim is wider than the edge of the cover. Is that so? By how much does the rims bulge out?
@GregH, I realised the wheel is in the house so I just took this photo of the cassette side. You can see the drill holes (4mm if I recall) and the zip ties where the spokes cross.
The Aerojackets are made of a forgiving plastic, quite hard to break or crack (polythene type I guess), so it lends itself to this sort of thing. Those zip ties are tight and have been there for three years now, with no sign of wear or splitting.
The thing I would say when fitting these covers is to take your time and make sure that when securing it down you don’t do so with any force, as this (especially on the non-drive side) causes the perfect lens shape to deform, which you don’t want. I think there may be a little tiny bit of luck involved in terms of the dish of the wheel that you are using and how that allows the edge of the lens to sit perfectly onto the rim edge (or not), but there is a certain amount of flexibility involved so you’d be unlucky if it didn’t sit perfectly.
A note on the rim edge. The Archetype rim has quite a steep sloping side to its v-shape, unlike the shallower slope of the Flo rim you have. The very edge of the disc cover I got, because it is designed for the Open Pro, has a little “flare” to its edge, to meet the even steeper angle of the Open Pro rim. If you lay the cover flat on a workbench with just the edge overhanging (lens shape pointing uppermost), you can quite successfully shave off some or all of the flared bit with a block and 120 grit sandpaper. I dare say I could have taken just a bit more off but I’m pretty happy with the transition shape as it is. Maybe there are covers designed for a slightly deeper 30mm rim like the one you have, although with a bit of work I reckon you could get this one to fit well. The closer its edge is to the brake track and tyre, I think, the better.
It’s a one-time hassle to do it but given that my family life precludes dropping a heap of cash on a mere wheel, it’s a great option, and it’s as effective as other disc wheels that are really spoked-wheel-plus-cover.
I used it first for a couple of windy 10TTs (windy days are best for aero gains especially wind coming over the non-drive side!) and knocked nearly half a minute from my previous PBs immediately, with no other changes.
@minimalist, the “dips” in profile from rim to cover looks to be about 1mm to 2mm, which looks to be less than the small dip where the tyre bead meets the very edge of the rim.
You can see the tape covering the edge of the raised flared edge of the disc cover, I will probably shave off a little bit more of this flared edge the next time I service the wheel, to make this section even flatter, but from an aero perspective, given that it’s as good as the tyre-to rim junction I’m pretty happy.
The 23c tyre to rim profile is almost perfect.
Interesting to look at a photo of a current disc wheel (FLO) that has a much bigger step in its rim profile, which makes me feel comfortable with the profile of my wheel.
I don’t fully understand laminar flow and air detachment and all that stuff, but I know that when I’m time trialling on a windy Scottish road, it works very effectively in making my times shorter!
By the way I’m not trying to say it’s as good as a Flo disc but I bet it’s not far off!
@Darkgerbil: That looks like a job very well done. It’s convinced me that’s what I should be doing. Just need to get one ordered over the christmas break to build up in January or February. Cheers!
Nice! In your first post it looked much less smooth. But that looks really good. Chapeau.
Anyone know of any alternatives to the WheelBuilder covers? The postage to here in Japan is another 50% of the cover cost. It’s still no biggie and cheap enough I guess, but in the parsimonous spirit of this thread I figure it’s worth asking!
Thanks everyone for your responses. I really like the Cardboard Fiber solution! Even got the big dog CEO to chime in.
I started to pursue the used route as I have a hard time dropping $900-$1000 for a new wheel. Does anyone have experience with the Zipp Sub 9 Speed Weaponry tubular disc wheel? My TT bike is 10 speed so 11 speed capability is not an issue. I prefer clincher, but the budget used market is primarily tubular. I can get a near perfect shape one of these for $400 with a pretty decent Vittoria Corsa tire mounted.
Thanks again for all the responses!
Since your local to Ottawa thought you may like to know that Woven Wheels will be producing a disc soon. Might be worth reaching out to them. I’m thinking of picking one up myself. I’ve been happy with my clinchers.
The FLO Al/carbon disc is currently my leading choice. The weight penalty is small compared to the full carbon disc model and the aero performance is about the same. Thanks for the input.
Hi, I know it’s been a few months - if you haven’t ordered yet: find a friend. Shipping cost per cover falls precipitously when you order two. Don’t have to be for the same type of wheel, obviously. They fall further with 3, 4 etc. per package, but the biggest marginal benefit is with cover #2 by far.
Just maybe check the customs rules first. Putting a second aerojacket in the package might push the customs value above a limit to which the import is exempted from customs duties. I have no idea how this works in Japan. In the EU the limit is EUR 150 (excluding shipping cost) and the duty is only 2.7%, so our “problem” is mostly VAT.
Depending on how much you want to spend and how good you want them to be, check out eBay. Here’s my experience with super budget covers:
Hi, @Darkgerbil,
My cover has now arrived, I’m just waiting for the good tape to arrive before I fit it. I’m pretty sure I’m going to take the same approach as you as it seems the most solid one I’ve seen.
I’ve got one question though . . . how do you zip tie behind the cassette and duct tape the non-drive side cover. If the zip tie knobbly fastener bits are on the outside of the cover I can see how, but it looks like they’re inside the cover in your case.
Hope you can help me out! Sorry if I’m having a dumb moment and missing something completely obvious!!
@GregH, it’s not you having a dumb moment, it was me!!
The duct tape is only on the drive side, not the non-drive side, my mistake, sorry!
So the zip tie “heads” are inside the wheel, as you mentioned, then I’ve secured the same drive side cover with a piece of duct tape about 4 inches long to every other spoke, the spokes that make most contact on a cross-laced wheel. Less for security and more to eliminate any rattle or buzz.
The non-drive side cover has a pronounced lens-shape so in fact it’s neither possible nor necessary to secure it to the spokes since it is not in contact with any of them.
I think this is my third season with this wheel. I use it for on road training and racing. It’s never rattled or squeaked, even on bumpy roads, nothing.
I now have a 23c GP5000 tyre on it as it’s narrower than the 4000 by 2mm and gives a now perfect transition from tyre to brake track. Im pretty convinced it’s very close in aero drag to very expensive disc wheels.
Here’s a shot from a couple of weeks ago, on a chilly UK TT!
Just to add, there is a little bit of luck involved in ensuring that each side sits in such a uniform way that doesn’t get pushed out of shape, but you can also control it to an extent, as follows.
The non-drive side is the more critical for this due to its lens shape. Just place it on your wheel (which is resting in a wide plastic bowl) to start with. Let it sit on its two contact points, one where it meets the wheel rim and two where it touches the hub flange. If it neatly touches both in its perfect lens shape, great, you’re good to go, get taping!
If it’s not, don’t worry. My cover had a little gap at the hub side. If I pressed it down it deformed the perfect lens shape. This is where some if the bad reputation of disc covers comes from. Instead, I made a small spacer or gasket between hub flange and the inside face of the cover. I used a piece of closed cell camping roll mat as I needed about 4mm, and double sided tape. It was a perfect solution. If the rim edge is securely taped down, no fixing is needed at the hub edge.
Take your time and you will have a very decent rear disc wheel for not much money!
Aha, that’s a relief!!
Thanks a bunch for the info. I’ll post back here with how it goes, hopefully during my recovery week next week.
FLO has been good to me
There’s also Renn. I had to pick one of those up to fit my P4.
Agreed, I have 3 of their wheels, and I’m a big fan of them.
