Yes, you can buy speed...

Growing up in the sport of cycling, it used to drive me nuts when I was getting beat by guys that I knew I was stronger than, simply because they had more money to buy “speed.” Speed can be anything, from slick deep dish aero wheels, to a perfectly contoured skinsuit, to something as simple as a pair of form fitting shoe covers. Every second matters in this sport and that is most apparent when racing against the clock either in time trials or triathlon. It isn’t fair that if you take 2 people of the same weight and same power output and put one of them on a road bike with standard wheels, and the other on a slick wind cheating time trial bike the one with the nicest toy will always win. I didn’t make the rules, but it is a reality so I embrace it in the best way I can. This rule of speed became unbelievably clear to me recently when I was given the privilege to test out a pair of Zipp’s Zedtech 1080 wheelset. These wheels are unbelievably FAST!!! From the first pedal stroke, I knew I was riding something special. Despite their enormous depth and width as compared to a traditional wheel, they still spin up very fast and accelerate quickly up to speed. Cornering was equally impressive as the wheels are very stiff and just track perfectly around curves. Rolling along at 25 MPH feels almost effortless and as the speed increases so does the aerodynamic benefit. Another insane benefit of the Zedtech wheel line is the inclusion of ceramic bearings. Coasting almost causes you to accelerate, it is a little unnerving. No need to get into a low position on downhills anymore unless you want to go flying by everyone. However, these are not all condition race wheels especially for lighter, smaller riders. The first time I rode them was on a particularly windy day and I had some nervous moments when I got hit by some nasty gusts. I am 175 lbs, I can’t imagine how a lighter rider would feel. Also because of their extreme depth, at very high speeds 45 MPH+, I felt like I had to hold on a little tighter to keep the front of the bike stable. These gripes are minor to how these wheels make you feel when you ride them, they just put a big smile on your face like you are flying. They are perfect for time trials and triathlons and I guarantee that they will make you faster. For road racing, I would probably recommend the 808’s for a great all around super aero race wheelset or for lighter, smaller riders the 404. Now if I can just figure out a way for my “test” to last all year :)

Happy Riding!