Wheel Lust

It took me 3 days to recover from that really hard ride on Monday morning, and the fatigue was just crushing. Riding with the slow group, I am just bored silly, so I really want to be able to ride with the fast group and NOT end up crushed for days.

I bought my OpenPro/Shimano 6700 wheels for durability, and love them for that, but pushing 32 spokes front and back on a shallow rim is adding a lot of work. Added to a right bundle branch block, which makes the left and right side of  my heart beat more and more out of synch as my pulse rate goes up, it adds up to me needing a more slippery front wheel.

By the time the air gets to the back wheel it's so hopelessly broken up that aero rear wheels aren't very effective - especially on a non-aero frame. For the front wheel however, in nice clean air, it's very effective. To make wheels more aero you need fewer, aero spokes, and 30mm or more of rim depth.

I've been looking at wheels from 30mm to 80mm, and given I don't have a spare front wheel yet, think the Mavic Cosmic Elite might just do the trick. At around $200 it should make just enough difference on the flats to keep me safe and sane.

Of course, if I had more money to play with, I'd opt for the Cosmic Carbone SL, but at almost $600 I'd need more of a reason than 5-7 BPM on club rides to justify the expense.  Still, when my lottery ticket wins, I'm there! (SRAM also makes interesting S60 60mm and S80 80mm offerings, but they are heavier and more expensive)

5-7 BPM may not seem like much, but it would drop me down out of Zone 5, and I know from a lot of experience, that staying in Zone 5 for more than a few minutes dramatically adds to my recovery time. Of course, I could just ask the guys to slow down... like THAT's going to happen.