Okay well not really a surprise, I knew they were coming, I did buy them afterall. It is not as if the Wheel Fairy has started sending me race wheels because I have been particularly good. Although, if a Wheel Fairy did want to start sending me wheels, I would be very grateful. Anyway, I digress, they were a little bit of a surprise, since I was expecting them today not yesterday.
What are they, you may ask? Well aside from the obvious answer that they are wheels, they are a pair of Zipp 808 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers.
Why did I get another set of race wheels, when I already have set of HEDs that I have been happy with. Well I grabbed these because they are clinchers and because the price was really, really good. These wheels are a couple of years old (must be amongst the first few lots of Firecrest Carbon Clinchers that came into Australia) and so as a result they were significantly cheaper than getting a new pair (which costs anywhere between $2500 to $4000). As is not unusual with race wheels, these are like new. It isn't surprising really, race wheels typically don't get all that much use. My HEDs have had a busy life for a set of race wheels, and they still look as good as new too.
Why the swap to clinchers? User friendliness really. If the current range of carbon clinchers had been around when I was buying wheels I would have got clinchers from day 1. They weren't so I ended up with tubulars. I don't mind tubulars, I have done a lot of races on mine and they haven't put a foot wrong. But I have never really been comfortable with them. I know the theory behind fixing them in a race, but I haven't been keen to put it into practice. With the clinchers, it might take me a couple of minutes more to repair the puncture, but I at least I know I can. Not to mention the additional benefit of cheaper repairs and the ability to try different tyres. The list goes on. Given the price, now seemed like a good time to swap.
Why these particular clinchers? Well there are a lot of different brands that make decent race clinchers now (carbon and alloy), but in my opinion the Zipp Firecrest is one of the better ones. They are a good balance of aerodynamics and weight, great hubs etc. When I saw these ones and the price they were, it was a bit of a no brainer.
Part of me is a little annoyed that they didn't arrive in time for Busso, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't have used them. Using new equipment in a race that you haven't had a chance to get used to is a silly way to DNF. I knew my HEDs would be fine, so knew there was no reason to rush the swap. Now I have the time to get to know the new (to me) wheels and get comfortable with them.
Moving away from shiny new kit, I had a slack morning today. It was glorious. I had a bit of a spin on the bike yesterday and I got up this morning with every intention of heading down to the pool for an easy swim (not with the squad, just by myself). But in the end I decided it would be nice to go back to bed. It wasn't that I was particularly tired, and I was in the mood for a swim, it was just that I thought, 'here is a week where it is okay to give into that little voice and go back to bed, so I think I might for once'. Plus that way I got to be there when the kids woke up, which is a nice treat (for me, I am not sure they noticed).
Will probably try and head down to the pool tomorrow morning, or get out on the bike or something, but this morning I enjoyed the novelty of having a guilt free lazy morning.
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