Wheel choice

Today I sold my rear Zipp 404 to a triathlete. The first reason is because I wanted to use my powertap in races. I love data more than any racer I know, and I know how to analyze it. I figure having race data is going to be more valuable than the weight/aero advantage of a rear 404. Secondly, I was afraid I was going to crash and break it in a crit. I see this happen all the time and I don't have $1k lying around to replace it. Using my powertap (32h laced to a DT rim) will make me more confident in races since I won't have to be so paranoid about wrecking my wheel.

I sold the rear wheel for $750, including the tire and cassette. I bought the wheelset for $1,000 when I was working at AOA so I didn't lose any money on it. I decided to keep the front wheel, though. The reason for this is that the front wheel has a greater aerodynamic effect on the bike than the rear. I haven't found any hard numbers to back this up, but I definitely makes sense as the wheel is the first surface to touch the wind, and the rear wheel is shielded behind the frame.

I will be buying a Wheelbuilder wheel cover to use in time trials. This way, I will basically have a Powertap disc with a 404 front- a perfect TT setup.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my sale. I never felt like I deserved race wheels anyway, so I told myself that my next bike purchase will have to be funded by prize money only. For a geek like me thats pretty good motivation!