Happy Birthday to Me!

So I’m up in Sonoma getting ready for Vineman 70.3 on Sunday, and I’m also celebrating my 26th birthday. The best present of the day arrived in a huge box from Timex HQ with Bontrager stickers on it. It was actually two semi-big boxes taped together, but whatever. It was big and cardboard. What was inside is the exciting stuff. Inside one box was an Aeolus 6.5 front wheel. This is pretty exciting in it’s own right being a super aero front wheel made by bonding a carbon section (don’t use the word “fairing”) to Bontrager’s XXX Lite Carbon rim to make a super stiff, super aero wheel. It’s very nice. Here’s a picture:

So that’s the front wheel. Of course, in the back, being a true triathlete, I need a disc. Disc = fast. So what could possibly be in the other box? A *new* disc. And not just any new disc. A prototype new disc. Oooh, technology secrets. The other box contained the uber cool Aeolus disc, which is pretty similar to the Aeolus wheel shown above, but with a full stressed carbon skin. It’s also very nice. Here is a picture of it:

Isn’t it nice? I am sure you would probably like one. But, YOU cannot have one. At least, not yet. And when you do get one, hopefully it will be even better because I have ridden it and provided oodles of valuable insight. Although, after taking the wheels for a spin today, I’m not sure I have much to add. They are pretty much awesome. The disc is especially cool. To borrow from the CyclingNews.com review, “The Aeolus TT is particularly unique in that it is neither a flat or true lenticular disc. Rather, it employs a complex shape that starts out 36mm wide at the hub then narrows significantly just below the rim before bulging back out to 22mm. Bontrager engineers claim the new shape not only improves aerodynamics, but also enhances the strength of the wheel.” The disc really is fantastically stiff, which is really nice. It’s also super true, with virtually no runout, something that has continually impressed me about Bontrager wheels.

Anyway, so that was my very exciting birthday present. Thanks to Team Timex and the guys at Bontrager for making it a very cool day.