# Why do people put an aero wheel up front only?



## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

I was wondering what opinions or facts people have here on why riders only put an aero wheel up front? A couple thoughts came up after today's ride:



Economics because can't afford too
More important for it to be on the front wheel for aerodynamics
Fashion, it looks cool...LOL


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

pitbullandroadbike said:


> Why do people put an aero wheel up front only?


They don't....where are you located such that "riders only put an aero wheel up front" ?


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## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

RyleyinSTL said:


> They don't....where are you located such that "riders only put an aero wheel up front."


Seen them in Cali, IL and OH...On FGFS and FG track/road bikes...


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

Option 4: Hipster nonsense


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## arc angel adventures (Oct 18, 2010)

RyleyinSTL said:


> Option 4: Hipster nonsense


I agree


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## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

arc angel adventures said:


> I agree


LOL...that was the consensus this morning, just wanted to be more PC saying "fashion"...However, not being a total biking expert, I thought I would ask for my edification.


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## frankdatank1337 (Jul 25, 2010)

The consensus is mainly right but...

From my understanding it all started because people originally used Aerospokes up front because people claimed Aerospokes were indestructible. Not too many people used them for the rear because the hub gets messed up with skidding. From there it became fashion and people started using carbon and what not up front.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

frankdatank1337 said:


> The consensus is mainly right but...
> 
> From my understanding it all started because people originally used Aerospokes up front because people claimed Aerospokes were indestructible. Not too many people used them for the rear because the hub gets messed up with skidding. From there it became fashion and people started using carbon and what not up front.


We have a winner.


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## ldotmurray (Jun 15, 2009)

I use 4 year olds as my front wheel.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

On a competition bike, it would be 1) and 2). The "poor man's TT setup" is clip-on aero bars and a time trial front wheel. The rear wheel is already in a pocket from the frame, and there's already turbulent air around it. So there's less potential for improvement by putting an aero wheel back there.


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## BianchiJoe (Jul 22, 2005)

I thought it had something to do with locking the bike by its front wheel.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

AndrwSwitch said:


> On a competition bike, it would be 1) and 2). The "poor man's TT setup" is clip-on aero bars and a time trial front wheel. The rear wheel is already in a pocket from the frame, and there's already turbulent air around it. So there's less potential for improvement by putting an aero wheel back there.


Could you elaborate on the priority for aero components up front? I find this confusing given the common practice of using a dish rear wheel while using an Aerospoke, Spinergy, or similar wheel up front. To my mind that would imply greater potential benefit to maintaining the slipstream from the frame. Perhaps it's related to the tendency for air to maintain laminar flow longer after slight disruption (golf-ball style).

I'm curious about your thoughts on this.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

My understanding is that the use of discs and deeper-dish rear wheels is more about control. Or rather, not using a disc or as deep a dish in front is about control - harder to keep things behaving well with a disc front than a disc rear.

Disc front wheels do show up on bikes ridden in indoor TT events.


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## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> My understanding is that the use of discs and deeper-dish rear wheels is more about control. Or rather, not using a disc or as deep a dish in front is about control - harder to keep things behaving well with a disc front than a disc rear.
> 
> Disc front wheels do show up on bikes ridden in indoor TT events.


Interesting...Doesn't seem the best for a TT, but that's not my area of expertise at all...LOL


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## Schneiderguy (Jan 9, 2005)

I'm off this evening to the "Thursday Night Worlds" and have my steel Schneider to ride. It has custom OP wheelset. I put the Hed Jet 50 front wheel off my Helix on the Schneider for tonight. This will give me some aero benefit over the OP front wheel. I left the rear wheels alone because I'm lazy and I don't want to fiddle with RD adjustment. That's my story for aero wheel up front only, but not a fixed gear bike.


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## T0mi (Mar 2, 2011)

My understanding is there is much more high-end road wheelsets availably second hand than track specific stuff. While it is easy to put a road front wheel on a track bike, converting a rear road wheel require relacing the rim to a track hub. And all track hubs I know wih low spokes count are expensive.

Thus the amount of bikes with a cheap chinese low profile track rear wheel mated with an high profile bought cheaply from one of those triathletes who thinks he always need the newer stuff.

With time, it became the above option 4 : hipster nonsense.


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

arc angel adventures said:


> I agree


+1

here it seems the trend is whatever parts fit. Doesn't matter if anything matches.

I was downstairs just now and some guy rolls up on a suitably beat-up-looking fixie and he's got bladed spokes on his front wheel and regular round spokes on the rear. The wheels are different. Different tires, too.

Then he locks the thing to a parking meter - like someone would want to steal it :mad2:

You're starting to see bikes like that all over downtown - people riding beat-up, shitty-looking bikes 'cause it's cool or something.


I shouldn't be so judgemental, I know.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Most of my commute bikes are pretty mismatched within about a year of riding. Stuff gets chewed, and I'm not willing to throw money at my "save-me-money" bike like I am one of my racers.

24 spokes up front, 36 in the wheel I built after finding cracks in the stock rear rim.


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## LAW.S.T (May 15, 2012)

fashion mostly I guess.

same with pairing it with a deep V .

its for the looks


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

LAW.S.T said:


> fashion mostly I guess.
> 
> same with pairing it with a deep V .
> 
> its for the looks


Like this?










And WTF is up with cramming stuff in your spokes? This one has old polaroid photos and eyeglass frames.


There was a meme going around some years back of people taking fotos of people in mullets.

I've been thinking about roaming around town taking pix of hipster bikes and posting them on a blog or something. Invite other people to send in pix too. Maybe have a "Hipster POS Bike Of The Week" section like the old Goth Chick Of The Week site used to do (and maybe still does)


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

Samadhi said:


> You're starting to see bikes like that all over downtown - people riding beat-up, shitty-looking bikes 'cause it's cool or something.


They might be riding the hell out of their bikes. The common "bon voyage" around the shop here when someone buys a new bike is "now ride the paint off it". On the other hand, if someone is babying a bike that's been ridden to hell and back because it has "just the right patina", that drives me nuts. But I don't come across that often.

As for junk in the wheel, as best I can tell it's a spin off from spoke cards given to alley cat racers. It used to be that a rear wheel full of cards meant you raced all the time. It's sort of the equivalent of modified Hondas covered in stickers for all the after market parts in them; advertising what's under the hood.

That's my $0.02 donation.


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## LAW.S.T (May 15, 2012)

Samadhi said:


> Like this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


sounds good.
Thats why I love about bikes, 
There is always something you can do with it that makes you a poser or elitist.
No matte what you rie someone will hate you for it.
hahaha.


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## LAW.S.T (May 15, 2012)

UrbanPrimitive said:


> They might be riding the hell out of their bikes. The common "bon voyage" around the shop here when someone buys a new bike is "now ride the paint off it". On the other hand, if someone is babying a bike that's been ridden to hell and back because it has "just the right patina", that drives me nuts. But I don't come across that often.
> 
> As for junk in the wheel, as best I can tell it's a spin off from spoke cards given to alley cat racers. It used to be that a rear wheel full of cards meant you raced all the time. It's sort of the equivalent of modified Hondas covered in stickers for all the after market parts in them; advertising what's under the hood.
> 
> That's my $0.02 donation.


Thanks for the spoke card lesson, I did not know that. Also every sticker on a car is supposed to add 10 BHP isn't it ?


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## pitbullandroadbike (Aug 7, 2011)

LAW.S.T said:


> sounds good.
> Thats why I love about bikes,
> There is always something you can do with it that makes you a poser or elitist.
> No matte what you rie someone will hate you for it.
> hahaha.


very well said..can't please everyone and you shouldn't do it for other people...


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

UrbanPrimitive said:


> Could you elaborate on the priority for aero components up front? I find this confusing given the common practice of using a dish rear wheel while using an Aerospoke, Spinergy, or similar wheel up front. To my mind that would imply greater potential benefit to maintaining the slipstream from the frame. Perhaps it's related to the tendency for air to maintain laminar flow longer after slight disruption (golf-ball style).
> 
> I'm curious about your thoughts on this.


The front wheel chops the wind anyways. So does your pedal stroke, once you pass that it's "dirty air". If you're trying to optimize for aero + weight having an aero front wheel will be better than a back wheel. Generally it won't be as deep because of stability in windy conditions.


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