One of the most fun aspects of being a triathlete for me has been buying all the cool gear including a fast triathlon bike (Diamondback Andean), a power meter (Quarq), bike computer (Garmin 830), super shoes (Saucony Endorphin Pro), TT helmet (POC Cerebel), the list goes on. I appreciate that all of this gear can get pretty costly, but I work hard, triathlon is my passion, and I\u2019m a really frugal guy about everything else in my life. And, just so you don\u2019t think I\u2019ve gone completely overboard, I didn\u2019t pay retail for my tri-bike (way beyond my pay grade; I bought the frameset and then bought all of the components on ebay and had built) and still use a dumb trainer (Cyclops Fluid 2).<\/p>\n
But, over the last few years in which I\u2019ve re-immersed myself in triathlon after an 11-year hiatus, the one piece of equipment that I have coveted was a disc rear wheel. I have ridden an 85mm rear wheel the last two seasons, but I experienced wheel envy whenever I saw another age-grouper with a disc rear wheel. I also have to admit that the allure is partly psychological as a disc wheel just makes people look faster and I wanted that look.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry, though, I do have my limits on what I\u2019m willing to spend to satisfy my tri-jones (I still have two daughters to put through college and a well-funded retirement plan would be nice too). And I just can\u2019t justify spending upward of $2500 for a wheel that might save me an extra minute on an Olympic-distance bike course.<\/p>\n
I scoured the internet looking for a reasonably priced disc rear wheel. I looked on ebay and the usual cycling-commerce websites for used wheels, but there were no deals to be had and I\u2019m always a little skittish about buying such an essential part of a bike used.<\/p>\n
Then I discovered ICAN cycling<\/a>, a Chinese manufacturer of off-brand bikes and components. And I saw that ICAN makes a TT disc rear wheel for less than $800. Now that I can wrap my arms (and wallet) around!!<\/p>\n At the same time, like many others, I was skeptical because the Chinese (with all due respect) are known for their inferior knock-offs of all kinds of products. Of course, to be fair, they are also known for making many high-quality products we use in most areas of our lives.<\/p>\n I decided to do my research to see if ICAN was legit. ICAN wheels are highly rated on amazon<\/a>. I found a number of reviews<\/a> attesting to their quality (here\u2019s a great Youtube video review<\/a>). And my tri-coach told me that just about all name-brand disc wheels are made in a few factories in China. The dealmaker was learning that some of their wheels are UCI approved!<\/p>\n