RaceDayWheels.com Review

Many of you may have noticed the sexy looking Zipp 808 Carbon Wheels that were on my Felt B14 during the IronStar 70.3 two weeks ago:

Dressed up for the Big Day!

Now this carbon wheelset can be found on Amazon.com for around $2300.  I did not purchase these wheels, I rented them!

So where did you rent race wheels from Jeff?  Glad you asked!

RaceDayWheels.com

This was an extremely hassle free experience and I will walk you though the steps in case you are interested in using this service.

Step #1:  Figure out what race wheels you want?  RaceDayWheels offers Zipp, SRAM, and FFWD options.  You can get anything from a 50mm 404 to a disk in the rear or any other combination.  For IMTX I am planning on using a 1080 Front and Rear Disk (unless the wind says otherwise).  Click Here to see your wheel options.

Step #2:  Submit a Wheel Availability Request (Click Here).  You will need to let them know what date you are racing and what wheel combination you want to run.  I filled out my request while literally watching the Kona live feed.  I was thinking that the RaceDayWheels folks would probably be very busy and would take a few days to respond.  I was wrong because they had responded to my request within a few hours confirming my wheels selection was available.  Excellent service.

Step #3:  Now that the wheels I wanted were available it was time to secure my rental.  This is the point when you fill out the Rental Agreement (Click Here).  The cost to rent the Zipp 808 Wheelset was $150.  I also choose to insure the wheels for an addition $20 and also pay $25 for a return shipping label.  Total cost - $190.

Step #4:  Wait for FedEx to deliver wheels.  I was very surprised when my wheels arrived an entire week earlier than expected.  RDW sent out tracking info so I could follow the movement of the shipment - very nice touch since us Triathletes tend to be rather irritable leading up to race day.  Usually the wheels will arrive on the Tuesday or Wednesday before your race weekend.  This gave me a chance to get in a couple of rides on the wheels.

Step #5:  Race. Set PR.

Step #6:  Return Wheels.  This was rather simple too.  RDW will email you a return label and you will use the same box you received the wheels to ship onto the next athlete.  I shipped my wheels to someone in CA.  I had no problem shipping the wheels onto another customer as opposed to shipping them back to RDW.  My assumption is that this keeps costs down for the end users (me) by eliminating the redundancy of double shipping.  Smart business model.  I just made sure to polish up the wheels so the next person would receive the wheels in as good condition as I did - Karma is real in this sport folks!

Pros VS Cons of RaceDayWheels.com:

Pros:

- Solid Brand Selection (Zipp, SRAM, FFWD)

- Ability to mix front and rear combos

- Cost is very reasonable, especially when compared to purchasing wheels

- Fast and personal service

Cons:

- You have to return the wheels

Overall I was extremely pleased with RaceDayWheels.com and would highly recommend them to any of my friends.  The wheels arrived with tires (Continental 4000)  and tubes so all you need to do is inflate.  You will need to use your own cassette so make sure you have a Chain Whip and a Cassette Removal Tool OR if you are mechanically challenged have an appointment scheduled with your LBS to swap the cassette for you.  Another tip is to make sure you take your cassette off before returning.  

Please feel free to email me (jeffirvin AT gmail.com) with any questions.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

(Disclaimer:  This review is entirely my opinion and my opinion alone. I am not affiliated with RaceDayWheels.com or any of it's partners in anyway.  I did not receive any compensation for this review and paid for the entire cost of the service myself.)