Super Cheap Aero Disc Wheel Hack | Budget TT Bike Build Part 2

Another week has gone by in lockdown and Ollie has been hard at work on his budget super tt bike build. This week he’s making an aero disc cover for his wheels, a super low-cost way of making a massive aerodynamic gain! Maybe you could try this budget hack at home yourself!
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What did you think of Ollie's disc cover? Are you tempted to try making one? Let us know in the comments 👇
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Watch more on GCN Tech...
📹TT Bike On A Budget Part 1: gcntech.co/rN
Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound:
ES_A Mistake (Instrumental Version) - Particle House.mp3
ES_All Parts Equal - Airae.mp3
ES_Come 2gether - Ooyy.mp3
ES_Is This Love a Waiting Game (Instrumental Version) - The Big Let Down.mp3
ES_Saturday Coffee - William Claeson.mp3
ES_Skotta - Vaxla.mp3
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
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[@Samster20101]

I take a drink every time Ollie touches his hair. I’m absolutely smashed.

[@BryanPike]

Bahahaaaa

[@aarong1012]

The longer Ollie is on lockdown the more Yorkshire his accent is getting... Hilarious.

[@UK0071]

He's spending all his down-time watching Wallace and Gromet!

[@lingje4775]

His voice reminds me a bit of Karl Pilkington.

[@petermarshall7775]

Could be worse he could have a Gordie or Makem accent

[@TreFlip1992]

@@petermarshall7775 or even scouse

[@robertcoates2752]

I am waiting for it just to become a Yorkshiremen sketch. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGe9dXVvnZx1grs

[@thomask.4664]

10:32 That mug on the edge of the table, coupled with the edge of the disc right next to is giving me anxiety issues!

[@albr4]

the table surface looks really slippery as well for the mug.

[@MartinMcCannTdF1987]

In the same week Ollie shows people how to make a disc wheel, Mavic get into financial difficulties- is there a connection??

[@prokopf-9332]

Well theyve been before the pandemic already, but yeah, now Ollie killed them

[@Lunarpollo5622]

😂

[@mikeychristian1037]

GCN team killing this lock down! Thanks guys and keep it coming.

[@ianwynneuk]

Love the genuine jubilation from Ollie on the DIY ☺️ A true biker and Yorkshireman at heart!

[@6ft8incyclist]

I brought a HED disc wheel when I was stationed in Japan. About 40 miles from home the wheel came apart. It was a long hot walk home. I loved the Japanese beer vending machines, make the walk more much easier.

[@markoakley5573]

New to Road cycling and have to admit GCN is one of the best and most informative KZbin channels I’ve ever watched. All delivered down to earth and easy to understand. But keep the original colour it looks cool.

[@lord1999ful]

Can you test the difference between the magic comet and the homemade? Wondering how fast and watts will be.

[@tasdrouille]

Came here just for the squirrel pelt, but cool bike ;)

[@MrMikeV]

I'm not finding any vendors accepting Red Squirrel pelts, but in the US I'm seeing quotes for $41us in black and $52us in red abs. If Ollie doesn't paint the bike, I think red aero wheels would look great, but maybe too much?

[@billmontgomerie9526]

Ollie this idea rocks and shows you don't need to spend a fortune or have deep pockets thanks for making these segments have given me some idea to add to my bike collection . keep up the awesome work

[@rpx1979]

Really enjoyed this, thanks Ollie!

[@nickvandam1214]

I love this series! More on the cheap bike builds please!

[@kubagornowicz]

Sound of the disc wheel is so cool, that you don't even feel bad when someone overtakes you :)

[@CarlosCosta-nw6xc]

What about using some ABS leftover to make that chainring a bit more aero? Same principle as for the rear wheel.

[@jorozcomo]

Nice mate, looking forward to see the final result! Cheers Ollie, keep the good work

[@isaacng3213]

love this series!!!

[@fomrug]

No paint, just red tape over the "lo" and white tape "za" in its place

[@magnusarvidsson4447]

A pair of custom cut GCN vinyl sticker would make the wheel awesome.

[@user-gf8do1sh2x]

Loved it man!☺. Amazing

[@StuckOnAFireHydrant]

9:23 rip that towel and table.... Litterally lmao. Great video Ollie!!

[@mlegrand]

These videos are fantastic. I would love for you to take this bike and disc into a wind tunnel when it’s all over. 🙌

[@EMSEDUk8r]

Wow! Very well done! 👏🏽👏🏽

[@detmer87]

Love this series, keep 'm coming! :D

[@Quevallyn]

Wow! Can’t believe I’m the first to person to make a Blue Peter comment. When Ollie said we should leave the glue to cure for 24 hours, I honestly expected “So, here’s one I made earlier.” Definitely, deserves his Blue Peter badge.

[@kamucho]

Surprised there was no Fairy washing up liquid bottle and PVA glue involved..

[@michaelgurd7477]

@@kamucho You missed out the toilet roll inner.

[@obriaind]

Should’ve used double sided sticky tape for the dishing.

[@asasd8818]

Michael Gurd not cool

[@adityagupta101]

Graeme Obree will approve of this video.

[@CanyonWanderer]

That turned out really good!

[@DrJRMCFC]

Absolutely brilliant content

[@YaniofWigan]

Hambini aero cheap build Vs GCN build would be cool to watch.

[@CR250noob95]

That does look super nice, good job!

[@ahmetcolak4839]

loved it, thx mate

[@justinbouchard]

It would actually be a muskrat pelt and a beaver castor. Love from northof Lake Superior. xoxo

[@richardharris8538]

Our red squirrels are a fraction of the size of our black ones, down here in Ottawa. Based on size, the reds wouldn't be worth much. But they are much more rare. Is it still snowing up there? We've been getting snowfalls this week, and more is forecast overnight.

[@justinbouchard]

@@richardharris8538 no real snow. Up further north they got some but not next to the lake

[@karlnorgaard6077]

Or, 1/2 cord of split dry poplar firewood.

[@jocelynmillar6953]

Hi there Ollie, was going to do this for my TT bike . But found out (thanks to hubby) the UCI are not happy with people making their own wheels..... and the reason why Triathletes can make and use these. But i did love seeing you doing this. Thanks

[@Noah11112]

Love the hair!👍👍

[@MrBoggins1234]

Great job Ollie 💪👌

[@thekeytoairpower]

Suggestion... get a couple of strips of bar tape finishing tape (maybe with Zipp or similar branding on it) and cover the seams where you glued the disc. Will be a clean finishing touch and smoothing that edge will probably be worth a watt. Or 5-10 if there is the correct branding.

[@777v.7]

Hello chap . this video is awesome . very encouraging

[@timhepworth7867]

GCN you are getting me through lockdown with these genius presenter projects please please keep them going.

[@gcntech]

Thanks Tim, we will!

[@bikeskimawk670]

Within the budget focus, throw on a GCN sticker on the disk wheel. Great job Ollie! Ride to the level of your smile.☀️🚴‍♂️😃

[@jared7586]

Nice one !!

[@mrmatthewking]

Tip for cutting ABS: just score it about half way through then bend it until it snaps. On my disc cover I just tape up the radial seam with duct tape, works fine.

[@whitestripes904]

Think the best bit of this video was how genuinely happy Ollie was with his wheel by the end of the video.

[@joshb1475]

Great video Ollie, for a homemade disc wheel, that looks pretty slick! Although your ‘Yorkshire tea’ looks a little suspect 🧐

[@markjthomson]

Nice work! A trick with the contact adhesive, mask a line on the edge of where you want it to go... makes it really tidy! Done properly the electrical tape over the seam will only tidy it up... it won't add any strength to the glued seam - and done properly that will be bombproof!

[@The1trueDave]

5:20 tying two pens together looks a bit of a faff and quite difficult to get the distance just right. I'd say use a piece of scrap 2x1" timber, bang a nail through one end and drill a hole for your marking pen in the other. Should be good to within 1mm or so and easier to get a neat circle out of it. Incidentally I didn't think CTT rules allowed shrouds but I might be wrong...

[@lgsweeting]

Or just a length of cardboard with holes either end. It looked as though the thread wrapped around the pen as he drew the circle and changed the radius quite a bit, you can see that it doesn't line up evenly on the rim. Also the lip of the overlap for dishing is facing in the direction of motion, wouldn't the other direction be more aero? Yes I am being deliberately perfectionist, everybody needs a hobby! Still enjoyed the video!

[@oj-9994]

@@lgsweeting direction of motion of a point on a wheel changes as it rotates anyway

[@lgsweeting]

@@oj-9994 to clarify, I meant the direction of rotation of the wheel. As I'm picturing it in my head, that lip will be creating resistance and turbulence as the wheel rotates, particularly as it goes through the top half of the rotation. Possibly none through the bottom half of the rotation? I feel as though, on balance, there would be less drag created overall by reversing it. Could save vital watts in an hour record attempt!

[@lgsweeting]

@Alien On a Bike certainly possible, might be tough to get a smooth and even finish though. Perhaps if he used his Mavic wheel as a mould and heated the plastic on top of it? What could possibly go wrong!?

[@rahelwijeyekoon9403]

@Alien On a Bike Would've probably been doable, but at home with limited equipment the method he used is probably easiest and quickest. It'd certainly look cleaner using a heat gun, but without a good mould and even heat it'd probably turn out warped to shit and even uglier than what cutting and gluing it resulted in. An easy way to make it look nicer even with the cut and glue method would be to stick a vinyl graphic or something along those lines on there. That'd be a good opportunity for a serious racer on a budget to increase sponsor exposure, while someone less serious could have some fun with it or not bother and just go with the rough and ready look.

[@darronjenkins4628]

The boy done good!

[@TheoreticalCyclist]

There was a similar product available here in Hungary back in the day in in the 90's. They called it "air disc". It was fitted on 26" wheels and the two sides held together with litle srews.

[@janfalcon2020]

Canadian currency in "red squirrel pelts", that left a well deserved mark eh? lol Also, I suspect after the first vid in this series, every P1 for sale on CL and ebay was sold, I know I looked.

[@jonathantatler]

I'm looking forward to seeing just how far Ollie can take that hair 😃😂😂

[@flemmingkisbye4655]

the aerodynamic gain of the wheel is completely zeroed by the hair. and I doubt he can fit that bulk of fur into a helmet...! :D

[@_xnk7257]

As a South African I was really thankful that he did the conversion for me haha

[@theunknownunknown3007]

Corona Hair style ;-) Should be new painted! (The frame)

[@aaroiseverything]

love the hair!

[@two-eyedRoy]

again: *HYDRO DIP* [CLAP] *HYDRO DIP* [CLAP] *HYDRO DIP* [CLAP] Ollie being a weight-weenie and aircraft... hobbyist, I'm surprised he didn't go the balsa model route of paper and dope coverings ;) :D

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

You may not be able to see the untidy tape, but you’ll know and it will bug you every time you use it and see it. The only thing I would add is to use good quality tape and not the stuff from the middle at Lidl...

[@tylerebbert4816]

Olly is like the bob ross of bike building

[@sheilastallard]

That pole is leading you a merry dance

[@stump383]

#askgcntech Have you considered using the covering they use on wooden airplane wings for a covering for a aero wheel covering? Attach with adhesive tape and with the heat shrink properly , would make a perfect fit and finish. It comes in all different colors and is paintable. Easily repaired or replaced? Just an idea.

[@robertmalmet1190]

I have thought about making diy deep section wheels out of the same stuff. Something like 60mm on the back and 40 on the front. Joining the two rings in the middle would be a challenge tho.

[@MaartenAnna]

Windtunnel test the Cervélo vs the Orbea when you’re done. You might need to do something about the cockpit, brakes, gears & cables, first though. Can’t wait to see the difference.

[@ArianStolwijk]

Measuring device? *Takes out power meter*

[@arkan1960]

Beautiful but crazy idea

[@janrossvelasco3635]

Nice❤️

[@tofadeisastart]

I don’t need to do this. I just ordered a set of zip wheels with your credit card number you showed lol

[@KurtMcScotsman]

Thumbs up for accurate Canadian currency calculation.

[@petefry1519]

Ollie, When You decide which rear mech to use have a look on Ebay at oversize jockey wheels.I have oversize jockey wheels with Ceramic bearings on my 9100 rear mech for £15 the pair new !

[@davecheriyan6749]

Canadian Red Squirrel Pelt.... Hahaha im dying 2:54

[@noahhowson1810]

Nice

[@ariffau]

that's the new Wahoo Tickr!

[@michaelgurd7477]

For one moment I thought Ollie was going to use the contact adhesive as a form of lockdown hair gel.

[@davz90356]

nah. wouldn't hold that hairy crown of his..

[@DaanHoogland]

good show. Ollie is indeed outdoing himself. I wonder where to find those polls in the app though, @GCN Tech. I always find hundreds of voting opportunities but never the ones you people mention in your videos. (Mark rocks for this wheel idea as well as Ollie for this tt-build)

[@swe223]

Pretty sure the Hadron's alone are faster than with the home-made disc cover. Swiss Side is a serious company in aerodynamics. Their own wind tunnel tests put a disc wheel (a real one, tested and optimised) about 1W faster than their 800 wheel at 45km/h. Maybe at high yaw angle the homemade disc could be an improvement, but even then I doubt it with all the flaws of a DIY. Sure the disc looks cool but sorry, no massive aero gains here.

[@DavidWard14]

Got a link to this? Thanks.

[@swe223]

@@DavidWard14 For the 485 to 800s comparison, their own webpage has a lot of available data (compared to other big companies out there). Pick a model and scroll down the data. And regarding 800s vs disc, no written data but if you're more interested, have a look at their youtube channel and their "Swiss Side live aero workshop", 34min in, where they talk about it. They are developing a disc wheel for years now but it's still a prototype, because its such a marginal gain for the price (they mentioned 1W at 35km/h, 2W at 45km/h).

[@oliverbridgewood3929]

Having performed lots of testing myself in windtunnels, on tracks and outside of the last 5 years, i would disagree. but the proof is always in the pudding. Can't wait to test it.

[@kwaakindustries9421]

Thanks for saying the price in Rand.South Africa

[@mathieunorry]

I can see a sideline for you Ollie.. Ollie's arts and crafts 😂

[@flyingducky98]

Free hub sounds check!!

[@arcoulant87]

Chapeau

[@criggie]

"When your lockdown hair keeps getting in your face, we're gonna use, the Stanley Knife"

[@gcntech]

Don't give him ideas!

[@gatobtt]

@@gcntech guys where did you buy the ABS plastic sheet? Online? where? TIA

[@chrisuhracing]

Cycling Weakly magazines make good table protectors

[@bentantasook117]

His tea cup at 10:35 can spill at any moment.

[@nrhudec]

Seems like it would be a lot easier to use that wing covering shrink film stuff they use to cover the wings and fuselages on RC planes. With that stuff you could shrink it drum tight.

[@johnbarron4265]

What an amazing, cost-effective build, this. I would note that ABS is just one of many suitable materials for aero wheel covers, and it is far from being the stiffest or lightest of the lot. Aluminium sheet can be had for a bargain, and it is twice as stiff as ABS at the same weight, in a sheet only 40% of the thickness. Then the ultimate material is arguably aircraft-grade birch plywood, coming in a whopping 28 times as stiff as ABS, at the same weight, in a sheet 60% thicker. I'm surprised the weight weenies haven't caught on to this and scrounged up loads of gossamer-thin aircraft plywood.

[@2552legoboy]

Ive been looking for peoples wooden upgrades for a long time now. Ive been making small balsa aero bits whith glue. Now i want to try some of the ply youre talking about!

[@zogworth]

That's high tech cellulose composite you're talking about there. 😂

[@jim_mountain_88]

Might be able to get the dishibg effect without cutting it by heating it with a hot air gun on the inside face.if not try using a paintbrush for the contact adhesive.. much less mess

[@duingt1]

I was thinking the same idea. How many Celsius do you think would be the best way ? In this case we need to think perhaps about a retractation and increase a little bit the dimension ?

[@MatthewMachuDidge]

I work with plastics all the time.. In no way could you get an even surface without an consistent underlying form/shape.. ABS does thermoform but in this case it would concave between the spokes, like skin over a ribcage.... However, you could plastic weld the seem in a "butt" connection and polish out the seam... No overlap

[@johncarter1223]

If Ollie was my chem teacher, I probably would have gone into that field.

[@JustinH72]

totally doing this to my fixed gear, that only gets ridden to the grocery store and back. fastest bread runs ever coming up!

[@criticalmile5631]

Even that Cervelo is over my budgeit

[@CraigMartinNB]

Yea, I was hoping for a little less of a 'buy a high performance bike that's a couple years old' and more of an actual low budget build - like how to adapt an old road bike to a TT position.

[@rohanprem9822]

Yeah. Can I do this to my 500 dollar decathlon store bike? I'd look rather daft I imagine.

[@hezzerhd1777]

i used a training wheel which wasnt deep section at all and it worked fine

[@koanarec]

I installed the app just so I could vote in the poll to not repaint the bike, unfortunately I couldn't find the poll. Whatever happens, the bike is looking awesome!

[@gcntech]

Sorry you couldn't find the poll! We'll have a look at how to make them more visible!

[@Shellewell]

I think for the video that's in it you should go for the repaint, show Jon Cannings how it's done ;)

[@santiagobenites]

It's two Canadian red squirrel pelts, and a flagon of ale.

[@BuzzardsRoostWoodcraft]

Come on Ollie! You missed an opportunity. Should have said “Enough of my yacking, it’s time to get hacking.”

[@JustAGolfer]

Hey I have the 2008 cervelo p2sl, this inspired me to make my bike lighter, except the first thing I did might have messed it up already... I tried taking the crank off and I ended up stripping the lock bolt on it... it's a fsa team issue carbon crank arm 😵😩

[@alleywatson]

You've earned your Blue Peter badge twice over

[@mortenhansen3455]

Hello and thanks for posting this great video. I have a question however. Here 11:17 ; Is that problem not even better fixed, if one glues the wheel with the high side of the sheet along with the drive direction? Since the glue provides a closed surface, would the wind simply not pass over the edge much easier? Greetings from Morten

[@deswhite8268]

Time for a head shave Ollie, I am sure JPow would approve

[@deogratias948]

I'm a chemist like you Ollie, as nerdy as you on bike as well :')

[@PlexusTen]

Same

[@banks412gmailcom]

Awesome build Ollie! Question…you taped the disc down on the one side but you couldn’t do that for the other side, obviously. How did you secure the other side of the wheel’s disc?

[@David_B777]

Does the seam overlap direction matter? I would think you'd want to compensate for the spin of that seam against the air flowing past.

[@jespernohr]

Ollie should wear glasses more often. Great look :)

[@stefanvaliart1775]

Love the clip, but I guess you can cut the circle much more easily than measuring and building that improvised compass.( not gonna lie, impressive). Your wheel is a circle a nice spinning one...just put the pen on the inside of the wheel...spin the wheel to mark a nice even circle and just cut few cm bigger to match the edge

[@timclark4931]

Time to invest in a Flow-be Ollie!

[@MMyDesign]

You can wrap the bike!!