Road Cycling - Tri-spoke and 4-spoke wheels

I know grimeca and spinergy make them, who else does?

Hed and Specialized, but they are the same wheel. I think Mavic and American Classic does too.

Zipp

Specialized doesn't make them anymore .... but it is the same wheels as HED produces now.

What do they look like?

Here's the HED wheelset ....

http://www.worldcycling.com/products/wshed3.jpg

Those are pretty cool looking. Are they as strog as spokes? As light? Why doesn't everybody use them?

I have a tri-spoke wheel and it seems strong to me, but I am a fairly light rider. I have never heard of anyone having problems with them, but I have never heard any specific comments about their strength though.

As far as their usage they claim to be the most aerodynamic wheel available aside from a disc, so their true value comes in a time trial situation. If you get stuck in a crosswind situation though you will find yourself getting blown all over the place.

They are also fairly spendy at about a grand for the wheelset.

Weight per pair: clincher 1938 grams, tubular 1871 grams.

Spinergy no longer makes the 4 spoke REV-X (8spokes,really) due to the expense of manufacturing.

Originally posted by DieselDan
Hed and Specialized, but they are the same wheel. I think Mavic and American Classic does too.

The Mavic IO wheel is 5-blades and pretty pricey. I think they're meant to be used in the front only. I also believe they're meant to be used with the rear-only Comete full-disc wheel (also pretty pricey).

yikes:

http://home.interlynx.net/~pjdu/ :eek:

Corima makes a really nice looking 4 spoke. It's my understanding they have some of the best hubs in the biz.

All3Sports.com is one place I know you can get them.

Originally posted by Ba-Dg-Er
If you get stuck in a crosswind situation though you will find yourself getting blown all over the place.

I know a lot of people say that. Seriously though, I've never had any problems riding tri-spokes in a cross wind. I'm a light rider at 140lbs. I don't think many people actually have a problem with crosswinds unless you're very light.

Does nimble make them also? Something like the crosswinds

Originally posted by velo
I know a lot of people say that. Seriously though, I've never had any problems riding tri-spokes in a cross wind. I'm a light rider at 140lbs. I don't think many people actually have a problem with crosswinds unless you're very light.

I agree with that. I've ridden REV X's and zipp 404 (58mm depth) and crosswinds aren't a problem. DOn't get me wrong, you definitely feel them compared to box-section rims but there hasn't been a safety or annoyance issue for me.

Originally posted by B1105
Does nimble make them also? Something like the crosswinds

Yes they do. I forgot to tell what wheels I ride! I ride the Nimble Crosswinds. Good wheels...

Originally posted by velo
I know a lot of people say that. Seriously though, I've never had any problems riding tri-spokes in a cross wind. I'm a light rider at 140lbs. I don't think many people actually have a problem with crosswinds unless you're very light.

I just remember one time trial specifically ... the winds were 30 - 40 and were blowing straight across the road. You could make up for it a lot once you were used to it, but as cars passed and affected the windflow you could definately feel yourself getting blown around.

I think it largely depends on your weight and the winds themselves.

I'm very afraid of carbon wheels. I've seen firsthand a couple RevX wheelsets with cracks around the entire circumference of the hub. Hate to be riding on that when it fails. There's been numerous documented incidents of that as well. Aside from that, the wheels go out of true anyway and there's no fixing that without getting a new rim. Spinergy's customer service is for crap as well, just as an FYI to anyone that might be considering any products of theirs.

I LOVE Rev X's. They are THE fastest wheelset I have ever ridden. This is my opinion of them from experience-not rumor.
1. Fastest I have ever ridden
2. Strong and durable. The one bad experience was a freehub that went bad on a 4 yr. old rear wheel of a friend's bike. Every other first-hand conversation has been positive.
3. I think they are the only wheelset to have won the World Championship TT, RR and CX.
4. I've raced them on road and CX. Again, the fastest in both areas I have ever ridden.
5. The last year they made them (2002) was the best with an improved freehub and bearings and carbon layup.
6. I am kicking myself for not buying them!
7. Spinergy service is crap.

Zipp carbon-
1. Used in road, crit and CX.
2. They are tough and fast.
3. I love the clincher. The tubular version maybe the perfect wheelset-I drool when I put those on for a race!
4. They are tough, strong, durable and "rebuildable" since they are conventional wheels. Truing, spoke replacement, hub service/replacement,etc are all conventional. Some people use DA hubs with Zipp rims-which work out great.
5. Cane Creek Carbons are just as good because they are Zipp 404 rims laced to CC hubs.
6. They slice mud beautifully and track .
7. The new Zipp hubs are the bomb!

Hey look, anything on a bike can become worn, damaged or dangerous. If that's the case, you don't ride it anymore- you replace it. I wouldn't go ride a wheelset with a cracked aluminum rim or hub flange or a stem with stripped bolt or whatever.

For those who have the tri-spoke, are they worth the $$$? Is the performance/cost ratio worth throwing $1k at them? So, how much fast are they compair to your other wheels.

I have an opportunity to pick up a set the older model (right before HED bought the rights to make them) for $400. The wheelset has about 3k on them. Was wondering if you guys think this is a good deal or is 3k on these wheels not worth spending $400. Visually, they look great, but I will have to take them to the LBS to have them check, mechanically.

Opinions please, I have to make my decision at the end of the week. Thanks.

EagleEye,

I'd say if the HEDs are mechanically alright, the 3k miles on them isn't too much. If you really want a faster set of wheels, $400 is a pretty good deal. If the price paid is worth it compared to conventional wheels? That's your call. Tri-spokes are proven to be faster, and they are. If you want to gain a little speed with $400, go for it.

Thanks, Velo.

I use a Specialized tri-spoke (equivalent to HED) on the front for 80+% of my road riding. I'm a bigger rider at 195 lbs and I have a knack for breaking spokes on regularly spoked (32 hole) front wheels. The tri-spoke has proven thus far to be bomb-proof, and I use it for nearly all of my road races (http://jm.mc702.org/albums/2003-Tour-of-Eagle/aaq.jpg), criteriums and general group riding. Needless to say, they are sweet, fast wheels for time trials and.. they sound way cool going down the road. :)

My only real beef with them is that I run Campy Record, and I couldn't find a Specialized or HED that was compatible on the rear. So I ended up paying $600 for a funky looking german made tri-spoke (curved spokes), tubular only.

HED/Specialized tri-spokes are awesome!

LaFlore,

Thanks LaFlore. I was planning on using these for most regular rides, but wasn't sure how they'd hold up. From the sound of it, they'll hold up fine. I'm about 155lb, so they should hold me fine. Thanks.