TomMc1

I have been searching the forums and on the web and can't find much in the way of reviews and opinions on either of these wheelsets.

If you have either wheelset please share your thoughts on them. They appear to be very similar wheels. I'm also considering Easton Tempest II's.

HED Bastogne: 1409g according to HED site

Zipp CSC Team Issue: 1480g according to Zipp site

Why am I looking for wheels? They are a birthday present and I'm looking for something lighter than the Easton Vistas that came with the P2 SL. I don't do road racing but I do "race" in sprint duathlons and triathlons and I ride a fair number of single day charity type tours/rides (100K to 100M) plus ride as often as I can. I've decided not to go the router of deep section carbon wheels (tubs or clincher).

thanks!

HAMMER MAN

HED Bastogne: 1409g according to HED site. these are pretty cool wheels, but the same problem you are encountering, not a lot of information out there concerning durability/perfromance, and riding characteristics.
I am kind of in the same delima, I have been looking @ wheel-sets for over a month and cannot really make up my mind
I have looked @ Kysirum ES and SL., Hed, Zipp,Easton, Reynolds DT wheels-sets and nothing really hits
me that I feel would make a big differance.

I am tossing around the idea of Chris King hubs laced to Mavic Open Pro.

biffstephens

Same boat for me....nothing is really speaking to me yet....

mloywhite

I had a set of the Zipps, they were very good wheels, no problems at all. I only replaced them when I got a Powertap.

jp413384

I just got a set of the HEDs Bastognes with the HED ceramic bearings. I got them to replace the Topolinos I had on my bike. In the past I have also had Ksyrium Elites and Mavic Open Pros.

I put a quick 20 miles on them last night and they were definately an improvement. While they weigh about the same as the Topolinos, they felt much lighter. They also seemed to roll effortlessly. There were bigtime head and cross winds in West Seattle yesterday and they were much less affected than my Topolinos would have been in the wind. They are a lot stiffer than the Topolinos though, transmitting more road buzz. Not surprising given the Topos carbon fiber spokes. All in all though, they are nowhere near as harsh as either of the Mavics.

I cannot compare them to the Zipps but would highly recommend them. Also, I had a couple of questions and got great service from HED - quick and informative turnaround on my email request.

Hope this helps.

Scott

TomMc1

I've thought about custom wheels too... But knowing how crazy I can get about things, I have chosed for sanity sake to not go down that path. I would end up researching spoke shapes and materials for weeks not mention what I would do to learn about hubs.

The Bastognes are speaking to me more than any other wheel. I haven't had any bad experiences with any vendor but I have had a really good experience with the folks at HED and living in the mid-west US... I know they aren't far away.

Hammer Man - I noticed your Semper Fi tagline... USMC? My brother is a retired Gunny. To you and all other service men and women... Thank you!

HAMMER MAN

let me know if you get and like the Bastones i would like more feed-back so far above post mentioned some good stuff.

Long time ago in the Corps 1970-1973, SEMPER FI to your bro and than him for me.

TomMc1

He joined right after you finished. He went to Parris Island in the summer of '73 and then to Laos and Cambodia from there. Retired medically after 18 years in the late '80s with lots of other interesting adventures in between.

cheers!

HAMMER MAN

Laos and Cambodia scenic and beautiful.
LOL
Take care.

TomMc1

I got my HED Bastognes yesterday. Rode 25 miles yesterday and 35 miles today. They're great! Sooo Smmmoooothhhh! I bought a set of of Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX tires and they are terrific. Very supple, very sticky. At 290 TPI, they ought to feel good.

The Bastognes look great and roll really really well. I know they are brand new but they just feel great and they climb great.

biffstephens

Any updates on the HED Bastogne's? I would love to hear more about them...

Equinox

I don't have a lot of experience with different whelsets, but I am nuts about my Bastognes. They are really light. Even the wrench at my LBS marvels at their lack of weight. I ride on very poor roads and they seem to be strong. I've hit LOTS of potholes including one when I had only 17 miles on them. I was sure they would need to be trued. I brought them in; no worries. I think they are a great wheel at a reasonable price.

TomMc1

I have just over 1100 miles on my set and love them. They are very smooth and give a great ride. They live on my P2SL and while most of the roads that I ride on are pretty smooth, I have ridden on some terrible patches of road during long rides and they have held up great. I'm not a wheel expert but these things limb well, descend well and roll like the dickens on flats. They just purr along.