HED ardennes
 

Anyone ridden on the HED ardennes? Any possible way you could get the rear rim by itself to lace to say....antheer hub?

Mostly im intrested in what other peoples experiences have been since im considering getting this wheelset.

This is the rim:
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/he...ncher-rim.html

I have a set of handbuilts with these rims. Nicest riding wheels I've ever owned.

One of the best purchases was this wheelset. I was considering the Zipp 101's for the wider profile, but the Ardennes suits me just fine. And it is lighter, too! It corners well and makes bombing down hills seem more confidence inspiring. Call it a placebo effect, but when I know I have steep hills to climb/descend, I'd take my bike with the Ardennes over my other bike with the Reynolds Assaults.

Wider rims seem to make for more confident cornering, at least for me. Mine are not Hed, but I think the comment still applies. I would like to get a set of wheels with wider rims for training and the less-expensive Hed wheels seem like the ticket.

I bought a set of Ardennes. After a spoke popped, my LBS discovered that my straight-from-the-factory Ardennes were laced with mismatched spokes. The wheel contained several off-brand "clone" spokes and two spokes were not even bladed spokes. Bad deal. My wheel was delayed coming from HED and, when I cancelled my order, my wheels were suddenly ready. I suspect they were out of the proper spokes and threw it together with whatever they could find, just to get my order out.

That's probably not true of every set of HED wheels, but it soured me on their product.

That's pretty serious. I would have difficulty buying their product with that experience. Maybe I'll buy rims for a custom build.

Thank guys. @Eippo1....if those are the rims....a bit over the top if I laced the back rim to Phill Woods? =p.....how about a ss phil wood =]

Wider rim profiles are gaining in popularity. I sell more and more everyday. I am not a Hed dealer but most shops can get these rims through QBP. I sell Velocity's version - the A23 and it seems to perform well.

I wouldn't say that's over the top at all. Many peeps use Alchemy Orcs, King or DT Swiss 240s hugs for maximum bling. A nice set could be made with Bitex or Formula hubs as well and White Industries has a great hub that is pretty comparable in price point to the Phil Woods. As Psimet says, A23 rims are slightly lighter, cheaper rims from Velocity for another option.

I have the a set of the Ardenne Stallion wheels. I've been happy with them over the 300 miles I've been riding them. Relatively light and stiff enough to handle my 205lbs.

I have A23/White Industry wheels with 23mm gp4000s on them and couldn't be happier so far (500 miles). I use them for fast group rides and solo training. I've been running them at pressures that I use for 25mm tires on standard width rims and have had no flats while getting a grippy and confortable ride.