NitE GameR

What is everyones oppinions on these wheels? Would it be okay for a poor college student to just buy a front wheel first, and use it as a race wheel w/ his original rear wheel untill I can afford a rear wheel also? Any first hand experience would be greatly appreciated.

merlinextraligh

hed 3's are about as fastas wheels get (notice that armstrong used them in the 2005 tour. Zipp 808's are arguably a touch faster depending on wind but its close) the front wheel makes the most difference so a trispoke front to start makes sense if your on a budget.

NitE GameR

What would be the advantage/disadvantage of carbon rims vs aluminum rims on these wheels?

Dalai

Carbon rims

pros
- lighter

cons
-needs carbon specific brake pads
-tubular only

Aluminium rims

pros
-normal brake pads - so if you use the one bike for training and racing you don't have to swap pads also
-tubular and clincher

cons
-heavier

NitE GameR

So this might be jumping to conclusions, but the carbon rims, on an already very aerodynamic wheel seems a little overkill to me unless your guna be racing up mountains? This rim is starting to really look good to me, but after the front, would another h3 in the back be a wise choice? I am a pretty strong climber, so I'm not sure if a disk might be better or not.

Dalai

Most triathlons are over reasonably flat terrain. A lighter wheel helps if racing in the hills or on a technical course with a lot of turns including U turns. As a lighter wheel is easier to accelerate. In most cases the extra weight won't be an issue.

For the rear, if budget only allows for one rear race wheel. Go the H3.

If you plan on having more than one rear race wheel, then I would also recommend looking at a disk.

Since buying my disk (second hand Zipp 950) I haven't gone back to my spoked race wheel. And that has included some windy days too!

strukljv

I was in your exact same position several months ago. I'm in college and on a somewhat limited budget, but I really wanted a nice set of racing wheels. The HED3's were very appealing mainly because they are often described as "the most aerodynamic wheel besides a disc" and seem to be somewhat versitile because they are not solid (as a disc is). I finally was able to buy a set a month ago and so far the differences have been unbelieveable. Heres a few of the pros and cons as I have noticed so far.

Pros
- I am able to maintain higher speeds longer and seem to have more momentum coming into a hill.
- They are stiffer than my spoked wheels I use for training so they feel much more responsive.
- They're a lot lighter.
- If you get the regular HED3 (not the HED3 full carbon wheels) they will still have a carbon wheel but the outer rim will be aluminum so you wont have to buy new break pads.
- The set I bought are tubular and being able to get the tubes to higher pressures helps w/rolling resistance (not sure if I have really noticed this or if its just in my mind).
- They look bad ass.

Cons
- Crosswinds - I'm a heavier rider (180 lbs) so this doesn't effect me as much as a lighter rider but it is noticeable.
- They are a bit expensive.

My suggestion to you would be to keep an eye on the classified seciton of the slowtwitch.com forum. I bought my wheels from a guy getting ready to start grad school who was getting rid of some of his stuff and I was able to save close to $500 on a lightly used wheelset (they had less than 200 miles on them). Heres a pic of the bike. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Berns

I would say that it partially depends on the conditions. I've got both a front HED3 and Zipp 400. Happy with both. HED3 seems more solid (less forgiving) whereas the Zipp seems to absorb a little more. Just make sure that if you go with a HED3 (used) that it's true.

Not exactly sure what your budget is and what size wheels you run. I got my Zipp400, Zipp Disc and HED3 from EBay for very good prices. For all 4 wheels, I've spent less that $500. That's on 650c though... a dying breed.

rplong

I was wondering about those HED wheels or the spinergy's that don't have metal spokes, How do they stay true? Is this a material issue, that if they become untrue or the material they are made out of breaks down and then you can't fix it? How does this work? Just one of my major concerns before I adventure into thinking about a purchase.

strukljv

I'm not 100% sure but as far as I know it's possible for them to get slightly out of true, but if you hit a pothole big enough to really knock them out of true they may crack. I've heard of people having cracked carbon wheels fixed, don't know how true it is though. I use mine mainly for races and long training rides where I know I won't be encountering any potholes/fallen trees/animals.