Never owned Alps. Have owned Cx, Jet 60, and Deep 90. Hed makes very good wheels,especially for the pricing. They're durable and what I really like is 1) their customer service - like phoning and talking to the owner 2) they publish the aero data on their web site. It does't get any better than that IMO.

I have set of Hed Alps that my wife bought me for Christmas 3 years ago. (great wife!) My rear wheel cracked at a spoke hole. It may just have been cosmetic but I E-mailed them with a description and they said it was safe to ride but send it back at the end of the racing season and they would look at it.

I sent it in and in 1 week or less, I don't really remember, I had it back good as new. Actually I think it was an entirely new rim but I could not tell for sure. Anyway I thought the customer service was excellent. Not even a question. They just made it right.

As far as riding them they are very nice. They certainly seem a lot faster than my regular Open Pro/Ultegra rims, this could be a placebo effect I don't know. But generally I see about .4 to .5 mph faster averages over my regular 20 mile time trial course. It ain't much but every little bit helps.

Sorry about the long winded response but I guess I am saying I would recommend them highly. Particularly because of the incredible customer service I felt I recieved.

Due to UPS crushing my faithful and heretofore indestructible (and first generation, mind you) Spinergy's, I bought a pair of Alps in Kona just before Ironman. Very light, less twitchy in the wind than the Spinergy wheels and on a couple of climbs up Mt. Diablo since IMH have performed very well, both uphill and downhill.

As for long term durability, I cannot yet speak to that, but thus far I am impressed and pleased. Some of the local roads are a bit rough, and the wheels are running true as they were on day 1. As mentioned in another thread, the graphics do look a bit "cheesy", but saving several hundred $$$ over comparable Zipps meant more to me than the "coolness" factor of what the wheel looks like.

My rear also cracked at the spoke hole. I did get them from Hed with quite a bit of variance in spoke tension too throughout the wheel. They were true, but the tensions were way different, which is not the mark of top shelf building in my opinion. That said, they ride great and are measurably faster than 32spokers (as if that was in question...). They were my first set of race-type wheels. I've since gotten a pair of Cane Creek Volos for training and a pair of Hed Stingers for racing. I prefer the Am Classic hub and lighter all-carbon build of the Stingers to the Sonic hub and heavier build of the Alps.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I've raced a pair for 2 seasons, mostly road races (and a few time trials) as a pair, and front only on other time trials. (my opinion is that road races are toughter on the wheels than time trials) my rear cracked as described above after the first season of about 15 races. sent it back after the season and got a new wheel in about 10 days. the cracks, at 4 spoke holes, were cosmetic and not structural, and I did several races with the cracks. this past season, I had no issues with the wheels. I like them a lot.

CerveloGuy ---

What are your takes on the Jet 60 and 90. I am looking at getting a pair for 2005. But, I can't find anyone who has riding them before. Do you like the setup of the wheel in terms of the carbon just being a "fairing" as compared to the CX? Are your wheels Tubies or Clinchers?

Thanks!

Don

I ran a 90/Cx rear/front on the tri bike and found it to be quite decent. The Hed 90 is a very fast rear wheel, close to the trispoke if you look on the Hed site aero data. I also had Jet60's on my road bike at one time. All my wheels were tubalars. I found all the wheels to be very durable and stayed true.

Cerveloguy --

Thanks for your thoughts on the wheels.

It sounds like you had the "original" deep 90 CX wheel before the Jet 90. Is that correct?

Did the jet 60 seem "cheap" since the rim wrapped with a carbon fairing instead the way the CX was made?

Thanks!

I'm not Cerveloguy, but here's my take....

I've had a Jet60/Jet90 (F/R) set for 5 years now. Nothing but good things to say about the wheels. Never had to true them.

Not sure what you mean by "cheap". The carbon fairing of the Jet is soft (it will flex if you squeeze it). If that is "cheap" versus the rigid carbon structure of the Alps (or CX), then yes, it is cheap. If you don't squeeze it, it looks just like most any carbon rim with Al braking. The attachment of the carbon to the rim is very clean. The Jet series is designed for a lower price ("cheap", relatively speaking), and it is made with a lower cost fabrication, and is a little heavier. According to Hed's numbers, the Jet90 has slightly better (lower) drag numbers overall than the Hed3. And both are better than the Alps or Jet60.

"Did the jet 60 seem "cheap" since the rim wrapped with a carbon fairing instead the way the CX was made? "

No. To tell the truth, I didn't even realize that the contruction was different until I read about it. Guess I'm not that observant. They were bot good wheels.

Bilmas --

Thanks for the response. You hit the nail on the head with the soft carbon fairing. That is my concern with that style of carbon fabrication. I was not sure if there would be more flex with that style as compared to say the Alps or the CX.



Thanks CerveloGuy. Your insight was helpful!



Do either one of you have any close up pictures of your bikes with those wheels on them?

Keep in mind the Cx has a structural carbon fairing with the rim bonded to it. The spokes do not go all the way to the rim. Whereas the Jet wheels were lower cost wheels using a bonded fairing on a more traditional spoke/rim connection. Perhaps you already knew this but I was not clear from your reply. I have some old Cx's (front and rear) and have found them to be bomb proof. My only complaint is that I can't replace the hubs since you can't really get at the spoke in the fairing. They also tend to be a bit heavy compared to current wheels but as for aerodynamics, they are really quite good. Very comparable to more modern wheelsets (per my discussion with HED).

Thanks Tri Mike!

If you did decide to purchase new HED Wheels, knowing what you know now, would you get the Jet's? And why?

Thanks!

If I was going to get new Hed wheels I think I would get either the H3, Alps or the new Stingers. The Jets are nice and a good bargain but for race dedicated wheels, I prefer the other three. Which one really depends on your type of racing and preferences (ie, are you a big guy who rides flat courses or a skinny dude who rides hills) Check Hed for closeouts as well: ttp://www.hedcycling.com/closeouts/

Mike