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Help me pick my race wheels!
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I'm buying my first legit tri-bike (Specialized Shiv)...so next step is to upgrade the wheels

Budget: ~1k
Brakes: Rim
Use: Primarily Triathlon, could use on road bike as well. Hilly terrain likely (IM Canada this year)
Considerations: I'm a mediocre bike handler plus the hills, so thinking 45-60mm depth max to be conservative? Also given hills and budget I'm thinking an Alloy brake track will be a solid pick

Top choices I've found:
https://mybikeshop.com/...ro-carbon-black.html - Seems to tick all the boxes
https://mybikeshop.com/...4-plus-wheelset.html - Essentially same price once you factor in the tires and Cassette. Could also do Jet+ 4/6 or just the 6 for the same price.

Does the wisdom of Slowtwitch have any advice here, or other options to throw in the mix? My searching can only compare much older generations of these wheels. I'm generously a MOP athlete if that matters at all...
Last edited by: TriDW: Mar 27, 19 20:08
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.backcountry.com/hed-jet-6-fr-clincher-wheelset?skid=HED000M-BK-SHI&ti=OkhFRDoxOjE6


https://www.competitivecyclist.com/hed-jet-6-fr-clincher-wheelset?skidn=HED000M-BK-SHI&ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6aGVkIGpldDoxOjY6aGVkIGpldA==


Can't go wrong great wheel set...
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [Shambolic] [ In reply to ]
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You think the Hed+ is better than the Cosmic Pro that's slightly cheaper? Stats on the two look very similar in terms of dimensions, weight, etc. HED fairing gets dinged for being flimsy, but I could just be careful with it.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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Hed wheels all the way. Take care of them as you would any wheel and they will be fine. I race the stingers and GT3 but own and have owned multiple sets of Jet wheels. Daniela Ryf used to race them on choice not sponsorship until recently when she got a wheel sponsor.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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TriDW wrote:
You think the Hed+ is better than the Cosmic Pro that's slightly cheaper? Stats on the two look very similar in terms of dimensions, weight, etc. HED fairing gets dinged for being flimsy, but I could just be careful with it.

I've owned both, HEDs were nicer IMHO, prefer the spokes on the HED wheels, better resale value too.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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If it was me I'd go with HED Jet 6 or possibly deeper, or a disk at the back.
I also ride a lot in the hills, I'm not especially light, and wind and wet weather are both regular factors.
I use Swiss Side Hadrons with zero difficulties. These are a similar wheel to the HED in that they have a light non-structural, toroidal carbon fairing bonded to an alloy rim. I went with 62.5mm front and 85mm rear. I chose these based on price and availability at the time. I might slightly favour HED over these due to the wider inner rim width (mine are 19mm which is ok too).
I use these on my tri bike (Felt IA14) most of the time, but I do occasionally use them on my road bike as well. That's a Canyon Ultimate and it looks and feels great on these wheels too.

If I was buying again I would certainly not go any shallower at the front. 62.5mm is fine for all conditions I've encountered and HED rims are reported to handle winds well similarly. I might consider going with 62.5mm at the back as there's not a big aero difference compared to the 85mm and the 62.5mm might be a marginally better match for the road bike. If I wanted optimum aerodynamics at the back I could always pair the rear wheel with a disc cover and still have the 62.5mm available for races when I didn't want to use the disc or for the road bike.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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Mostly ditto above. At a minimum, I would get the Jet 6 Plus wheels. The 60mm wheels seem to be the sweet spot between performance and neutral handling. I chose 60mm/90mm for my first set of wheels because of handling concerns. As soon as I rode them, I wish I bought a deeper front. Now I am riding 90mm/disc, and I love them. HEDs have great handling all around, so I wouldn't sweat it.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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JET 5 plus's are on sale at MBS, so that might be a winner at 55mm...
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, at $900, the Jet 5 Plus is a great value. Occasionally, MBS will put the Jet 6 Plus on sale for that price, but today is not that day. Though, at $1,150, including a cassette, tires, tubes, and wheel bags, their current price for the Jet 6 Plus is pretty good (assuming you need the extras). If you are on the fence between the 5 & 6, you might give them a call or email to see if they can work a Jet 6 deal that does not include all the extras.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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I just picked up a hed jet plus 6 front and a hed jet black 9 rear from MBS for 1,140. The black rear was cheaper than the jet plus. If you're willing to wait there are deals out there.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [joesbr16] [ In reply to ]
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Flo 60’s front and rear. If you live in an area with a lot of hills you could run a Flo 45 up front and 60 rear. Buy an Aerojacket wheel cover for the back for racing for another $90.
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Re: Help me pick my race wheels! [TriDW] [ In reply to ]
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I put HED Jet 4+ on my road bike last year and absolutely love them. I'm a smaller rider, and wanted a good balance between handling, weight, and aero. I highly recommend these wheels... with a set of nice tires, it's a Cadillac-like ride.
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