here's the opening paragraph:

"Santiago Botero won the 2005 Dauphine Libere stage 3 ITT by one second over Levi Leipheimer. Each of these individuals chose to ride a traditionally spoked wheel, with Botero opting for the latest technologically advanced wheel offering from Zipp – the 808. Would the outcome have been different if Botero had chosen a different wheel for this TT? Since quite a few ProTour and US domestic pro’s (along with countless amateur TT specialists) ask me questions such as this, I decided to take a look at the aerodynamics of the Zipp 808 versus the less traditionally designed Specialized Tri-spoke/HED3."

I think that should answer your question. If you are missing big the podium by seconds... then you should go with the 808. Otherwise... they are really not going to have a huge impact for your overall results.

both of those arguments are flawed, we don't know what either one of those riders was putting out in terms of power. it could have been that botero was putting out way more power than levi but his wheel actually hampered him relative to the hed3. or it could have been the other way around and his 808 saved him the tt. just because it was within 1 second doesn't mean anything. i could go to a local tt and be on a fixed gear commuter, get the same time as someone on a tricked out P3 and by that logic you could say, see it doesn't matter.

while, aerodynamics matter more with higher speeds, you could also argue that they matter a lot for ag'ers etc. because of more time spent on course. the other thing worth noting is that the research (albeit zipp's) has shown 808's to be faster than a disc up to 15yaw.

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"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed" - Lloyd Jones

http://www.2BePro.org

Hed Jets are very nice wheels. Not the bling like Zipp though.

This is from a recent thread, it has the zipp 808 and HED 3 but not the Jet

http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html

jaretj

actually my point was that both the Tri spoke and 808 are great wheels. As is the Hed Jet. All will serve an AG'er equally well and provide results for 99.9% of the people on this forum that are well within any margin of error. Unless you are in the top 10... it really doesnt matter if you are up a couple of spots or down a couple of spots on race day.

That said... there have been multiple studies on this forum that have shown the 808 to be among, if not *the*, best wheel tested. Also one of the most expensive, but that's not what the OP asked.

you're right, definitely misinterpreted. my bad.

but you have to remember that a few sports to any ag'er could be as important as that top 10 is to a pro. the op basically wanted to know what was faster, and maybe 2 min over an ironman is worth it to him or anyone else for that matter.

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"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed" - Lloyd Jones

http://www.2BePro.org

agreed.

Up til now... it's my fitness and not my gear that's been keeping me from getting to the top 10. I'd say that's true for most people, but the OP may be in that minority where they are performing at 100% and getting every second out of their gear is hugely significant.

i am totally with you on that. i think i am at near the same point where i always chose not to spend the money on the gear until i deserved it (i.e. fast enough for it) or it was given to me by sponsor/ or at a significant discount.
my philosophy has always been to build the hell out of the motor and fly by the fancy stuff out there, but some people don't agree and choose to get as fast as they can for their money first and then build the motor.

to each his/her own

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"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed" - Lloyd Jones

http://www.2BePro.org

For the HED tri-spoke are there any suggestions as to the best width of tire?

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Some interesting conclusions from that data. First is that spoke count matters hugely (Easton Tempest II Carbon vs. Ritchey WCS Carbon...same rim, 2 spokes, 2 Watts) and that the HED3 scores only about as well as a standard Zipp 404 at ~30mph. The other conclusion I'd draw is that the dimples DO decrease drag (Tempest II vs. '07 404...only difference is dimples), so screw you Bontrager and your dimple-bashing. The Vuelta Carbon Pro WR is also the same rim as a 404, but with monstrous spokes, so maybe the Velomax hypothesis that large bladed spokes create a propeller effect wasn't too far fetched.

Glad to see that the Roval Rapide Star Carbon doesn't score as well as Specialized wants us to believe, and I'm really disappointed in the Vista SL. The low-ish score of the Speedcomposites wheel kinda of surprises me with that rim depth.

Glad to see Zipp on top, though. I almost feel justified spending money on them now.

All three are great wheels. I have a friend with Hed3's. Loved 'em on her Litespeed. Now has a Scott. Almost thought they were too stiff. I have 24 hole 808 rims on 240 hubs on a Scott. Love 'em. Is there a performance difference? Who knows. But they are fast and comfortable.

So, I think the bike you're on matters, too.

You don't mention what you're going to use the wheel for.........training or racing or both. I've used HED3 and Specailized tri-spokes for many many years. They are completely bomb proof. I train on a 14 year old set of the Specialized and they are as good as new, save for brake surface wear. I've also raced with the front HED3 for many years and am very ahppy with it. All that said.......I just traded my race HED3 front for a HED Jet 90 front. The trade was just for the heck of it since I've never tried the 90 deep front. I'm waiting for the chance to ride it and find out if it'll make a difference.

I have alot of wheels laying around. I change them all the time, even for races I tend to change combinations just for fun. The time differences over the distances I race just won't matter. A few seconds here and there will not matter and I place consistantly in the top 3-4 of my age group.

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Paul

Excellent hubset choice. The 240s are soooooo primo. I have to ask, though...why so many spokes?