In my last race of the season in 2008 I broke a spoke (Right at the nipple) in my Zipp 808 rear and since I’ve never blown a spoke before (I hear it is normal) it has me freaked out a bit as its one of those things in a race that you simply can’t fix. When my shop looked at the broken spoke they couldn’t explain why it snapped and when replacing the spoke they took all the tension off the wheel and brought it back up to Zipp spec. This was the first issue in two seasons of owning the 808’s that I’ve had any issues at all.
That said, I am wondering whether deep spoked wheels are as reliable as something wihtout spokes like the HED H3.
I can probably sell my Zipps and pick up the H3D rear and H3 front without too muc out of pocket cost, but I wondering if I might be flipping out too much about one blown spoke.
The advantage of the spoked wheel is that bits can be replaced - like spokes, hubs. or rims - should a failure occur. If the H3 fails, you need a new wheel.
Spoke breaks aren’t common at all, but they do happen. Similarly, I’ve heard of alu rims bursting from the tyre pressure when they are weakened.
I reckon you’re over-reacting, but if you really want to give the 808s an inspection, ship them to me and I’ll test ride them for you.
It did end my race and let me tell you sitting on the roadside for two hours in rural North Carolina is never fun.
The wheel was thrown out of true by at leat 1/8 inch and when I spoke to Zipp about it the next day they said I could have kept riding, but given that I am 210lbs and the course was hilly, the stress and strain on the rim may have eventually caused “catastrophic wheel failure” i.e. the rim cracking and the wheel stopping suddenly.
I had extra spokes added to the rear wheel when Zipp built them (They’re Zed Techs) so I thought I was covered. Guess not.
I guess I am simply thinking about the issue of breaking a spoke at, say, Mile 100 of IMLP or another race and ending my day. I don’t know the downsides to the H3’s, and they might have issues I’m not thinking of.
Hed 3s are pretty much bomb proof. But they CAN go out of true. My rear one did. It had to be sent back to HED (there’s some kind of shimming that’s done in the freehub body that trues up the wheel … strange). They took care of it quickly.
Yours is the first I’ve ever heard of a spoke failure on an 808. I’m sure they happen, but unless you got a bad build (heaven forbid on a Zed Tech), I wouldn’t be paranoid about it. Hopefully, if your shop re-tensioned the whole wheel to Zipp spec, you’re going to be fine. More likely it was one bad spoke than a bad wheel.
I think you’d be throwing a lot of money at a very minor problem if you dumped the 808s and got some Hed 3s over one broken spoke. But I understand the obsession to have everything in order on race day.
I’ve known a couple of riders who are on the large side who carry extra spokes around with them. They tape them to the bottom of their chainstays. Maybe you can go that route as a race-day safety net.
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a former pro triathlete told me a story of how he was sponsored by hed and used the hed3. during a race, the wheel starting breaking beneath him.
he thinks that the hed3 wheel is really old technology (formerly owned patent by specialized), built on bad hubs, and rarely true. he believes that there are many better options out there for wheel choices. i think a 404 + disc is what he recommends.
The advantage of the spoked wheel is that bits can be replaced - like spokes, hubs. or rims - should a failure occur. If the H3 fails, you need a new wheel.
If you broke a spoke on your HED. 3 spoke you should stop parking your bike behind a van. Though HED. may not certify this, but in the elite tandem circles it's common knowledge that they are the fastest wheels which are strong enough to ride a tandem on.
H3s are invincible! My mate has used an old one on his suicide bike for 2 years of kerb jumping, skidding, barspins and general xxx levels of abuse. Its about 4mm out of true and there are no cracks or dings.
The advantage of the spoked wheel is that bits can be replaced - like spokes, hubs. or rims - should a failure occur. If the H3 fails, you need a new wheel.
If you broke a spoke on your HED. 3 spoke you should stop parking your bike behind a van. Though HED. may not certify this, but in the elite tandem circles it's common knowledge that they are the fastest wheels which are strong enough to ride a tandem on.
Hmm the hubs on a H3 are bad caus one person said so, the design is old, FFS these things are bits of carbon shaped to cut through the wind, zipp and hed co own a patent on aero rims.
As for the hed3 hmm dupont maybe just maybe these guys no a bit more about engineering and design than the people at zipp, hed just got smart and bought it.
Of course the use a crap hub, why wouldn’t you, as thye are making such a crap wheel anyway why not add a crap hub
