Looking at Zipp 60 wheels as they are a bit of a bargain (older technology). Pros/cons vs. other wheelsets?
I am also considering Jet 6 plus or Jet 4 plus. Any other that give excellent braking performance and are not too difficult to handle for a first foray into deeper section wheels?
Need to fit Cervelo P3 and I wonder if the HED Jet plus might be too wide.
I have always found Reynolds carbon wheel sets to have good braking compared to their competitors. I have not tried the two models you name, but Reynolds were better than the Zipps and Enves I tried.
The more affordable Reynolds look quite attractive. I would consider them if I was shopping for wheels. They’re not quite as popular, brand name wise as Zipp, Enve and HED, so you can find some good deals.
I would suggest SwissSide Hadrons are worth a look. They’re aluminium rims with carbon aerodynamic fairings like the Zipp 60 and HEDs but they should outperform the Zipps and probably the HEDs too. Price wise they’re very competitive and weight is very low for hybrid wheels. I’ve bought a set but haven’t ridden them yet. Hadron 625 front (62.5mm) and 800+ rear (85mm). There’s loads of data and discussion of these wheels on Slowtwitch and elsewhere.
If you’re concerned about width, these may be a problem, since they use reasonably wide toroidal profiles. You should be able to find the dimensions fairly easily.
I have Hed Jets plus on my NP2. There is plenty of width. They are really only wider at the rim, the tire profile is not that different. The rim is only 3mms wider on each side than a conventional rim. I strongly recommend them, they are great wheels.
How is a warranty issue (and/or crash replacement) handled with SwissSide, since they don’t have a US presence?
Who pays for return shipping? Does it go to Switzerland?
I love my HED Jet+ wheels. Swisside and Flo are also options. Unless they’ve recently updated it the Zipp 60 is actually a pretty old design and likely outperformed by all of the aforementioned wheels.
Definitely Jet + (assuming they fit). These really are the best wheel out there. They are more aero than just about any other wheel and they achieve this with a super wide inner rim width. This makes them versatile in terms of tire choice, width and comfort. Tom Arndt (the tire Crr guy) rides them and he is about as technically savvy as they come.
I have seen the Swiss Side wheels test well, but I don’t know much about the quality, warranty, and braking performance compared to the HEDs. Flos are an OK budget choice but they are on the heavy side and the crash replacement policy is to buy a new one.
I am not sure where you are located but if you are US based you can buy Hed 6 Jet + right now from several sources for $999. I bought a second set to use on my road bike - they had a coupon for 10% off. They are somewhat lighter than Flos and also the wider 25mm profile according to their marketing speak might be more aero and also might favorably influence the tire CRR. Also as Zipp has taken their base 404 and moved it downward from a product line position, the tradeoff between carbon clinchers, and Hed alloy clinchers is not worth going with carbon any more. Obviously in my opinion…
The HED Jet 6+ and Swiss Side Hadron 625 look like a fairly close match. I’d probably go with whichever were most easily available and had the best price.
HED Jet 6+
Weight: 1760g
Rim width across braking surface: 25mm
Rim depth: 60mm
Swiss Side Hadron 625
Weight: 1686g
Rim width across braking surface: 23mm
Rim depth: 62.5mm
There’s been a fair amount of head to head testing done between these wheels and also Zipp 60 and the full carbon Zipp FC 404. Most of this done by Swiss Side but under a fair amount of scrutiny. As I recall most who have reviewed the testing and data agree that the Hadron 625 equals the much more expensive Zipp FC 404 and I think the HED Jet 6+ was similar or just marginally slower. The Zipp 60 is a slower wheel. I’d suggest checking out the data as I’m just recalling from memory!
The build quality and finish of the Hadrons is excellent.
I don’t know what their warranty/returns arrangements are, however, I believe they are based in UK not Switzerland. I think the Swiss part of the name is a bit of a con to make you think of precision or something!
Have raced on Jet 6 and 9 for last 3 years and have their # 5 on my road bike, never had a worry with brakes even with mountain roads in heavy rain. In fact I would say they have improved my lack luster descending skills, north of my neck anyway.
I chose the Hed jet+ wheels mainly because at the time they were/are the most aero and as a bonus had al brake so I did not even have to think about brakes. What I did not buy for and was surprised by was how great the wheels feel on the road. Huge improvement in ride quality over the stock AL wheels which was something I was not expecting.
BTW I have Jet+60 front and Jet 90+w/cover in the back and have had zero problems handing in the wind.
IME, Hed Jet + BLACK wheels (“Turbine brake track” equipped) are a significant improvement (dry AND wet) over even regular aluminum brake tracks and KoolStop Salmon pads.
Seriously. Well worth it.
They result in “Disc brakes on road bikes for wut??” reactions…
I’ve been rocking my out of day Zipp 404 in front for 5 seasons now. I can’t imagine an 808 would make me significantly faster in most cases, which are low yaw scenarios. It is handy having solid braking up front where you need it. I couldn’t care less about rear braking.
Which brake pads do you use with the black rims? Are yours noisy?
Thanks!
Which brake pads do you use with the black rims? Are yours noisy?
Thanks!
I’ve been using KoolStop black pads…but am about to try some of the latest DuraAce pads to see if there’s any difference.
The only noise is a very slight “whirring” sound as you slow down…sounds a bit like a turbine engine spooling down…hence the “Turbine” moniker for the brake track treatment 
I don’t mind it in the least.
I have a pair of HED 6 Blacks coming in…
I am going to use Swissstop BXP pads.
Two years ago I picked up a used FLO 60/90 set and then did a tri with a longish downhill that I got up to 47mph with a hairpin left at the bottom. No issues braking with TPR RL970 levers pulling a Gen 2 TriRig Omega on the front and whatever TPR sits underneath on the Felt B12. No idea what pads I have, TriRig supplied an orange set.
Two years ago I picked up a used FLO 60/90 set and then did a tri with a longish downhill that I got up to 47mph with a hairpin left at the bottom. No issues braking with TPR RL970 levers pulling a Gen 2 TriRig Omega on the front and whatever TPR sits underneath on the Felt B12. No idea what pads I have, TriRig supplied an orange set.
Those are KoolStop Salmons, IMO the best pads to use on non-textured aluminum rims, especially for wet conditions.
I think the Swiss part of the name is a bit of a con to make you think of precision or something!
Hmm, no. The owners are Swiss, all the research and development is based in Switzerland, they just have their warehouse in the UK (so that they can be based in the EU) from which they ship their wheels from.
Two years ago I picked up a used FLO 60/90 set and then did a tri with a longish downhill that I got up to 47mph with a hairpin left at the bottom. No issues braking with TPR RL970 levers pulling a Gen 2 TriRig Omega on the front and whatever TPR sits underneath on the Felt B12. No idea what pads I have, TriRig supplied an orange set.
Those are KoolStop Salmons, IMO the best pads to use on non-textured aluminum rims, especially for wet conditions.
+1