I have been a fan of Hed wheels for many years but only recently had the chance to race on them last October at the Ironman World Championships. Kona 2008 brought a moderately windy day (at least by my experience) and the wheels performed great. The biggest crosswinds I encountered were just after Waikoloa and again after the turn around in Hawi. Even with the strong gusts, I was able to stay comfortably in the aero bars and focus on putting power to the pedals. The power wasn’t quite what I was accustomed too but it was no fault of the wheels. The first thing I noticed upon riding the Hed 3C was how light it was and how smooth it seemed to roll. I felt the usual one cog uptick at the same effort that I usually attributed to riding a disc wheel, but with the Hed 3C there wasn’t the weight penalty I was also used to feeling. The Hed 3C seems to be the perfect wheel choice for some of our sport’s hillier races that still have long aero conducive sections: Lake Placid, Vineman, and Wildflower immediately come to mind. In Kona, it is the perfect wheel (disc wheels are not allowed), and one that I think most reasonably experienced age groupers could handle in all but the strongest of island winds. Even with my brakes adjusted close to the rim, I didn’t notice the flex I had experienced with some other wheels I have used in the past. Overall, I like this wheel a lot and it definitely has the most important attribute for any race wheel: when you put it on, you feel faster!
**Who should buy them? **
This is a perfect wheel for an experienced age-grouper or elite racer looking for a versatile wheel with maximum aero advantage.
What type of courses are they best for?
In my opinion, the Hed 3C can be ridden on almost any course, but its versatility will be most noticeable on moderately hilly courses with fast, flatter sections and variable winds.
Here’s a photo of my race set up for Kona 2008: (See my user profile for photo)
Thanks for the review. I do have one question, though: Why would you ever adjust your brakes to put the pads close to the rim? I always leave at least a couple mm on each side, thinking that even if I can’t immediately notice it, some wheel flexing into the pads may occur and waste energy.
I don’t know if I conveyed it accurately, but that was exactly my point - there is no noticable flex in the wheel as I have found in others I have used previously. Like you, I usually run my brakes pretty wide open, but from a safety perspective it is nice to know that with these wheels you won’t be compromising safety for speed should you set them up closer to the rim. Hope that makes sense.
Clean looking set-up. Conti Competion 22mm or 19s? What size chainrings are those? I’ve always liked the tri-spoke look but i’m 6’6" and 205 lbs. in Kona shape and have always worried they’d be too flexy or not durable enough. Any idea on durability?
You mentioned that the Hed 3Cs would be good for Vineman. I have a set of Hed 3Cs but used a Zipp 900 in the back for Vineman last year. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if aerodynamics or weight/momentum would be the bigger factor. Vineman seems like a relatively fast course but there are a few short steep hills and a lot of turns. Do you think running the rear trispoke would be advantageous? Unfortunately I usually look to see what the pros are doing when making my decision but what’s best for 23/24 mph may be different for those riding 26/27 mph…
Dude, that a Hed 3 disc. Only made for about a year or so. Don’t remember why they stopped.
DUDE, he turned an H3 into a disc…search for and read the thread.
Continental Competition 19mm front/rear. That is my favorite tire to race although I know the data is showing perhaps the 22mm would be faster. For me, the 199 mm has always felt and proven to be fastest.
Chainrings were 55-42 last year. I rode 56 tooth in 2001, and 54 in 2003. The 55-42 was a good set up if I had good legs on race day.
Durability: I have not ridden them enough to know absolutely, but my friend Conrad Stoltz who is probably 6’2, 185 rode them in the Olympics among many other races and they seem to hold up well. I beleive durability is more a question of your riding style than your size.
I typically run a disc on the rear at Vineman, but you are right it is different at 27mph, than 23-25mph. I have found the H3C to be light enough to accelerate fairly quick on the hills. And although Vineman offers some good climbs, with the exception of the hill out of transition and the top half of Chalk Hill, most of them are hit at high speed where the H3 would serve you well.
I have HED3 (clinchers) front and rear, but in 650 size. I would assume they would be even stiffer than the 700C version.
I just rode them on the extremely rough chip seal roads at IMNZ last weekend and they are buttery smooth. Well maybe not THAT smooth, but certainly a LOT nicer to ride on that my 650C semi-aero aluminum training wheels that is for sure!
Even tho I’m a MOP guy at best, on several long gentle descents at IMNZ, I flew past all the other competitors around me, and several had discs or newer spoked carbon rim wheels. I know that’s not particularly scientific, but I’m certainly very happy with them and they have stood the test of time as being a very very good aero wheel, that for argument sake, hasn’t been bettered. Hey if Steve L and Lance still ride them, I think they have to be at least worth considering…right?
I have not found them overly stiff, but as noted before they do tend to flex less laterally than other wheels I have used. I think this is a good thing if your goal is to go as fast as possible.
