Is anyone riding with one of these? I am looking at purchasing a set of wheels and thinking a bit about going a little unique with the front wheel and buying the H3 plus. Rear wheel would be a Jet 6 or 9 with an aerojacket when needed. The other saner option would be just to do a set of jet 6s or 9s.
Very little out there on the H3 Plus as far as user reviews. Not exactly odd for a relatively weird wheel and expensive wheelset
I have heard that the original H3 are :
bomb proof
more and less comfortable than regular wheels
better and worse with cross winds
among the fastest in all conditions or only in windy conditions
I am assuming the new H3 probably share these characteristics.
Anyone know any other obvious disadvantages or advantages or are they basically just a method of spending money so that your bike catches more eyes.
I have a Stinger 9, 7 and GT3 front and have had a H3 in the past. I certainly don’t find the GT3 that is slightly shallower or the H3 any worse than the other two if anything easier to handle in cross winds. The GT3 was a lot easier to handle than both the 9 and 7 descending Hawi which is the only place I have ever been freaked out by a cross wind. I look at it as check out all the best cyclists in the pro tour are basically using tri spoke front wheels in a tt. Shimano guys have the option of using but run theor tri spoke and often the lesser guys do run just a deep front but many teams not with a Shimano sponsorship choose to still use the H3 or GT3. Supposedly better all round wheel but hey certainly a sexier wheel IMO.
You like that But in all honesty that is the only place that has really made me think about front wheel depth and can give some idea of choosing between wheels in regards to crosswinds.
I picked up a H3+ to replace the H3 I used for years. would continue to use them if you could still get tires (the latest SS 20s are too wide to pass the 105% rule of thumb).
The latest data I have seen is for the new Aero-coach wheels, where they are a bit better than a Jet 6+. That puts them about 3.5 watts behind the new AOX 100mm front wheel. So from what I can tell, they are about as fast as any wheel of their depth. The only issue I haven’t seen anyone address is wheel/fork interactions. The urban legend is that the tri-spokes need a wide fork to reduce the high pressure pulse as the spoke passes through the fork. Aero-coach is pretty much a Cervelo (i.e.,narrow fork) shop, so if the fork issue makes a difference, then the H3+ should/could be about as fast as a front wheel gets while still being OK in windy conditions. I picked up a Speed Concept this year and rolled the dice on the H3+. I am hoping to make it out to LA for an ERO session and will see if I can do a wheel test.
Run the H3+ with a 20mm SS and let me know how that wheel test goes on the SC. I suspect it will be a very fast setup
That is the tire I have on the wheel. I also have a Jet 6+ I might take. The shape of the rims is nearly identical so any difference would be rotational drag
My new 3rd generation SS 20 rolls within a watt or two of the TLR 23 and it visually has a less rounded profile than the TLR. Gerlach wind tunnel tested the TLR against the SS23 on a Jet 6+ and the SS was 2 watts faster. Maybe the SS20 is a watt or two faster. Maybe it depends on the individual tire. Either way I don’t think you can go wrong.
Run the H3+ with a 20mm SS and let me know how that wheel test goes on the SC. I suspect it will be a very fast setup
That is the tire I have on the wheel. I also have a Jet 6+ I might take. The shape of the rims is nearly identical so any difference would be rotational drag
That would be an interesting “real world” test of rotational drag.
According to HED, for the plus/black, it’s the Conti Attack. If you go by extrapolation and anecdote, it varies a lot.
I have a TLR on my Jet+ and I will swap to a Attack 23 for road riding and racing this spring. I will roll both tires and probably the TLR/Force as well this weekend. Supposed to snow on Sunday.
My guess is the Attack/Force will be more than a couple watts slower, Crr wise. If the Attack was really that much faster than all the other tires, CdA wise, I suspect the UK crowd would be using them. Some of those guys are testing the wee out of every combination. I guess that is what it takes to average 30+ mph for up to 100 miles.
yes and I am just saying it is closer to a true 21 than a 22 about 1.3mm wider than previous version and about the only tire going to meet the 105% on an h3+…nothing in a great many years meets it on an h3, but we still run 'em
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Hi there, I have just bought the H3+ but haven’t used outside yet.
My first ride was one month ago, in some tests at the Velodrome with Jim/ERO in Carson.
The last run change was replacing a front ENVE for this H3+ (both wheels had different tires, so far from a scientific test - it was just part of the overall testing scheme).
As far as I understand, to call it a wheels test would require more runs, same tires, and a better control as a whole… However on this n=1 experiment the H3+ was ~2W faster (bike = L Omni). So I dare to say that in a no wind/dead flat condition like a velodrome the H3+ is fast or maybe the fastest…
However what I really wonder is how it reacts to crosswinds… Now that it’s rim is wider, would it make it better? I had read that at some yaw changes the H3 would present some sudden variations in drag/pressure and hence become very unstable/hard to control…
Comments for real life cases are welcomed, including your takes on hilly courses.
I have rode H3 or H3+ wheelsets in a variety of conditions. It rides like a 60 or 70mm wheel. I never had an issue with crosswinds. A 90mm front wheel was a different experience for me. Half the rides I did on my 90mm wheels felt like I was going to die.
But in all honesty that is the only place that has really made me think about front wheel depth and can give some idea of choosing between wheels in regards to crosswinds.
about 1.3mm wider than previous version and about the only tire going to meet the 105% on an h3+…nothing in a great many years meets it on an h3, but we still run 'em