New to the site, so sorry for the possible repeat thread. I’m interested in getting a HED H3 Clincher front wheel for my track bike which I ride on NYC streets 25 miles daily to/from work. My LBS warned that this wheel cannot be repaired if it gets “out of true.” Instead, he recommended an aero wheel with spokes that can be trued if I hit a massive pothole. Conversely, I was told by HED H3 users that they’re bomb-proof. Are they worth the investment? What to do?
I run a set of HED H3. Even new out of box they aren’t always true. As long as it doesn’t rub the break pad you won’t care. The LBS might freak you out by saying it’s not a true wheel but just disregard. I’m a big guy at 6’5" 215lbs. These wheels take my beating all day long and I’ve hit plenty of pot holes.
I’m two years into mine and I bought them used. No regrets from me. Your call though!
HED writes the number of trueness on the wheels inside the rim. Look for something like .0xx/.0xx. The lower and closer the numbers the better.
But your LBS is partially correct. According to HED:
The H3 family of wheels are actually the strongest wheels that we make so the chances of one going out of true is very unlikely. However, in the rare case that an H3 wheel does need re-truing it would need to be returned to our US branch. Here they use special tools carry out the re-truing work necessary. This would take around 25 working days to complete.
They all have some wobble to them. You will not notice when you are on the road. I had a set and never new that until I rode them on rollers and it was very noticeable.
Are the aerodynamics of the H3 of value to you on a commuter? On a city commuter, I might be worried about theft, as well as damage. You can pick up strong 32 or 36 spoke wheels pretty cheap.
Yes, close to bomb proof. Ride is a little harsh. I loved my set.
I would not worry about trueness. As mentioned, the amount of trueness is written in the rim.
They can’t be trued…but they never go out of true. Basically they stay the way they were made at the factory (which can be up to 0.030" out of true); the values are etched inside the rim.
They are a harsh ride (the spokes work in compression, not tension), but are about as bombproof as they get.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2726600;search_string=etched;#2726600
They can be shimmed though. You can send them back to HED or you can use an aluminum soda/beer can as a shim.
Thanks for all the advice. I’ll research the HED Jet 7s as an alternative (with the alu brake track) but it sounds like the H3s are worth a try. I not only use my track bike for commuting, I often do long rides (50+ mi) with roadies on the wknd as it’s fun blowing past them uphill. I’d like to move from 22mph to >25 so I could use some help. Potholes be damned I’ll see how they work out (as I still have my Mavic Ellipses for winter riding). Thanks for the tips…
When I was first looking at these, I heard the same. As you read you will see people say that these are completely bomb proof. They do come slightly “unround” and as another poster wrote they have numbers. I forget what is considered an A wheel and a B. Unsure, you can call up HED to ask.
You might do better with an aerospoke which can cost a bit less.