I am debating between the two, any input? I see some older threads and it’s mostly about braking on the rim brake versions. I have disc brakes so not really a factor for me. They are about the same price so I figure they will both be about the same.
I own a rim brake flo disc with alloy rim. The HED will weigh less than the flo. The specs of the hed say its wider so I would go for that. But Flo has sales a lot, there was just one for spring, maybe its still ongoing, if the width and the weight aren’t worth the extra cash to you.
Back more than 5 years ago HED rim brake disc wheels were not tubeless, it was bad for the cover according to HED, but I know some people still did it. I don’t know about the braking, but I got the alloy rim because it was only 40g heavier and a few hundred bucks less back when they still made it.
I am debating between the two, any input? I see some older threads and it’s mostly about braking on the rim brake versions. I have disc brakes so not really a factor for me. They are about the same price so I figure they will both be about the same.
I thought jet discs were more expensive than Flo?
Great questions. The main difference between our wheel and the Hed is the rim. We use a carbon rim and they use an aluminum rim. They have a carbon rim model but I believe it’s a two piece construction bonding to one of their carbon rims. This wheel is also $2,100.
When you look at the RC and the FLO DISC we both use one solid piece of carbon on a low profile rim. Last I checked our wheel was cheaper and as pointed out with sales much cheaper. The only issue is this wheels has been really popular and is backordered. They’re hard to keep in stock at the moment.
Happy to help if you have any further questions.
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HI, I’m Andy - from Hed.
the beliefs left about our wheels in another comment: umm no.
Our all carbon wheel line is called Vanquish. We make them like all other fully carbon wheels that I am aware of, in one molded section - not two. We make two models, Pro and Performance. The Performance are on sale right now at $1475.50, Pro are $2210. We make all our own wheels here in the US, and V6 rims are on the production schedule several days a week. If we don’t have them built on the shelf we can build some and ship within days. Vanquish are hooked with a 22.4mm internal and 32mm external width at the widest point of the rim.
We do have another line of wheels called the Jet, and those have a carbon skin bonded to an aluminum rim. We have made Jets since the early 90s and they’re also fast wheels. They were the first clinchers to be ridden to a UCI world TT championship in the modern era, 2010 I believe. Depending on your exact budget the Jet 5 wheels are a super buy right now, $997 for the pair. They’re 50mm deep and 21mm internal.
hey Andy, thanks for the explanation on the differences between the wheels. This is a little off the topic of the thread but as someone who was recently shopping wheels on your website I was not able to discern what you just laid out in a quick paragraph from looking at the site.
That being said, the piece of feedback that I’d like to give you is that when you go to the HED site and click shop - > road & tri you get 12 products. The only filter here is price and whats more frustrating as a triathlete looking for deep section wheels its impossible to know which of the 12 come in deep sections (well besides the disc). All the photos are of wheels that are 30-40mm.
so to summarize my request:
- filter for rim/disc wheels
- filter for wheel section depth
- some way to do a compare between multiple product specifications
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thanks for that feedback. I am not the web guy, but his office is a few steps from mine. We’ll talk tomorrow (unless I can’t ride to work because we’re getting a snow storm right now).
In the meantime, we make Vanquish and Jet in ~40/60/85 and full aero disc.
two models of Jet, two for Vanquish. Vanquish are disc brake only, Jets are made for either rim or disc brake (but they are separate builds, not convertible)
At a basic level, Vanquish are more aero than jet because they have a wider maximum width relative to the tire mount section. Vanquish can also be made to a more aero shape due to the difference in construction methods (closed mold all carbon for Vanq, skin on aluminum rim for Jet)
Vanquish have a 22.4 inner rim width (the hook width where the tire mounts) and 30-34mm widest section - the models get deeper the max width increases. Jet are 21 internal and 27 to 32 at the max width.
Pro are lighter than Performance because of carbon upgrades in the rims, lighter hubs, and lighter spokes. Both models have bladed spokes and they are made in the same molds. Aerodynamically there is a small but measurable difference in drag because the Pro spokes have a thinner cross section. (small - personally I do not consider it a reason to pick pro over performance. it’s really the weight that differentiates)
keep asking questions or feel free to call or email tomorrow. (I doubt I’ll be monitoring this thread all day)
Did you update the Vanquish in the last few years? Seems like the published profiles I can find put them at 21mm internal and 30mm external.
HI, I’m Andy - from Hed.
the beliefs left about our wheels in another comment: umm no.
Our all carbon wheel line is called Vanquish. We make them like all other fully carbon wheels that I am aware of, in one molded section - not two. We make two models, Pro and Performance. The Performance are on sale right now at $1475.50, Pro are $2210. We make all our own wheels here in the US, and V6 rims are on the production schedule several days a week. If we don’t have them built on the shelf we can build some and ship within days. Vanquish are hooked with a 22.4mm internal and 32mm external width at the widest point of the rim.
We do have another line of wheels called the Jet, and those have a carbon skin bonded to an aluminum rim. We have made Jets since the early 90s and they’re also fast wheels. They were the first clinchers to be ridden to a UCI world TT championship in the modern era, 2010 I believe. Depending on your exact budget the Jet 5 wheels are a super buy right now, $997 for the pair. They’re 50mm deep and 21mm internal.
Hey Andy,
I think you’re misunderstanding my comment. Not a dis on the product. Your wheel would have three molds. One for the rim and two for the sides. We do the same. My comment was about the depth of the rim used. It appears like you’re using a deeper rim on the carbon version. That’s all I was pointing out. If I’m mistaken please correct me.
Mea culpa.
I should post with calipers in hand, not with a drink in hand (kidding, it was Sunday morning and coffee) I didn’t read closely enough. The conversation was not about a pair of 60mm wheels.
Our Vanquish and Jet discs are indeed made with a regular(ish) build and then skinned. They’ve been that way since their inception, in the case of the Jet that’s 18 years I believe.
Jet are built on our Ardennes rim, Vanquish on the V6 rim. Strangely, going to a shorter rim would make the wheel weigh more and a good aero shape would be harder to achieve.
Also, rim widths have been modified but the website may not reflect it yet. 22.4 internal on Vanquish.
31.4 max width V8
31.2 max width V6
30.5 max width V4 - but watch for a change here.
34 max is the Jet 180.
Now that I am at work I can tell you that we have both Vanquish disc ($2000, 5% sale) and Jet disc disc ($1140, 5% sale/1326g rim taped and decaled) on the shelf ready to ship.
I can’t speak to aero comparison to Flo because we have not done that in the wind tunnel. Wider internal and different shape sides could be a measurable difference.
If you desire an all carbon rim then Flo is the clear price leader.
…
keep asking questions or feel free to call or email
…
Andy - I sent you a PM, have some (more specific) questions.
I am debating between the two, any input? I see some older threads and it’s mostly about braking on the rim brake versions. I have disc brakes so not really a factor for me. They are about the same price so I figure they will both be about the same.
They are about the same. I’ve used both. Both are well priced and nice. Can’t imagine the average rider would be able to tell a difference. Either one will work.
I have a Jet 60 wheel I STILL USE regularly, every year since 2010 and it’s still true and the bearings still spin beautifully. The wrench at my LBS is always amazed how my 14-year-old HED wheels still spin so amazingly well despite hitting countless pot holes, ridden in rain and I sweat like a beast. They’re made in USA quality inspected in the USA. The FLO wheels are outsourced and manufactured in Asia by a third-party; not FLO. FLO doesn’t see the wheels until they hit the states and then they hopefully do 100% final QC on each wheel? Idk. When I’m hitting downhills doin 40pmh and occasionally north of 50 MPH I’d rather be on a wheel made and QC inspected in the USA since the 1980’s versus the 2 guys at FLO who buy thrid-party manufacturer in ASIA.
There’s a lot of misinformation here. Jon from Flo will likely jump on to provide a full correction. I just want to say that Flo wheels are exceptionally well made and built to last. I’m 200 lbs and put out a ton of watts, yet my Flo wheels have never needed repair or even gone out of true in five years of riding and racing. It’s not a fluke - it’s a result of super high quality rims, hubs, and spokes along with quality manufacturing. I’m sure pretty much every Flo wheel owner will tell you the same.
If you like Hed wheels, that’s cool. But you can promote them without denigrating and spouting misinformation about another brand.
Everything I wrote is 100% true. Name one false thing in my post? Just one.
I think it’s more the xenophobia and baseless assumptions inherent in your post that’s most bothersome.
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Exactly. First, you state my post has misinformation but cannot provide one ounce of misinformation. Second, my post has nothing to do with xenophobia and everything to do with quality control and on-site quality inspection at the manufacturing site. Flo wheels are outsourced to a third-party distributor in Asia. Flo doesn’t manufacture their own wheels. The first time Flo sees their wheels is when the crate hits US shores. Whereas HED manufacturers there wheels and actual HED employees perform Quality Control on the materials they buy to build their wheels and perform QC during the manufacturer process.
These are two entirely different business models and I prefer to buy wheels from a company that procures their own materials and builds the wheel in-house and performs their own quality inspections for materials in-house vs buying from FLO who uses entirely third-party manufacturers.
Yeah I know better than to argue with a self-righteous xenophobe.
But I will say to anyone reading this topic that Flo wheels are manufactured to impeccable standards using super high quality components, and their performance and durability are fantastic. All at a much better price point than Hed.
Obviously please do your own research first and don’t make your purchase decisions solely based on what some anonymous poster on ST says.
Which frame do you put those HED wheels on?
Greg, I only buy Samsung TV’s. You know why? Because Samsung has been making flat panel displays for longer than almost any other manufacture. They make their displays in-house at the Samsung factory in ASIA. Having worked in global supply chains for over 20 years, I’ve learned that the best, most reliable products come from companies that oversee their own manufacturing from raw materials to finished goods.
I choose HED wheels for the same reason. HED has been making their own wheels in-house, and they have been doing since the 1980’s. FLO by comparison is a relatively new company and the two guys who started it outsourced the entire manufacturing process to the other side of the globe. Given the choice of products, I tend to purchase from the company that’s been doing it longer and at their own brick and mortar facility where quality controls can be implemented in-house by the employees of the brand themselves, not a third-party vendor.
I’m sorry the public education system has failed you, and just because you don’t understand something you immediately act like a three-year-old and call it names. Please stop flaunting your ignorance and educate yourself.