I am in the market to buy some new aero wheels. I don’t have the biggest budget, so I have narrowed it down to the Hed 3’s or maybe a pair of zipp 404’s from ebay. I did see that the quintana Roo Lucero comes with Real Design Ultrasonics. Are they good dependable wheels. They look very much like zipp 404’s, how do they compare? Thanks in advance.
check the new, lower priced, Flashpoint wheels.
Ummmm… where? I don’t see the link on the zipp site.
Aww fiddlesticks. It may not be up there. We had some of the wheels in her today. Looked pretty good.
yeah, but how do the ultrasonics compare. who knows when the flaqshpoints will be available. Also, tom, whats the big difference between the flashpoint and zipp 404.
As your punishment I will now be linking to a tri shop with some info online on the wheels!
I’ll eat humble pie now.
Sheesh. US$1100 is considered economical? For that price you might as well get Hed3’s and travel money or just find a pair of proven 404’s.
The new Zipps are not light. Save yourself the trouble and get some Mavic Cosmic Carbones on ebay for $1100. The Mavisc will certainly have better bearings.
Sheesh. US$1100 is considered economical? For that price you might as well get Hed3’s and travel money or just find a pair of proven 404’s.
No kidding. For $1071 you can buy a brand new set of H3s, or for $950 an H3 front and Renn disc rear. Or a pair of Alps for $880…or a pair of Spinergy Stealths for $752 (at www.tri-zone.com on sale right now). I fail to see the “Flashpoints” as an economical solution. Maybe Zipp realized that going from $600 to $730 for a front 404 was a bad marketing decision.
Oh, and the Mavic Carbones are about as heavy as a disc rear. And with a much higher moment of inertia. Why anyone would buy an 1100g rear wheel that isn’t a disc is beyond me (the “SL” version is a superlightweight 978g!). Bearing quality is overrated…if the bearings dissipated more than a half a watt I’d be shocked.
The hub on the Flashpoint is from Asia and the rims are made of fewer carbon components- basically, an older technology Zipp carbon rim from a few years ago.
The Mavic Cosmic Carbones are a good recommendation too but they are quite hefty.
Just buy a set of HED3’s and save yourself some money. Fast, bomb proof, light enough, won’t break the bank and will last until you decide to quit triathlons at age of 90. Bomb proof enough to be used as training wheels as well as race wheels, 2 for the price of one.
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Zipp,
I actually have been leaning towards the HEDs, plus they are mean looking. I see that you have a BandB in St. Augustine. I was actually going there soon and want to stay at one, check your email.
I can’t tell you about the Ultrasonics, but a friend has a set of Supersonic 40’s and they are quality wheels - clean finish, true, soft on the road and relatively light. very well built. I believe the Ultras have a carbon hub?
I would have no problem spending up to 1K on a set of Ultrasonic 60’s.