I am doing a Crit tomorrow and not sure which wheelset to run. It is a flat course.
choices:
Hed Ardennes
or
Zipp 404
Which ones?
Whichever is cheaper to replace in the event of destruction due to crash…
Second that…
Kevin
Third it…
clm
Sounds like I need to go buy a cheap set of wheels. 
I guess the Hed Ardennes are cheaper to replace. . .
I wish I had your disposable income. I am partial to the Torelli Bormio, reasonably light, kinda aero and almost cheap enough to be disposable. They are reasonably strong as well, although they didnt survive a team mate of mine collecting the kerb, although better than his shifters and derailleur! As he says, “the corner couldnt handle my speed”.
Kevin
thats going to be my excuse from now on, it just couldnt handle my speed!
My opinion? Go big…or go home 
My opinion? Go big…or go home
I like the way you think.
Got to be the HEDs forthe same reason the others said. Unless you have the legs to go off the front early and stay away Jens Voight stylely in which case I want pictures of your visctorous finish
Best of luck, stay upright and tell us how it went.
I guess it depends on your style and if you think you’ll be in the wind a bunch or not. That being said, I’m with Tom. Even on races I don’t try to bridge up or get away, these are nice to have. I vote 404’s.
How do you race? What’s your plan? Do you have some henchmen who can lead you out in the finale? Will youo have to freelance and defend your position at the front during the whole thing? What is the course like? Four corners? Six? Eight? Critical question: How far is the finish line from the final corner? Is the course pretty flat or are their any big climbs on the course you could use to your advantage?
Lots of tactical concerns here…
In any case, if you don’t get this in time, best of luck to you!
I don’t know why everyone always assumes that people are going to crash and destroy all their equipment in every crit. If I believed I was going to crash in every race, I wouldn’t race. In my opinion, race wheels are for racing and a Crit is a race.
I’ve watched and ridden in a lot of crits where there were no crashes. I’ve never crashed in one, I’m sure my day will come but in the meantime, I don’t see the need to ride throw-away equipment.
I’d pick the wheels that you will be most comfortable on & that you think will perform best given the course & conditions.
How do you race? What’s your plan? Do you have some henchmen who can lead you out in the finale? Will youo have to freelance and defend your position at the front during the whole thing? What is the course like? Four corners? Six? Eight? Critical question: How far is the finish line from the final corner? Is the course pretty flat or are their any big climbs on the course you could use to your advantage?
Lots of tactical concerns here…
In any case, if you don’t get this in time, best of luck to you!
Very slowly My main plan is to stay with the lead group, and not to lead much if any and then wait for the sprint at the end or try and pull away with the help of my team 3-4 guys on the last part of the lap (1 lap is 1.1 miles). Flat course, with 4 corners and 1 s-bend on one side. Finish line is about 1000 yards from the S-Bend and .2 miles from the last corner. It is pretty windy here today with a steady wind of about 20 out of the south/southwest. No big climbs (I wish there were).
Thanks for the well wishes. If it rains then I am backing out, since there is a chance of thunderstorms today. In any case. . .I will report the results.
COST doesn’t matter? In my opinion, which ever one has the lowest rotational weight.
Worried about a pile-up and aluminum tacos? - alloy.
p.
I’d go with the HEDs, you want a balance of lightness and aerodynamics with durability. I’ve only once crashed in a crit, and my wheels only came slightly out of true, no cracks (and I was at the front of the peloton).
dunno whether aerodynamics matter that much in a crit, but i’d go with the HEDs cuz the zipps are more expensive. and for future races you could lace up some ambrosio crono tubular rims with DT revolutiuon spokes and light but reliable hubs (you don’t want to break your freewheel) like DT 190s or 240s, dura ace, chris king,…
32 spokes, 3X, and should come out pretty light. the ambrosio rims are inexpensive to replace and very light at 320 g. should make for a light & strong wheelset at a fraction of the costs for zipp & co.
I would race the Hed Ardennes in a crit.
“I don’t know why everyone always assumes that people are going to crash and destroy all their equipment in every crit.”
I think the assumption is that if you have to ask which wheels to use, you are probably not super experienced at riding crits, and a good course of action would be to use the cheaper wheels until you get your feet wet and could evaluate for yourself which wheels to use.
Now for a crit, would it not be better to go big and still be on tubies? None of the normal issues that you have with tubies for a triathlon apply to a crit since you can have replacement wheels. Am I missing something?
And the difference in weight is more critical for a crit, right?