I’m looking into getting some racing wheels and of course I want a set of 404s. I’m also looking at a combo of a HED 3 Rear wheel with a HED Alps front. Thoughts on whether or not the 404 is all it’s hyped up to be and worth the extra $$? I’ve never rode on a real set of racing wheels, my racers have been lightweight trainers up til now.
Thanks for your input.
Jonathan
Yes
I have or had Specialized (H3), Mavics ('iums), Shamals, 909, 404, and quite a few others (Roval - LOL)…
404 TUBULAR are great wheels and will do you quite well. Made in USA too
i had Hed3’s for a year and 404’s tubies the last season…liked the H3’s…but LOVE the 404’s…the first wheel that i thought made me faster…
fixable…and great resale value down the road.
DEFINITELY YES!
I have been riding on the new '05 Tubular 404’s since about Feb and would recommend them to anyone.
My other half has 2 HED 3’s and 1 HED disc and keeps saying that he wish he would have spent the money and got the Zipp’s.
Easy to put glue on and take off when you get a flat, nicer smoother ride, and overall more bang for your buck plus a faster ride.
If you spend the money you definitely wont regret it. I’m glad I did and I got a great deal at the LBS…$1384 for both with screwers.
They’re great wheels. Amazingly fast and light. I got mine for 400 though so I would try to find a set of used ones instead of brand new. Since they’re strictly race wheels, I’m doubting it won’t be too hard to find a set that doesnt have too many miles on them.
What tires are you running on your 404s? Just curious?
thanks<
mike
Pretty much all the race wheel companies out there make a nice product, and I do sell them all here. That said, I would suggest that Zipp is the absolute premium brand. Here are a few reasons why: Among the lightest in their class for every type wheel, usually significantly lighter than competing wheels. More durable than you would imagine. While these are certainly lightweight racing equipment and not meant for abuse, they are more than up to the task of everyday racing. Fast. I’ve done 3 Ironmans and about 80 triathlons of the 200 I’ve done on Zipps. I **cannot **quantify that they are faster than othe race wheels, but I think they are because of good hub design and good rim construction. The Zipp rim has been used by many other wheel builders such as Ritchey, Velomax, Easton, American Classic and others for a carbon fiber, deep section rim. To a degree, this is a testimony to their validity as a race wheel and their domination of the category. The disk is incredibly light while maintaining amazing durability. The service we’ve received from Zipp is outstanding. They have consistently refined their product to make it even better- they are not “beyond” improving an already good product.
As I mentioned, there a lot of nice wheels out there: Renn, Hed, Easton, etc. My favorite is Zipp though, and that is what I race on.
Mine (circa 2002) must have been the lemons of the bunch. Spokes blew on two separate occasions after having ridden them under 10 times. They caused my bike to lurch whenever I coasted. At first, I thought it was the tires. So, I removed them and spun each wheel by hand. Uneven spin. I concluded it was bad hubs. They’ve been hanging on my wall ever since. Now I ride Nimble and corima and am very happy with those.
Would the 404’s be adviseable to use in Kona ? How well do they handle cross-winds ?
I think the 404’s and the 606’s are well suited for Kona. The issue of cross-wind instability is not so much a matter of the wheels, but the rider.
Wheels that have acceptable crosswind stability to one rider may be unacceptable to another contingent on rider weight and sensitivity to the turbulence and steering input created by the wind.
If a rider is very concerned or sensative to crosswind instability they may be better off on 303’s or even 202’s.
However, if the buffeting effect created by the crosswinds, which are normal in gusty, Kona conditions, don’t concern you then the 606’s are one of the fastest (if not perhaps the fastest- impossible to really “prove”) wheels you can use there- offering drg numbers close to a disk rear/60mm front combination.
Remember, when the wind blows and shakes the bike, it isn’t *necessarily *the bike that slows down, it is often times an unnerved rider. If you get enough time on your race wheels in gusty conditions then you know to just keep the power on when the wind is blowing. It is highly unlikely (although it has happened) that you will be blown completely over.
I ride 999’s now in all conditions with no problems (80mm deep front with a disk rear).
Great advice Tom. Thanks very much for your valuable input.
Was planning on getting the Hed 3 Carbons (clincher) but they are only available in tubular. Will look closely into your suggestions.
Thanks again.
Tom,
I think I read earlier that you are running the Zipp Tubular tires. How do you like them?
continentals…the really nice ones…forget the name, but they were like $100/each…22mm i believe.
For about an extra $100 you can get 606’s. They are well worth it, especially if you are doing an ironman.
Thanks everyone for all your input, I think it’s going to happen.
Now the question is Tubular or Clincher?
I guess i should just get the tubies, for fear of being called a poser otherwise. I’ll read some of the tubular vs. clincher archives and figure it out.
Thanks again.
Personally, I don’t think the Zipps are worth the extra money, especially at their current prices. I have a set of 404s that I am in the process of selling and am currently riding H3 Carbons which I very happy with. Most testing would show the H3s to be faster, but in reality, all the wheels mentioned are probably pretty equal. I’d buy the cheaper wheels and then spend the extra money on something else fun.
If you can go faster than 35 km/h average on a 40K (approx 1:10), some kind of aerodynamicwheels are worth the money. Else, use the money on girls and fun so you can keep up the spirit while training some more 
Lars