jimmyw

Hey y'all,

So I was thinking about getting a pair of tubular hed3's for my triathlon bike but am not sure how well they handle in wind. I've heard from some that they're worse than a full rear disc in the rear but others say they're good in the wind. Any opinions?

The reason I ask about the wind is because this will be my first carbon aero wheel set and I can't afford 5 different sets for different conditions so it will be either these or my training wheels at a race.

I can get font and rear (new 2012) Hed3's with tires for $1800 or alternatively a spoked set of (new 2011/2012) profile design altair 80's w/o tires for $1200. I kind of like how the hed's have a 250 lb limit because i'm 6'1'' and 185lbs and can put out a lot of power on sprints plus you don't have to true them.
So what do y'all think I should get for a wheelset that will work for most triathlons, the hed3's, profile designs, or should I save up some more money and get some zipp 808s or something.

Urthwhyte

Depends on the yaw angle.

merlinextraligh

I've got a HED 3 front, that I use with HED disc. It's not particularly difficult to handle in the wind. I also have a set of Zipp 808's and I think the 808's are more difficult in the wind (although the new firecrest rim is supposed to be less affected by crosswinds)

The comment that the HED3 is worse than a disc is, imho, simply wrong. You see lots of people running HED3's without difficulty, yet no one runs a disc on the front on the road. This wouldn't be true if the HED3 was worse in crosswinds than a disc.

If you're going to the expense, I would do a HED3 front, and a rear disc, or an 808 front and a rear disc. Depending on who you believe (HED or Zipp) those 2 potions are about as aero as you can get today.

And as for the robustness of the HED3, we've run it on the front of the tandem with a team wieght of 350lbs with no problems.

jimmyw

What about zipp 1080 wheels? I know that zipp discontinued them for 2012 but I've found them for a really good deal ($1300 for 2011- i think they used to sell for like $2600 msrp). Anyone know if these will hold up good for a 185 lb rider? Also, does anyone know much about this chain stay issue on some bikes. Zipp says it can be more an issue with riders over 170 lbs.... Since this is me, does anyone know about compatibility with a 2009 quintana roo seduza large frame?

Triguy

Hey Jimmy, I'm a small guy who has ridden Hed 3 set, 404 type wheels and a disc with both.

I disagree with Merlin that a Hed 3 is easier to handle than a disc. I have found that a disc tends to "stabilize" a bike, it tends to push the bike into the wind by moving the center of pressure on the rider/bike system back; essentially helps the bike counter steer into the wind. Rappstar on Slowtwitch does a much better job of describing this.

Honestly, you are looking at a pretty generous money expense and so if you don't mind, I would suggest other wheels. The Hed 3s are fast wheels over a large spread of yaw but are generally slower with tires over 21mm. Lots of wheels today are optimized around 23mm tires. Is this kind of nitpicking? Yeah, but you are talking about $1500ish dollars, you might as well buy something that is best. Also, 23mm tires are far more easy to find in fast rolling, comfortable and puncture resistant varieties than 20-21mm tires. You are doing yourself a big favor by getting wheels designed around 23mm tires (or at least not penalized by 23mm tires).

Zipp 1080s will probably be a handful in the wind, but very fast even with 23mm tires.

On a budget of about $1500 I'd suggest a Bontrager Aura 5 and Hed Jet disc rear. They are both designed for 23mm tires, the Aura features a blunter nose like firecrest wheels; a disc is always fastest. Handling will never be an issue.