Robert A

I'm considering a custom wheel build for my CAAD12/Ultegra with rim brakes. It's between the HED Belgium Plus and the Boyd Altamont Light. Tires will be clinchers and tubeless.

I'm a lighter rider (140 lbs) and ride in mixed terrain in So Cal. Priorities are climbing responsiveness, road handling and feel, and some level of aero capability. I'm slightly biased to the Boyd for the ceramic brake look.

Richard over at PWB is recommending pairing either rim with White Industries hubs.

Given the above, what are peoples' personal experiences with these two rims.

Thank you,
Robert

berner

As climbing performance is t the top of your list, I would estimate weights and go with the lightest wheel set.

bruce19

I don't have experience with either but I do have a 2018 CAAD 12. I'm using Mavic Ksyrium Elite USTs and am not going back to tubes. Faster, lighter, smoother and less rolling resistance. Wheels and tires cost me around $700 as I recall. Could be a bit less.

Marcus_Ti

The HED rims are among the nicest alloy rims you can get. I have a set of Belgium+ and like them for my roadie, very non-reactive in winds.

If Richard likes the Boyd--I'd Take them. At 30% cheaper per rim they're an economic win.

Robert A

Thank you. What other impressions did you have when going from stock wheels?

Robert A

I think he actually has a slight leaning to HED because they come a little better balanced from the factory, but he's not dissuading me from the Boyds at all. Btw, is Richard well regarded in his wheel builds? He seemed very knowledgable.

bruce19

I was riding Mavic Kysrium Elite clinchers with Vittoria Corsa tires before I switched. I was quite happy. But, then I saw a GCN video. So, I tried a rear UST. I was amazed. It felt smoother, more comfortable and seemed to roll effortlessly. Instead of 120 psi, I was running it at 95 psi. I felt like I had a new and faster bike. I know this sounds a bit crazy but that was my reaction. Here's the GCN video....
I had heard that tubeless was kind of a nightmare to inflate. Some need a compressor to inflate. But, Mavic have created a wheel/tire combo that can be inflated with your floor pump. So, I was pumped. (Pun intended) I have 3 months on them and I love them. Front and rear wheel/tire cost me a little over $400. I just checked the Competitive Cyclist site where I bought them. Best mod I've made in 40 yrs of cycling. Just my experience.

Robert A

Did you notice any improvements in downhill stability after the switch? I'm running stock wheels with 28c tires and the bike doesn't feel so planted >25 mph (though some of it is likely the tire/rim mismatch).

bruce19

I am running 25s and I have been downhill at 40+ mph with no suggestion of an issue. OTHO, I had no issues previously either.

smashndash

Regardless of your tire width, if you feel that the bike doesn’t feel “planted” over 25mph, something is seriously wrong. I have personally hit 53mph (on 25s) but pros have hit over 65mph on 23mm tires. And that’s modern. I’m sure many people have hit similar speeds on 18-21mm tires of the old days. You can’t afford to have a bike that feels not “planted” at those speeds. I don’t exactly understand what this means, though, so I don’t know where the solution would lie. I hope that you are running at least decent tires if you are considering such a rim.

Anyway, I just came to say that I got a boyd Altamont rim laced up with Sapim CX-Rays and a bitex rear hub from PWB and have had no issues with the build. The hub was a steaming pile that frequently skipped after engaging. But I can’t 100% blame that on PWB. I didn’t notice any handling difference from my old crappy OEM wheel.

redlude97

I would choose different hubs personally. WI are pretty durable but heavy and you're lightweight. Dtswiss 240s or Chris King r45 if you want bling

Robert A

I discussed the question of hub weight with Richard. He felt the WI hubs, though a little heavier than DT and others, would roll smoother and provide better power transfer. In addition, we're dealing with weight in the wheel center which has little impact on centrifugal weight.

redlude97

Chris King builds their own bearings which ar3 pretty much unmatched in quality and smoothness. Dtswiss uses enduro bearings which are the highest quality cartridge available. Bothe use a ratchet style freehub that provides better engagement and power transfer than WI 3 pawl freehub imo. I never understood the appeal other than the polished shell on WI hubs

jideta

CK and DT240s=$700
WI T11 = $500

I've had CK and now go WI for my wheels. Been thinking about Alto though.
IMO CK is just over built. Fine I think for MTB where engagement is a must. T11 is pretty close, don't miss CK.
I'm also running DT350 which is the cheap version of the 240 and they okay.
You want weight weenie, there are lighter hubs than all of the above.

Marcus_Ti

The King needs proprietary tools to service. The DT is a nice hub but the DT350 is just as nice as the 240 while costing much less....but you must pay for higher engagement on DT hubs as stock they only come with 18T drive rings (AKA 20 degrees of engagement).

It also needs noted that part of the appeal of White is it is MUSA and comes with a titanium FH body that will resist notching...unlike the aluminum that comes on King and DT last I knew. Also the Whites don't need proprietary tools to service.

jideta

BTW, you mentioned you are running 28mm tires. Check the clearance for if you go Belgium + the tires will grow some.

On my roadie with 19mm rims, I'm pretty much maxed out with 28mm tires. I'm thinking no way will it work with Belgium+.

I have a 24mm rim I'm gonna try and fit later this weekend, just to see what it looks like.

Oh and the Belgium+ are nice rims. I got em on the gravel. As someone else mentioned, very good in cross winds.

DaveSSS 

Might not be the best time to spend big bucks on wheels that soon may have obsolete hubs. 12 speed is here and shimano can't wait too long to join in.

Campy users can use the same hubs for 9-12 speed.

If you're not racing, really high buck wheels are a waste of money. I know, I've owned quite a few sets.

JohnJ80

^This.

I have about 4 HED Belgium+ wheel sets laced to DT Swiss 240 hubs with Saphim X-ray bladed spokes and are all set up tubeless. My 28/28 set comes in at ~1400g. What always impresses me about this set up is how round they feel and how smooth they roll. We ride these in the mountains and we've beat them up riding gravel that is really more suited for MTB riding. They just keep on going with out complaint.

If you set them up road tubeless, they will come in around the weight of most general purpose carbon clincher rims but won't be as aero but they'll be about half the price or less of the name brand carbon wheels.

J.

Robert A

Ever had a chance to compare your HEDs to the Boyds?

Robert A

Can the weight difference between WI T11 and DT 240s only be 16g? Here's what I got from the PWB website for rim versions:

White T11: 97g + 252g = 349g
DT 240s: 145g + 220g = 365g

JohnJ80

Yep. The HED wheels are substantially lighter for alloy rims - 1600g or 1760g vs HED at 1400-1450g wheel set weight and about the same for the Carbon 55mm rims. Since I was mostly interested in slower speed gravel use and climbing, the 1400g was a lot more interesting to me than the aero cross section. 200g+ is a lot in my book (approaching a half pound of rotating weight).

J.

jideta

DT240s front hub is 109g

Robert A

Then the difference would be 20g per wheelset. Would we care about 20 grams in the center?

jideta

I think you gotta do your homework and figure that out for yourself.

I have the same wheels as the gentleman in a previous post: Hed Belgium+, CXrays, WI T11.

Could I do better? yes

Except for what I do, spending any more would only be for bragging rights and blingness. In other words, 20 grams ain't going to make me any faster or the make the hills any flatter.

I think that once you've reached 14-1500g, you have reached the point of diminishing returns.

JohnJ80

THat's the compelling argument for the HED set up. Light weight in a tough rim at about half the price of carbon from name brand carbon rims. I have a couple of sets of carbon rims from Enve and Easton, and it's just hard to beat this set up - if you do the bladed spokes and quality hubs.