jideta

Two extra mm worth the bucks?

I have 30mm tires.

Maybe Easton R90 at 24?

RideMyLeMond

I recently bought a 2018 Diverge Sport with the intent to upgrade most of it at the time of purchase. I was able to trade in the Tiagra group components towards the S-Work CG-R seat post and flared hover bars. I bought new Ultegra R8000 series components. So when I was done I had a darn nice bike with a 'boat anchor' wheelset in the OEM Axis Sport wheels.

I rode with these about a year swapping out the tires based on where I intended to ride. Finally I found a local wheel builder who laced up a pair of DT-240 CLD hubs w/ 28 spoke DT-Aerolite spokes on HED Belgium + 700c rims. I'm running specialized Roubaix Pro 2Bliss in the 30/32 size as tubeless. Thus far these wheels are amazing and the difference in the bike is what I would have hoped for. These rims and spokes are the perfect solution of stiff rims laced with thin spokes. I lost over 1 lb in weight and that's a sizable amount both total and rotational weight. So now i can run the OEM wheels with 38 WTB Riddler rubber or swap on the roadie wheels and pedal on the pavement. Maybe next up will be a pair of DT-350 w/ 28 DT double-butted and the 650b version of these HED hoops for trail riding and light bike camping.

Marcus_Ti

Both are as nice as alloy rims get today, and both command a similar premium. I've had the Belgium+ on my roadie for years. Very unreactive in the winds with roadie slicks. They're popular enough that finding stock of them is hard compared to the Eastons. Either will build a nice wheel.

Deepshax

I'm running them on king hubs, loving them so far.

Wilmingtech

Running a set of HED Ardennes GP Plus wheels. It's the Belgian+ rim in a pre built wheelset from HED with thier lowest end hubs and spokes.

The rim is fantastic for an alloy rim. Probably one of the best made alloy rims on the market, definitely at its price point. 25mm, centerline drilled spoke holes, welded rim joint.

Rides great on road and gravel. Takes a beating. Light for an alloy rim (460g ?) but stronger than most. All are made in MN.

Not race rims. Great for training. Will get you where you need to be.

Fantastic ride quality with the 25mm width. Keep in mind it will add about 2-4mm to the tire width and will change the shape of the tires contact patch on the road.

-Sean

Koyote

H+ Son The Hydra rims are pretty similar to the HEDs that you mentioned, and are a bit cheaper and easier to find. My shop thinks they're solid.

Metaluna

I've built a couple of wheelsets with these rims and they're great. Unlike rims I've used from certain other manufacturers (*cough*Velocity*cough*), the extra money you spend is all there in the rim. Nicely anodized, round and true out of the box, no cheesy stickers etc. They build up really nicely and stay true for thousands of miles, even at my weight.