Hed 3 used wheels??
427
Member
351 days
Sully800 posted 19 weeks ago.
Tubulars are lighter and have lower rolling resistance because they can be inflated to higher pressures than clinchers. Clinchers are cheaper and you only need to carry a spare tube instead of a spare tire with you. Tubulars are a bit more work, but worth the effort overall according to most avid racers.
917
Member
259 days
TriSooner posted 18 weeks ago.
I've know the wheels you are talking about, and personally, I would be apprehensive about buying used carbon wheels. You really don't know the condition of these wheels. Carbon doesn't bend or dent: it cracks, thus possibly leading to structural failure. I'm not bagging on carbon wheels; just *used* carbon wheels. And speaking of carbon wheels, anyone seen the Zipp disc with the PowerTap integrated into the hub? Sweet.
285
Member
1354 days
Great Greyhound posted 18 weeks ago.
Kevin,
I own a set of HED-3C's (tubulars), and they rock... I bought mine in 2005.
The HED-3's are bulletproof, I'm 6'5" and 225, and I race on some pretty rough roads.
If you buy them, make sure that the seller will take them back if they are cracked or damaged enough to make them unsafe. Find a LBS that will look them over for you.
Darrell "Legs 'n Lungs" Lenkner
in West Chester, Oh.
Check here for Images of us.
85
Member
366 days
callco posted 18 weeks ago.
kevinb421 wrote:
They are clincher tires, I have only ever raced/rode tubular, what is the major difference?
Serious? I've never met a bike under $7,500 that comes with tubulars. Unless you have a SAG wagon following you around everywhere you go, tubulars can be a bit problematic.
I finally picked up some carbon racing wheels this year (used, eBay), but I stuck with clinchers for practicality sake. They've been great. No probs.
3337
Member
1324 days
RV posted 18 weeks ago.
I have HED-3s (clinchers) Had them over 4 years and I both train and race on these wheels - other than replacing the bearings - no issues at all. Great wheels.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
281
Member
1250 days
kevinb421 posted 18 weeks ago.
I was backwards, I have only ever raced clinchers and these are tubular - i was all mixed up.
Thinking I might want to switch my aim to clinchers, I really don't want to have to carry a whole tire with me on long course races, I prefer to just put a tube in my pocket and go.
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
622
Member
477 days
Iron Dan posted 18 weeks ago.
I have heard that these wheels can last an extremely long time. If the wheels are well taken care of, there is no reason to be hesitant about buying used. I would just make sure that if you are buying carbon wheels, that the seller will allow you to return them if there is any damage to them. Then when you get them, take them to a bike shop and have them check the wheels out. I big thing I would be careful of when buying the tri spoke wheels is to make sure you ask how true they are. These wheels have no way to be retrued and a big reason that people unload these on ebay is that their wheels are starting to get 3-4 mm out of true. I think that Hed's standard spec for new wheels is within 1 mm out of true.
Also, don't be scared off by tubulars. They can be intimidating at first is you don't know what you are doing, but once you deal with them, they are fairly easy to deal with. Good luck with your shopping.
281
Member
1250 days
kevinb421 posted 18 weeks ago.
well I broke down and bought them, I was able to get the seller to put in writing that if they are any more than 1mm from true or cracked that he would give me my money back so that is good.
The really really good news is that I should have them for my duathlon next weekend!!
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
209
Member
611 days
Nobody posted 18 weeks ago.
I bought some near perfect H3s on ebay and they were so warped as to be completely unusable. The seller claimed they were in spec, but they were 2-3x out of spec. It took over a month and a signed statement from a local bike shop that the wheels I bought were crap. The seller had high ratings, but was was a total ahole.
In the end I got a refund by arbitrating through ebay (he even tried to stiff me for shipping) and I'll never buy anything that expensive on ebay again unless it's new. I did find a front HED on craigslist and scored that locally--no issues.
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.
281
Member
1250 days
kevinb421 posted 18 weeks ago.
Bringing this back to life I got my wheels mounted today and the front wheel was perfect, the rear wheel was, however, off by about 3-4mm. I emailed the store I bought them from and they are sending me a brand new rear wheel, paying my return shipping and any other issues I have are being resolved. He seemed really sorry for not having checked it closer before shipping it. I would highly recommend this store to anyone that is interested in race wheels, I was able to get a set almost half off the price of new and the customer service was outstanding even when there was a problem.
Also FYI, the 3-4mm wasn't bad enough that I couldn't ride them with a slightly open brake and wow, they are faaaaast. The duathlon I'm doing on Sunday isn't going to know what hit it. =)
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
208
Member
720 days
fastdog5 posted 17 weeks ago.
kevinb421 wrote:
I would highly recommend this store to anyone that is interested in race wheels, I was able to get a set almost half off the price of new and the customer service was outstanding even when there was a problem.
I don't think you ever gave the name of the store.
988
Member
325 days
So I'm looking at a set of hed3 700cc wheels on ebay, and i have a couple questions because when it comes to race wheels, well I'm fairly stupid.
Ok so here comes the questions -
They are 2004 wheels, they say they are in good condition and the seller has a really high rating, but what are the life on these wheels? Will I only get 1 couple seasons out of them?
They are clincher tires, I have only ever raced/rode tubular, what is the major difference?
Thanks for the help!
"If your not going to win, make the fellow in front of you break a record."
http://www.peak.com/kevinb421/blog/