Hed 3C – Reviewed by Steve Larsen, steve@worldtri.com , www.worldtri.com :

I have been a fan of Hed wheels for many years but only recently had the chance to race on them last October at the Ironman World Championships. Kona 2008 brought a moderately windy day (at least by my experience) and the wheels performed great. The biggest crosswinds I encountered were just after Waikoloa and again after the turn around in Hawi. Even with the strong gusts, I was able to stay comfortably in the aero bars and focus on putting power to the pedals. The power wasn’t quite what I was accustomed too but it was no fault of the wheels. The first thing I noticed upon riding the Hed 3C was how light it was and how smooth it seemed to roll. I felt the usual one cog uptick at the same effort that I usually attributed to riding a disc wheel, but with the Hed 3C there wasn’t the weight penalty I was also used to feeling. The Hed 3C seems to be the perfect wheel choice for some of our sport’s hillier races that still have long aero conducive sections: Lake Placid, Vineman, and Wildflower immediately come to mind. In Kona, it is the perfect wheel (disc wheels are not allowed), and one that I think most reasonably experienced age groupers could handle in all but the strongest of island winds. Even with my brakes adjusted close to the rim, I didn’t notice the flex I had experienced with some other wheels I have used in the past. Overall, I like this wheel a lot and it definitely has the most important attribute for any race wheel: when you put it on, you feel faster!

Who should buy them?

This is a perfect wheel for an experienced age-grouper or elite racer looking for a versatile wheel with maximum aero advantage.

What type of courses are they best for?

In my opinion, the Hed 3C can be ridden on almost any course, but its versatility will be most noticeable on moderately hilly courses with fast, flatter sections and variable winds.

There are lighter race wheels out there, but they're more expensive. I've seen the H3C's sold for as little as 1400 a set, compared to Zip 404's @ 2k+. I'm a huge fan of HED stuff, and love these wheels! They sound sweet the faster you ride.

I did alot of research for this purchase, and after wading through alot of marketing hype from many manufacturers decided on these wheels. My research suggested the performance difference between the top manufacturers is very minimal (single digits in watts). This purchase came down to value for money in the end (Price paid was Aussie dollars). You do need to be a confident bike handler in reasonably windy conditions, although I'm only 70kg and it doesn't seem to be as big a problem as many people suggest. I have ridden 404s before these. These wheels look great!

I've put over 500 miles on these wheels, and these are the first tubulars I've owned. They are very fast, adding 2mph to my regular TT course. I've raced them hard during the duathlon series in Ohio this year, and I've not had a bit of trouble from them. I had the local LBS look at them, and they are still as true as the day I first mounted rubber on them.