Educate me on Hyperon tubulars

[Gsinill]

I have been on the verge of trying carbon wheels for a while but always fell back to “too old, too fat and too slow”.
Ozz’s thread finally convinced me to give it a try.
Since Hyperions seem to be one of the favorite wheelsets here, I am wondering about the differences/pros and cons of the various versions.
Thoughts?

BTW, before I put up a WTB, feel free to hit me up with a PM if you should have a set for sale.

Thanks!

[Clean39T]

Thought about them, but the braking surface is outdated, they're narrow, and they offer no aero benefits. I'd go for Shamal Ultra Tubulars if you can find them... Or Bora WTO if you want aero and carbon.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[tuscanyswe]

How many watts does on loose over the narrow rim of older hyperons vs say a modern shamal tubular if you are running a 25mm tire? Is it even measurable?

I love hyperons. They are one of the best looking wheels out there and have a very nice quality feel to them. Braking was never a problem for me unless in the wet but all carbon wheels suck in the wet imo. Ive had a few pairs and could not really detect any meaningfull (or other tbh) difference between them other than the earlier versions were nicer looking without the red graphics of the later ultras.

[saab2000]

The wheels in question are tubulars, so the width is not really relevant.

If the price is right I’d do it in a heartbeat. I had the aluminum cousin, the Nucleon tubular wheels for years. Best wheels I’ve ever had.

[FlashUNC]

Get them. Some of the best carbon wheels out there. I had the Ultra 2s with the CULT bearings. Braking surface was great and stopped just fine.

Truly superlative wheels.

[RyanH]

The wheels in question are tubulars, so the width is not really relevant.




I disagree. I've had about two dozen top end tubular wheelsets in the past few years and if you're using a wider tire (25mm or 27mm) a wider rim will ride better. The rim channel on older wheels is designed around the curve of a 23mm tire, wider tires do not seat perfectly in the channel and tend to bulge up (or worse, induce instability if not seated well like CCUs and their aggressive rim channel). Further, a wider rim supports a wider tire more so they tend to feel more sure footed.

Bora Ones are going to be roughly the same price and they're pretty much one of the best all around wheels you can buy. I sold mine for $600. I preferred the braking on them over the HED Ardennes Black. As Clean said above, why waste your money on an old rim? To say that there's no difference over the last 10 years would be fairly sad if that were true.

[Mike V]

Hyperons tubular are one of the last grail wheels I seek. Friend loaned me a pair for a ride and I fell in love. Very similar feel to my Lightweights. Also one of the best looking wheels.

Aero, width, outdated braking means nothing to me. If the wheeels feels good and make the ride nicer. Make a good ride a great one.

[bfd]

OK, I'm going to give a caveat! If you're a heavy guy like me, these may not be the best wheels to get. A friend of mine had like 3 pairs of Hyperon tubular wheels and he says they're the best. I was on the border of getting a pair of carbon wheels, so he sold me one of his set. It had the red lettering so it was all good.

I mounted some Vittoria CX 700x27 tires on them and it rode like a dream! I was able to climb faster and could close the gap on any breakaway. BUT, as a heavy guy, I could also flex the rear wheel. It was so pronounced that I became concerned. I could easily flex the rear wheel at just about any time. My friends and I thought about it and decided it wasn't IF, but when, I would break a spoke or more. So I ended up selling them....:(

Btw, I know there are all kind of people who will claim one carbon brake pads is better than the next. I tried 4 different types - Swiss Stop yellow and black pads, Campy OE red pads and regular Reynolds blue pads. I found the Reynolds blue carbon pads to worked the best! No squealing, shuddering or noise. They just stopped. Of course, YMMV! So Caveat Emptor!

Good Luck!

[john903]

I have an older set of Hyperons I bought from a Paceline forumite and yes I really like them. They are light, stay true, and feel quick. These are my summer/dry weather wheels only. The braking in the wet is not so good, but that is why we have backup bikes and various sets of wheels. These are the older ones (maybe mid 2000's) so maybe the newer one have a better braking surface.
As Saab mentioned they are similar to the Campy Neucleon from way back and I still have a pair of those as well. Oh I the Bora 35 maybe a better wheel with better bracking surface but for me I can't get past the look of the G3 rear lacing.
So I think a set of Hyperons would look fantastic on your De bernardi.
Have a great day.

[thwart]

Btw, I know there are all kind of people who will claim one carbon brake pads is better than the next. I tried 4 different types - Swiss Stop yellow and black pads, Campy OE red pads and regular Reynolds blue pads. I found the Reynolds blue carbon pads to worked the best! No squealing, shuddering or noise. They just stopped. Of course, YMMV! So Caveat Emptor!


That echoes my experience. I also tried the older Campy black pads.

John above bought my set... sold 'em only because they seemed a little over the top for mostly MUP riding. :rolleyes:

Great, durable wheels.

[Gsinill]

So I think a set of Hyperons would look fantastic on your De bernardi.


Ha, that one is actually on the chopping block. Doesn't get ridden enough and I need to thin out the stable.



Thank you all for your input, WTB posted in the classified section.

[Lionel]

Hyperon ultra 2, campy red pads. Done. One of the best wheelset ever made. Far superior to shamals tubulars (I have them as well).

[earlfoss]

I had a set of Hyperons with the ceramic CULT bearings. Loved them! Braking performance was a-ok, and they were beautiful. I really liked those wheels. Never had an issue in the 2 seasons I raced and trained on them. I used Vittoria tubulars, 25mm on them and it was absolutely perfect. Highly recommend.

[oldpotatoe]

How many watts does on loose over the narrow rim of older hyperons vs say a modern shamal tubular if you are running a 25mm tire? Is it even measurable?

I love hyperons. They are one of the best looking wheels out there and have a very nice quality feel to them. Braking was never a problem for me unless in the wet but all carbon wheels suck in the wet imo. Ive had a few pairs and could not really detect any meaningfull (or other tbh) difference between them other than the earlier versions were nicer looking without the red graphics of the later ultras.

No, not measureable and TUBULARS..'narrow' doesn't mean anything..not like the hub-bub about "fatter is better" tubeless crowd...yo...

[oldpotatoe]

I disagree. I've had about two dozen top end tubular wheelsets in the past few years and if you're using a wider tire (25mm or 27mm) a wider rim will ride better. The rim channel on older wheels is designed around the curve of a 23mm tire, wider tires do not seat perfectly in the channel and tend to bulge up (or worse, induce instability if not seated well like CCUs and their aggressive rim channel). Further, a wider rim supports a wider tire more so they tend to feel more sure footed.

Bora Ones are going to be roughly the same price and they're pretty much one of the best all around wheels you can buy. I sold mine for $600. I preferred the braking on them over the HED Ardennes Black. As Clean said above, why waste your money on an old rim? To say that there's no difference over the last 10 years would be fairly sad if that were true.

A wider rim DOES 'support' a wider tire more better but I have had Vittoria Paves in 27mm onto Mavic Mach2CDs for...about 10 years?? And no they don't 'bulge' or are unstable. Remember, that cross racers used FAT cross tires on thin rims for decades...

[Gsinill]

Thanks all for you input, Hyperon Ultra Two set from a fellow Paceliner on the way.
Can't wait to give them a try!

[ultraman6970]

What potato says... ive put 27s even in kinlin tb25s and no problems, rim which is narrow enough that many trend followers wont even touch.

As for aero, thats super relative... sometimes a lower profile rim will perform as good as the super aero one, but it depends of the conditions. Put the hyperon and a 50 mm super aero rim in 40 km/h crossed winds like in the patagonia and the hyperon will shine all the time.


A wider rim DOES 'support' a wider tire more better but I have had Vittoria Paves in 27mm onto Mavic Mach2CDs for...about 10 years?? And no they don't 'bulge' or are unstable. Remember, that cross racers used FAT cross tires on thin rims for decades...

[Gsinill]

Just a quick update for those that might stumble on this thread while thinking about giving Hyperons a try as I did:
Do it!

While it is hard for me and my riding style to justify the additional money through the potential performance gain, everything else about them is awesome.
They look and feel great, spin forever, are lightweight and braking power with red Campagnolo pads is as good as with any of my other aluminum wheels, at least in dry conditions.
On top of it they are a perfect match for the bike they are on.

Some of this is obviously on the subjective side, but heck, if I had to buy a bike for objective and rational reasons only, pretty much any bike in my size would do.
There is no objective reason for me to own a C40, CSi or JKS either, but it's my hobby and if I consider the joy I get out of them, they are all worth their money.
Same with the Hyperons...

Also, I am sure I wouldn't have lost a lot of money if I decided they are not for me and reposted them here for sale.