HED Bastone or DA 7850 Carbon Laminate CL
 

I have narrowed my new wheel choice down to these two wheels and a third would be Easton EA90 SLX but at +150 over DA.

Mostly, I feel price performance for them is higher than others like the HED Ardennes at +200, or DA 7850 Tubeless etc.


At $635 from Chain Reaction, DA PRO's have a solid build, low weight, no weight limit (stronger), ti cassette body.

At $677 at World Cycling this weekend, HED PRO's have wheel width I think is great.

At $799 at World Cycling this weekendEaston EA90 SLX PRO'S have ceramic bearings.

I am leaning toward DA for cost and with money saved I am a bit closer to getting a powertap for training.

Thoughts?

I own and ride often DA7850 SL (with clinchers ... waiting for better tubeless) and HED Bastognes. Honestly, I do not know which I like better. The DA hub is amazing, and the wheels still have needed zero service after 13k miles. The HED is a new edition so I cannot speak towards long term servicing. I can say, however, that my 25mm Open Corsa are huge on them (in a good way :) ) and the ride is smooth.

But I am sure someone is going to say ... wait for it ... wait for it ... have a set built.

At 635 the dura ace are going to be hard to beat. That is a great price for a brand new set.

Thanks, I am leaning in that direction right now. They are the lightest and perhaps, the more robust.

The Dura Ace wheels you're looking at - are these tubeless or not? I think I've seen these listed on the Chainreaction website and what I recall is that they are not tubeless. Look at the pics closely to see if there are spoke holes inside the rim. Think that the model that ends with CL are normal clinchers and the model that ends with TL is the tubeless version.

All those posts about the 7850 SL are for the alloy tubeless model, not the carbon laminate non-tubeless (pardon the double negative!).

Thom

Thanks Thom for watching out for me :) Those are indeed the clinchers. I decided the premium for the Tubeless was not worth it for me in this set. The clinchers are lighter and a lot less money from what I can find the Tubeless for. The SL tubeless are in line price was but I just don't see right now, few tire choices and all, that it makes any difference.

I like the technology and as it progresses I will likely buy a set. The biggest draw from a standard configuration seems to be the ability to run lower pressure and not pinch flat. I am headed for the 150's in weight (now 160's) and I should be able to get away with 100-110 anyway.

Thoughts?

There have been a bunch of threads on this subject.

I am (obviously :rolleyes: ) a big fan of HED wheels and ride them on all but 2 bikes in my "fleet" (my single speed is on Open Pros and the Meivici on Reynolds DV46C's).

Even the cross bikes are on HEDs.

BK

On the Dura Ace 7850 Wheels:
CL = clincher
SL = Clincher / tubeless
TL = Tubies

I would wait for a set of the SL wheels to come up for sale here or the bay usually around $650 and grab those. I just did and think they are AWESOME wheels. This give you the option to ride clincher or tubless now or in the future...

The SL's are actually a little less than the CL (in the mid $500's). The TL are actually the SL with the carbon overlay rim also Tubless. The CL also has the carbon overlay -hence it being a bit more $ than the SL.

Bruce K. What do you like so much about the HED wheels? I have no experience with them but they do look nice and have very good reviews across the board. I really do like the Ardennes but I am not sure that it is not a bit pricey compared to others like the DA's. How are the Sonic Hubs compared to industry standards (not the best just a reference) like DA and DT240? How is customer service etc.

Thanks sir.

The C2 rims give a smooth comfortable ride (they use lower pressures) and seem to provide longer tire life.

HED customer service is top notch.

The hubs run fast and smooth. Don't bother with ceramic bearings, IMHO not worth the upgrade and they are actually less durable.

I have test ridden Mavics and own Reynolds with DT Swiss hubs. No experience with DA hubs in quite a long time.

I still like the HEDs a lot.

BK