Hermes Sport VK11 Wheels - A (Somewhat) Brief Review

[eBAUMANN]

As most of you are probably aware, I tend to go through wheels like most people go through tires. Not necessarily because I don’t like a particular wheel, I just like trying different stuff, exploring new designs, materials, and build configurations…a subconcious quest for first-hand experience.

That said, when an opportunity presented itself for me to get my hands on a set of Hermes Sport VK11 wheels, I jumped on it...here's why:



Just look...at...that...thing.
That is where the magic happens.
A pretty hub, like a pretty human-being, can skate by on looks alone, for a bit...but it usually doesn't take long for the piss-poor internals to shine through.
Not the case here. Quite the opposite in fact...

I had been following the Hermes Sport Instagram account since I first noticed a post by Alex on here and was absolutely blown away by their hub design. Somehow they were able to improve upon one of my favorite engagement systems of all time - the DT star ratchet - making it simpler and replacing the springs with magnets...FRICKIN MAGNETS!

One ratchet ring, pushed into engagement against the splined back end of the freehub body itself by a magnet...simple and effective

To complement the amazing internals, they’ve employed a triplet lacing pattern on the rear (16 DS crossing spokes with 8 radial NDS) and an off-center rim profile. What does that yield? A 24h wheel that feels every bit as stiff and planted as a wheel with 32 spokes.

Ive ridden MANY low spoke count/low profile wheels from every major manufacturer and these are right up there with the best of them, if not a touch above. Not a hint of brake rub out of the saddle or anything else to suggest that the wheels had even the slightest amount of lateral flex. Maybe its the spoke tension, maybe the lacing pattern, maybe even the OC rim? I like to think its a combination of all 3 (and it likely is).

Moving up front, the wide stance of the spokes entering the hub and the large 17mm diameter axle creates a confidence-inspiring experience in even the hairiest of road conditions. Again, riding like a wheel with way more spokes.

The ONLY weakness I can see in this freehub/ratchet design is the points of engagement. While there are 26 notches in the ratchet ring, they are spread out over a much larger diameter ring (compared to DT), which creates slightly larger gaps in engagement. On the road, this isn’t really all that noticeable (because of a more constant/consistent cadence) but where I could see it becoming slightly more noticeable would be off-road in a disc version of these wheels. While not as easy a swap as with DT, upgrading the ratchet ring and freehub to a more toothy version for off-road use would not be that much of a stretch and is upgrade-option I hope Alex will consider as he moves forward with his disc-brake offerings.

Moving right along…from a price-point perspective, how do these stack up against similar offerings from the BIG 3 (White Ind, Chris King, DT Swiss)? Well, a quick glance around at a few common websites where one might purchase a nice custom set, and its easy to see that VK11’s are priced extremely competitively at $750 (their web store currently says $995 but Alex informed me recently of a price drop for both the VK11's and 51's). When you break out the pricing on the hubs, spokes, rims, and labor…its pretty incredible that Alex is able to feed himself...

Anyways, this is getting a little long-winded, so, the bottom line:

The Hermes Sport VK11 wheelset is the best alloy clincher wheelset I have ridden to date. From the world class design and machining of the hubs, to a build quality surpassed only by their ride quality, these wheels have set the bar very VERY high for me and I hope you might consider them as well if you are ever in the market!

[kramnnim]

Wouldn't 26 point engagement be the same, regardless of the size of the ring?

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by kramnnim

Wouldn't 26 point engagement be the same, regardless of the size of the ring?

Yes but the I think the degrees of that engagement would change as the diameter changes.

26 points around a 1" circle would be closer together than 26 points around a 2" circle.

Unless I'm missing something...

[ceolwulf]

^ the 2" circle would also be moving faster.

[bicycletricycle]

The distance between the points grows but the angle between them remains the same .

360/26=13.84 no matter how big the ratchet ring is.

Engagement angle is not effected by growing the diameter of the ratchet ring.


Reminds me of how people sometimes think the placement of the magnet on the spoke will somehow change the speed the cyclometer would read.

[ultraman6970]

Ultra likes those blue hubs. Are made at home?

[likebikes]

this post sounds a little sales-y. did you buy the wheels at retail or were you given them as a demo set / paid to review them?

[stev0]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

The distance between the points grows but the angle between them remains the same .

360/26=13.84 no matter how big the ratchet ring is.

Engagement angle is not effected by growing the diameter of the ratchet ring.


Reminds me of how people sometimes think the placement of the magnet on the spoke will somehow change the speed the cyclometer would read.

I think what eBAUMANN means is that the distance between each engagement point grows as the diameter does - the angle will always be the same, but the point of the engagement gets farther away from the center as the diameter grows. 26 points are not as close on a 1" circle as they are on a 2" circle.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by stev0

I think what eBAUMANN means is that the distance between each engagement point grows as the diameter does - the angle will always be the same, but the point of the engagement gets farther away from the center as the diameter grows. 26 points are not as close on a 1" circle as they are on a 2" circle.

Im not an engineer, but I am pretty sure there is a reason by DT swiss makes 36t and 52t ratchets for their hubs as replacements for the 18t stock units.

[eBAUMANN]

Originally Posted by likebikes

this post sounds a little sales-y. did you buy the wheels at retail or were you given them as a demo set / paid to review them?

Im not sure why anyone would pay me to review something, as I have no website or audience to serve with said review...that said, Alex asked me if I would be interested in trying out a set of wheels, no strings attached. If I felt so inclined to post my impressions of the wheels, great, if not, no big deal.

Alex has designed a quality product using domestically sourced materials/labor, a design that in my opinion is easily on par with the best hubs currently on the market today and very much deserving of recognition.

I would invite any other boston paceliner to come and try these wheels themselves and see if anything I have said in the above post is not 100% accurate.

[beeatnik]

I got a wheelset from Hermes Alex once....

[Tickdoc]

what do they sound like?

Reliability/serviceability would be my biggest concerns here. Well, that and the sound....and the color ;~)

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

Ultra likes those blue hubs. Are made at home?

Who's home? Weisan? Interesting, I'm sure components sourced off shore, then assembled. Private label type stuff. Nice design but not sure I would compare to the 'big 3' hubs.

[AngryScientist]

edited.

[kramnnim]

I've known Alex for...5 years? I think these hubs were just an idea in the back of his mind then. Saw pics of CAD drawings, then the 3D printed test versions...it's been cool to follow along as they grew from an idea to the real thing.

IIRC, the hubs shells and axles are machined here, freehub bits are European. These are not the same tier as Boyd's hubs from Taiwan...

Freehub is loud, I believe he has a video on Facebook.