General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels Rss Feed  
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2011-10-20 3:53 PM

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

I haven't been able to find much information on the advantages/disadvantages of using a tri spoke wheel in comparison to a standard or a carbon deep dish wheel. 

 

Anyone have any insight to this?



2011-10-20 4:07 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Champion
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Knoxville area
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

On the positives... it's pretty darn near bomb proof, so you can use it daily if you were so inclined.

It's pretty aerodynamic, in the same ballpark as a Zipp 404/ Hed6, depending on the Yaw angle it can be a bit better.

You'll never have to worry with having to fix a spoke / it going any more out of true

It's also a beautiful wheel in general, and looking fast is pretty important

 

On the negatives...

The wheel was DESIGNED for a 19mm tire to be ran on it. That limits your options if you want to maximize it's efficiency.

The wheel is "picky" when it comes to what fork you have on your bike. Certain forks + Hed3 fronts are actually considerably slower than a "regular" aero wheel.

The fact that none of the wheels are perfectly round nor true means depending on whether you get an "A" or "B" grade wheel (some auction h3's are b wheels) you may have a very slight "wobble."

For lighter riders it can also take quite a bit of time to get used to riding it in "gusty" conditions. Most deep spoked wheels have a constant "push" feeling, but h3's sometimes feel more like a sudden blow... in my experience at least.

 

They are nice, I've had a couple and loved all of them.

2011-10-20 4:16 PM
in reply to: #3732291

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Champion
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Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
Leegoocrap - 2011-10-20 2:07 PM

On the positives... it's pretty darn near bomb proof, so you can use it daily if you were so inclined.

It's pretty aerodynamic, in the same ballpark as a Zipp 404/ Hed6, depending on the Yaw angle it can be a bit better.

You'll never have to worry with having to fix a spoke / it going any more out of true

It's also a beautiful wheel in general, and looking fast is pretty important

 

On the negatives...

The wheel was DESIGNED for a 19mm tire to be ran on it. That limits your options if you want to maximize it's efficiency.

The wheel is "picky" when it comes to what fork you have on your bike. Certain forks + Hed3 fronts are actually considerably slower than a "regular" aero wheel.

The fact that none of the wheels are perfectly round nor true means depending on whether you get an "A" or "B" grade wheel (some auction h3's are b wheels) you may have a very slight "wobble."

For lighter riders it can also take quite a bit of time to get used to riding it in "gusty" conditions. Most deep spoked wheels have a constant "push" feeling, but h3's sometimes feel more like a sudden blow... in my experience at least.

 

They are nice, I've had a couple and loved all of them.

Additional info on the fork/wheel interaction -- it isn't always about aerodynamics. I had a Trek carbon fork with the H-3, and at any speed north of 30 mph, it started shimmying violently. Not fun. Switched to a Kestrel fork, problem disappeared.

And you're likely better off pairing the H-3 front with a disk rear for crosswind stability. Two H-3's can be a handful in gusty winds.

2011-10-20 4:19 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Pro
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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
As a front wheel the HED3 is extremely competitive when using 19mm tires, but some forks are less than ideal with these wheels (stall angle I think had something to do with it...) For the rear, not so much... not a bad choice mind you, but less beneficial than for example a 90mm rear, or better yet, a disc.

On the positive side, if the world decides to end itself in a nuclear war, cockroaches and HED3's would be the only things left. Near indestructible! Because of this, you can find many older wheels that are still very, very good at a reasonable price.
2011-10-20 4:20 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Elite
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Laguna Beach
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

From an aerodynamic perspective the HED 3 and earlier DuPont TriSpoke is a relatively fast wheel. It likely isn't as fast as Mavic's rare iO SSC five spoke composite wheel but it is faster than many other aero wheels.

The wheel doesn't have any dish though, and it uses rigid construction. Translation: Glue your dentures my friend, these things ride rough and corner like a pig. That said, in a straight line they are awesome.

2011-10-20 4:30 PM
in reply to: #3732321

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Pro
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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
Great answer Tom!


2011-10-20 4:46 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Elite
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N Carolina
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
I'm still trying to figure out the phrase "corner like a pig"............
2011-10-20 4:52 PM
in reply to: #3732361

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Extreme Veteran
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Langley, BC, 'Wet Coast' Canada
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

japarker24 - 2011-10-20 2:46 PM I'm still trying to figure out the phrase "corner like a pig"............

 

... something to do with screaming,  '' Whee, whee'', all the way home.  

2011-10-20 4:55 PM
in reply to: #3732321

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Champion
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Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
Tom Demerly. - 2011-10-20 2:20 PM

From an aerodynamic perspective the HED 3 and earlier DuPont TriSpoke is a relatively fast wheel. It likely isn't as fast as Mavic's rare iO SSC five spoke composite wheel but it is faster than many other aero wheels.

The wheel doesn't have any dish though, and it uses rigid construction. Translation: Glue your dentures my friend, these things ride rough and corner like a pig. That said, in a straight line they are awesome.

I guess my pig liked to corner like it was on rails. Always rock stable and tracked with no confidence issues. Maybe it's the fork...

2011-10-20 5:12 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Champion
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MA
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
Ride rough and from what I have heard quality was not consistent with the HED3s.
2011-10-20 5:59 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Master
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Westlake Village , Ca.
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

One reason I like my H3 for longer races is that if I flat, I don't have to mess with valve extenders.

My Hed disc and H3 both us normal 48mm valves...so the spare fits both and like I said, no extender to mess with. I'll be using it this weekend at Soma HIM.

Plus all the stuff everyone else said above.



2011-10-20 8:50 PM
in reply to: #3732269

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Expert
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Dodge County, MN (out in the corn)
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
A friend of mine who knows lots more about these things than I do said of Hed 3's, "They won't always be the right wheels, but they'll never be the wrong wheels".  And he has an app on his phone that calculates yaw.
2011-10-21 7:53 AM
in reply to: #3732582

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Elite
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N Carolina
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels

rowdypaint - 2011-10-20 9:50 PM A friend of mine who knows lots more about these things than I do said of Hed 3's, "They won't always be the right wheels, but they'll never be the wrong wheels".  And he has an app on his phone that calculates yaw.

x2.  What I love about my H3s:  I got them in March/April, raced HIM in May and IM in August (among others) and I haven't changed my bike wheels since I put them on the first time.  The only time I take them off is to change tires or tubes.

2011-10-21 8:38 AM
in reply to: #3732321

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Pro
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Norwalk, Connecticut
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
Tom Demerly. - 2011-10-20 5:20 PM

From an aerodynamic perspective the HED 3 and earlier DuPont TriSpoke is a relatively fast wheel. It likely isn't as fast as Mavic's rare iO SSC five spoke composite wheel but it is faster than many other aero wheels.

The wheel doesn't have any dish though, and it uses rigid construction. Translation: Glue your dentures my friend, these things ride rough and corner like a pig. That said, in a straight line they are awesome.

 

i use a Tri spoke front, and a deep one to boot 70mm, what Tom described is spot on. My fastest tri was with a 60mm front wheel this year, the Tri spoke oscillates in corners and actually can pull you outside, they can be a handful. But it sounds like a helicopter when you go by someone, totally awesome sound. Straight aways it was simply awesome, but start turning and you better hang on to your chicklits.

I am actually going to a 90mm deep front next year, i think it is a good compromise of deep dish and handling.

2011-10-21 8:45 AM
in reply to: #3732269

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Master
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Bloomington, MN
Subject: RE: Pro/Con of Tri Spoke wheels
They are very good wheels as others have said.  HED defines a grad "A" wheel as trueness and roundness less than .030.  These are expressed by .000/.000 written on the rim where the rim tape would normally go.  If you are looking at some, you should ask what these numbers are.  I would not buy anything exceeding .020/.020.  Just my .02 cents.  
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