HED Jet 60 vs Zipp 404?

Probably not much.  The only thing I might suggest would be to get a deeper rim (e.g. Jet 90) or tri-spoke for the front and consider a disc or disc cover for the rear wheel.  But even those changes are going to be marginal compared to the change from "normal" wheels to any aero wheels.

I have the Jet 60/90 set up and the one advantage, besides cost, over the 404 is durability.  On the 404, it is my understanding that the spokes connect directly to the carbon, whereas the Jets are "regular" wheels with a carbon fairing over the spokes connected to the rim.  So, you can feel more at ease riding the Jets more regularly vs the 404s - something I wanted given the money spent on them.  But as the previous poster suggested, the tri spoke would give the same durability as the Jets.

I know Zipp makes a big deal about the quality of their hubs in addition to the aero benefits. Is that going to make a big difference or is "aeroness" really the only consideration?

I had jet 90 and now switched to Zipp 808
So somewhat I can contribute to your question... biggest difference is, Jets are regular wheels with carbon fairings over them. spokes go to the rim not to the carbon and the inside of the carbon is empty like a wheel cover.
Zipp is rock solid and better quality also spokes go to the carbon not directly to the rim. I don't know anything about the HUBs they both must be good but basicly YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
i had minor details on the HED jets i didn't like like the bonding on the carbon cover was not smooth the holes for the spokes were not cut properly thus making it hard to ride in the wet conditions (water filled quickly into the carbon!)
oh the biggest difference is the weight. If you get the carbon rim of Zipp (tubular) it's almost half the weight.
I can also strongly recomment Flashpoints! As price they are close to hed and very well done by Zipp check them out!

I second looking into the flashpoints 60's. Seem like a pretty good deal to me if you are thinking that the Zipp 404's are a little pricy. I own the Zipp 606's and I love them.

I am a big fan of the Zipp 606s as well.

I was facing the same choice a few months ago and went with non-dimpled Zipp 404s clinchers.

I wanted to use the wheels for training and for racing; I wasn't buying a race only set of wheels. In fact, I was trading the stock wheels that came with my bike. So day to day liveability and durability is important.

Jet 60s use a carbon fairing over a "regular" aluminum rim, and Zipps 404s use a carbon aero rim mated to an aluminum rim for the clinchers. It seems clear to me that the fairing approach is going to be cheaper because the carbon is no longer load bearing, and thus cheaper carbon can be used, lower tolerances are acceptable in terms of construction variations, etc. So that explains part of why Jets are cheaper than Zipps.

But whether 404s are more or les durable than Jet 60s isn't automatically answered by the difference in construction approach. There are a lot of other factors - construction tolerances, number of spokes, quality of materials, etc. I read a lot about both - lots of reviews, lots of individual owner stories, etc. Ultimately I concluded "they're about the same".

I made the choice for 404s because:

1. I could get brand new non-dimpled Zipp 404 clinchers for only slightly more than the Jet 60s, negating the price difference.

2. My LBS sells both, and his experience with Zipps and Jets has been excellent. I trust their opinion.

3. Aero wheels with fairings can take on water in the rain. I've never had it rain during a race, and I have a road bike for the real wet stuff here in Seattle. But I didn't want to worry about water in the rims. Ever. Never ever. I have enough stuff to worry about, why deal with that?

People with fairing based wheels use silicone sealant at the spoke holes to fix this problem. I suppose it works, but it's yet another thing to worry about.

Edited by brucemorgan 2007-06-17 3:52 PM

I was faced with the same decision and went with the Flashpoint FP60s.  They are pre-dimple Zipps with slightly cheaper (but still very high quality) hubs.  They are made by Zipp right in the Zipp factory and it is not a carbon faring like th HEDs.  You get Zipp's legendary customer service with them too.  My LBS was able to get them <$1,000 so it was a no-brainer in my opinion.  They are sweet wheels!