HED Jet 4 Plus

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EvilEuro
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:03 am

by EvilEuro

With all of the talk about even the best carbon clinchers not being good for the mountains due to heat issues, I have started to give another look at something like the Hed Jet 4 Plus. This way I could have a set of wheels with good aero capabilities along with the more proven reliability of an aluminium rim so that heat issues are no longer an issue. The new, wider 25mm rim is another bonus.

I had also considered the Zipp 30 and 60. But the 30 is too shallow while the 60 too deep. I prefer the mid-range of the 4 Plus. As well, I have a love / hate relationship with Zipp. I also considered the Dura Ace 35 and 50, but I wanted the ability to use either Campagnolo or a Shimano drivetrain. So the Jet 4 Plus became quite attractive when all is said and done.

However, I can't seem to find many reviews of these wheels. Does anyone here have experience with them? If so, what are your opinions, positive or negative.

Also, is it possible to get the Jet 4 Plus as a rim-only. I read in the Stinger thread that it can be difficult to get rims from Hed and I have thus far been unable to locate them anywhere online.

stormur
Posts: 1173
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:50 pm
Location: FIN

by stormur

HED won't sell you rims. Have to send wheel for rebuild ( price …. don't ask ) .

As everywhere, there's stuff "equal" and "more equal" ( G.Orwell order ;) ) - HED is just equal… That's why you won't see so much "yay!" and "wow!" about Hed's wheels in net…

I don't have "jets" , but "beat" in cx bike C2 rims on DT hubs at places considered by many as singletrack, not cx course - ZERO issues. Build with 0.05mm tolerance hold it perfectly ( checked today, and I'm "lightweight 85kg" ;) ). I've never seen so nice made alu rims … and so easy to build.

Ardennes are my next tubular wheels for cyclocross :) - no doubts here .

( C2 is same platform for Ardennes, C2 Belgium rims and Jet wheels )
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
Mark Twain


I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

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Slagter
Posts: 250
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:42 am

by Slagter

They look very nice, only thing is, they are heavy - 1.734 grams a pair. That´s pretty much for a wheelset for the mountains.

davidalone
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm

by davidalone

HED will sell you the rims, but they are incredibly difficult to get a hold of ( by special order only. ). they also will not warranty any wheels that are not built by them, so if you build them yourself you're out of luck. I can understnad why because fairing wheels are finicky creatures. in my experience they do require a tad more maintenence in checking even spoke tension.

HED are decent wheels. you probably don't hear too much about them because distribution and marketing wise they are a pretty small company when you look at competitors like zipp, easton, shimano, etc. HED are one of the companies bike teams with no wheel sponsors often turn to when buying wheels ( see old HTC highroad and euskatel euskadi on HED wheels). more than good enough for amatuers like you and me

EvilEuro
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:03 am

by EvilEuro

Thanks for the responses.

I've always wondered why HED doesn't get more pub, but the "equal, but not as equal" arguement makes perfect sense. Especially for something like the Jet 4 Plus as it's not a full carbon clincher, and therefore not as sexy, even though the C2 rim platform is really nice.

I like the idea of having the aero without the drawback of worrying about a heat related failure with the sexier full carbon clincher. I also like the ability to run the 4 Plus in a tubeless setup with a proper rim strip. The price differential doesn't hurt either.

I flip back and forth between doing a custom wheel build around the Jet 4 Plus and Chris King R45 hubs or just playing it safe with a set of Campagnolo Shamal 2-Way wheels. I have heard that the Shamals have good aero for their profile, but never seen any data confirming such. I don't know how they compare to the Jet 4's, but I would imagine that the Jet 4's are going to triumph quite handily there.

The trade-off with regard to weight is another story. Just a question of weighing the pros and cons of each. The Hed aren't as sexy, but they just might be much more versatile overall despite the 210g weight different (1650 v 1440).

stormur
Posts: 1173
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:50 pm
Location: FIN

by stormur

davidalone wrote:HED will sell you the rims, but they are incredibly difficult to get a hold of ( by special order only. ).


Are you absolutely sure, that Hed will sell to private person Jet/ Stinger rim ? …. :shock: They don't sell rims ( exc "belgium" ) to … anyone. In case of clients rim damage ( not under warranty ) - client have to send to Hed damaged wheel, and Hed will rebuild it at very high price. They do not warrant ANY wheel didn't build by themselves.


I can be wrong, and I'm sure that you can prove it ;) copy od bill will be enough.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
Mark Twain


I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

EvilEuro
Posts: 331
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:03 am

by EvilEuro

It does not look like it is possible to get the Jet 4+ as a rim-only. I had a buddy from a shop check with HED and they say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the spoke angle is quite steep on this rim going through the carbon faring, resulting in a high number of spoke failures during the wheel building process. As such, HED will only sell the Jet 4+ as a complete wheel which they build at the factory.

No rims will be sold for a custom wheel build due to those issues. I'd rather have them do that then put the rim out to wheelbuilders and have it be a persistent problem child. At least they're honest about the fact that there would be issues.

davidalone
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm

by davidalone

stormur wrote:
davidalone wrote:HED will sell you the rims, but they are incredibly difficult to get a hold of ( by special order only. ).


Are you absolutely sure, that Hed will sell to private person Jet/ Stinger rim ? …. :shock: They don't sell rims ( exc "belgium" ) to … anyone. In case of clients rim damage ( not under warranty ) - client have to send to Hed damaged wheel, and Hed will rebuild it at very high price. They do not warrant ANY wheel didn't build by themselves.


I can be wrong, and I'm sure that you can prove it ;) copy od bill will be enough.


It depends on who you ask. I emailed HED in 2012 saying that I wanted to do a rebuild on some of their older Jets, which the rims had died but the hubs were still good ( true story), and as I do not live anywhere near a HED builder or distributor ( regional distributor is a 4 hour flight away, local shops get their product from there.) , they were willing to talk to me. . I've long deleted most of the emails, but if I recall they made it very clear they wouldn't offer any warranty because they couldnt guaruntee that the older hubs would play nice with the newer rims. In the end the cost just wasn't worth it.

well that was a year ago, maybe might have changed.

EDIT: just found the first of the emails:

me:
Hi,I have an older pair of HED jets that have a damaged rim, however the hubs are still in good shape. I would like to rebuild these wheels, would it be possible to purchase the HED jet rim alone?

Reply:
Hello,
We may be able to, but there are a lot of variations in the Jet rim drillings.

Will you email make me a photo of the hubs? I will see if I can help you out.

Thank you,

Paul Ellis
Hed Cycling Products
Office 651-653-0202

So well take that for what you will.

stormur
Posts: 1173
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:50 pm
Location: FIN

by stormur

I talked with Paul on March / April . Answer was simple : no way, that's not gonna happened. Period.

That's base of my doubts…
_________

BUT : He offered solution, which I can't mention , so from that point of view, there's really no reason to order rims.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
Mark Twain


I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

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jmilliron
Posts: 2012
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:03 pm
Location: Denver, CO

by jmilliron

Had an older set of Jet 4 wheels that I used for training, crits and flat road races. I thought they were fantastic.

Would still be using them but switched back Quarq to PowerTap. (On Belgium Plus rims. Also fantastic, FWIW.)
2013 Wilier Cento1 SR || 2009 Ridley Crossbow || 2011 Yeti AS-R 5 Carbon

intheknowcycling
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:03 pm
Contact:

by intheknowcycling

Evaluated them as part of a comparative review of about a dozen all carbon and half a dozen carbon alloy all-arounds here. They are clearly one of the most modern designs - aero, width - of the available mid depth carbon alloy wheels. Well built. Highly responsive yet still very compliant. Great handling. Some object to the very flexy fairing. They are pricey however, especially when compared to the more versatile DA C35 CL which you can get for $700 less. And, you can run the C35 CL - any 11 speed wheel for that matter - on either Campy or Shimano 11 speed drive trains.
Steve
http://intheknowcycling.com
What cycling gear to get next and where to get it

by Weenie


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