HED Jet Disc review
A few weeks ago I decided to replace my old HED Standard Disc. I bought that disc second hand 3 years ago, and it still was in good shape, but I thought it was time to get a lighter disc and maybe move to clinchers.
A quick look at ZIPP discs turned my head away, as my budget was under 1000$. After a few days of searching a few models came up, RENN, Blackwell, X-Lab. Contacted a few vendors online with a few questions, and found that most online shops have terrible customer service.
The Blackwell is basically an old ZIPP disc model (non dimpled, but who really cares about dimples?), so it was a high on my list. X-Lab disc looked interesting, but I found out that X-Lab now discontinued their disc so that made me suspicious. RENN has a good reputation, but I found out that this is a very low volume operation, and the Madeira, is not in production right now. I didn’t really care if the disc is lenticular of flat, although HED claims a lenticular disc is faster. I guess if a flat disc was faster, ZIPP would certainly mention this in their marketing for 909 tubular, because they are quite good at marketing like advertising discs with negative drag.
My research stopped when I found the HED Jet Disc and this review. There really was not much information out about the HED Jet Disc. Even on HED’s site, it stated something like “Hed Jet Disc coming soon”. At the moment there is not much more info either, apart from two pictures, the weight (1220 gram), and the suggested retail price 995$.
While there probably isn’t any wind tunnel data to indicate if it is faster than other discs, it certainly does look fast, having a similar shape to the ZIPP sub 9 disc, with a large bulge on the outer perimeter, and a lenticular shape in the middle.
The disc is actually a spoked wheel, with a thin carbon structure bonded on both sides of the wheel. Being a spoked wheel, with the tire off, it is possible to true the wheel if it ever would get out of true. The only negative aspect is that the wheel is not serviceable at all. Bearings are not accessible. If a spoke would break, it would not be possible to change it, without opening up the carbon structure. I have spokes break on very old wheels (10+ years), just from the spoke tension, so I don’t think spokes breaking will be an issue during the normal lifetime of the wheel. As far as bearings go, since this should be a race only wheel, there probably won’t be much need to service them.
At 1200 grams for a clincher disc , that is light enough. And under 1000$ that made my decision simple. I started shopping online. Being a new model you won’t get much discounts from the manufacturers suggested price at most popular cycling and triathlon online stores.
I happened to contact Mark Kouri at Peleton Cycles and ordered the disc from them. Mark operates a small retail business with low overhead, so he passes along great prices (his prices are often lower than major online retailers, so he usually does not publish them to avoid problems with price match requests). The service has been great and very responsive. If you need some equipement, give him a call, 609-668-8530, highly recommended.
So far I have done two duathlons on the wheel. The nicest thing about the wheel is that it is a really nice ride, and it feels exactly like a spoked wheel – of course, it is a spoked wheel. Compared to most other discs that have a harsh ride. There is very little flex either.
As for me, I’m still recovering from the National’s duathlon last weekend. I’ll have a race report shortly…
Written by Michel on September 17th, 2008 with
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