Today's date:
The science: Just plain faster. The Hed Ardennes has lower rolling resistance and better aerodynamics than traditional 19mm wide rims. A 23mm tire has room to spread out on the 23mm wide rim. The reshaped tire carcass has a shorter, wider contact patch; as the tire rolls, a shorter section of the sidewall deflects. Less sidewall deflection lowers rolling resistance and increases efficiency. The same reshaping matches the tire spread to the rim width. Instead of looking like a lightbulb, the tire/rim profile is an ellipse - much more aero. The verbage: Fleche Wallonne, Amstel Gold, and Leige-Bastogne-Liege. The Ardennes Classics. To win one of these Classics, a rider has to have the endurance to be a factor at the finish. He has to have the strength to punch it over the Cote de Stockeu, La Redoute, or the Mur de Huy; brutal climbs that have become almost as well known as the races themselves. The winner also has to have the skill to stay upright and at the front on the cobbled descents of the same climbs. Merckx, De Vlaaeminck, Hinault, Kelly, Armstrong - all have topped the podium at the Ardennes classics. Like the hard men who dominate these races, the HED Ardennes are designed with their own potent mix of race winning attributes. Starting with the initial CAD renderings of the C2 rim, we knew that we were making a genuinely different wheel, but we had to wait until the rims were extruded and wheels built to realize just how superior the Ardennes really are. In a single ride, all was revealed. The C2 extrusion improves everything about clinchers: The road contact patch is bigger, so cornering grip is improved. On the C2 the tire profile is wider and the sidewall is shorter, so the carcass is stiffer and rolling resistance is lower. In short, on a C2 clinchers ride better than tubulars. They stick like day old oatmeal in the corners, and there is no tire squirm, even when you're out of the saddle drilling it up a hill. The increased air volume noticeably improves the ride. Clinchers even sound like tubulars on a C2. If you've never ridden tubulars before, a single ride on the Ardennes illustrates why the pros and old-timers persist in riding them, despite the cost and hassle of gluing. If you are an old-timer or pro still holding onto your tubulars like grim death, you'll be ready to switch after just one ride. :: specifications Build Specs: Front hub: Sonic 18 hole. 72g Rear Hub: Sonic SP 24 hole. 210g Spokes: CX-ray Nipples: 7075 alloy Rim: Scandium alloy, machined brake track, welded seams. 23mm wide. Drivetrain compatibility: Campagnolo, Shimano, SRAM
Rented Sept 10th-20th