Wheels of the deep-dish — greater than 50mm — variety excel on flat courses, but very often we find ourselves on courses riddled with hills. Now, if they were just long drawn out grades, then any deep-dish would do. But all too often, they are of the brutal switchback variety where drafting is quickly negated. The HED Jet 6+Clincher is a wheelset for the switchbacks. It’s a dangerous cliche to say that the Jet 6 is a ‘one-quiver’ wheel, but that’s exactly how HED designed it. It’s heavier than a traditional climbing wheelset, but for most moderate hills, it’s still more efficient and inherently faster. Over the past 26 years of engineering wheels, Steve Hed’s end goal remains the same: simply make them as fast as possible. So, it’s almost a given that HED aerodynamics are superb. However, what you might not know is that these wheels’ aerodynamics are equally matched by their low rolling resistance. We have HED’s C2 rim concept concept to thank for this. Essentially, C2 is about reduction of the two C’s — less Cda (aerodynamic drag) and less Crr (rolling resistance). Accordingly, a 25mm rim width makes this possible, and is mainly responsible for the wider-is-better campaign that’s been replicated throughout the market. But, you’re certainly wondering, why wider’ Well, the width provides what can be described as an ‘aero shroud’ for the rest of the wheel. This also changes the nature of the tire’s contact patch with the road. However, HED also knows that faster speeds require a heightened sense of control. This becomes evident through HED testing, as it found that rim depths which cross the forty or fifty-millimeter threshold grow increasingly more difficult to handle in crosswinds. So, HED engineered a solution that it calls Stability Control Technology, or SCT. In regards to the wheel shape, at 0-15 degree yaw angles, SCT reduces the force put on the wheels by side winds. This makes the Jet 6’s 60mm depth handle more like a 30 or 40mm deep wheel in crosswinds…
HED Jet 6+ Carbon Road Wheelset – Clincher Black, Shimano
