This review was written by Cliff Hudgins.
Thanks for a great response!
Hed Ardennes Test Ride
Hed, the 'value' brand for those of us in perpetual sticker shock over Zipp prices, has a new set of everyday/climbing wheels available,
called Ardennes. Hed imagines these wheels to be the hoops of choice for a hilly late Spring classic - light, strong, and ready to
attack on La Redoute. Though ostensibly replacing their previous 'Ardenne Classic' wheel, the Bastogne, these older wheels for now
remain in production.
The key item that makes the new wheels more/better/faster than the Bastognes is a new rim called C2. This aluminum rim is significantly wider
than normal, which changes the shape of the clincher tire when mounted. According to Hed, this increases the contact patch of the tire
and also reduces the sidewall height, both of which improves handling. Another benefit is an increase in tire volume, which contributes
to a smoother ride. Hed's goal here was to make a typical clincher tire feel like a tubular - a somewhat lofty claim we'll talk more
about below.
I have had a set of Bastogne's on my lengthy wish list for a while, but given the hype about the Ardennes, I had to try those instead. So I scored
a set of demos from Paceline to compare with my normal everyday wheel, the Easton Orion II. I pulled the Orion's off my Seven, but before
mounting the Heds, I first carried both sets over to the scale for a weigh in. Leaving tires and sprockets on the wheels, I found that the
pair of Ardennes shaved four ounces off of the Orions. Hmm, this could be interesting. But most of the weight savings was in the rear, and
since big boys like me need a meaty rear wheel, I was mildly concerned about their stiffness.
Now I was genuinely excited about trying these, but found that the wider C2 rim was definitely going to be fussy about mounting. With the brakes
fully open I still had the force the wheels through the brake pads, and then found the brakes wouldn't fully close without clamping down on
the rim. A brake adjustment was in order, but being the total cycling professional that I am, I just ran them with the levers open. They
stopped ok.
Once on the road, the first thing I noticed was the ride - these hoops were significantly smoother than the Eastons. Being built for
comfort myself, I was hugely impressed. Less palpable, however, was the 'tubular' feel of the ride. Real sew-ups do feel different to me
(though not to everyone), and while these rode nicely, I'm not sure they would have passed a blind test. They did make the tires feel very
progressive when leaning into a corner, and not falling off after a certain point, which is something clinchers are known for.
Because of this, I do think that handling was improved. I certainly felt more confident on them, and that's more than half the battle for me.
For the climbing I did, the reduced weight added a little zip, but didn't tranform the bike like the Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon wheels I
used to have. Strength was not an issue though, as the wheels felt strong and steady throughout the ride.
So what's the verdict? A great everyday wheel, particularly for long rides where plush is a plus. Strong, but not a sprinter wheel. Light,
but not Mt. Ventoux light. But thanks to the wider rim, not a wheel to swap out frequently with others unless you get a kick out of
adjusting brakes. The final kicker? With these, you can pontificate to your friends about the superior ride qualities of tubulars without
needing thirty minutes to change a flat.
