I have a steel frame road bike that is set up for rim brakes & a 9 speed Shimano gear train, so there aren't too many options out there for me to upgrade my wheelset. These HED wheels were compatible with my rim brakes, and also with the 9 speed Shimano cassette currently on the bike. The reviews of the wheels made them sound incredible, and when they went on sale for a significant discount I jumped at ordering a set. It was a bit difficult for me to convince myself of the value of the upgrade because the cost of the HED wheels (even on sale) was more than I'd paid for my entire bike back in 2020. I was also concerned that there would be issues with frame clearance and compatibility with the bike for the chainrings to line up. But it all worked out, and after the first ride with the new wheels I knew I'd made the best decision ever on the upgrade. I could spend thousands of $$ to go to carbon fiber on almost all my components. But because of the rim brakes, I am limited in many ways. I think the HED wheels improved the bike even more than if I'd gone to carbon fiber in all the other components.
I got sick and tired with wrestling with tires (tubeless ready or not) to fit on TR wheels. I searched and searched for a good set of disc road wheels and found these Shimanos. They are a great bargain for a fairly stiff and not too heavy wheel set. The hubs spin very well! I swear I'm going faster with this new wheel set even though I don't run tubeless anymore. I'd highly recommend this wheelset. I haven't had them long and so cannot speak to durability. My guess is that they will do great.
It's a work in progress for me on whether I like these wheels or not. There does feel to be an aero gain on the roads compared to my previous carbon wheelset. I can see a 2mph uptick on the flat roads. However, on rougher roads, the ride is pretty harsh compared to my previous wheelset. I may have to play with tire pressure because internal rim wide has made the tires measure wider and I can drop a few psi. The big disappointment is crosswinds. It's pretty windy where I live and despite claims, the wheels are pretty prone to jerking the wheel from under me in a gust. The wheels have made my bike more nervous on the road.
I purchased this wheel set as an upgrade from the stock wheels on my Canyon Roadlite CF bike. The ride is much improved, as the bike feels more like it should: a flat handlebar road bike.
These wheels can be run as tubeless, but I'm using them with inner tubes. The one thing I find a bit confusing is the 72 psi maximum inflation. I assume that applies if you're riding tubeless on gravel. I use this bike only on paved roads, and my Vittoria Zaffiro tires have a minimum psi of 87.
