The Vanquish RC8 RC Pro — A Disc Brake Masterpiece
Shopping for new wheels can always be a struggle. You need wheels that are stronger, faster, and lighter than ever to stay on top of the game. On top of that, it has to be the safest wheel possible, since other full-carbon rim brake wheels on the market can be subject to melting and tire blowouts. The creative minds at HED Cycling Products came up with their Vanquish RC8 Pro Disc Wheelset for this exact purpose.
The one-of-a-kind HED Vanquish RC8 Pro rims are made by hand in Minnesota, U.S.A., and undergo an unprecedented level of quality control. The rim shape is all-new, with a huge 30mm external width (21mm internal width). This results in superb aerodynamic performance with 23-28mm tires, with drag numbers that dip below -300g. The Vanquish RC8 Pro's all-carbon rim construction makes it lighter, stronger, and faster than the competition. The 30mm external/21mm internal width and tubeless-ready tire bed has a hybrid spoked-carbon design, creating a stiff and efficient wheel for maximum power transfer.
The HED Vanquish RC8 Pro Wheelset is only available in a disc brake model. Why you ask? Two reasons: 1) Carbon rims do not cool as efficiently as alloy rims. The extreme heating and cooling cycles of an all-carbon rim brake clincher rim compromises the structural integrity of the inner tube and can cause a tire casing to soften or even melt – a clear safety risk. 2) Removing the rim brake from the equation allowed HED to make a new rim profile that simply wouldn't fit inside of a rim brake. It's a true disc-brake-specific rim, unencumbered by rim brake constraints.
Features:
Rim constructed from 110 gsm Carbon Fiber
567g rim weight
84mm rim depth
479mm effective rim diameter
21mm internal rim width
24 hole count
28mm optimal tire size
J bend Sapim CX Ray spoke
Front spoke length – 228mm / 230mm
Rear spoke length – 226mm / 230mm
Sonic 515 HED Hub centerlock in front, Sonic 545 HED Hub centerlock in rear
813g front wheel weight, 945 rear wheel weight
FREE Cassette Installation - Order a cassette along with a wheelset and we can install the cassette for free. Cassette installation requires special tools that not all our customers have. The cassette will be professionally installed and torqued to spec. Just add "Please install cassette" to your order notes at checkout and we'll take care of you.
B-Stock - This product has one or more B-Stock units available. These units can be purchased at a discount (see option select). B-Stock units were returned from other customers and may have missing or damaged packaging materials. These units are otherwise as new. The full manufacturer warranty applies. Click Here for more information.
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Reviewed 9/5/2022
by Anonymous
Cycling Enthusiast
Chicago, IL
Value Rating
Overall Rating
As fast as they look (2000 mi review)
These wheels are worth their price, more so if they're on sale. You can immediately feel the benefits at high speeds; its a lot easier to hold 40+ km/h and they're surprisingly stable in windy conditions. They front wheel can be a little choppy when cross winds are strong, but I've had no issues keeping my bike under control.
Both wheels have stayed true even after riding through nasty potholes and bearings feel silky smooth. The front wheel never wants to stop spinning. The rear hub has a slightly higher pitched, more pingy, metallic freehub noise.
The internal width is wide so I run 28mm GP5ks, front and rear, with inner tubes pumped to 60psi (I weigh 125 lbs). The ride quality is smooth, comfortable, and fast. There have been no issues with pinch flats.
Don't forget to buy valve extenders, and make sure to wrap threaded valve components with teflon tape so everything is airtight. HED's own branded valve extenders have worked well.
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