HEDVanquish RC4 Performance Carbon Disc Wheelset(Return to Product Page)

These wheels do not come with rim tape installed. After an unsuccessful attempt to make them hold air, I gave up. I took them to a mechanic who told me that the wheels were badly out of true. He was able to true the wheels and add new tape. This did the trick and they are now holding air. At this price point, they should come with the tape installed. Now the HED decal on the rim is already wrinkling and will soon start to peel off in places. This after only three rides. On the plus side, this is my firs set of carbon wheels and I am amazed at how well they absorb road buzz. It really makes a difference in how much fatigue I feel on longer rides. They don't seem much faster than alloy wheels, but I am currently running 25s on them and I can tell that they are just too small for these wheels because the rim sticks out from the sidewall rather obviously and this probably adds drag. I will switch to 28s once these tires wear out and that should make a difference. My thought is that any carbon wheel in this price point would perform like these wheels, but other brands are truly tubeless-ready right out of the box.