Campy Hyperon Wheels - WOW



Ted B

New Member
Sep 12, 2003
625
0
0
I realize that this is not a wheelset that everyone can consider as a viable purchase option (including myself), but since I had an opportunity to buy a used 2003 set for reasonable money and wring out my new ride, I felt some might be interested in reading my impressions.

I was previously riding a Bianchi EV2 with full Chorus and Mavic Open-Pro 32h with better Conti clinchers. I am now riding a Bianchi EV4 with full Record and Campy Hyperons. The largest functional difference between these two setups is in the wheelset. To make the comparison somewhat fair, I rode a very familiar course (almost always windy), and pumped the new tires to only 120psi (I rode the Contis at 115psi).

The first thing I noticed is that the Hyperons seem virtually invisible to gusts of cross winds. The Open-Pros are certainly not a deep section wheel by any stretch of the imagination, but a strong cross wind can be felt somewhat...not with the Hyperons. They just seem to keep rolling - fast.

In the flats, the Hyperons feel very secure, but not harsh. They roll incredibly fast in the flats, and I felt very comfortable in diving into a relatively sharp corner at higher speeds than what I was used to. They handle beautifully and with precision. They also seem to be very quiet - is it the rims or the bladed spokes?

In the hills, the Hyperons are an amazing climbing wheel, and this is quickly noticeable. Here there are a few steep bridges over industrial shipping canals, which normally bring me out of the saddle. This morning, I rode over them noticeably more easily, without having to leave the saddle at all.

All I can say is that if you have to choose one wheel for just about any purpose, I dare say this is perhaps the best choice, even if money is no option. There seems to be nothing it doesn't do remarkably well. Of course, this wheelset is quite expensive, but if you can find a clean used set for around $1k like I did, you won't be disappointed!!

I rode these at only 120psi. My tires are rated for up to 220psi, so I imagine more air and less rolling resistance could only make things even better.
 
I wouldn't ride those every day

really any full carbon wheel is a race wheel since once really good whack can destroy them
 
Very nice wheelset! Are you using 20mm tubes, or smaller, like 19/18mm?
 
Originally posted by marlon1
Very nice wheelset! Are you using 20mm tubes, or smaller, like 19/18mm?

Thank you. I would have liked to try your Bora G3, but with all the cross wind we have here, the Hyperons are probably better for me.

At the present, I am riding tires with 22-23mm tubes. I plan to buy new Tufo S3 215g with 21mm - 220psi.


Duckwah - Thanks for the warning. These wheels definitely look and feel more durable than a comparable Zipp, and 90+% of my riding is done over relatively smooth surfaces.
 
Dpends also on the bike. Some bikes looks great with hyerpon (very thin wheels), other don't. For Bora the same.

Tufo Elite Hi-TPI is 160g. Veloflex record is 180g. Both 20mm. The rim of the Hyperon is 20mm!
 
Originally posted by marlon1
Dpends also on the bike. Some bikes looks great with hyerpon (very thin wheels), other don't. For Bora the same.

Tufo Elite Hi-TPI is 160g. Veloflex record is 180g. Both 20mm. The rim of the Hyperon is 20mm!

Yes, good point. I think I should be ok with the 21mm Tufo, no?
 
But your rim size is 20mm! So that will fit better.

And why did you bought such an expensive wheels ($2000), if you can make 100g. difference in the tires, for $30 or something? Going even further and buy time trial tires (elite 110 and 120g.) will save you 200g. but they don't have much grip and puncture resistand. I know the 160g Elite is $150-$160 for a pair.
 
Originally posted by marlon1
But your rim size is 20mm! So that will fit better.

And why did you bought such an expensive wheels ($2000), if you can make 100g. difference in the tires, for $30 or something? Going even further and buy time trial tires (elite 110 and 120g.) will save you 200g. but they don't have much grip and puncture resistand. I know the 160g Elite is $150-$160 for a pair.

I bought them because I got them for only $1000, and they came with two good tires already installed. I prefer durability and puncture resistance to light weight, which is why I was thinking about the 215g tires with the high thread count. I will do a lot of training on this bike.
 
When they make durable carbon wheelsets I´ll buy a pair again until then I´m sticking to old style 32/3weave. PLease post again when you have 5000 miles done on those hyperons....
 
Seriously i'd take some of the money you saved gettig a deal on the hyperons and buy some solid training wheels for your daily rides

get something thats easy to repair with conventional spoking and then save the hyperons for races and those club rides when you want to leave everyone eating dust.

its got two advantages,

1. Bust a rim, break a spoke or whatever and you won't cry
2. when you switch back to the hyperons you will feel the difference straight away

I use ambrosio sonars for training (28 spoke 2 cross front and rear, straight gauge spokes) and then i've got a pair of campy protons (radial spoking, double butted etc) for races and longer rides that i want to do well on

my 2 cents

PS I am insanely jealous you got such a great deal on those
 
Originally posted by Ted B
At the present, I am riding tires with 22-23mm tubes. I plan to buy new Tufo S3 215g with 21mm - 220psi.

isn't 220 psi abit high for road riding?
 
Originally posted by Duckwah
Seriously i'd take some of the money you saved gettig a deal on the hyperons and buy some solid training wheels for your daily rides...get something thats easy to repair with conventional spoking and then save the hyperons for races and those club rides when you want to leave everyone eating dust.

Your suggestions seem to be sound, and I will consider them strongly. It will be difficult to peel myself away from these wheels, but like you pointed out, whatever you can do on a cheaper set, you will do it better with these.


Originally posted by steve
isn't 220 psi abit high for road riding?

It would seem so, but these tires can be used over a fairly wide pressure range, and I am very curious to see how the higher pressures affect rolling resistance and how they feel on the road.
 
pressure depend on the type of road you are cycling on.

training on hyperons is nuts. you have to buy a pair of trainingswheels for training.

$1000 with tubes is a very good prize!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Were they new???
 
Originally posted by Ted B
Your suggestions seem to be sound, and I will consider them strongly. It will be difficult to peel myself away from these wheels, but like you pointed out, whatever you can do on a cheaper set, you will do it better with these.
Well, with what you saved (great job, by the way!), you really owe it to the rest of us to fork over $250 for a set of heavyweight cheapies and a second cluster.

Make the Hyperons your weekend hill-climbers (I'm sure you're a friggin mountain goat now) and run the beaters through the potholes.

Just be careful with those gems, for the love of god!
 
Originally posted by lokstah
Well, with what you saved (great job, by the way!), you really owe it to the rest of us to fork over $250 for a set of heavyweight cheapies and a second cluster.

I guess I better start scrounging the "What are the best wheels I can get for $200" threads.

Just be careful with those gems, for the love of god!

Yes, I've already told the girlfriend to get packing because I have Hyperons to keep me happy now...
 
My everyday wheels and race wheels have been Hyperon tubulars for the past four years. I have two identical (one black and one white) Look 585s, and each bike has a set of Hyperon tubulars. Yup, I'm an idiot. I have two sets of Hyperons. My Zipp 202s and 303s are for sale.

This is the best wheelset there is. They are light, but that's nothing. They ride smooth, but with no lateral movement in climbing and sprinting, and they're durable as hell. I thought I cracked a rim years ago, but it turned out to be a scratch. :eek: One set has 25,000 miles, and I've adjusted the bearings once, never broken a spoke, and they've never been trued. And I have bad rural Utah roads with CATTLE GUARDS.

I've also been riding Tufo tubulars for around seven years, and they're also the best. Absolutely uniform and round with no high spots. Using the sealant, I have maybe three flats a year (8,000-9,000 miles), and I don't even carry a spare. I used to ride the S3<215, but they're hard and don't corner all that well. Go with a 22 or 23 width, like the Elite Road or Hi-Carbon.

Life is short. Buy a set, put them on your bike, and ride them every day.
 
Congratulations, those are wonderful. I. Am. Really. Jealous. I am surprised you guys are riding Tufos, as I have heard bad things about them (go to weightweenies for really bad views on them), but as I have never ridden them I can only ask you guys for your views.
 
I have ridden nothing but tubulars since the early '70s, and beween 1981 and today, I've owned over 500 of them. I've used every brand over the years, and until I started using Tufos, I used Continental Sprinter 250s, a really decent tire. I can state accurately that no tubular even approaches the quality of Tufo. The problem the detractors have is they compare the lightweight Tufos, which really have a harsh and skitterish ride. Like I said, the 22 mm to 25 mm Tufos are far superior, with a supple ride, excellent road adhesion, and long wear. I see no reason to ride a 19 mm tire for aerodynamics or weight. My two main road bikes are both under 14.6 pounds, even with 240-260 gram tires, so I don't need to take another four ounces of weight off with tires.

With every other brand, I expected problems after gluing on a new one. If the tire didn't immediately blow out near the valve or have a bump in it, I was lucky.