How do you make the fastest non-disc wheel in the world even faster? You run it on ABEC-5-rated ceramic bearings for improved rolling efficiency, spec the rear wheel with a titanium ratchet ring and give them titanium skewers. That's the HED Flamme Rouge H3D.
The rest of the wheel is unchanged. It's still the production version of the wheel Lance Armstrong first rode in the 2005 stage-one Tour de France time trial, when he blew past Jan Ullrich in a dramatic statement of intent. It has the same 90mm deep rim and three teardrop-profiled carbon spokes.
We haven't messed with its race-winning aerodynamics at all - what we've done is tweaked the hardware so that with the HED Flamme Rouge H3D we supply our top-line ceramic Flamme Rouge hub instead of the standard steel bearings. The high-tolerance ABEC-5-rated ceramic bearings of the Flamme Rouge hub cut down rolling resistance and save weight. We're only talking grams, but it's all about the marginal gains at this level. The rear wheel's titanium ratchet ring and the titanium skewers supplied for both wheels shave off a few more grams.
Wind tunnel and real-world tests have proven that the HED H3D is super-fast, but it works best at low yaw angles, which means that the best riders get the biggest benefits from it. If you are one of those riders, choosing the HED Flamme Rouge H3D over the standard HED H3D is going to benefit you even more.
The HED Flamme Rouge H3D comes for tubular or for clincher. For the tubular rim version there's a choice of an all-carbon rim or an alloy rim cap, depending on how you like your braking surface. The clincher rim version has a lightweight, durable alloy rim only.
