Since the advent of HED's proprietary C2 clincher technology, it's been dispelling the one-sidedness of the clincher vs. tubular argument. With a TT win at Worlds and a victory at the Tour, HED clinchers are proving their worth with results, not just words. And it's along these lines that HED has decided to expand upon its winning Jet series with the Jet 7 Express. With a 75mm effective rim depth, a low overall weight, and an aerodynamic advantage that's only matched by its rigidity, the Jet 7 Express is bringing race-day technology to an everyday price.

HED constructed the Jet 7 Express from its own blend of lightweight and durable, unidirectional carbon fiber. This composite keeps the weight at around a svelte 1985 grams (not bad for a 75mm depth) without compromising rigidity or aerodynamics in the slightest. To achieve this weight, a host of proprietary technologies are employed by HED. After all, the goal of the Express series is to bring race-ready ride quality to people who have to actually pay for their wheels. So, starting with handling, HED employed its SCT Technology in order to compensate for the Jet 7's 75mm effective rim depth. This means that the wheel has been tuned in accordance to handling at its depth. Ultimately, SCT strikes the ideal balance between crosswind handling and aerodynamic gains without compromising the Jet's weight or natural rigidity. Additionally, the Express features a 23mm rim width design that increases aerodynamics while lowering resistance. HED call this its C2 technology -- representing the two Cs of speed, Crr and Cda, standing for the coefficient of rolling resistance and aerodynamics, respectively. With these two principles in mind, HED designed the Jet to create a more efficient interface with the tire, resulting in the 23mm width at the brake track. This wider-is-better technology isn't a bunch of marketing smoke and mirrors, however. It directly results in an 18% reduction to rolling resistance, and a massive gain to laminar airflow over the 75mm rim depth of the wheels.

For the wheel build, HED incorporated Sapim's aero bladed spokes. The front wheel has received 18 of them radially laced to HED's own hub. The rear gets 24 spokes that have been given a two-cross pattern on the non-drive, and a radial pattern on the driveside. The hubs run on ABEC5 bearings with oversized 12 and 15mm axles. HED spaced the flanges as widely as possible to create a stronger bracing angle that directly results in a heightened level of lateral stiffness.

The HED Jet 7 Express is available in a 700c size and in the color Black with White HED decals. Please note that this wheel is sold individually, and that the rear wheel is available in either Shimano/SRAM or Campagnolo freehub compatibility. Also, the Shimano/SRAM body is compatible with the Shimano Dura Ace 9000 11-speed shift system.