Interbike 2013: HED carbon 29er tubulars – and fat bike rims?

A glance at the HED booth, run by charismatic tinkerer Steve Hed showed up a few surprises. Among the fat aero wheels and triathlon stuff was a retro-looking tourer (somehow retro looking but with Di2 Ultegra discs), some 29er tubular rims and a 22lb Salsa Beargrease with carbon rims…

Let’s start with the fat bike. It seems that fat bike racers and trail riders like light bikes too, so Steve has been playing around with 85mm wide carbon rims that weigh 450g each. This helps bring the weight of a Salsa Beargrease in under 23lbs…

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OK, back to ‘normal’ bikes and it seems the demand for tubular rims is growing among racers. Shimano has come out with new XTR tubulars and here’s the Hed wheel. It’s a mere 375g for a 29er. You’ll have to glue your own tyres on though.

There was also a lovely looking chocolate brown touring/gravel racing bike that Steve Hed had built for himself, including some very personal touches. The bike features Maxle thru-axles front and rear, just because he can, as well as stealthily routed Shimano Ultegra Di2 hydraulic. As this is intended for the bike Midwest gravel road races, Steve has also incorporated a custom made bulldog clip mount and board for holding route-card cue sheets for easy reference.

hedcycling.com