Most of us know HED Cycling for their wheels. Late founder Steve Hed’s original designs pioneered the now-common rounded aerodynamic shapes many of us ride today. Their patents have been licensed, mimicked, or outright copied by many, and while there’s much more to their story that we’ll cover in an upcoming podcast episode, there’s also more than just wheels to see in their Minneapolis, MN, headquarters and factory.
Yep, all of HED’s carbon rims are made in Minnesota, and all of the carbon wheels are built here, too. Some of their hubs come from Onyx, also based in Minnesota, and they occasionally partner with Berd Spokes (also MN) for limited edition fat bike wheels. But the first thing you see upon entering is this coffee table made from the molds of the original Cervelo P5X… Arguably the first mainstream triathlon “superbike”, the P5X was made in small batches by HED, utilizing their carbon fiber manufacturing expertise to create a one-piece beam frameset that was early to disc brakes.
Outfitted with HED wheels, naturally, it points toward the doors into the manufacturing and assembly areas hiding behind the offices.
HED makes a wide range of rims and wheels, from shallow to deep to full disc, and was one of the first brands to go wide to improve aerodynamics.
However, they were also one of the last to go full carbon, waiting for disc brakes to prove themselves before they were comfortable eliminating the alloy braking surface…it’s why their full-carbon Vanquish series is only offered […]
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