HED Scorpio - Flamme Rouge

Long missing from our line of wheels was a light weight climbing wheel set. In mid 2007 we began development of the Scorpio and by the time we were finished what we had was an all around - do anything wheelset that also happened to be pretty exceptional at climbing also. How did we get such impact out of a measly 33mm of carbon rim? We knew from the start the that selection of carbon and the lay up schedule would take a lot of time and effort to perfect. Before we got that far however it was important to develop a rim shape that would optimize everything we wanted. Shallow enough to keep the weight low, just deep enough to have some good aerodynamic performance, as well as have a shape optimized for lateral stiffness so that as little carbon as possible could be used. Early prototypes yielded a lot of "grin" factor and the final production versions are nothing short of astonishing.

Feedback from our professional riders gave us some useful insights into what makes a truly exceptional climbing wheel: Lateral stiffness. Depending on which rider you ask, stiffness is many times higher on their list of requirements than light weight! This all makes sense however as ascending is less about weight than it is about efficiency. Whether that efficiency comes from low weight, power transfer or aerodynamics the end goal is to get the rider up the climbs as quickly as possible. For this reason the Scorpio is held to the same strict standards for lateral stiffness as the rest of our line of wheels. This means they are as good for sprinting to the finish of a World Championship race as they are for winning an uphill finish at Alpe d'Huez.

Other feedback from our professionals was that it is quite rare that any race is purely uphill. Flat sections and downhills are invariably part of any hilly course and the Scorpio was designed to outperform any other climbing wheel in these areas. This allows the rider to expend less energy in these areas so that when the road goes vertical you will already have an advantage over your competition. We spent more time wind tunnel testing our Scorpio wheel than most wheel companies spend in the wind tunnel in five years time. The result is a wheel that typically performs as well as wheels that are nearly twice as deep.

Ride quality, durability and lightweight were the final issues to tackle and we didn't disappoint. Similar to our Stinger line of wheels we use three different types of carbon in the construction of the rim. By being very specific about the direction and thickness of the carbon in certain areas we are able to produce a rim that provides and elegant balancing act. As a result the Scorpio is built to be ridden hard because it can handle it. For that matter, you'll want to because of the exceptional ride that it delivers. In short if you want a wheel that is stiff enough to resist hard out of the saddle accelerations and sprints the Scorpio is for you. If you want a wheel strong enough to take seasons worth of racing, the Scorpio is for you. If you want a wheel that ascends like a helium balloon then the Scorpio is for you. If you want a better than average aero wheel then the Scorpio is for you. To sum it all up, the Scorpio is such a good all around performer we are hard pressed to find someone that they aren't right for.