“A wheel for the people and land that gave us gravel.” If you’re tuned into the gravel race scene, then Emporia, Kansas likely needs no introduction. Home to the to the infamous DK 200, the city of Emporia is also the inspiration for the renaming of HED’s entire line of gravel wheels.
Previously labeled “Eroica” which was chosen by HED due to pay homage to the influence of Italian and French cycling heritage of the 20th century, it seems that the name is a little too close to L’Eroica – the international ride series. Naturally, that led to the need for a new name for the line and Emporia was the clear favorite for a line of wheels meant to fly over the gravel of the Flint Hills. Wheels like the new Emporia GC3 Pro.
The new wide king of the Emporia lineup, the GC3 Pro rolls in with a 26mm internal width, and 31mm outer width. The rim is also 30mm deep making it wider than it is tall!
Manufactured in the USA from 110 GSM carbon fiber, the rims have a weight of just 375g making them fairly competitive for a wide, 30mm deep gravel rim. Designed with a hookless bead, the rim is tubeless compatible with recommended tire widths of 32-55mm+.
Built into complete wheels with 24 spokes front and rear in a 2x pattern, Sapim Laser spokes are used in a standard J Bend configuration. At the center you’ll find HED’s Sonic 515 hubs with Centerlock brake mounts and options for 12 or 15mm thru axles up front, 12mm in the rear, and Shimano, SRAM XDR, or Campagnolo freehub bodies.
The complete wheelset weighs in at 1,395g, and will sell for $2,200. They’re available now direct through HED or your local retailer.
The name change also applies to existing wheels like the Emporia GA Pro which is a $900 aluminum wheelset with a 25mm internal width.
The same goes for the Emporia GA Performance which uses the same aluminum rim with a 25mm internal width, but drops down to the HED Performance hub to get the price down to just $700 per set.
