There's some physics involved here to explain this. With any spinning object, the more weight which is located farther from the axis, will produce a higher angular momentum, which is the spinning-brother of linear momentum. Basically, if you had a 10 pound wheel and all the weight is at the axis, vs all the weigh at the rim, the wheel with more weight at the center will be easier to accelerate but also easier to slow down.

808's have a deep carbon wheel so they accelerate quicker but theoretically also maintain speed easier (but you have more wind resistance when the speed increases so it's almost nullified).

As far as steering is concerned, you have more surface area to catch area at a yaw angle. So, basically, deep dish are harder to steer. I can barely ride my Supersix with 808's no hands. Makes me nervous and I've been riding 10 years.

There's really too many things here to decide if this is accurate. Wind, fatigue and so on.

Some things not mentioned is that there are small designs in each wheel which make the hub heaver or lighter, the rim heavier or lighter, different aerodynamics with spoke designs, and also different rim designs to make them handle yaw wind differently. But, regardless of any proprietary design (Firecrest, Hed FR, etc.) that more weight at the edge of the wheel makes them accelerate and slow down worse.

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Confused Fitness Addict -- Biker first, Nutrition second, everything else third.

Idle, thanks for the insight! I am pretty knowledgeable about running marathons but when it comes to cycling I am very new at this. I am really tempted to go back to my Cosmic Carbones in spite of the fact they don't look as top shelf as the Zipps. I really hate the weighty feel of them but ironically the 808's on my tribike seem to perform very well. On a road bike it doesn't quite feel the same. Maybe this is why I don't see a lot of people using 808 on road bikes. I see them on tribikes but not road.

You don't see many folks running an 808 on a road bike. There are more movements in a road bike and you have to work 'against' the higher angular momentum of the 808. More pro-peloton cyclists will run a 404-sized wheel unless it's very flat and/or low wind.

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Confused Fitness Addict -- Biker first, Nutrition second, everything else third.

A 90/90 or 60/90 combo was pretty common in the ProTouruntil the UCI limited the wheel depth to 60.

As to some of your other issues. You should expect your road bike to be at least 2-3 mph slower than your Tri bike. If you could ride as fast on a road bike, they never would have invented the TT/Tri bike. Yes, a heavier wheel will feel slightly less responsive, but make sure your tire/tube choice is equivalent. You didn't mention whether the tires were identical, but crappy tires can really ruin the performance of nice wheels.

If you try a pair of super-lightweight wheels, they will make the bike feel "lively", but are actually slower. The 808s will be the faster wheel all around, but they will feel "sluggish" when accelerating.

Plenty of top pros cyclists used 808s when they were legal.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Thanks! With regards to "UCI" limiting this and that, I can possibly see making bikes way a minimum weight as mandatory for safety(maybe too thin of a frame could lead to shorten life and sudden catostrophic frame cracks) but I feel the UCI should not ban any feature that is available commercially to be prohibited. I know some tribike frames are illegal because they are too aerodynamic but that should be fine if it is available for everybody.

As far as tires, I am using Continental 4000 GP I believe, will have to look at the side wall. They are 25mm and so far i like them a lot but what about tubeless tires? Heard they have less rolling resistance.

So I guess now the tough decision will be, do I want the cool looks on my Road bike having Zipp 808 but a less responsive, seemingly slower wheel, or do I want something that may not look as top shelf but feel faster and more responsive. I have seen plenty of cyclist who buy bikes stuffed with the latest and most expensive components, but they can barely ride faster than 19 to 20mph

I know several cat 1s that always run 80mm depth wheels in crits and road races. I've also seen quite a few other 808 type wheels at bigger crits.

Go with what "feels" good if you're unsure. That'll be different for everyone.

Yes I believe what you are saying but it seems crazy to put 808's on a road bike when you may have others that are using lighter and more responsive wheels, could you keep up with them on hard acceleration coming out of a corner....hmmm

You really think 200 grams matters that much? That's like the difference between drinking half a bottle or not. Knowing how to corner well is infinitely more important.

but you don't race... so why does it matter :)

[/quote] You really think 200 grams matters that much? That's like the difference between drinking half a bottle or not. Knowing how to corner well is infinitely more important.[/quote]

I would agree with you 100% as it should not make a difference but i can tell you there is a very noticeable difference. The 808's are great for holding speed but for accelerting and turning much slower

You are right I don't race and primarily just have these wheels to just tool around in. I know everybody most everybody if they are going to buy 808's they are serious about racing but after watching the Tour De France and seeing all the crashes, I don't want to end up with an 808 that is crushed and ruined from impact

You can tell me what it's like to corner in crits and road races with 82mm wheels compared to 58mm wheels?

It's in your head, man. You're the person turning more slowly, not the wheels.

GO WITH THE 808's TO KEEP THE KIT SEXY AND MATCHING YOUR GIRLY LEGS!!!

I'm a road & crit racer. Last season, I raced a CAAD12 with 808 NSWs. They're nothing short of brilliant. I totally disagree that they're meaningfully less snappy than 404's.

Obviously, they improve the top end as much as any wheel available. They also corner superbly.

If Zipp offers an 808 (or 858) NSW disc to match my current frameset, I'll get in line the day they're available for preorder.

Yep after riding them again today my 808's with road bike, I guess my riding skills are very lacking. I will have to take your word for it as I have seen 808's on road bikes that pros use.