How tall are you and what do you weigh?
I rode 50mm front and rear last year (not windy compared to previous years) and wss holding on for my life coming down from Hawi. I am 60kg and 175cm for reference.

You have lost your friggin mind.

I'll ride 45 mm Veltec in front instead of my normal 808.
On the rear I will mount my 808. If discs would not be forbidden, I would probably have ridden a disc.
It's the front wheel which is affected by crosswinds, not the rear.

I'm 72kg and 175cm so won't get blown around as much as you. I may see if I can scrounge shallower race wheels.

Terrible idea

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I have ridden both Zipp 808's and HED Jet9+ in Kona and never had issues getting blown around. I am 6'1" and ~74kg. Run the 60/90 combo and don't over complicate things.

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-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM

Don't be a scaredy

Cant make chicken salad out of chicken shit

I'd ride the race wheels if I were you. I rode the course on a FLO 60 set which is slightly less stable than a 60/90 set and didn't really have that many issues on the course. I'm 5'11" and 155lbs for reference. The only place that was a bit "white-knuckle-ish" was the decent from Hawi, but if there is a rider in front of you, you see them being hit by the wind blowing between the openings in the rock and know when to expect it. If you are overly worried about it, you may want to consider an aero wheel in the 30-45mm depth range on the front of your bike to help.

I'm not sure what your goals are in Kona, but if you are competing, giving up your race wheels will cost you. If you simply want to finish and have a great time without worrying what the clock says at the end of the day, ride any wheels you want.

I hope that helps,

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Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling

I last rode the IMWC in Zipp 404's.

My wife rode the race in a 404/808 combo.

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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"

Thanks for this Canadian (man, Canadians are so polite and helpful, eh!). Definitely food for thought. I think I'll wait for some gusty, windy days in the next few weeks to give the FLO 60/90 a tryout and then take it from there. Good point about not worrying too much about it as just a finisher - certainly my case.

What has gotten into you brother? It's really not that bad. I'll be out on 808s and not worried about a thing. 73kg/180cm for reference. Bike handling...if you have the engine to get to Kona...you need the skills and a little courage for it too.

It's just the one section coming off Hawi that can be dicey....in 2015....there were a few REALLY windy days leading up to the race and I did the segment and it took a bit of courage but it was fine. On race day, the winds that year weren't anything exceptional, but I do train on the northern coast of Taiwan and used to a little ocean "breeze." Road wheels will be costing you time for 95% of the course in my opinion. 404 on the front if you aren't sure...that's my backup plan if the winds are huge on the 14th.

I have a second home on island and ride there a lot, including 4x Kona and 9x Honu. I ride 808 front and rear all the time, and I'm 5'10"/150.

That is not to say I don't get blown around sometimes (try the descent from the upper road through Waikoloa Village if you really want to experience crosswinds at 40+ mph), but as others have noted, you can use the rider ahead to gauge where the crosswinds are.

It's also true that the crosswinds affect you way less if you just stay down in your aerobars with some weight on the front end. It is the exact opposite of what your intuition is telling you to do, but if you play around with it in training, you'll find it works.

Enjoy Kona - the bike should be much less of a worry than the run. ;-)

Ian

First of all congrats!!!

You know how small I am and had used my stinger60 and 808 combo in Kona....no problem.

Thanks Dev, and thanks also for the coaching wisdom which definitely helped me get to Kona.