I emailed Tufo and for me (6'3", 185), they told me to go with 21 for comfort as the 19 would be harsh. I would suggest dropping them a note.

Not to throw a wrench in the works, but...

Have you seen the combo of wheels you are considering on a bike.? It is going to look quite funky to say the least. Nothing says weird more than a Hed3 on the front and something besides another Hed3 or a disk on the rear. Maybe that isn't important, but I thought I'd throw it out in case you hadn't pulled up the mental image yet.

I'm not really sure why you ruled out a disk, unless you are confident you'll be racing in Kona a lot, but ask around and I think you'll find people with HED 3's on the front have more handling problems without a disk on the rear than they do with. The Hed 3 has a lot of surface area. Having something on the rear with even more surface area seems to help.

Personally, I'd say you'd be faster, with better handling, and look more flash with a disk on the rear. If that isn't an option then a 404 or 606 on the front would match up much better with the 808 rear. Not to mention the newest Renn disk is considerably less $$$ than an 808.

If handling, speed, cost, and looks aren't a priority, please ignore the above...

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Justin in Austin, get it? :)

Cool races:
- Redman
- Desoto American Triple T

I agree that it's an odd combo...and it's probably cheaper and potentially faster to get a set of H3's rather than run that 808 in back.

What is your body weight. I've run both 19mm and 21mm. There is a difference in road shock absortion. If you're going long I'd definately suggest the 21mm.

I also agree that a disc is the best rear wheel. If you're under 150 lbs the trispoke front can also be a handful on windy days.

Buy a disc. It's the fastest wheel on the planet. The 808 is a hot wheel and takes approximately 12 watts to spin where a disc takes a mere 4 watts. Make sure you buy a light weight disc so it can be raced in all races (save Kona). BTW, it's a common misconception that disc wheels are the cause for wobbly bikes in crosswinds (unless it's major gusts). Fact is, front wheels are the culprit. Good luck

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Dave Bunce
dave@ismseat.com
512-968-1888
http://www.ismseat.com

When I was making mixing and matching decisions, one criteria that seemed interesting to me is the size of the value stem and whether or not I required a valve extender on one and not on the other. I only carry one spare in a race, so the combo would be problematic (especially since I "think" I'd rather use the type of valve extender that replaces the core of the valve and seals better than the simple fit-over type extenders....and that would make it harder to change a tire during a race if I preset the extender and the non-extender tire blew)

I didn't get very far in understanding the issues, mainly because it seemed a problem. I went with a HED3 front and a 909 rear as both accept the stock (tubular) valve lengths.