Anyone know what the difference is/will be between the 2008 vs. 2009 Zipp 808 model? Is it worth waiting for the 2009 wheelset?
Zipp has the following information posted on their website:
“We’re not ready to say that officially, but we will say that the fully redesigned 2009 version is the fastest road racing wheel ever. The new fully toroidal tubular rim uses design cues from the 1080 and Sub 9 development to further reduce the drag by 8-25 grams over the original 808. The new shape yields to a savings on the road of 2-7 watts of power for a pair of wheels at 30mph, not to mention the real-world benefits of added stiffness and improved braking due to a slightly wider rim and angled brake track”
I think it says it pretty clearly. Basically, they learned some new things about rim design from the 1080, and there was a trickle down that caused them to rethink the design of the 808 and 404 tubulars. They are still 81 (IIRC, might be 82) and 58mm deep (respectively), but the shape of the rim (location of the bulge on the hoop) and the brake track has been changed somewhat. Also a slightly wider rim and a different angle on the brake track (the 808, I believe, has always had angled brake tracks, though I think this is an improvement on the 404).
In any case, there were basically just some tweaks to the rim shape made on the 808 and 404 for 2009.
The other BIG (depending on your viewpoint, I guess) is the new hubs. All 2009 wheels have new hubs.
The range of wattage savings will be for different yaw angles. But I’d imagine that, at slower speeds and the most typical yaw angles, that you’d probably be looking at a few watts in savings for a newer pair of wheels. That can be either something worth waiting for, or worth using as a way to save money on “old” technology, depending on your viewpoint.
My suspicion is no, but I think that the 404 and 808 will be more forgiving of tires that are not this width. The 1080, for example, may function best with a 21mm tire, but it makes very little difference (within reason) as to what width you run on that wheel. This is all speculation on my part right now; I’ll know more once I’ve had a chance to ask some of these exact questions myself.