I am looking for a wheelset for track. I have a sub 1500g Mavic GEL 280 rims laced to Miche hubs for training, but I want a deep section carbon wheelset for training and racing. I have a disc for pursuit, but I like to the idea of having a super stiff rear wheel like an 808 for sprinting and quick acceleration and a 404 front. I can only find wheelsets like Easton EC90 TKOs, Zipp 404s, Zipp 808s, but no Zipp 606s. Does anyone have an opinion on going full 808 front and back vs. 404 f/b? Is a 404 in back stiff enough for a 170lb. rider? Is a disc better than 808 in the points, elimination, scratch, etc. races? And my last question, does anyone have a pair of carbon track wheels for sale?
you might be better served asking this question on bike forums, fixed gear fever, or some such similar… but here’s my n=1
808s are probably better than 404s, but any wheel can be built up stiff enough. Find a wheel builder you trust, and then trust them.
Psimet builds my wheels, and he has recently started track wheels… he’s a tank of a guy on the track, so he’d understand your situation and get you the right thing. </Admitted plug>
At least this one guy uses 808s, so they can’t be all bad (the Pez article is worth reading)
If you watch the world cup videos, almost everyone runs a 5spoke iO front & a Comete disc in the back.
The Pez article mentions why this isn’t a combo that is used every day… and that’s confirmed by several folks with rainbow jerseys at my home track.
(I don’t know whether you have raced track much, so if you already know this, I apologize for the info)
A disc is better pretty much all the time.
The thing that is paramount on the track is stiffness - there aren’t very many pedal strokes to a race, so each one has to count as much as possible. A disc is much, much stiffer than anything else available to you, and you can just about go down one cog size “for free” when you go from a training wheel to a disc. This is a very big deal.
The disc-as-aerodynamic-gear is nice, but not actually the biggest advantage for you.
Discs tend to survive crashes because of their solid nature… so a disc is a very good investment.
If you want to go with best bang-for-the-buck gear, I’d recommend a custom built 808 w/ a disc.
I personally run a Hed 60 in the front, and a Hed disc in the back, and it makes a huge difference over the cheap training wheels I first started racing on.
Think, the difference between “training wheels” and a “deep+disc” combo in a TT, and then multiply it by a bit.
Plenty of folks race and go very, very fast on custom built 32s box tubulars… I see guys on our track use those and tear everyone else up.
Others uses 404s/808s/Eastons/Heds/anything else… Really, anything will work, any wheel can be built stiff enough with the right hub & lacing.
That said, I think you’ll want a set of training wheels (box section, clinchers are fine), and a set of racing wheels, one of them being a disc 
Well, I’ve got a pair for sale in the classifieds, so…
At low yaw angles, a disk isn’t that big of a performance advantage. Look at Zipp’s own data on this. An indoor track will always have low yaw angles, while on an outdoor track it depends, but still fairly low most of the time.
My 404s are laced 28 spokes, 2-cross front, 3-cross rear, to high flange hubs, to ensure they are stiff enough for track. I honestly couldn’t tell a difference in stiffness or speed with a HED disc rear. However, the disk did sound cooler.
Whatever you do, you can always build your own, or have them built for you.