Originally Posted by
tombailey
Haven't ridden the 303s but have 404FCs. They aren't too bad at all in the wind. If that was your only reservation then you would probably be OK.
wind and ride feel are my reservations. I was told (by what should be a VERY good source) that the 404's are disturbingly stiff, making them feel like they might break loose around corners. not that they actually *did* brake loose, just that they feel that way.
The wind thing is very important for me, because of my size and, honestly, my timidity, I do lose a lot of time on descents in the wind b/c of the mental aspect of descending while being pushed around by the wind. As I said earlier, I litterally lost places in a race a couple weeks ago due to my lack of descending speed, b/c I was braking out of fear. That is more of an issue for me than climbing weight, and *may* even outweigh the aero benefits of the 404.
These are the kinds of things I'm pondering.
Still leaning towards 303 and considering 404 rear, but not liking the aesthetics that much.
THanks all, keep it coming!