'Tard fronts - 17" vs. 16.5"?

[Ductard]

I'm in the market for a set of wheels to keep my rains mounted.

I've come across/passed up a couple of sets with 16.5" fronts.

The first time I saw one, I thought: "eewww...gonna be real hard to find tires that fit"

But as I've seen more 16.5's listed I wanted to make sure that's correct. 160 vs. 180 vs. etc. for the rear was the only size spec I've been aware of, now I'm wondering if it isn't normal for vendors to have 16.5's kicking around....

More recently, I thought "Well, your bike was set up for 17's, so you're going to mess with the geometry if you put a 16.5 on there."

But then I've seen people selling bikes with a set of 17's and a set with a 16.5 front. So I guess they're switching back and forth?

So what's the deal? How hard are tires to come by for the smaller size front? Does that 0.5 inch make any noticeable difference in handling?

[Kurlon]

16.5s are going the way of the Dodo, which is why 16.5" rims are loosing value already. Unless your preferred tire vendor gives you the thumbs up that they'll have rubber for awhile, I'd pass.

[Ductard]

16.5s are going the way of the Dodo, which is why 16.5" rims are loosing value already. Unless your preferred tire vendor gives you the thumbs up that they'll have rubber for awhile, I'd pass.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like my gut reaction was correct.

[Mr. Kurtz]

Speaking for Pirellis, Josh is right, the 16.5" tires are going away.