tyre width vs speed and effort

[MattHB]

Ive just proved it to myself...

my 23mm gatorskins that run on my road wheels that are fitted to my CAADX for commuting on have worn out.. for a quick fix I put back on the CX wheels which have 35mm sammyslicks on them.

The wheels are 600g heavier fully loaded.

strava power output/heart rates/speed/perceived effort over an entire week have not changed in any way from fitting the wider tyre, they roll just as well as the narrower and Im much happier on cycle paths with lots of leaves rotting.

yes yes yes there are many more variables to consider than those, but the bottom line is I felt just as quick (and was) with the more comfy tyre on than with the racy narrows.

I think we tie ourselves up in knots over such things too much. At our level even 12mm makes such a little difference we might not even notice, yet we get obsessed with 2mm here and there when we go to choose our next rubber.

 

[MrJamie]

I think there's a tendency with cyclists to over exagerate the improvements in efficiency from various bike upgrades, which aren't really necessary for non-competitive cyclists and often compromise versatility/comfort. Those 35mm CX tyres will probably open up new paths/trails and provide more comfort at the expense of the tiniest amount of speed/journey time.

I've put 40mm M+ Tours on for winter, they roll fine on the road, admittedly you can feel them when accelerating and pushing up steep hills, but its pretty flat here and i can also blast down a muddy leafy trail at speed Unlike most,I also love my front suspension, which only weighs about 500grams more than a rigid fork and can be locked out. That is not to say I wouldnt like to also have a superlight road bike in the garage

 

[MattHB]

the sammyslicks seem amazing tyres. Ive run them through muddy woods before and then cruised home at 20mph on the road nicely afterwards. Incredible range of use these tyres seem to have. also, the road wheels Ive just taken off are mavic CPX22's which are frankly awful!

 

[Hacienda71]

I am riding my old Ribble 7005 Racing at the moment and on the flat it is just as fast and not far off on the hills as my full carbon bike. It weighs a good two kilos+ more. The ride and handling are very different but my overall speed is not diminished.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Ive just proved it to myself...

my 23mm gatorskins that run on my road wheels that are fitted to my CAADX for commuting on have worn out.. for a quick fix I put back on the CX wheels which have 35mm sammyslicks on them.

The wheels are 600g heavier fully loaded.

strava power output/heart rates/speed/perceived effort over an entire week have not changed in any way from fitting the wider tyre, they roll just as well as the narrower and Im much happier on cycle paths with lots of leaves rotting.

yes yes yes there are many more variables to consider than those, but the bottom line is I felt just as quick (and was) with the more comfy tyre on than with the racy narrows.

I think we tie ourselves up in knots over such things too much. At our level even 12mm makes such a little difference we might not even notice, yet we get obsessed with 2mm here and there when we go to choose our next rubber.

With you on this - I have 32mm Marathon Supremes on my bike and I cannot tell the difference between these and 23mm shod bikes I have been on - apart from they are way more comfortable.

 

[Zakalwe]

I ride on thinner tyres not because I'm delusional enough to think I'll gain 0.4 seconds per km, but because they feel keen as mustard. Wider tyres give a bit more on a rough surface but feel sort of vague.

Horses for courses and all that.

 

[MattHB]

[QUOTE 2175612, member: 45"]My commute on my hybrid takes ten minutes longer than the tricross, over thirteen miles.[/quote]

Is that flat bar tho? The wind resistance difference would be enormous

 

[MattHB]

[QUOTE 2175862, member: 45"]Yes, but I ride on the hoods on the Tricross, so it's not massively different.

The difference in av. speed on the hybrid between 700x28s and 700x35s is 2-3mph (about 20%).[/quote]

Your hands would be much further apart on flats exposing much much frontal area than you will with narrow hands on hoods.

 

[chewy]

if you like it...go with it

 

[lulubel]

I've just gone from road wheels with 25mm tyres to CX wheels with 32mm tyres. I think I'm very slightly slower - maybe 0.5mph - but this is probably more to do with the extra rim weight (thicker rim walls) on the CX wheels than the wider tyres.