Originally Posted by
Hermes
I am sure that the tire width should match the rim. Here is an article from the Zipp website that discusses aero and mentions tires.
http://www.zipp.com/_media/pdfs/tech...nary_speed.pdf I use 21 mm tubies on my Easton aero wheels and 20 mm tubies on the HED trispoke front wheel for time trials.
I am sure your right, if a rim is designed for a specific tire width, then you should use that width of tire, or a tire within the recommended range. There are exceptions though. For example a lot or mountain bike rims are supposed to be used with very wide, knobby, low pressure tires, but work just as well with a narrow, smooth, medium pressure tire. Which I have been doing on my mountain/hybrid for 3 years now.
It all really comes down to the riding you want to do. I am probably at the opposite end of the spectrum. I want to be able to spend hours in the saddle, and speed is not that important, other then in determining how far you can ride in a single day. I also want to be able to stop and take pictures, which may mean an average speed of 16 - 20km/h (10-12MPH). However bike fit is going to be quite different. As for the tires, 38mm, 85PSI seem to work quite well.