Originally Posted by
AndrewP
The Panaracer Pasela has thin sidewalls that make it feel more lively and faster over small bumps. It still has the kevlar belt under the tread for flat protection. I now have Continental Gatorskins 700 X 28.
Funny, because I just made the inverse switch from 28mm Contis to 32mm Pasela TGs.
Everyone seems to have nailed the factors contributing to ride feel and the relative speed per effort for different tires. The short answer being, a narrower tire doesn't guarantee higher speeds because the casing design, tread compound, and tread pattern all account for differences between tires.
Jan Heine did a great comparison of wider tires (from 25 to 42mm) in Bicycle Quarterly. Although the discussion was subjective, the overall gist is that even tires up to 37 and 42mm wide are not necessarily "slower" solely on merit of their width. A strong but flexible casing coupled with a durable tread compound, mounted with high enough pressure on a rim wide enough to keep sidewall deflection to a minimum will provide a smooth ride over rougher terrain, which increases speed in comparison to a narrower high-pressure tire in a similar situation.