Originally Posted by
forgewithinfire
Thanks guys, I (or rather you) have it narrowed down between the Pasela TG or the RibMO. My one concern with the RibMO is that I also go on the towpath trail a good bit. I see people on road bikes on the trail all the time (easy, mostly flat, paved or what was once paved), but I'm not sure the RibMO is up to that task... even though it does look like a killer commuter tire.
Also, Cleveland streets are far from the best, lots of potholes and rough pavement. So I'm not sure.
Narrower tyres aren't lower rolling resistance. All things equal, they're higher - racers pump them to very high pressures to overcome this while getting the aerodynamic advantages of a narrow profile. The determining factors are the quality of the rubber used and the thickness of the tyre walls.
If you want a fast tyre for rough roads, then you need to buy a tyre made of high quality rubber and which uses an an advanced anti puncture technology so that the walls can be thin. A narrow tyre will ride appalling on the roads you described. Probably the ideal tyre for you would be a 35 or 40mm Marathon Supreme. Expensive, but fast, cushiony, good drip, good anti puncture, with a long life. Do a forum search on them.