Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
It's always funny the amusing things people come up with. Latest trend is "fatter tires are faster". I can assure you, if you ride a fat tire above about 28c, you'll notice that it's slower, particularly if you get into the 40mm range. How much slower? That's a matter of some debate, and frankly on an upright bike a slight decrease in speed is often more than worth the tradeoff of the additional comfort of a fatter tire.
But if I had a Surly Crosscheck, I wouldn't do anything larger than 28c.
I won't argue the rolling resistance and speed merits of a wider tire, but I will point out the following benefits:
- Wider tires absorb more road vibration
- Wider tires "float" better on loose terrain
What this translates to in terms of riding is that any terrain will be more comfortable. Less road chatter gets transferred to the rider, making things like uneven pavement seams and chip-seal less fatiguing on the wrists and less jarring to the backside. If you have the option of varied terrain like a crushed stone path or dirt/gravel roads, a 23mm high pressure tire is not your best option; this is an added benefit of using a 32mm or wider tire. Granted, it's not the best choice for everyone, but if you have/want the ability to mix things up, a wider tire lets you.
For shorter commutes, or riding where speed is key over comfort, then I'll agree that a narrow tire is a good choice. For long hauling comfort, I'm a big advocate of the bigger tire. My 25mm Gatorskins are fine on my singlespeed for my 30mi r/t commute or 50 milers on the weekend, but for my distance bike I won't go smaller than 32mm any more.