When I was light and rode fast I used a road bike with 28mm tires for commuting and touring. Hopping over obstructions and unweighting at speed addressed a lot of the issues with small tires and ruts/bumps in the road. Now that I'm an old fat fart I don't go as fast so deep aerodynamic position isn't possible, my hp is less and I weigh more. Less hopping and more plowing. Fast 35mm tires give me all the speed I need and the degree of cushion makes it possible to cross ruts with less risk of the rim being grabbed. While my average commuting speed is about 5mph less than when I was younger I'm guessing the 35mm tires are only a 1mph penalty under 20mph. I remember a few big guys who raced 30yrs ago and their commuters had 32mm tires. Once the weight goes up there's more benefit to ride and puncture resistance with wider tires than there is a penalty in speed.