Originally Posted by
furballi
Problem is that most non-racers think that they can find an extra few mph by switching tires. The cheapest way to build speed is to train the MOTOR. That's 100% free. "Fast" tires cost more money, and they quickly wear out. Cycling technique and strategy are even more important than having super fast tires in world-class competition.
What you completely fail to grasp is that better training and better equipment are not mutually exclusive. Purchasing tires that have lower rolling resistance does not preclude you from training.
Conversely, it would be rather silly to spend tons of effort on traing to raise your FTP 10 watts, and then give it all back and more by riding tires inferior to your competition.
Obviously, better tires with a bit lower rolling resistance are not going to improve your speed by even 1 mph. If you've ever trained with power, however, you'll know how significant 15 watts is.