Originally Posted by
ColonelJLloyd
There is a lot written on the Internet about this (see "open tubular"), but basically wider rims allow the tire to maintain a rounder shape than with a narrow rim that will cause the tire to adopt a light bulb shape. This helps in cornering and overall feel. I'm sure it's subjective on some levels, and narrow rims are fine, but I prefer wider tires so it's an obvious choice for me.
Interesting. I mistakenly built wheels for my Raleigh that are, by most standards, too wide for the tires I wound up having to use, but they otherwise seem okay. It's good to know that someone thinks I didn't eff it up too bad.