Originally Posted by
jefnvk
Yeah normally I'm solidly in the "weight dont matter" category, but it is a rotating mass. I cant say I see a lot of difference going from mid 20s to mid 30s but then again, these things are massive and Marathon aren't known for being speedy tires to begin with.
It is rotating, but it only really "matters" in acceleration and deceleration....or if you're trying to "outrace" your buddies on 700x23 road racing rigs.
I run 700x42 on my gravel/touring rig. Currently they're Specialized Sawtooth and have a thicker center-tread for better flat resistance, IIRC they're 600gr each. Sure they're slower to accelerate. OTOH once accelerated they hold momentum more. I've had puncture issues with lighter larger tires (Say Vittoria Terrene Dry 700x38 at 400gr), on my commute in particular. Being a big tire, they're just not that thick to resist random bits of glass. Very comfy on the worst roads. When the road becomes MMR or dirt or gravel...I keep riding with confidence, and they're comfy. Because they're a moto-inspired sawtooth, they don't work that well in pea gravel of course.
Per Tourist_in_MSN...you can run into handling issues with narrow rims...OTOH generally you run into frame clearance issues, in 700C anyway, before that happens (generally).