Originally Posted by
Abe_Froman
And from an aerodynamic perspective, a 1mm tire will be aerodynamically faster than a 23mm tire, even at speeds lower than 5mph.
The question is what provides the best combination of speed/comfort/cornering, etc. And I would argue that combination is what is driving the push towards larger width.
Yup, reductio ad absurdum. As in how well does a tire corner when it is 1 meter wide?
There's a sweet spot in there and we already know that it's between, say, 23 and 28 mm. But if we are going to fuss about carbon rims for their aerodynamic properties, we shouldn't forget that the profile of the nose (to use an analogy from aircraft) plays a big role and for a bike, the nose is the front tire.
Further quoting Hambini (same page as linked above) "
It is vitally important to install tyres that are slightly narrower or inline with the brake track of the wheel rim. A ballooning tyre will impact the drag significantly."