Originally Posted by
balles3188
Thank you for your answers
They are very helpful. I am reading a lot of information but in some cases is a little bit confusing. As a conclusion, in my case where I do not have a constraint in terms of clearance, your recommendation is to go wider and in that case to go with the WR50 or WR45. Would I get any aero benefit with the deeper WR50? About the tire I have clear that I will go with 28mm (with tubes). I have read a lot as well about the 105% rule which has been discussed on in some pages before.... should I consider it seriously?
Thanks!!
105% rule is worth a few watts, unless you're chasing every second and racing competitively, go for comfort and grip. If your roads are moderate to crappy, like the roads here, comfort will equal speed. I have about 150 miles on the 32's now and they are fantastic. No loss in speed, big gains in comfort and grip. I love to descend fast, and feel even more comfortable leaning deep into the turns.
With the clearance you have, I would go with WR45s and 32mm GP5Ks all day, tires will probably measure out to at least 34mm, maybe closer to 36, lots of volume for comfort and grip. Yes, in a wind tunnel or TT, a skinnier aero optimized setup will be faster, but for real world riding, this will be comfortable and fast.
Over the last year, I've gone from 23s to 25s to 28s to 32s, and so far it's only gotten better each time. If Continental made a 35mm GP5K, I'd try it.
(caveat, I'm a "bigger" guy, system weight with me and the bike is around 210-215lbs, so smaller riders probably wouldn't notice as much of a difference, but it's been great for me).