Originally Posted by
drewtk
I think you have this backwards. Rolling resistance goes DOWN as you go wider on tires, although I certainly agree that there is such a thing as too wide. What goes up with wider tires is aerodynamic drag.
See the below rolling resistance test of GP5000 tires at various widths. Rolling resistance decreased from 10 watts to 9 watts when comparing a 25mm to a 32mm. In other words, the wider tire rolls easier. Unless there is some aspect of wider tires and climbing that I’m missing.
GP5000 tire width rolling resistance test
That struck me as odd, so I clicked through and looked at the pressures they were running.
That test shows that the rolling resistance goes down
only if the two tyres are at the
same pressure. But that it goes up the wider you get if use the recommended pressure which results in a 15% drop of the tyre when loaded:
Look at the part that says:
Rolling Resistance at Recommended Air Pressures (15% tire drop)