Originally Posted by
79pmooney
Narrower tires require less material, so they are lighter. Same with narrower rims. Narrower also decreases frontal area, reducing wind resistance so when narrower time/'rim aero combinations are made, they will be faster than wide ones.
Hand waving is nice, but I'll stick with the data. (and unless you're addressing impedance and pinch flats/rim damage, you're missing the point.)