Originally Posted by
burnthesheep
The only caveat is I think the industry caught up with the undeniable fact that hobbyist racers and riders don't all weight 135 lbs to maybe 165 lbs like the pros do. So yeah, a pro can race all the time on a lot smaller tires. Aero design intent or not. But a "joe" that likely weighs more in a range from 160 to 200 lbs, needs more tire. Otherwise they might bounce around all over the road.
So now the wheels are catching up to the tire trend of more tire volume and lower pressure. Some of the aero wheels now being designed even around 25's and even 28's.
I race on 23's and train on 25's.
Plus, training roads are terrible and I don't know about you, but my speed is much lower training and wider tires make sense. TT? On good roads? Wide equates to more area and there becomes a point of diminishing returns, in other words any marginal improvement in Cd does overcome the increase frontal area nor does the marginally lower Crr of the wider tire, unless we are talking Paris Roubaix cobbles. I have to go to Europe to see the pro bikes on the tours, I miss it. When I look at pictures or the television, I don't see 32 mm tires.
I ride 25mm almost all the time and at 6'4', I am rarely below 190 pounds although could get to 170 lbs when young. I have not had a pinch flat in years.