Originally Posted by
Jrasero
28mm IMO in 2024 should be the standard especially if you are on a 21mm internal since aero wise it's the most flush. However, I am starting to see more and more 23mm-25mm internal width wheels and in that case 30mm and 32mm make more sense.
I personally run 30mm GP5000 clinchers on a 21mm internal w/ TPU tubes on my Aethos and the thing is very comfortable. For my aero race bike I have 28mm GP5000 clinchers with TPU tubes and combined with stiffer wheels, stiffer frame, and the slightly narrower tires run at higher pressures it's a more sporty but less forgiving ride
This is all to say I truly think in less than 5 years that the new standard for new modern race bikes will be 30mm tires
The Zipp 303S is 23mm and optimized for 28- though they cite total system efficiency.
I would imagine there’s some sweet spot between 28-34 where aero loss is minimized and RR is maximized, it seems it’s 32.
What wheels were they using, Reserve? Those have 25 internal width so the 32 being faster makes sense.