I think this outdated mindset of wider is just meant for MTB is stupid. We know wider tires at lower pressures is better for rolling resistance, less prone to pinch flats, and adds tons of compliance and comfort the bike overall. We can theorize how wide is too wide or how wide can we actually go on road but I think we have a glimpse of the future with wheel manufactures designing rims around certain tires. If the new standard will be 32mm tires eventually in the pro peloton that means we also will see wheel with larger internal and external to fit them aerodynamically. This also means tire clearance on frames will only go up from the now 32mm max tire clearance norm on most modern day race bikes. With SRAM really pushing 1X on XPLR and probably eventually on road, the only thing stopping much bigger tire clearances is the front derailleur, but if we go 1X that isn't a problem and it wouldn't surprise me in the next 5+ years we start seeing pro road riders use tires close to 40mm. For the people who argue that's just a ton of weight in rubber, that is true but with Continental pushing tires like the Archetypes and the Aero III and Chinese D2C wheels now coming out at 1000g even at 50mm deep, I would argue tire weight is becoming mute

Where to start...

1. I don't think I said wider is just meant for mountain bikes. I said I don't want any part of mountain bikes on the road. It's like entering a lifted F150 into a formula 1 race: some people like the idea of it but what's fastest will win over time.

2. That's the point. It's not that we are "discovering" this. It has all been extensively tested. There is an aerodynamic penalty that starts to outweigh the benefits at the tipping point of 32. Heavily talked about and discussed, with data to back it up. Listen to Josh Poertner' s podcast where he has answered all sorts of questions about this exact topic. In other words even if casing change, tire compounds, etc - the benefits with regard to tire hysteresis, comfort, etc start to be outweighed in pure power loss by the penalty associated with simply pushing the larger object through space.

3. SRAM has been pushing the 1x bit for a long time. As a Chicago area guy who in buried in the race community here we get the full message all the time and have since day one. Almost every pro I have ever worked with that has used 1x on the road has switched back. The jumps are too large for pack racing at high speeds in all situations (yes you can get a well functioning 1x crit setup but then you're screwed when the hills and mountains show up). Many (not most) top gravel racers will also admit that 2x and more specifically Shimano 2x is actually superior even for gravel for the same reasons. The jumps are so much tighter it works better. Keep in mind these aren't "you guys" - or just people riding bikes. I spent so much time this year looking for cassettes that still had a 16t or for an weird sized chainring because a specific racer (Masters nat champ level) felt a specific gap at specific race speeds. it's a real thing.

4. You don't have to look for Chinese wheels at 1kg. There's some mainline industry good stuff is coming out through better processes even and launching soon. Still... building with those XPLR rims is just... ugh. It is really the epitome of doing something because you can not because you should.

5. I am not sure that the current max norm for road is 32. Granted I don't spend a lot of time shopping for bikes (the ones I have work and the people I know who win still do it regardless of what they ride - while I will chase a modern setup as needed) but most of the brands I work with are running 34 or 36 max clearance to the best of my recollection. My speedometer also goes to like 120 but it's a 14 year old car with the aerodynamics of giant brick. I mean sure I've gone 105 in it multiple times but just because it has the "capacity", or max limit, doesn't mean it is going to be used, actually has that limit, or is effective at that range...like bikes with tire width limits.

Regardless, none of this is any hill worth dying on. It has been and always will be mainly dictates by taste and fashion over the science. That has been the basis of this sport since day one and nothing will change that. We finally have more science available to us than ever but the big picture is there simply isn't enough money in this sport to really make it worthwhile.