hhnngg1

Well, I don't know how you would measure it but it is DEFINITELY noticeable to someone who rides always with 23c. Remember also that it's 25g of rotating weight, not just static weight, so that will be much more noticeable on accelerations.

Again, not claiming here that 25cs are necessarily faster or accelerate meaningfully more than 23cs as measured by a stopwatch, but it's so friggin' obvious when I ride the two that I can't stand the sluggishness of the 25cs. Remember that you don't get anything for free in physics - yes, those 25cs will absorb energy and shocks & bumps better (noticeably better, actually), but you take a penalty on the speed/acceleration somewhere, if if it's only for brief moments in the spinup.

I'm about 150lbs, so I don't need 23cs - I definitely would buy that a bigger guy, like 200lbs, would feel more stable, and possibly even be willing to go faster as a result of increased stability on 25s or even 28s. I've had friends that ran out of tires after a mishap at home, and came on the group ride with track tires that were like 20c, and they were unwilling to bomb curvy descents at their typical 40mph because they felt so unstable on them on the road.

hhnngg1

This article is yet another example of stuff done in a lab that doesn't pan out at all in real-world practice. I would SERIOUSLY DOUBT the results of this article, and question anyone who takes it as truth.

Evidence against:

- What do TdF riders race on? 23c. I don't think any one of them races on 28s, and I doubt many use 25c. If fat tires were faster, somebody would be using it regularly.

- Paris-Roubaix is ALL COBBLES, where fat tires should have a significant stability advantage. Yet what to all the pro riders in this race use? Narrow-tire road bikes. Until they start winning this race with fat tires, which have a definite stability advantage on those severe cobbles, I'm going with a road bike.

- Track bikes, and track sprinters often use tires NARROWER than 23c (they don't use them on the road). These guys want max speed, and if a fat tire did it, there's a 100% chance they would know by now.

- Compare a mtn bike with slicks vs road bike 23c tires with slicks without being in the drops and look at the power difference taken to maintain a speed. I did a group ride last year where one of the very strongest riders on a roadie switched to a mtn bike - he couldn't even keep up with the slowest guy in the peloton of 30 that week. Went from the lead puller to dropped off the back, and these were on flat roads where suspension makes no difference.

I could go on and on and on, but you can go believe your article blindly if you'd like. I'll stick to real world practice.

RecceDG

Tire construction counts a lot more than width.

The Vittoria Open EVO CX - with a 320 tpi sidewall - is notably plusher and smoother rolling than tires with stiffer sidewalls, even with a higher inflation pressure.

I run those tires at 160 PSI and they roll smoother and faster than the Rubino Pro at 110 PSI.

Tread life is much shorter, but the speed and comfort difference is incredible.

Don't limit yourself to considering width as the only variable. There's much more to tire construction than just the width.

DG

nhluhr

I do not disagree with your underlying assertion, but the things you cited are not quite accurate.

-TdF riders primarily use tubulars. The sizes range from 19-22mm for the most part.

-Paris-Roubaix is 258km, 50 of which is cobbles. The riders all use wider tires for this race.

-Suspension still saps power on smooth roads. Every time you compress a suspension component, you are bleeding energy off as heat instead of converting it to forward motion.

And this test ONLY accounts for rolling resistance. Most agree that at high speeds, aerodynamics account for larger differences than rolling resistance, and tire construction can have a dramatic effect on ride quality.

jamesdak 

I hear you, I too focus on comfort for rides over 50 miles. Heck, that's why I keep winding with Brooks Saddles on my Trek 5.9. I've played around with tire pressures with both the 23c and 25c tires have wound up with the conclusion that for me the 25c tires at 90 psi front and 100 psi back is best. Plenty comfortable for long rides on the chip seal yet gives me the handling I need. 40 mile ride this morning with about 9 miles of climbing. Descents saw a top speed of 46.7 and I took several tight curves at around 40 mph with no problems. The 23s just beat me up at the pressures I have to run them at. Maybe as I lose more weight this will change.

achoo

"Evidence"?!?!?! Anecdotal stories are not EVIDENCE. Bob Dopalina actually addressed some of the points in that article with some counter EVIDENCE. He didn't make up some crap about irrelevant "real world practice".

To add to the TdF riders being on tubulars, they also routinely go 30+ MPH for long periods of time, making the slight aerodynamic gains outweigh slightly higher rolling resistance. As if your "real world practice" involves 35 mph time trials...

Tracks are smooth. Of course, that means there's no road buzz for you to conflate with going fast...

solbrothers

this. OP find a new LBS