Re: fat is faster

On 2/11/2025 8:42 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 2/11/2025 9:28 PM, AMuzi wrote:

On 2/11/2025 8:11 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 2/9/2025 5:32 PM, AMuzi wrote:

On 2/9/2025 3:54 PM, cyclintom wrote:

On Sat Feb 8 22:29:16 2025 Roger Merriman  wrote:

That Dylan Johnson has been doing some limited testing to find the fastest
Gravel tyres, which is larger than most folks would think.
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though does as he notes depend on you and your riding, my Gravel riding is
often mixed use, and I like it?s adaptability, which would be compromised
with much larger tyres ie be more draggy on the tarmac.
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Though if you?re just riding on the trails then a 2.1/50mm tyre is almost
certainly a better choice, I personally like being able to ride
tarmac/mud/roots etc which the all road/Gravel bike I have does fine, it
gives a bit to mates with newer bikes with wider clearances but it?s
certainly not enough to tempt me to a new bike!
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And if it?s really narly can just use the MTB which just flattens stuff!
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<https://youtu.be/iq9ydwkRt0Q?si=eX_6lRdPWtLwjh4k>

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On my gravel bike I had 38 mm tires. Going fatter would have gained nothing unless the terrain changed from gravel to wild MTB.

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As noted, we all have our political preferences and our own analyses of agreed facts. Such is life.

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I'll note, as usual, that some things actually are measurable.
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For whatever criteria you deem significant.

 Of course. For tires, it's commonly (but not always) rolling resistance in the real world on a specific type of surface. Traction might be another.
 Sometimes it can be tricky to specify the criteria or design the tests, but some things are certainly measurable. And I tend to trust measured data more than mere opinions.
 

Right. Quantifying one or some aspects precisely may have no meaning to the next guy who values other factors more.
See also years of tire comments here. Some riders express small interest in weight while pursuing longer mileage. Others discount all that in favor of low price. Others pursue handling/cornering over other factors, price be damned.
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971