How wide is too wide?

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Күн бұрын

We tested tires, results were surprising.
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00:00 What and Why?
00:56 How?
02:14 28mm Test
03:09 32mm Test
04:09 34mm Test
05:17 Results and Recommendation
10:00 Subscribe (just do it mkay)

Пікірлер: 799

@suedfrucht44 4 ай бұрын

Unfortunately a lot of 'older' bikes don't come with the clearence to fit 30mm tyres - so going wider comes with the little pricetag of a new bike 😢😅

@Silidons91 4 ай бұрын

...which is exactly why the pros are riding wider tires, the industry wants you to think you need a new bike...

@SamuelBlackMetalRider 4 ай бұрын

I’m limited to 25c on my updated Colnago C50. I wish I could go up to 28 but I can’t. I use 28 (which inflate to 29/30mm actually) on my other, more recent bikes

@user-if1gh4xl5h 4 ай бұрын

definly the worst part of old bikes. i aint sweatin' disc brakes or aero integration or electrics. i just wanna fit bigger tires as it's proven to be both faster and more comfy.

@wertacus 4 ай бұрын

@user-if1gh4xl5h same. My poor bike sweats every time I watch one of these videos showing how going from 28-30 is a performance increase seeing as it doesn't have the clearance for 25s 😂😅. New bike coming as soon as I get the money

@AaronGruber 4 ай бұрын

that's why I use an old cyclocross bike with 32c gp5000s as my road bike

@RookYZRM1 4 ай бұрын

Maybe do this test again using only 32c tires but different rim widths, would be interesting to see how that affects things.

@lf1980 3 ай бұрын

YES!! I had posted saying I can fit 28s but they feel squishy on 21mm rims.

@yogatriathlete 4 ай бұрын

It's impressive how consistent you guys are repeating the wattage down to the watt!

@DR_1_1 4 ай бұрын

Maybe they have real time monitoring and are adapting their effort...

@jepulis6674 4 ай бұрын

Too bad wind wont co-operate.

@ernestb.2377 10 күн бұрын

@@DR_1_1 not possible to be so accurate. You would need a lab-grade test setup for that. And your position on the bike would have much more influence (on the end-time), even if you put out the same power to the watt. But this is not meant as a scientific measurement.

@ryanmix9421 4 ай бұрын

It would be interesting to see the Strava segment "compare" view of the different runs/sizes given the varying terrain of the course. In other words, did the wider tires gain their time steadily throughout the course or were they significantly faster in certain sections and potentially slower in others, etc. Might shed some additional light on their strengths.

@williamrhardin 4 ай бұрын

Yeah, we looked at that. The results seemed consistent throughout the course, with no definite places where one tire size was gaining or losing time (Similar to our cheap vs expensive tire testing video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bN5hqLWA2N6mfp8.html ) Granted, GPS Data can be inconsistent which is why we were looking at lapped time comparisons.

@ryanmix9421 4 ай бұрын

@@williamrhardin Right on, thanks Will. Just watched the other video; the overlayed views were a nice touch.

@trwilliams22 4 ай бұрын

Back in my day, we raced on 21s. Now get off my lawn.

@stefanschuchardt5734 4 ай бұрын

Back in somebody's day, they raced on 19s.

@trwilliams22 4 ай бұрын

@@stefanschuchardt5734 I did once. Never again. 😆

@Shadowboost 4 ай бұрын

19s only

@Pratalax 4 ай бұрын

back in my day we raced on horses!

@kokonanana1 4 ай бұрын

@@stefanschuchardt5734!!!!!

@thetinusnl8834 4 ай бұрын

As wide as your frame can take in they back. 105% external rim width rule on the front. Comfy and fast.

@jonathanwise47 4 ай бұрын

It's cool to see the results are very similar on both tests. This is probably one of the most useful comparison videos I've seen you do, simply because most people can afford almost any tire. Awesome video!

@markreams3192 4 ай бұрын

The difference between the 32s and 34s is well within the margin of error. I ride 35 gravel king slicks for road riding on my gravel bike. I don’t see much of a difference between these and the 28mm Conti 5000 on my second set of wheels. Larger is less rolling resistance but if you you get too large the weight and aerodynamic penalty will set in. The question is, How large is that. For a recreational rider, I think comfort is king. At the end of the day you’ll be happier!😊

@mrmotomoto 4 ай бұрын

Same here but with the 38’s gk slicks. Not as comfortable as my mountain bike but relatively plush.

@jerryb63 4 ай бұрын

I’m a recreational rider. I’ve got a lovely ti road bike I managed to get 28/30s into, but I never use it, I just use my gravel bike with slick 650/47s on light 24mm ID MTB rims on the road all year. The roads are so crappy and broken especially in winter that they’re perfect, don’t puncture, and grip really well on cornering, so downhill they’re actually faster, plus in the summer I can go down any trails I like the look of while I’m out. They aren’t aero, but neither am I!😅

@ynotnilknarf39 4 ай бұрын

In this test the 28s are too high pressure wise, the drop from the 28 to the 32 is huge compared to the 32- 34mm (31 and 33mm actual). If that is what Silca calc is stating for these lightweight riders then on that broken surface the 75/73psi is far too much and the results are not comparable. If the take 10psi out of the 28mm tyre then we'd have a proper comparison and suspect the 28mm would be same or better.

@FreeFlowSports 4 ай бұрын

Matching the profile of your rim is going to give you the fastest times unless the roads are terrible. You can see in the face-on images that the 32mm tire best matches up with the rim profile for this test which is why it was the fastest and why it was a bigger advantage for Will as aerodynamics became a bigger factor at the higher speed.

@monkmchorning 2 ай бұрын

It also makes for safety. Putting a 32 mm tire on a rim designed for 23s is asking for trouble.

@MichaelIhde69 4 ай бұрын

Jeff I love all the race recaps and Alviso videos, but I really love seeing these science-based videos. You inspire me a lot and I’ve always been a fan since I first learned about you, keep up all the great work and thanks for the videos!

@NorCalCycling 4 ай бұрын

Appreciate you!!!

@sirEDUtv 3 ай бұрын

At 1st i tried 23mm. Very rough ride. And i switch to 28mm. Very comfortable

@adrian.gaviola 4 ай бұрын

Great video! It would also be interesting to do a test on mixed tire sizes. I saw in a bike check video that some pros had narrower tires up front, and wider in the rear. Either for better aerodynamics and comfort, or to trick their opponents.

@trentvlak 4 ай бұрын

Sweet vid. I liked how the different watts graph mirrored each other. I've been on 30mm since 2013, my butt doesn't lie!

@IronHorsey3 2 ай бұрын

For the the effort here, the algo and my envy my old Trek 5200 can't see these optimal sizes. Great work guys: direct, analytical and super work. Subscribed

@dylanl9532 4 ай бұрын

I think inner width and outer width of the rim will determine which tire is the fastest. That set of roval wheels I heard test really well with wider tires. BTW, you should also test, wider rear tires than front tires. Peaktorque says rear tire width does not matter for areodynamics.

@FlyingGravelMan 4 ай бұрын

In addition the tire clearance of the bike also makes a huge difference. On bikes with 45mm clearance, a 40mm tire would be optimal, whereas a bike with 32mm clearance, I think a 30 or 28mm tire would be optimal. Then there is the design of the bike. 3T, for example, has the same clearance for their Exploro Racemax model and their Exploro Ultra model. The Racemax model is optimised for smaller tires and the Ultra of course for larger tires.

@SonnyDarvishzadeh 4 ай бұрын

Peak Torque also did a good test a while back where he discovered that running tires narrower than the rim's width (external) would not be faster.

@NorCalCycling 4 ай бұрын

tire/rim interface is important for aerodynamics, check out "rule of 105"

@Al.2 4 ай бұрын

Doesn't this "rule" come into play only at relatively high yaw angles where you spend little time?

@user-cu7cn1km7i 4 ай бұрын

Totally agree. Enve SES has a wider inner rim, 25 mm. They say 28 mm is the fastest. I run 30mm, off the chart smooth on my North Texas county roads.

@fizzybubbelech 4 ай бұрын

Seems like it has been like 3 years or so where we've jumped from calling 25mm tires wide but maybe not so fast to having to decide between various 30+ mm sizes which are both more comfy and faster. Love cycling. P.s. this is an awesome test. Short, concise, no BS. Keep it up. P.p.s I'll be ordering 30mm gp5000 for my sl7 to replace the 26mm turbos.

@xuchenglin6256 4 ай бұрын

NO BS, spot on, I love you guys! That's just what I want to do but without the time and resource! Plus there might be another plus for bigger tyres, there's no strong evidence, just my own feeling, that the bigger tyres feels a lot more grippier in the corner than slimmer ones. If that is true, then bigger tyres would have another plus for maybe more cornering speed, which could translates to faster descent or less race time for some guys, or a more stable "safer" downhill feeling for other less racey guys. Hope you guys could do some experiment with this. It will be interesting to see if this is really a thing.

@AG-el6vt 4 ай бұрын

A problem with comparing tires of different width is that normally you only have one wheelset to mount them on when you want to test back to back. Because of the aerodynamic interface with the rim, this means that both rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag will be different for each size. That's not to say that the comparison in the video is invalid, but I guess matching rim to tire would be ideal to really see if there is any significant trend!

@MrSalocin63 4 ай бұрын

Hi, thank you for the video. It is an interesting comparaison. Maybe the rim width could influence the result and the couple rim width+tire width is to taken in account to have the best and coherent aerodynamism. Another factor could be the elevation of the ride, during a long climb with a slower speed, the weight could change the game in favor of 28mm. But thank for this work that could help everyone to undestand the best option !

@G4ll4RDO24 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for measuring, good call

@Knulppage 4 ай бұрын

Very helpful video. I'm trying 32s for the first time and they feel very smooth.

@fdac576 4 ай бұрын

I’ve been on 32’s on my deep section Hunt’s for 2 years and absolutely love it for my daily commute. Comfy over bumps and much more forgiving 👍🏾

@ChuckHatt 4 ай бұрын

Commuting on a performance road bike? I love it

@kasper6131 4 ай бұрын

What do you mean communting?@@ChuckHatt

@fdac576 4 ай бұрын

@@ChuckHattdamn right its a crit channel.

@JoshuaTootell 4 ай бұрын

I can't get comfortable on a relaxed bike. I commute on a "high performance" bike too, just comfortable for me @@ChuckHatt

@fdac576 4 ай бұрын

@@kasper6131commuting generally means your journey from home to work

@corymolloy-advertisingprof4689 4 ай бұрын

It's great to see this excellent test... Thanks for this.

@keming222 4 ай бұрын

Great give & take for the result ! instead do in wind tunnel. Now im happy with 32c and i knew it is fastest setup :)

@mrbear364 4 ай бұрын

Been riding with 32's since 2016 love them once you are rolling around 29 30 mph the bike feels like it's floating and the tires make a humming sound, love it.

@fergusfitzgerald977 4 ай бұрын

It's amazing ! I remember a well known very experienced " Cyclo tourist "was engaged in a conversation with an equally well known "Bike Racer "in my local bike shop ! This is in the early 1980's ! The Cyclo tourist said the TDF pros should use lower gears and wider tyres ! All the racers in the shop were laughing at him ! Look at the TDF peloton today ! I have an ancient Steel Racing Bike and love my 23 tyres and my 52/42 6 speed freewheel ! There you go !

@blaw7717 3 ай бұрын

52/42, with a 6-spd corn cob 🌽 on the back! Old school, represent!! 🤘

@certain_ed 4 ай бұрын

Love this kind of stuff. Keep it up!

@adaycj 4 ай бұрын

It's refreshing to see roadies with an open mind who can do some basic testing without letting their bias completely screw up the results. Thanks for the video.

@core2zero 4 ай бұрын

25c feels faster yelled the old man rattling his legs off at 110psi

@gaza4543 4 ай бұрын

This sort of goes with what sram and zipp have stated in the past about vibration loses and that many 10s of watts can be found using wider tiers or other devices that can soak up vibration. There certainly is a trade off between aero and this but we saw many tour riders running shallower wheels with wide tiers this year. It would great to see of shallower wheels with wider tiers make an even bigger difference to what you found here.

@chasepalpatine170 4 ай бұрын

I put 32 Mondo’s on for winter riding. They measured 31 when I first put them on, but now measure 34 on my Alpinist wheel set after about 1000 miles of riding. While a smidge heavier, I don’t feel slower, and the comfort of rough desert roads is much better.

@DDGB08 3 ай бұрын

I much appreciate the great content and effort

@argeelearner3978 4 ай бұрын

Wow! Thanks for sharing and making this video! I will definitely go wider when I need replacement ( if my rim breaks bike can handle)

@gregweever5895 4 ай бұрын

Sooo awesome, I want to go wider but the debate in my head is killing meee. Thank you guys for this awesome test. I’m buying 32’s thanks again. Keep it up

@TenFalconsMusic 2 ай бұрын

I've been using 35s on my Orbea for over a year (with no issues & plenty of room to spare). Luv 'em!

@piptazo1 4 ай бұрын

thanks! just ordered some 32 tires. hope they fit!!

@JayLato 4 ай бұрын

Hunt 48 limitless with 32mm gp5k measure to 34mm and are very close to 105 rule due to 35mm external width.

@Crustyveterangarage 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for doing this test! I’m curious to see how much of a difference a larger tire makes for me, especially as a heavier rider.

@jonathanwoo6597 4 ай бұрын

Very nice! I've been running 32s for years now.

@stayactive55 4 ай бұрын

insanity,thanks for the great video guys.I am running 28mm back(max fitting size),30mm front now. went from 25mm to 30mm front,the ride got much smoother

@ericpmoss 4 ай бұрын

I am so happy to see racers catch up to where constructeurs were 80 years ago. :)

@algmusicuk 4 ай бұрын

I think tubeless and width also has a bearing .. but totally agree. I've been using 32s this winter and will be staying on 32s in the summertime

@derekkuhl 4 ай бұрын

Quality content!!!! This is data even the average rider can use. Thanks a bunch. The race videos are fun but the real world testing is what brings me back again and again.

@NorCalCycling 4 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@derekkuhl 4 ай бұрын

@@NorCalCyclingthe tire guys need to give you a cut! We will now be buying new hoops. Strangely, I cannot find 32 mm tires anywhere…😂

@scottwatson7844 4 ай бұрын

Great test guys and the results don’t surprise me all that much. I own a gravel bike with 40 mm tyres and while it is slower than my road bike with 28mm it’s not as big a difference in pure speed as you would expect and it’s so much more comfortable.

@jasondoust4935 2 ай бұрын

Plus one to this comment! I'm in exactly the same boat. I do the same loops in about the same times on my gravel bike on 40mm gravel slicks. But gee, it's kinder on my bones!

@xosece 4 ай бұрын

wow, amazing video. I love the look of wide tyres, specially from 35mm to 42mm. What about even going wider? Maybe there are more, but the tyres I can think of for testing with even wider tyres are the Continental Contact Urban which have a huge range of widths, from 28mm to 50mm, available. Plus they got a bit of everything: low rolling resistance, best wet grip ever and fine puncture protection. As for calculators, the Silca one is very good of course, and you also have the SRAM tyre pressure calculator, which I use 'cos it also takes into account inner rim width.

@peterharrington8709 4 ай бұрын

Guessing that the aero profile of the wheel is greatly affected by the time you get to 34s. But again, in a crit race that'd probably be insignificant. Good test guys!

@NorCalCycling 4 ай бұрын

thanks!

@Adonis-qj1nq 4 ай бұрын

It depends on the rim/tire interface. On some tire and rim combos 32s are faster than 28s (aerodynamically). On other configurations the 28s will be faster. Peak Torque did a video about this a while back. But for my riding, I prefer the cornering, braking and comfort of wider tires, sacrificing tiny bit in weight and aerodynamics.

@xosece 4 ай бұрын

inner rim width might help a lot with that. I have a road bike with 17mm inner width and another one with 23mm inner rim width and it's totally different how it affects the shape of the tyre

@peterharrington8709 4 ай бұрын

Yes, in essence PeakTorque found that the aero advantage of a deep section wheel was quickly lost once the tyre width exceeded the external width of the rims... a near flat profile being ideal. And as mentioned, a smooth transition between tyre and rim would also be very helpful, though that would normally require you to run hookless rims. I may be wrong, but I think we've got a set of Winspace Hypers on one bike (28.5mm ext) and similar Rovals... CLXII?? (30mm ext) on the other. The Winspace taper down towards the tyre a little, and are thereby *aerodynamically* optimised for a narrower tyre.... likely a 25c. I think the Rovals have a flatter profile and probably assume a 28c. BUT as this test shows, the wheel manufacturers need to be looking at optimising for 32c.... maybe even more! I also wonder if there's a substantial aero penalty from using Corsas, which have quite substantial and continuous grooves as tred. I'd bet that Contis and Goodyears would cut the air better, and maybe even grip as well given the lower pressures being run.

@SpicyTrifongo 4 ай бұрын

I seriously doubt 2mm is going to make much of a difference for anybody averaging under 40mph.

@billyhammm 4 ай бұрын

Sorry if you mentioned this somewhere else in the comments, @NorCalCycling, but what are the external and internal widths of the rims you were using? That makes a big difference, at least from what I've read on manufacturers' testing. A wider tire on a rim with a narrower internal width effects the shape of the tire and the contact patch, and the correlation between tire width and external rim width has effects on the aerodynamics.

@William24009 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing. They really is a big difference in tire pressure. I think another good test would be to lower the pressure on the 28s and just see how the how fast and how it feels riding.

@JimUe1 4 ай бұрын

Jeff, your video made me look into getting 32mm tires. Googling the Roval wheelset you used in the test showed a front wheel width of 35 mm and rear wheel width of 30 mm, seems to be wider than many other wheelsets. Despite Silca Josh saying the 105 rule was a very general rule of thumb devised along time ago, it suggests a front tire of 33.3 mm and a rear tire of 28.6 mm. Would be interested in seeing a repeated tests with: 1) a 32mm front tire, and a 28 mm rear tire; and 2) the Winspace D67s that google shows to have a front wheel width of 28 mm and a rear wheel width of 28.5 mm, which 105 rule suggests a fron tire of 26.7 mm and a rear tire of 27.1 mm; and see if the comparison test result findings still hold. Would appreciate it.

@BikesKomsCRO 4 ай бұрын

Therse videos are gold...thank you

@BikeronaTrek 3 ай бұрын

back in the early seventies, I rode two Schwinn 10 speeds with 27"x11/4" tires. These were so comfortable.

@keithcottongim7930 4 ай бұрын

I got into cycling 2004. I started with 23mm tires, 53/39 crank and 11-25 cassette. I raced a circuit race on 21mm tires. Times have changed

@prep1989 4 ай бұрын

Thank you for the time to do this! Wish my old Cervelo could fit something more than 25

@philring7681 4 ай бұрын

What year is your Cervelo, ? I ride a 2013 R3 and still on 23's! After watching this video I am wondering how wide I can go, I am quite sure I can run 25, and maybe 28 in the rear, but definitely cannot run 28 in the front, Is there a noticeable difference from 23 to 25? Some of the guys I ride with, who ride newer bikes are riding on 28's, they really like them

@prep1989 4 ай бұрын

@@philring7681 I'm on a 2011 S2. I can get a 25 Vittoria corsa on, but there's no way it could handle something bigger. I don't notice much of a difference, but I've only recently started keeping pressure of clinchers under 90. I'm sure 28+ would be noticable, but a new bike isn't in the cards for a while. Going to switch to latex this summer. Good luck

@Edmond347 4 ай бұрын

Great video. I’d suggest crank length test.

@nochancecw 4 ай бұрын

A winspace frame with roval wheel, how the times are changing. Good video!

@SonnyDarvishzadeh 4 ай бұрын

It was rather fun to watch :) Thanks for going through this for us! I reckon lots of factors will change the results each time: Aero test: narrower rims + narrower tires combo. Can we also add in the rim depth at a fixed external width? Different brands or models: chemical compounds and tire surface patterns. AFAIR conti or schwalbe accidentally discovered the tiny patterns actually have positive aero benefit for example. Hysteresis and Temperature: does vittoria n.ext run better in summer with 25 setup and conti better in winter at 32?

@KreshoMTB 2 ай бұрын

Ridin on 32s for a year now and yeah for me as an avg rider they made all the difference in comfort but didnt know about the speed gains though... good video! 💣💯

@mrvwbug4423 4 ай бұрын

For crits especially. 32s and 34s have more contact patch which could increase your cornering speed or at least help the bike feel more stable when leaned way over in a corner.

@paxundpeace9970 4 ай бұрын

GCN even put 35mm to the test downhill they were much faster

@bbqreunie984 4 ай бұрын

@@paxundpeace9970 ut going up...

@mac16a 4 ай бұрын

@paxundpeace9970 i switched 23mm with 2.0" and had the same top speed during the descent. I was far more confident during cornering on the wider tyre though.

@maxwright4387 4 ай бұрын

thanks for doing this! im on fairly rough pavement most of the time on 25mm tires. def going to 32s when I get back on the bike in spring. you could do a crank length comparison video but I think that's more about ergonomics and long term effects.

@pierrex3226 4 ай бұрын

Can you fit 32 on your frame? People who run 25 can usually, if they're lucky, run 28. Usually you need a new bike. That may be why there are seven bikes in my apartment right now.

@maxwright4387 4 ай бұрын

good question ill have to measure. hopefully. I did find someone saying they have plenty of room left over with 28s on my frame (diamondback podium Vitesse) worst case scenario I think I could run a 32 in the front and 28 in the rear.@@pierrex3226

@scottchambers2814 4 ай бұрын

Would love to see this comparison up hill. Rotational weight is 3X actual at the furthest distance from the hub. With the additional mass of a larger tire+wider/deeper rim, I find them slower to accelerate and more difficult to maintain speed while climbing. 25mm handmade clinchers(Veloflex, Challenge, Vittoria, Dugast, FMB) still feel the fastest and plenty comfortable. Please include them in a climbing comparison.

@neutronpcxt372 4 ай бұрын

Not exactly. The tires you mentioned are also very supple, which muddles the comparison.

@Jay-nt2ew 4 ай бұрын

feeling fast and actually being fast is different

@DR_1_1 4 ай бұрын

Average on Tour de France is 25-26 mm. Might have been less a decade(s) ago, although in older times like 100 years ago maybe, they had very big tyres at some point (and very bad roads!)... For recreational road biking 28 mm feels like a good compromise to me, maybe slightly more if you are a "big guy".

@barryl1995 4 ай бұрын

@@DR_1_1tour de france average was 28-30mm and next year there will be even more people on 28-30mm

@DR_1_1 4 ай бұрын

@@barryl1995 No, in 2023 average was 25-26 mm. Vandegaard won stages with 24 mm, Pogacar had 30-32 mm on several occasions, they use a lot of different gear, anyway, so it's difficult to keep track and make exact statistics.

@StressKind 4 ай бұрын

You could do a test in particular for cornering speeds. If there are gains to be had there - that is essential for crit racing...

@lenolenoleno 4 ай бұрын

Fantastic video guys - love the nuance to the test. Amazing that companies like GCN with 100x the financial backing can't do a simple test right.

@mitchlabrador 4 ай бұрын

Great content 👍👍 Thank you!!

@UrThysis 4 ай бұрын

As a long time urban/MTB rider just now going roadie 32s are definitely my sweet spot

@Adonis-qj1nq 4 ай бұрын

Great video. I’ve been advocating for 30’s and 32’s for a while now. Basically go as wide as your frame will allow. One thing I would love to see is a braking test or comparing cornering grip of 28 vs 32s.

@joeljurado6723 4 ай бұрын

I went up from 32s to 35s and can absolutely notice the increase in cornering grip. (Conti GP5000S/TR to GP5000AS/TR)

@veins91 4 ай бұрын

I rode 28s on a single speed for a few years and you feel EVERYTHING. Got a Domane with 32s and wow Id never go back. Rides feel so much smoother and more comfortable.

@Aragorn.Strider 4 ай бұрын

Great video! Well I keep my 35s on for a while... on a gravel bike which I normally have 40s on. But now in winter and all the crappy roads I am on, maybe 35 is actually best but unsure

@PrinceCbass 3 күн бұрын

I had a Ridley Fenix and the largest tire I could fit was a 28. I traded it for a Cube C:62 cross race gravel bike. The geometry of the bike is almost exactly the same. The Cube is a Kilo + less weight and I can now run upwards of 45c tires on 700 wheels and slightly larger on 650b wheels. The bike is much more daily useful with all the benefits of having a fast road bike. I will never go back to 25c tires

@matthiaswuest7271 4 ай бұрын

I consider myself pretty forward thinking when it comes to bike tech and this video shook me. Unfortunately my rim brakes wont take much more than 28s but i could seriously go for wider on the crap roads around Edinburgh - for both speed and comfort

@JCleggy 2 ай бұрын

In case this helps a newer rider: I’ve only been riding for about 18 months. I switched from lower quality 25s to good 28s and the difference was clear as day.

@michaellandman8419 4 ай бұрын

Quite a surprise! Nice one👍

@mansson111 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for this. On an old Giant TCR disc. Fallen behind a bit. Run 25's but track pumps loses grip, have to pump them up CONSTANTLY to 97-100 psi (rear) to stop me bottoming out and to maintain them at correct pressure. Have just purchased new TCR disc frame that has far wider clearance then the old model. 32 here I come!

@chrisc.8862 4 ай бұрын

Have you tried the 32s on the new TCR yet? is there clearance for 34 or have you reached the limt?

@mansson111 4 ай бұрын

Hi. I have not built it up yet, likely will nearer spring. I believe 32 is max hence 32. I will likely stick with GP5000 which I think come up slightly narrower anyways so it should accommodate them fine. @@chrisc.8862

@ztzexplorer 6 күн бұрын

In my day, we raced on 20's, 22's, and 23's pumped to 120 psi. Narrower tires are faster IF the roads are smooth. They're also more aero IF tire width closely matches rim width. And they're lighter because they have less material. The rims they're mounted on are lighter for the same reason. The trend towards wider tires has occurred primarily because of disc brakes (which are also heavier and less aero). More stopping power worsens the skidding problem that we roadies have. Increasing contact area between the tire and road helps mitigate this problem to some degree. Pros that hate disc brakes and wide tires stay quiet on the matter because of the UCI weight limit and sponsorship obligations.

@cokebottles6919 3 ай бұрын

I'd love to see you try different tires front and rear! Maybe a 28 front and 32 rear and swap them around. I got some of my best average speeds with 28mm front and 30mm rear, but that could have just been the conditions or maybe the the 30mm tire was just faster than 28mm tires I was using like this test showed. Wheel internal and external width has to make a difference too. My current wheels are 21mm internal 28 external, not as wide as your Rovals.

@JonNelsonCycling 4 ай бұрын

ended up having to run 32s on a set of the reserve 40/44s at the tour of newport news crit last year as my 'race wheels' with 28s developed a lead in the car at some point and wouldn't hold pressure at all. measured out at 34 mm on those ultra wide rims, but absolutely loved how they rode, and ended up riding them in any technical race the rest of the year. race wheels with 28s became my training wheels 😅 no idea on straight line speed, but the confidence in corners was absurd.

@youngsuk3329 4 ай бұрын

This content is gold, thank you so much for testing and finally put the slim tyre trend to the trash bin where it should belong long time ago

@shreddagorge 4 ай бұрын

Lots of astute comments on rim width here. I ran 28c on HED Belgiums then switched them onto Logos Epoche which are wider. Immediately I noticed less confidence in cornering (which wasn't examined closely here). Now running 22mm (inner) front with 28c and 24mm rear with 30c feels great!

@alenkovacic7913 4 ай бұрын

Great video. Try to make another one when you test 28mm front & 32mm back 28mm front & 34mm back 32mm front & 34mm back And and the already tested widths and try to see wich combo feels and perfomes better. Some world tour teams do ride 28mm front and 32mm back.

@lossantoscity3249 4 ай бұрын

The more Comfortable you get the less stress you get. Simply means MORE POWER BABY!!!

@alexanderpolta 3 ай бұрын

plz try 26/32, 28/32, 30/32. in motorsport, they almost always run narrower at the front and wider in the rear.

@stuartdryer1352 4 ай бұрын

I'm glad you used the Silca calculator and actually meadured the width. My Pirelli 28 tires are nearly 30 on my Elite 50D rims. Also, you made an important point, fatter feels slower but isn't. Once these are worn out I guess I'll buy 30s.

@hansschotterradler3772 4 ай бұрын

There was a time when MTB tires got wider and wider (up to 3"). They have come back to 2.3" to 2.4" which appears to be the sweet spot. Likewise, widths for road tires could overshoot in the coming years (perhaps 35-38mm) and eventually come back to a more reasonable width of 28-32 mm.

@rider65 4 ай бұрын

It depends on the bike it depends on the terrain. If you ride glass smooth roads all the time then yes 28, 32 would be ideal. If you ride the real roads, as in Most states with crumbling infrastructure than 34, 35 even 38 may be better performing under rough conditions.

@marekk1337 4 ай бұрын

@@rider65 37mm mam w gravelu

@DR_1_1 4 ай бұрын

Tour de France riders use 25-26mm on average.

@ernestb.2377 10 күн бұрын

It would be interested if you also did the "old" 23mm. I still have those, as the matter a fact, for example Vittoria Servizio Corsa 320 TPS tubular tire. Rides like a charm, but I don't think they make them any more. I have a few NOS. Really good tire. Excellent grip for wet conditions. Width of a tire is just 1 aspect of the tire. Luckily you compared the same tire rubber compound. Indeed the pressure is important too. Those TPI I have mentioned are very important.

@stevegeek Ай бұрын

I ran 32mm Conti 4 seasons on my Spec Tarmac for a few weeks, but there was only a couple of mm clearance and I noticed scratches on the frame, probably from dirt on the tires, so I switched back to 28s. To be honest I didn’t notice any difference between the 28 and 32, but I wasn’t racing and I didn’t do a scientific side-by-side. This video reminds me, I was going to eBay the 32s! 😊

@marksimpson3035 3 ай бұрын

32mm is the optimal size for my road riding , comfort from rough tarmac & gradient speed that hits the road on the sweet spot 👌

@alainpfammatter8224 4 ай бұрын

very interesting video. Thank you

@peko6411 4 ай бұрын

Very good test guys. Thanks!! Please do a test with 2 completely different road bikes (Aero vs Non-Aero) and 2 completely different rims (very lightweght shallow vs Aero deep ). And combine with each other. Let's say Canyon Aeroad, Scott Foil, Trek Madone... vs Canyon Ultimate, Giant TCR, Scott Addict, Factor O2 VAM, Cervelo R5... And rims depth for example 25mm vs 60mm. Ideally climbs, flats and descents. It seems to be crazy, but we will see differences, where and why. Thank you.

@ulrichwinkler722 4 ай бұрын

Thxs! Very informative video. Love it!. You may want to hide the chart bars completly - not blur them. Those blured bars gave away all those information beforehand.. so it was not a big surprise anymore ;)

@GB-fo2ce 4 ай бұрын

Nice analysis! Curious what the result would have been when running the 28mm at lower pressure. Thanks!!

@hockysa 4 ай бұрын

oh wow, I'm on 32s and have moved to a hilly area with smooth roads. Was thinking I'd go to 28s when I change tyres or get deeper dish rims but I'll have to reasses.

@nagasako7 Ай бұрын

When I travel to Japan/Asia, their roads are excellent. Everyone is on 25s. I think it's about the road quality. Go 32C for USA

@I3ene1 4 ай бұрын

Ive been on 35cs (conti 5000 AS) and wont go smaller anymore. Fast, comfy and allows for a little gravel here and there

@ayukce 4 ай бұрын

Hi, lovely video! I also put in 32 mm tires after my 25's, I have not tried them yet though. We have a lot of snow nowadays and can not wait to ride them once possible. One question, what gear you used to capture the action shots? They look buttery smooth. Many thanks.

@10flyingdutchman 4 ай бұрын

Backwards hat Dylan has a good take on this. Wider is definitely the future.

@jayhoughton4174 3 ай бұрын

I did a 315km (200 mile) race last year, I’d been training on my old bike with 32cm tyres and was taking it easy, I wasn’t going to win this race, I just wanted to finish. I bought a new bike about a month before the race and it had a much bigger tyre clearance. I put my 32’s on it and it felt great, although I was seriously worried about my butt being in the saddle for so long, so I decided to try some wider tyres to help reduce the road buzz and put some Schwalbe G one RS 40cm on, on my usual 100km training rides I was losing maybe a half a km an hour, but it was so much more comfortable 😂 so I went with the 40’s and had a great ride 😀👍

@meibing4912 Ай бұрын

Did 420 km on 18mm back in the 80's. Months of training (90 km every morning) ensured that I did not suffer - but cannot believe how much better things are today - carbon frame and handle bars w/double bar tape, 3D saddle with cut-out, wide tubeless tires, click pedals vs leather rim etc. - like floating on air!

@136Hammer 4 ай бұрын

Yes I put 32s on my bike recently☺️

@fried_tri 4 ай бұрын

Hi, do you think it may be because of aerodynamics? The Roval wheels are very wide outside, and the gap between tire and rim seemed to come down the wider the tire got. Sure "smooth is fast" but the difference could also be the aerodynamic profit too. Edit: more rubber, more grip, could aslo be down to more confidence in corners

@morrisizing 4 ай бұрын

It would be interesting seeing how the results change as speed increases and aerodynamic drag cubes up.

@Hexsense 4 ай бұрын

That Roval Rapide front wheel is 35mm wide externally. You won't see much aerodynamic penalty when tires are still narrower than the rim.

@erikarnstrom897 4 ай бұрын

Yes, as the tire+rim is less slender the laminar flow should be impacted. Also the larger frontal area should also have an impact. The aero drag must be impacted when increasing the profile width. I understand if the high volyme tires is faster over rough surfaces, but what about smooth tarmac?

@CarnivoreDMD 4 ай бұрын

A properly matched 19 on a thin road racing rim would be faster than a 28-30etc on a properly wide rim of the same model rim. Just more comfort. Ck TOUR Magazine in German testing. They even say anything deeper than 40-50 deep is not worth the increased poor handling etc.

@mrmotomoto 4 ай бұрын

Started off with 32’s on my trek Domane but now roll on 38’s because my regular ride in fort ord is mostly chip and seal rather than paved. Also hit some gravel rides from time to time. Definitely noticed the heft on the hills, tho.

@flybicycles 4 ай бұрын

I know this isn’t ideal for testing, but would be interesting to see this same test but on tubeless. I think you’ll see those 32’s actually measuring out at the correct size as your test confirmed 30’s is the best setup😅

@joneaton3366 4 ай бұрын

A tube doesn't change the size😅

@flybicycles 4 ай бұрын

@@joneaton3366 do some experimenting on the same wheel set and you’ll be able to measure the difference when it’s only air filling up the volume of the tire vs an internal tube.

@yesmate78 3 ай бұрын

@@joneaton3366but does reduce pressure