I live in Manitoba, Canada. Like some have mentioned here. when it's dry the dirt becomes very hard and smooth. I have ridden my road bike with 23's and flown across it. Same with smooth gravel. That is the exception though, not the rule. Typically I have been running 32mm Challenge Grifo XS, which is a very fine file tread with a supple casing. This summer I picked up the 38mm Compass Barlow Pass (700C) and they are even better. I'm a firm believer now that rolling resistance isn't directly related to tire width. It has so much more to do with sidewall suppleness and tread compound.
SO... If you're riding un-loaded, I think 30-32 is a nice place to start. Anything larger and you'll definitely get more float, but it becomes more important to have a light and supple casing. Otherwise you just end up with a big fat dead feeling hunk of rubber. My Dad rides some kind of Continental 50mm slick, and sometimes Marathons, and I feel like the brakes are rubbing when compared to the Barlow Pass. On Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 11:11:08 AM UTC-6, BenG wrote: > > Widest tire that will fit my fork and chainstays, then just enough > pressure to prevent pinch flats and rim damage in specific landscape. On a > '90 MB-1 that's a big Schwalbe Dureme after trying Kenda Nevegal and old > WTB tractor treads. Dureme:s are tough and roll easily where I like ro > ride. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
