I have to agree with Garth that "best width" for "this or that condition" is a pretty wide box. I don't agree that everything to do with wheel size and bike design is "subjective" -- meaning by this word "entirely based on an individual's particular likes and dislikes"; I do think that there are real parameters. Still, first: taste plays a huge role; what is "better" for me may not be "better" for you; and second: bike design makes a huge difference. One little example: my first, early 1995 26 wheel road custom felt best -- to me -- with 30+ mm tires; put on 22s and it was a wee bit too twitchy -- not horrible, but still so.
When I had my 2 later ones made, I told Grant about this, and he questioned me closely about the smallest tire I'd use on it; I told him the 559 X 23 Turbos or Conti GPs and so on, 24" overall diameter. He so designed these 2 that they felt very stable with the skinnies, but not sluggish with the 32s. Perhaps a low trail geometry is more sensitive to wheel size and weight; I don't know. I certainly do find a 26er with light wheels more nimble than a Fargo with 800 gram rims and 800 gram tires. But the Fargo surprised me by how nimble it was on tightly winding singletrack (flat; I can handle flat singletrack; it's the steep, rutted stuff that I don't like), and I certainly don't feel constrained by the Matthews, with better geometry (for me) and much lighter wheels, even if its pavement handling is not up to Riv's pavement handling qualities. On Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 4:40 PM, panog <panogiannio...@gmail.com> wrote: > @Patrick Moore > > Patrick, I dont have any readily recalled studies on the subject to quote. > I have consistently seen 32mm tires to be referred to as the optimum > combination between comfort, speed and responsiveness for 700c rims and > road geometry and 38mm tires for 650B rims. A few years ago I had a lengthy > discussion on the subject with Mike Kone of Boulder Bicycle on the subject > with the same conclusion. I also see most builders staying around the 32mm > tire size for their sportier road frames. The Rivendell Roadeo follows the > same principles with the 33mm JBs in contrast to the rest of the Riv line. > I recall BQ having published the results of one of JH's tests on How Wide > is Wide Enough (paraphrasing here!); I'm not quite sure but if I recall > correctly above 32mm there were diminishing returns when on smooth roads (I > hope I'm not misquoting this; I will try to find the edition when I have > some time) as inflation pressure is reduced as the tire size (width) > increases. > My personal observations and resulting preferences are 28-32mm on my > go-fast bikes, 35 on my go-nice and 50+ on my go-over everything and > anything, all 700c wheels with 17c rims. > > Pano > > -- > 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. > -- *30% Supply and Demand discount, listmembers only, on all resume, LinkedIn, and writing services, until Demand equals Supply! And there's more! 10% kickback for any referral resulting in fully paid, list-price contract. And still more! I am offering services in trade for a road bike, or frame and parts, that are period compatible with my AM hub, circa 1937 to 1961. See my website for what I do and what I charge; email for details.* Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************************************************** ************** -- 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.
