I think total system weight is a significant factor here as well. At 150# on my 17# carbon bike, a nice 28mm tire is totally comfy for me for 100 miles. I can't really tell the difference if I move to a 32mm tire, but my 220# friend for sure is not going to give up his 32s. I have a bike with 38s that's otherwise light and stiff, but I can tell I'm pushing around more tire after about 1.5 hours on that bike. Perhaps if I was confident I could get away with an extralight tire, that time frame would be larger. On a platypus, I think maybe 35-38 would be a sweet spot, and there are many more manufacturers making good tires in that size range (Conti Urban Contact is one I am planning on trying soon). You could probably get a lighter wheelset, but I'm not sure you'd notice that difference as much.
Will near Boston, relishing those 38mm today on winter-pockmarked streets On Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 5:11:17 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > Thank you so much for sharing those comparisons, Mike, I really appreciate > it! Sounds like we are both lucky to have either one or both of the bikes :) > > Tom in Sydney > > > On Sun, 11 Jan 2026, 5:03 am Michael Cinibulk, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Tom, >> >> To be honest, it’s difficult to compare given the different setups. I >> think the ride of the Mod.Zero is similar to the Hillborne, in stripped >> down mode. Both ride well. I would not call the Hillborne ride compliant, >> that would be apply to my Waterford with 753 tubing. But the Hillborne is >> definitely a smooth ride, as is the Mod.Zero with the wide tires. I have >> the two as I bought the Hillborne some 15 y ago as a commuter and road >> touring bike. I built up the Mod.Zero last year as an off-road tourer. Both >> could be great all round road bikes if built up for that purpose. >> >> Mike >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> Tom Powell Davies <[email protected]>: Jan 10 02:32PM +1100 >> >> Hi Michael, >> >> Thanks so much for these interesting observations! >> >> Without getting too much off track - I'd be very interested to hear any >> reflections you might have about how the Sam handles compared with your >> Mod.Zero! >> >> I ask because I have a Mod.Zero (like you, in a reasonably upright >> position) and am contemplating getting a Sam as an addition. I'm after >> something really smooth and compliant, and wondering if the Sam would add >> anything there, or if you find it similar to the Mod.Zero. >> >> Thanks in advance for anything you're happy to share, and apologies one >> and >> all for going slightly off track! >> >> Tom >> >> -- >> > 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 [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CA79BDB8-4DD9-4B5A-85A8-465C61C4FC0A%40gmail.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CA79BDB8-4DD9-4B5A-85A8-465C61C4FC0A%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/2b608b0f-1a85-424c-8f03-5019b0148edfn%40googlegroups.com.
