Wider tyres equals better over crap roads?

Duffer65
Duffer65 Posts: 341
edited September 2010 in The workshop
Hello,

Just a quick question. Would you say that fitting wider tyres to my 'urban' mtb would make riding on the crap road surfaces of South London any smoother? I have 26x1.4 tyres on at the moment but was thinking of going wider maybe up to 2".

What does the panel think?
Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!

Comments

  • wgwarburton
    wgwarburton Posts: 1,863
    Duffer65 wrote:
    Hello,

    Just a quick question. Would you say that fitting wider tyres to my 'urban' mtb would make riding on the crap road surfaces of South London any smoother? I have 26x1.4 tyres on at the moment but was thinking of going wider maybe up to 2".

    What soes the panel think?

    Could do. You can run them softer than narrow tyres without increasing the risk of "snakebite" or pinch punctures. Might increase rolling resistance (ie drag), though.

    Cheers,
    W.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    You want to choose a tyre with good p resistance. If you're looking at buying new tyres, Spesh Amradillos are the business.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Wider tyres only really give a better ride by being able to be run softer, run them at the same pressure and the ride improvement is very small.

    I run my commuter on 26x1.3 at 70psi as some of my commute (country lanes) have a very rough surface, a triathlete I work with uses the same route for training and says he has to slow down in places on that route as the road surface painfully jars his wrists (700cx23 at 120psi).

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll try running my tyres at a slightly reduced pressure before I spend out on new ones.

    Cheers.
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    The theory of rolling resistance is that at the SAME pressure, wider tyres have LOWER rolling resistance (but higher air resistance)
    The "BUT" is that wider tyres usually have lower pressure so have lower rolling resistance.

    There are some wider high pressure slicks such as Schwalbe Big Apple. These roll very well esp over rough cobbles. They have enough air pocket to absorb pothole hits.
    A wide tyre will be efficient at cruising speed but not as good at very high speed (where air resistance is the primary drag) and not as fast to accelelerate (because of higher weight)
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    thanks for the replies, they were most helpful.
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!

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