Wider tyres are faster

j4m · June 2007

Just been browsing the Schwalbe website (yes, the rubber fetish bites again).

They present the results of an interesting study into what affect pressure and tyre size has on rolling resistance off-road.

http://schwalbetires.com/wider_faster_page

Unknown · June 2007

Tinner tyres are faster as less rolling resitance. Why do you think xc racer you thin ones

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tinytjf · June 2007

That's really interesting reading. I'm not sure I buy it but the science makes some logical sense. The only problem is surely you loose on grip running them very low as you'll be less able to control slides - I think. Intriguing though, I think I'll try it for my next tyre purchase! [:D]

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Jinja Ninja · June 2007

Down hill bigger tyres are better, XC you genraly want to keep below 2.0/1

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mudface · June 2007

i'm not sure i'd agree with that.

i have tried a bike with a 3" rear tyre with 10psi in it. it was pretty hard to get any sort of speed up, and that was going down hill too!

j4m · June 2007

I would like to see the data they collected!

Presumably for each test, they kept the distance the same, but did they consider the time taken?

However, I do prefer a 2.35" tyre to a 2.1" even for XC - it gives me greater confidence and allows me to go faster. As for rolling weight, once you're used to it, you use it to your advantage in terms of increased momentum.

Capt. Jon · June 2007

Makes complete sense.

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Jinja Ninja · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mudface

i'm not sure i'd agree with that.

i have tried a bike with a 3" rear tyre with 10psi in it. it was pretty hard to get any sort of speed up, and that was going down hill too!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Um, because it was barely inflated? The cornering must have been horrible.

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futon river crossing · June 2007

Faster - untill you get a pinch puncture.

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mudface · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Jinja Ninja

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mudface

i'm not sure i'd agree with that.

i have tried a bike with a 3" rear tyre with 10psi in it. it was pretty hard to get any sort of speed up, and that was going down hill too!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Um, because it was barely inflated? The cornering must have been horrible.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

quite. it was hideous, and not intentionally that low a pressure, i was merely responding to this sentence in the article:

"Off-road rolling resistance was lower, the wider the tire and the lower the pressure"

orangechimp · June 2007

there's a lot of difference between 10 psi and 20 psi, which was the lowest pressure tested.

it also says narrow tyres will suit lighter riders, hhhmmmm XC racers by any chance?

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Wolf · June 2007

Why would they only post a one page article with one graph if they have prepared such a long study? I want to see the whole report!

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Jinja Ninja · June 2007

Can you say "sale's gimmick"

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Vegeeta · June 2007

I find having 2 completly different tyres front and rear makes my bike the fastest. I use a really knobbly one for the front for masses of grip and a slightly slicker one at the rear so I can drift a bit.

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Capt. Jon · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Wolf

Why would they only post a one page article with one graph if they have prepared such a long study? I want to see the whole report!

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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

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Unknown · June 2007

Resistance for a road rider above certain speeds is more to do with the aerodymamics of the tyre.

The weight the tyre must support is always the same, regardless of how much air is in it - it simply spreads over a greater area at lower pressures increasing the contact patch. This also increases static friction.

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Unknown · June 2007

Also unsure how a larger tyre undergoes less retardation, as usually narrower tyres have the stiffer chassis.

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ED209 · June 2007

Plus the extra weight, all things being equal the bigger tyre will weigh more.

I was pondering this on the way home from work; thinking about the forces acting on a tyre travelling on hard ground and over/through a layer of uniform viscous fluid displacing it as it goes, and came to the same conclusion as everyone else that Schwalbe are talking guff here [:D].

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mudface · June 2007

quite.

i think everyone has come to that conclusion now. was the article written on april 1st or something?

Capt. Jon · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by supersonic

Also unsure how a larger tyre undergoes less retardation, as usually narrower tyres have the stiffer chassis.

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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Because a large tyre moves less? - the bit of tyre in contact with the ground is more consistant with a wider trye, whereas a smaller tyre will move more as it adjusts to different ground conditions...more movement of the tyre means more retardation...?

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Capt. Jon · June 2007

Just found a longer article:

http://www.bicicletta.co.za/Downloadabl ... trated.pdf

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buddha · June 2007

But with front suspension, is retardation that much of an issue?

An interesting article though, esp as I was considering a Racing Ralph for the rear.

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Unknown · June 2007

I think the study is flawed as it only considers a few type of tyres made by oner manufacturer and the distances covered are very short. I know that on hard packed surfaces - be it mud, concrete, etc that a higher pressure tyre is better than a lower pressure.I also know that a Continental Vertical is faster on hard packed surfaces than a Specialized Enduro Pro as the rubber is less sticky. In gloopy wet mud a thinner tyre with a high pressure ( pananarcer trailraker) is also better as it cuts through the gloop to the hard surface below. A low pressure fat tyre will slide all over the surface in these conditions.

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Capt. Jon · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jonsteed

I think the study is flawed<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No it isn't. The conclusion people have drawn from the study (Swalbe) and people reading the reports of the study are flawed.

I would imagine the study is very tightly worded in regards to what has been found - i.e. the results are the results for the tests done and nothing else - and the implecations for general riding with different factors involved.

Unfortunately when journalists get hold of academic work they often don't fully understand it and misreport it. And then there are the scum bags who misreport research to make a point.

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buddha · June 2007

Well, I have come to the conclusion that every tyre in existence and on any surface, has less rolling resistance than a Spesh Enduro.

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Wider tyres are faster

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