3 ms·

If you're not already familiar with bicyclerollingresistance.com (I'm not affiliated, just appreciative), that has been a fantastic resource for understanding w

If you're not already familiar with bicyclerollingresistance.com (I'm not affiliated, just appreciative), that has been a fantastic resource for understanding what tire, tube, and rim characteristics really mean. There's so much rumor and trend informed butt dynamometer expertise in bicycling and far too little tediously measuring some actual numbers. Even if a rolling drum isn't perfect, it at least correllates to some extent with real world use and is far more consistent than possible by testing on a bike with a human rider. Anyway, there are a few test series on same make/model/year tires over a range of sizes, which back up your point and add more detail as well: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/conti-gp4000s-ii-23-25-28 https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/conti-gp40... https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/grand-prix-5000-comparison https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/grand-prix... https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/schwalbe-marathon-32-37-40-47 https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/schwalbe-m...

rconti 6y ago
That's funny. I was just riding my commuter bike yesterday and remarking to my wife how it was funny how much slower I am on it than on my road bike. I assumed it had to do mostly with my aerodynamic profile and to a lesser extent what muscle groups engage when pedaling from a more upright position. The commuter is running Marathons in 32c and my road bike has Continental gp5000s :) likely a 30w difference when multiplied out for 2 tires. At a cruising effort where I'm doing perhaps 120-140w, that's huge! And it reflects where you're doing 12mph instead of 17mph.