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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: When is fat too fat?
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2025 16:09:15 -0400
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On 3/22/2025 11:10 PM, zen cycle wrote:
>  
> At any rate, yes, there seems to be more and more vindication for wider 
> tires and the bikes needed to support them as time goes on. It's amazing 
> how I was brought into the racing world being told skinny high-pressure 
> tires were the way to go, while older school people back when I started 
> were pooh poohing the idea. I remember one old codger at the local time 
> trial in the 1980s saying that skinny tires should only be used on the 
> track (he was the last guy to show up at the TT with wooden rims). It 
> seems like we should have taken his word back then.

AFAIK, the trend toward accepting the benefits of wider tires was 
started by Jan Heine with his coast down tests on outdoor soapbox derby 
tracks. He pointed out that those tests were more representative of real 
world riding than were the smooth rolling drum tests of the day. And he 
was inspired to do the tests by his fascination with French 
randonneuring bikes of the '50s and '60s.

The speed benefits are usually explained by less energy transmitted to 
the rider's flesh, where it is lost (and adds discomfort). In this 
forum, I remember Jobst rather fiercely defending rolling drum data, and 
saying that those energy losses should not be considered part of rolling 
resistance.

That may be a semantic argument. It's clear those losses are real, and 
they need to be considered _somewhere_.


-- 
- Frank Krygowski