Fastslow

December 27, 2013

This is a post about a very sensitive issue ... at least sensitive to many riders. The effect of tire size and weight on the speed of the ride. This is completely an unscientific report, completely without merit, or malice. Just some of my own observations, and thoughts over the passage of time. First of all, when I got my touring bike, I wanted to get the largest tires I could get on it. Why? A couple of reasons. I felt that a larger, stronger tire would hold the weight better and roll easier than a skinny one that has to be pumped up to 120 pounds just to keep the rim off the pavement. I have since loaded this bike up to a total of 72 pounds touring weight, pumped the tires up to the max on the sidewalls, which is 65 pounds, and went for a weekend ride. The bike not only handled the load excellently, it handled well, and rode superbly.
Still, however, many other riders have told me that in their experience, I really ruined the riding aspects of the bike. It's going to be really, really, really slow, slow ..... oh ..... did I mention it's going to be really, really slow!!! I even had one rider suggest that I should change the tires to skinny's, pump them up to 120 pounds, change out the wheels to lightweight wheels, Take the racks off, take the fenders off, and especially, take the kickstand off, and while I'm at it ......  change.... Hey, wait a minute ..... it's a touring bike, I already have a fast road bike.  Well, I did have the feeling of it being slower than my road bike, kind of like guiding an ocean liner down the road .... but yet..... it was oh, so comfortable, so quiet that I could ride right on by dogs snoozing on the front lawn and not get their attention until I was well past..... then the dog jumps up, gives a "what the hell was that" look ... and retires sheepishly to the back of the house. "I didn't see him, Pa .....I was behind the house".... So, as you can see, there were still some advantages even though the bike was slow. Of course there were other differences besides the tires. Overall weight was a lot different between the two bikes as well, gearing was different, there were a number of things to take into consideration.  Let's look at the two bikes in a couple of photos to compare.
First, the road bike. 15 pounds of carbon fiber racing bike. Light, responsive, skinny high pressure tires, the latest and greatest tires that Continental has to offer in size 700/25. I used to run 23's until I realized that there was only a very few grams (12) difference and the 25's rode much, much better. For general use, I run 110 pounds of air in them. It's great fun to ride!

Secondly, the touring bike. Heavy duty frame, cro-moly front fork, big gears, triple crank, luggage racks, and 700/42 tires, on 36 spoke heavy duty rims. With an unladen bike, just as you see it here, I run 40 pounds of air pressure in those big heavy Continental Touring tires. The tires, are heavy at 900 grams each, but very strong, and capable of holding up a great deal of weight. Obviously, a much heavier bike, and it is at 30 pounds, double what the road bike is.

This is an early photo of the tourer and I have since put the Brooks saddle back on and broke it in properly. I didn't like it at first, and replaced it with a Fizik, but after putting it back on, and riding a thousand miles on it, I wouldn't have anything else. It also is heavy. I've had people tell me that the Brooks saddle alone will cost me a couple miles per hour.

Well, let's see. A couple weeks ago, I took the road bike on a local ride that is almost exactly 50 miles. The wind was light at 6-8mph from the SW. There are a number of rollers, and one stretch that is a long shallow upgrade into the wind. The 50 miles took me 3 hours and 28 minutes and I averaged 14.6 mph. So...after being constantly reminded by riders about how much speed all this extra weight and big huge tires cost me, I decided to take the tourer on the same route ... just as you see it in the picture .... rack, trunk bag, and one water bottle. The day was very similar, the temperature was close to the same, the wind was SW at 6-8mph, and the route was identical. The outcome ..... 3 hours 47 minutes and the average speed was 12.9mph. Same hills, same wind, same everything. 1-3/4 mile per hour difference in average speed over 50 miles. With the tourer, I was relaxed, comfortable, and felt good, although a bit tired at the end of the ride. With the road bike, I was more tense, found myself looking at the speedometer a lot, ended the ride feeling a bit sore in the shoulders and neck and arms, but otherwise okay, and also a bit tired. 

I'm sure to some riders one and three quarters of a mile per hour and twenty minutes of riding time would be a disaster. To me.... not so much. I enjoyed the rides, both of them, and came to the conclusion that there is a lot of unnecessary hype in the bicycling industry put there by young, competitive people who would sell their soul for a mile per hour. Maybe the same type who would pay $500 for a pair of designer jeans, when $20 Wranglers do the same job. I'd rather just get on my bike and ride, enjoy the day, the scenery, and the pleasure of going somewhere on my bike If you want to race, you'll have to race by yourself, 'cause I'm here for fun.