Peter Van Petegem has shown the way. The Belgian rode on wide tyres to his victories in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the spring. Before both races, the Domo-Lotto team pro had "Continental Competition 25" tyres fitted: a tubular tyre that is nominally 25 millimetres wide.
Now, the use of thick tyres on rough pavements in Belgium and northern France makes perfect sense. After all, thanks to the larger air volume and height, they undoubtedly offer more riding comfort and are also less susceptible to punctures - both arguments that count double on bad roads. But there is a third, hardly less important one: wider tyres also roll more easily than narrow ones.
Many road cyclists will now ask how this is possible - until the mid-1990s, the manufacturers' top tyres, which were up to 18 millimetres narrow, suggested that only the thinner ones were really fast. But as early as 1994, TOUR proved that this equation was wrong.
The physical relationship: Two tyres that differ in width (and therefore also in height), but are otherwise identical in design, have the same tyre contact areas at the same air pressure and under the same load from the rider's weight. Although the surfaces differ in shape - narrow tyres are long and narrow, wider tyres are shorter and wider - the surface area is identical in both cases. However, the narrow tyre has to deform more over a greater length and height during compression than the wide tyre - it flexes more. This deformation can be thought of as a kind of internal friction in the tyre, which consumes a lot of energy. It is lower with wider tyres than with narrower tyres, which is why wide tyres - with the same air pressure - have a lower rolling resistance.
Further information on weight, prices, fitting, puncture resistance and much more can be found in the free downloadable market overview.
The models in the market overview
Continental Grand Prix 3000 700x25C and 4-Season 700x25C, Hutchinson Carbon Comp Black 700x25C, Michelin Pro Race 700x25C and Axial Carbon 70x25C, Panaracer Stradius Pro 700x26C and Sport 700x26C, Specialized S-Works Mondo 700x25C and All Condition 700x25C as well as Pro All Contition 700x25C and 700x28C, Schwalbe Stelvio 700x25 C and Stelvio Rain 700x25 C, Vredestein Fortezza 700x25 C and Volante 700x25C
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