Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tire Sizes and Utility Cycling


One of the blogs I follow on a daily basis is EcoVelo. They do a great job of discussing the topics that are important to people that use bikes as transportation tools as apposed to leisure toys. They also have a good eye for photography and style which makes their site pleasing to the eye as well as the mind.

Today they posted an article that discusses tire sizes and pressure for utility cycling.

It’s a common misconception that wider tires are slower, but this is not necessarily the case, particularly at non-racing speeds on rough roads. Bicycle Quarterly has done extensive testing on suspension losses and their conclusions show that on rough roads, up to 50% of a bicyclist’s power output can be attributed to suspension losses, and these losses are best mitigated by wide tires run at lower pressures.

Head on over and read the article and vote on your preferred tire size and tire pressure for commuting.

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