Road Cycling Performance

Summary: For decades, road cyclists chased narrow tires and high pressure for speed. Today the industry has reversed course. Modern carbon wheels with wide internal rims (21mm–25mm+) are engineered to perform best with 28mm to 38mm tires. This article explains why wider tires deliver lower rolling resistance, improved aerodynamics when matched to a wide rim, greater comfort, and fewer flats — and why 28mm–38mm is the new sweet spot for road, all-road, and gravel. From 23mm to 32mm: How We Got Here Not long ago, a 23mm tire was the road racing standard and 25mm was "wide." Riders accepted a harsh ride as the price of speed. That assumption is now gone. Independent rolling-resistance testing, wind-tunnel data, and pro peloton adoption have all pushed the industry wide...