Originally Posted by
joewein
Riding with other cyclists, I find that other cyclists tend to be stronger mid-ride but get exhausted towards the end while I fade less with the increased comfort of 650B tires on my Elephant NFE with 605Bx42mm Compass tires.
I worry less about getting stuck in ruts or sewer grates. There's a definite safety gain even on tarmac. I have been continuing a "Century-A-Month" challenge for 67 consecutive months. The major requirement for that has been not to get seriously injured. If you don't want to break any bones, wide tires are the way to go!
Another little appreciated benefit is the reduced risk of punctures with high volume, low pressure tires. I went for 20 months without punctures (about 13,000 km / 8,000 mi) over the last two years with Compass Babyshoe Pass EL tires, even though they don't have any energy-sucking puncture-guard strips but are built like race tires (only wider).
Been using the EL 48's for the last few months on my bike setup tubeless. Pretty happy with them. Good for noodling around offroad also. I agree with your comment re less fatigue at the end of a long ride.
Recently purchased the tubeless EL 42's for a new wheel build. I think they'll hit the sweet spot on the road.