Originally Posted by
sfrider
Is that ever a limitation? I can't recall ever thinking to myself, "wow if only these tires had better grip!"
Yes. I’m frequently ride on the knife’s edge and recently crashed after switching from my race wheels (with vittoria corsas) to training wheels (beat up 4 year old turbo pros). I foolishly tried to think exactly like you - “the tires aren’t the limiter; I am”. It’s utter nonsense. I could feel the tires screaming at me and yet I chose to push.
“If only these tires had better grip” is all I think about when I’m trying to hold someone’s wheel going 50 down a mountain. How could you not?
I’m not saying everyone needs all the grip in the world. But if you’re riding with the kind of crowd where half a watt of aero or 3 watts of RR matters, chances are that grip matters too.