Originally Posted by
Koyote
Unless you've actually done that, you're just speculating.
There is actual logic behind my argument, since it is indisputable that the rear tire supports well over 50% of the system weight; your (and
chas58 's) argument is pure speculation, since neither of you have offered any evidence that power output causes tire wear. (And logic works against your argument, since cycling -- aside from a few track disciplines and the odd TT launch -- doesn't generally involve rapid starts. Even most road races start rather sedately, in my experience, and power is then applied once the wheels are already rolling at a good pace.)
If tire wear were strictly due to load, it should be in proportion to the load. A road bike is usually, what, 40% in front and 60% in rear? Have you ever worn through the tread of a tire that stayed on the front its whole life?
A rear tire doesn't need to be slipping/skidding for the rubber to wear off due to abrasion, I'm confident that it happens to some extent whenever you apply additional power to accelerate. A front tire, on the other hand, just rolls on the ground unless you're in the process of crashing...